“Chasing the Chaos”

Special Speaker Brad Gray

July 22, 2018

Questions For Discussion

CONNECT
Did Brad’s sermon cause you to think differently or give you new insight about the significance of the baptism of Jesus?

ENGAGE
Read Matthew 3:1-6, 13-17.

Discuss what it means in verse 3:2 when John states:  “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and then again when Jesus repeats the same phrase in Matthew 4:17.

Discuss the significance of Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River and this body of water representing the chaos in our lives. Discuss Jesus conquering the chaos as He comes up out of the water to do battle with Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4).

Compare Genesis 1:2 and discuss the comparison of the Spirit hovering over the waters like a dove as compared to Matthew 3:16.

APPLY
What is one way today that your life or can your life advance the kingdom of God and chase the chaos of this world?

PRAY
Pray the Lord’s Prayer together (Matthew 6:9-13) as a Kingdom Prayer to ask the Lord to enter into our realms of influence and our world this week to further His kingdom and chase the chaos.

About Brad Gray

There are moments in life that change everything. For Brad, such a moment occurred when he first discovered there was an entire world behind the Bible. Understanding this world was the key to unlocking the confusion, discouragement, and helplessness he felt when reading the Bible. What he found was that the Bible was infinitely more stunning, compelling, and relevant than he ever knew. This launched him into a lifelong pursuit of studying the Bible in its original context, and finding helpful ways to communicate his learnings so others could experience the transformational power and joy that occurs when engaging the Bible in its context. For the last twelve years, Brad has spent his life helping thousands of people do exactly that.

Brad has traveled extensively to the biblical lands of Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, and Greece, and has been leading study trips to Israel and Turkey since 2010. He is a national speaker, published author (Make Your Mark: Getting Right What Samson Got Wrong), and former teaching pastor, with over 10 years of experience serving in multiple local churches.

Brad has been instrumental in the creation of the Institute of Biblical Context, a groundbreaking 3-day conference on biblical context, in which he serves on the faculty. Additionally, Brad serves as a faculty instructor in the area of communication for StoryBrand and Gray Institute.

He has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Cornerstone University (Grand Rapids, Michigan), a Masters of Divinity from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, Michigan), and has done additional graduate work at Jerusalem University College (Jerusalem, Israel).

Brad and his wife, Shallon, live with their four children in Nashville, Tennessee.

Walking The Text (WTT) is a non-profit organization (awaiting tax exemption status) dedicated to creating compelling content and experiences that help people learn, love, and live out the Bible as it was intended. We create video teachings, written resources, speak at live events, and lead trips to Bible Lands to empower people to engage the Text (Bible) in context.

We believe context is everything, and in order to understand the Bible well, we must read it through the lenses of its original context (historical, cultural, geographical, visual, linguistic, and literary). Only when we understand what it meant to the people back then can we truly understand and apply what it means for us today.

WTT was founded by Brad Gray.   https://walkingthetext.com