This is Episode 80 of the Jesus Society Podcast. And today we’re going to begin a series that I think I’m gonna call Following Jesus in the 21st Century. And the first piece of that, which is today’s episode, has to do with the call of Jesus to discipleship — what that means, what’s the biblical background to that, and what on earth Jesus intends both for us and what he intends to do through us.

And this, of course, touches on all sorts of things — purpose, hope, meaning — all things I think we’d all say we’d like some clarity on.

So join me today as we discuss:

1. The purpose of God as background to our calling (what on earth is God up to?)

2. What does Jesus mean in Mark 1:14 when he says, “The time is fulfilled . . . .?” What “time” is Jesus talking about? In what sense is it fulfilled?

3. The Old Testament background leading up to “the time.”

4. How the exile fits into all of this.

5. What it means for God to become King? After all, isn’t God always King? — judge doesn’t mean to condemn or destroy — it means to make everything right at last.

6. Understanding the concept of judgment (because that’s important, too).

7. Wrestling with how the kingdom and the cross fit together.

8. Two very different kinds of churches today.

9. How the call of Abraham, and Aaron, and Elijah, and David serve as models to our call to discipleship.

10. God’s singular purpose from Genesis 1 to day.

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Thanks for listening!

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Music and audio production by Nathan Longwell Music 

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Resources for Today’s Show:

1. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N. T. Wright (https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Hope-Rethinking-Resurrection-Mission/dp/0061551821/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?)

2. Justice in the Kingdom of God (https://thejesussociety.com/2020/06/20/justice-in-the-kingdom-of-god/)

3. What it means to Reign in Life (https://thejesussociety.com/2021/05/24/tjs-podcast-what-it-means-to-reign-in-life-in-rom-517-episode-63/)