Luke A Johnston | Mission University (original) (raw)

Papers by Luke A Johnston

Some Christians who are citizens of the United States lament the current state of affairs ... more Some Christians who are citizens of the United States lament the current state of affairs in their country. Enthusiasm for morality is waning. Furthermore, support for anything religious is in decline, including protestant evangelicalism. Some believers claim that increased natural disasters and human-made calamities are a result of turning away from God. In support of this, they cite 1 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
The claim is made that if Christians will do what is commanded in this verse, then God will fulfill His promise to forgive sins and heal the United States. Entire sermons of encouraging humble prayer and repentance before God are preached on this verse alone. Beloved songs are written based on this verse. Some hope for a new Great Awakening as a result of applying this verse to our contemporary context.

“We may not have a lot of people at our church. But, we don’t care about quantity. We aren’t a... more “We may not have a lot of people at our church. But, we don’t care about quantity. We aren’t all about the numbers like some other churches. We care about quality people and ministries.” Unfortunately, this seems to be a pervasive attitude among many plateaued and declining churches in North America. The argument can go on all day concerning quality versus quantity in a church from a philosophical perspective, but for those that hold to Scripture as instructive and authoritative, the church must develop a more robust theology of church growth. In other words, what does the Bible have to say regarding outreach and numerical church growth? This lesson will seek to provide a summary of the biblical perspective of outreach and church growth.

This paper works through the meaning, drilling down to the Koine Greek and exegeting the meaning ... more This paper works through the meaning, drilling down to the Koine Greek and exegeting the meaning of these five verses, commonly known as the "Christ-hymn" by Paul.

This paper deals with exegetical issues concerning the well-known kenosis passage in Philippians.... more This paper deals with exegetical issues concerning the well-known kenosis passage in Philippians. It covers textual variants and other textual issues, includes exegetical commentary, as well as a basic homiletical outline built in to the paper. It is by no means exhaustive, but should give the reader a good survey of the exegetical matters in this passage.

This is a short introduction to the well-known textual variant that is found in Romans, chapter f... more This is a short introduction to the well-known textual variant that is found in Romans, chapter five, verse one. It seeks to provide the reader with a basic summary of the variant, the two options provided by the manuscript evidence, as well as the internal evidence. The opinion of contemporary versus early church fathers is briefly addressed, as well as the theological implications of each reading.

Some Christians who are citizens of the United States lament the current state of affairs ... more Some Christians who are citizens of the United States lament the current state of affairs in their country. Enthusiasm for morality is waning. Furthermore, support for anything religious is in decline, including protestant evangelicalism. Some believers claim that increased natural disasters and human-made calamities are a result of turning away from God. In support of this, they cite 1 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
The claim is made that if Christians will do what is commanded in this verse, then God will fulfill His promise to forgive sins and heal the United States. Entire sermons of encouraging humble prayer and repentance before God are preached on this verse alone. Beloved songs are written based on this verse. Some hope for a new Great Awakening as a result of applying this verse to our contemporary context.

“We may not have a lot of people at our church. But, we don’t care about quantity. We aren’t a... more “We may not have a lot of people at our church. But, we don’t care about quantity. We aren’t all about the numbers like some other churches. We care about quality people and ministries.” Unfortunately, this seems to be a pervasive attitude among many plateaued and declining churches in North America. The argument can go on all day concerning quality versus quantity in a church from a philosophical perspective, but for those that hold to Scripture as instructive and authoritative, the church must develop a more robust theology of church growth. In other words, what does the Bible have to say regarding outreach and numerical church growth? This lesson will seek to provide a summary of the biblical perspective of outreach and church growth.

This paper works through the meaning, drilling down to the Koine Greek and exegeting the meaning ... more This paper works through the meaning, drilling down to the Koine Greek and exegeting the meaning of these five verses, commonly known as the "Christ-hymn" by Paul.

This paper deals with exegetical issues concerning the well-known kenosis passage in Philippians.... more This paper deals with exegetical issues concerning the well-known kenosis passage in Philippians. It covers textual variants and other textual issues, includes exegetical commentary, as well as a basic homiletical outline built in to the paper. It is by no means exhaustive, but should give the reader a good survey of the exegetical matters in this passage.

This is a short introduction to the well-known textual variant that is found in Romans, chapter f... more This is a short introduction to the well-known textual variant that is found in Romans, chapter five, verse one. It seeks to provide the reader with a basic summary of the variant, the two options provided by the manuscript evidence, as well as the internal evidence. The opinion of contemporary versus early church fathers is briefly addressed, as well as the theological implications of each reading.