Author Description

This Bible study has two themes. The first theme explores the passion of Jesus. After Easter we move with a sudden bolt into the second theme, with a study of the church at Thessalonica and the apocalypse of John known as "Revelation." In truth, the two themes complement each other. For underlying the narratives of passion, suffering, and crucifixion stands an expectancy on Jesus' part that God will make good on the redemptive purposes borne out of his sacrificial life. Woven into the correspondence to the Thessalonian Christians and those addressed by Revelation, is that present crises and suffering cannot be separated from Christ's own passion and victory. The fulfillment of Jesus' mission is what enables the church, then and now, to live expectantly."The Present Word" is from beginning to end a Bible study series. Teachers and learners come together to reflect on the biblical text and to act on what they discover there. The sessions feature the great celebrations of the Christian church, which rehearse the life of Christ and bring to believers the significant events of that life.