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Third Wave
[History]The Third Wave was a Holy Spirit renewal movement that arose in the United States in the 1980s, led chiefly by C. Peter Wagner and John Wimber. The term refers to evangelicals who embraced gifts of the Holy Spirit such as healing, tongues, and prophecy but did not wish to be called Pentecostals or charismatics.
Jehovah's Witnesses
[Heresies & Cults]Jehovah's Witnesses are a religious organization that grew out of a Bible study group begun in the United States in the late nineteenth century by Charles Taze Russell. The group rejects the Trinity, and several Korean Protestant denominations have formally declared it heretical.
Ninety-five Theses
[History]The Ninety-five Theses are ninety-five Latin propositions issued by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517, criticizing the sale of indulgences. They are regarded as the starting point of the Reformation.
Ephesians 4:11–12
[Bible Verses]This passage states that Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. It is a basis for the doctrine of church offices and for lay ministry, and whether the offices of apostle and prophet continue today remains debated.
Ephesians 6:12
[Bible Verses]Ephesians 6:12 declares, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (KJV). It is a key verse on spiritual warfare, and denominations differ considerably over how it should be put into practice.
Hebrews 13:8
[Bible Verses]Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever," is a confession of faith and a representative verse on the unchanging nature of Christ. Because it is also used to support the claim that miracles and divine healing continue today, it is frequently cited in debates over spiritual gifts.
Mark 16:15-18
[Bible Verses]In this passage the risen Jesus commands his disciples to preach the gospel to all the world and describes the signs that will follow those who believe. Although frequently cited as a missionary mandate, it belongs to the "Longer Ending of Mark," which is absent from the oldest manuscripts, so textual questions are discussed alongside its interpretation.
John 6:53–54
[Bible Verses]In this passage Jesus says, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." The Catholic Church and various Protestant traditions disagree on whether these words refer to the Lord's Supper and on how Christ is present in its bread and wine.
John 11:25–26
[Bible Verses]John 11:25–26 is the passage in which Jesus, after the death of Lazarus, tells Martha, "I am the resurrection, and the life." It is one of the "I am" declarations in the Gospel of John and is the passage most frequently read at Christian funeral services.
Acts 2:38
[Bible Verses]Acts 2:38 records Peter's reply when the crowd that heard his Pentecost sermon asked, "What shall we do?" He told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Denominations differ on how baptism relates to the forgiveness of sins and on what baptism "in the name of Jesus" means.
Jeremiah 29:11
[Bible Verses]Jeremiah 29:11 is the promise that God's thoughts toward his people are thoughts of peace and not of evil, intended to give them a future and a hope. It is one of the verses most frequently used at graduations and new beginnings, and it often prompts debate over whether a word given to the community of exiles in Babylon may be applied as a promise of personal success.
Jeremiah 33:3
[Bible Verses]Jeremiah 33:3 contains the divine promise "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." Interpreters differ over the meaning of the "great and mighty things." In Korean Protestant churches the verse is widely used as the representative text for crying-out prayer and audible, unison prayer (tongseong gido).
Hosea 6:6
[Bible Verses]A declaration that God desires steadfast love rather than sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Jesus quoted the verse twice in disputes with the Pharisees, and it is a key text on the relationship between worship and life, and between ritual and love.
Joel 2:28-29
[Bible Verses]Joel 2:28-29 is God's promise that afterward he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, so that sons and daughters will prophesy, old men will dream dreams, and young men will see visions, and that he will pour out his Spirit even upon servants and handmaids. Peter quoted the passage in his Pentecost sermon, and it is a central text in interdenominational debates over the work of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and women's ministry.
Micah 6:8
[Bible Verses]A declaration that what God requires of people is to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. It is widely cited as a summary of prophetic faith, which places the conduct of life ahead of sacrifice.
Matthew 5:17–18
[Bible Verses]In this saying Jesus declares that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. The passage is a starting point from which different denominations reach different conclusions about the relationship between Christians and the Old Testament law.
Matthew 5:44
[Bible Verses]Matthew 5:44 records Jesus' command, "Love your enemies... and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." It is regarded as one of the most radical passages in Jesus' ethical teaching and is applied broadly, from personal forgiveness to questions of national division and reconciliation.
Matthew 11:28
[Bible Verses]Matthew 11:28 records the invitation of Jesus: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." It is one of the verses most widely used in evangelism and as a word of comfort.
Mark 1:15
[Bible Verses]Mark 1:15, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel," is Jesus' first proclamation in the Gospel of Mark. It is regarded as a summary of Jesus' entire teaching, and scholars have long debated whether the kingdom of God has already come or is yet to come.
Genesis 1:1
[Bible Verses]The first sentence of the Bible, declaring that God created the heavens and the earth. It is the starting point of the Christian doctrine of creation and the first verse cited in the creation–evolution debate over the timing and manner of creation.