The four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – lie at the very heart of Christianity, recording its most essential teachings and providing us with most of what we know about the person of Jesus Christ, his fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies, his message, and his true identity. Without them the rest of the New Testament would not make any sense, and we would have no idea of the true significance of a great deal of what is written in the Old Testament. 
 
Yet many Christians do not know why there are four Gospels, exactly how they differ, or what their unique lessons are. This book answers those questions by looking at the “stage,” the “actors,” and the “story” for the Gospels and by providing background and perspective that can greatly increase your understanding of their message. 

The four Gospels are certainly among the most important books of the Bible. Isn’t it time you got to know them better? Our free new book Inside The Four Gospels is available in formats for computer, e-book reader and smart phone.  Download a copy here.

                


Twelve thoughts you can read and perhaps tweet this week – each with a point worth thinking about.
 
 





The thanksgiving difference:
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1) “When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.”  Willie Nelson
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2) “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” William Arthur Ward
 
Say it with thanks:

3) “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Ward

4) “Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and give thanks continuously.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
Thanks beyond things:

5) “Thankfulness includes being grateful for all the problems we do not have.” Anonymous
 
6) “We must find the time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” John F. Kennedy
 
Gratitude makes us all richer:

7) “Give thanks for a little, and you will find a lot.” Hausa Proverb

8) "Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” Fred De Witt Van Amburgh
 
Lives of thanks and giving:

9) “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.”  W.T. Purkiser

10) “If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share.”  W. Clement Stone
 
Don’t stop now: 

11) “Thankfulness expressed today and forgotten tomorrow is like an unkept promise. True thanksgiving never dies young.” Anonymous
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12) “My thanksgiving is perpetual.” Henry David Thoreau

​The letters of the apostle Paul to the Thessalonian church – a strong church that Paul had planted and nurtured – are, in effect, spiritual report cards. The context is clear; Paul is writing to his best students – these are a teacher’s letters to those who have done best in class. Just how good were they? Paul tells us in congratulating them:

“And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thessalonians 1:7).

But Paul doesn’t stop with congratulations – in fact, he only begins there. Having complimented the Thessalonians on their spirituality, notice how he continues:  “…brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1).

The Thessalonians clearly received a grade of  “A” in pleasing God, but Paul urges them to do more – and he doesn’t stop with the first subject:  “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for … you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:9).   Another “A” – another still not good enough.  Paul proceeds in the same way through all the subjects in which the Thessalonians had excelled:  “Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Paul’s second report card to the Thessalonians is not much different:  “… brothers and sisters … your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3);  “… brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13).

The pattern is clear. Even though they were his best students, the apostle repeatedly urges the Thessalonian believers, strong as they were, to do more and more – never to stop doing more and more.

Humanly, it’s natural to want to rest a little after our battles, savor our victories, enjoy the report card and take a break before hitting the next semester. But Paul knew that the more we do with God’s help, the more we become capable of doing. God doesn’t want us to serve and help in any way other than to the fullest extent of His help. He also doesn’t want to  reward us minimally, but to the fullest extent possible. That’s why Paul urges us repeatedly, if we are doing what we should, that is well and good! Now do more and more!

  
The story of David and Goliath may be the most famous conflict story in the Bible, but an earlier battle fought by Abram, before his name was changed to Abraham, was perhaps even more impressive.  The story is a fascinating one that carries important reminders for modern warriors of the Way.
                       

In Genesis 14 we are told that Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities of the Dead Sea Valley had long been subject to the kings of Mesopotamia (“Shinar”), but that while Abraham was living in the area of nearby Hebron they rebelled against this foreign rule. The Amorite Mesopotamian king assembled a large army including his Elamite, Hurrian, and Hittite allies. The massive force  overwhelmed Sodom and its neighboring cities, seizing the goods of the cities and taking many of their inhabitants as slaves.  In doing this they also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since Lot was living in that area (Genesis 14:12).  But Abram was informed of what had happened and took decisive action:

“A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near … Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.  When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people” (Genesis 14:13-15).

Many people may be surprised to read in this account that Abram had over three hundred “trained men” which shows the size of his household.  In fact, these trained men were not simply shepherds and other workmen hastily handed a sword or other weapon. The  Hebrew word hānīk means an “armed servant” and was used of men whose primary function was to provide military protection. These men were essentially a small private security force in full-time service to Abraham. Together these men pursued the returning Mesopotamians, catching up with them near Dan on what was later Israel’s northern border.

But what is truly surprising in the account is the daring raid that Abraham and his small force executed to rescue Lot.  Militarily, a raid is usually a carefully planned small-scale attack on enemy forces,  conducted covertly with speed and surprise – often at night and behind enemy lines – on an unsuspecting enemy.  An extraction raid is one planned to rescue captured soldiers, hostages or other friendly elements and  the  idea is almost always “quick-in, quick-out.” Abraham’s raid against the Mesopotamian allied  forces was a classic extraction raid, conducted under the cover of darkness in a skillfully planned attack – but it was anything but a “quick-in, quick-out.” 

After his attack Abraham and his small force continued to engage the enemy over an extended distance – a further fifty miles from Dan to Damascus.  These men did not just hit and run – they stuck with their mission until it was successful and Lot was rescued. Abraham’s men probably did not carry much food or supplies in order to travel quickly and catch up with the enemy force, but they travelled a considerable distance of at least 153 miles (247 km) – from Hebron to Damascus and beyond – and then returned to the Dead Sea Plain.
 
Abraham and his men gladly gave credit to God for their victory against a vastly superior force (Genesis 14:20),  but we should not forget the part these men played in the conflict and the things they did that were militarily sound.     Even apart from the successful tactics Abraham employed in utilizing  a night attack to maximize confusion and with divided forces closing from different directions (Genesis 14:15-16),  we see three key factors aiding the mission’s success.
 
Abraham didn’t set out unprepared. His men were properly trained and ready, as we have seen (Genesis 14:14).   He didn’t try to go it alone. He involved his allies, the  men of Mamre, Eshkol and Aner (Genesis 14:13, 24). These men were not just his neighbors – the Hebrew says they were “sworn allies” (literally “possessors of the covenant of Abram”), so these were allies Abram could trust.  Once the fighting began, Abraham and his men persisted – they “went the distance”  till their mission  objective was fulfilled.
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Simple as they may sound, these three principles are fundamental to our own spiritual warfare.  Warriors of the Way need to train well to be prepared for the battles we will inevitably have to face. We then need to utilize the allies we are given in the form of fellow-believers – allies we can trust.  And when the battles begin, we need to proceed with a warrior’s attitude of persistence till we have fulfilled the task we have been given.  The very characteristics so clear in Abram’s victory over physical enemies are ones we need to develop in our spiritual lives, too.