Introduction

This week kicks off our Journey Through the Gospel of Matthew sermon series and Bible study.

As we get ready for our journey through this amazing gospel, this background information may help inform your reading. To be clear, there’s much disagreement about exact dates, places of origin, and other details for most books of the Bible. With that said, we’ve included what is typically the most mainstream belief held by Biblical theologians and scholars around the world.

Matthew wrote his gospel sometime around the year 90 in what was then called Antioch. Matthew wrote his Gospel fr members of his own community to instruct them in their own faith and to clarify it over against misunderstanding, no as an evangelistic or apologetic writing directed to outsiders for the purpose of conversion, even though he understood the present and future of his church to be oriented to the Gentiles.

We must also remember that the Gospel of Matthew is a theological document whose subject matter is God’s saving act in Jesus Christ. It is not a historical or sociological document, however we will use some of these insights to help form our overall understanding of the text. Also we must remember that the Gospel of Matthew is contained within the context of the Bible itself, and so we must always remember not to disconnect if from the overarching theme of the Bible.

Prayer for the Week:

God of Abraham, Jacob and Isaac, you are the God of all including the past, present and future. Grant us your wisdom so that we might be heroes and heroines in your story of salvation.  Release in us the power of the Holy Spirit, as we seek to be catalysts for your saving grace, pointing others to the hope and restoration available only through the Gospel. Amen.

(Join us in praying this prayer for the week of June 16-21)

Questions for Reflection

1. What is the one thing that stood out to you in this week’s reading of Matthew? 
2. How have you experienced your faith in Jesus as the one who make’s God’s presence a reality in your life? (Think about how your life has been transformed by your relationship with Jesus Christ) 
3. If you were writing your life story of faith, in what instances would you say you acted heroically? (Leaps of faith. Following God blindly such as Mary and Joseph) 
4. How are you currently walking boldly and courageously in your walk with Jesus Christ? 
5. How might the world look differently around us if we followed the bold and courageous examples of Mary and Joseph? 

These questions can be used for individual reflection or small groups. We appreciate the opportunity to share these resources with all of you we’re connected to throughout the world. We pray these resources are a blessing to you and yours.

Praying for You

The community, both local and global, of Bethel Church believes in the power of prayer. Throughout Scripture, Jesus and countless others turn to their life of intentional prayer as a source for understanding God’s redemptive work in their individual lives, as well as all of creation.

Therefore, we believe a representative nature of this ongoing, intentional life of prayer, is to pray for one another.

So how might we be praying for you this week?

Let us know in the form below. We look forward to being a vessel of God’s grace to you as we lift you up in prayer.