Practicing What We Teach

Christianity #2

Christians are followers of a man called Jesus of Nazareth who lived 2000 years ago. Jesus is often called “Jesus Christ.” The word “Christ” is a title and is Greek for the word “anointed one” or the word “Messiah” in Hebrew. Another way to translate Christ would be “savior.” This title was given to Jesus by his followers. It is not Jesus’ last name. The word “Christian” means one who follows the Christ.

Christianity is one of the three Abrahamic religions- religions that consider themselves to be part of the offspring of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham. Judaism and Islam are the other two. Christianity is based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. Although Christians are monotheistic, the one God is thought, by most Christians, to exist in three divine persons called the Trinity. The three persons of the Trinity are God the Creator or Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. Most Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah of the Jews as prophesied in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible). Christianity has been grouped into three main branches: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism. It is the world's largest single religion, with over 2.2 billion followers.

Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God in human form and that he came to earth to save humans from their wrongdoings. Some people call these wrongdoings “sin.” Most Christians believe that the way that Jesus saved humans from sin was to die on a cross (called crucifixion) as a sacrifice for humanity and that Jesus’ death on a cross was the whole reason that Jesus was born. Some Christians, however, believe that Jesus came to earth to call people to return to God and that this is the reason that he was born. In this way, Jesus was like the other prophets whose lives are recorded in the Christian Bible. The title of Prophet of God is also how Jesus is known in the Koran.

The Christian teachings are written in the Bible, a collection of holy books divided into two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. “Testament” is another word for “covenant” or “promise.” The Protestant Bible contains 66 books: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. The Catholic Bible is made up of the 39 Old Testament books found in the Protestant Bible plus 7 other books and also additions to the Books of Esther and Daniel. The New Testament in the Catholic Bible is the same as the N.T. in the Protestant Bible. The additional books in the Catholic Bible are called the “Apocrypha.” This word means “things hidden away.” The books in the Roman Catholic Apocrypha are: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, plus the additions to Esther & Daniel.

Activities To Do At Home This Week

1. Obtain a copy of the Bible with the Apocrypha and read one or two of the books in this section

OR go to http://riseisrael.com/Revision1Apocrypha.pdf to read the books of the Apocrypha online.

2. One of the most famous scriptures in the New Testament is from Mark 12: 38-41:

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Discuss these verses with a friend or journal about these verses. How was Jesus “going against the grain” by making these statements? What do these verses tell us about how we should treat other people?

3. Make a Scripture Cake:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Judges 5:25 (butter, softened),

1/2 cup Jeremiah 6:20 (light brown sugar),

2 Jeremiah 17:11 (eggs),

2 cups I Kings 4:22 (unsifted flour),

1/2 tsp Amos 4:5 (baking soda),

1/4 cup Exodus 16:31 (honey),

3/4 cup Judges 4:19 (milk),

1/2 cup Nahum 3:12 (figs coarsely chopped),

1/2 cup I Samuel 30:12 (dark raisins),

1/2 cup Numbers 17:8 (sliced natural almonds),

1 tsp. II Chronicles 9:9 spices: suggested - 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves.

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.

Beat together butter, brown sugar, and eggs until light.

Add flour, soda, honey and milk all at once.

Beat until smooth.

In a medium bowl, toss together figs, raisins, almonds and spices.

Fold into cake batter and turn into prepared pan.

Bake until center springs back when gently touched, about 45 to 50 minutes.

4. Complete this puzzle

Updated: 09/27/2009 WFR