Shemitah 2015 - Prophecy or Quackery?

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Arrisque-se

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Compilação

Oportunidade é uma coisa engraçada. Às vezes a vemos chegando a um quilômetro de distância. Temos tempo de nos preparar e orar a respeito, de maneira que estamos completamente prontos quando chega.

Outras vezes ela aparece sem avisar, repentina como um relâmpago. Não podemos nos dar o luxo de nos prepararmos. Talvez nem tenhamos condições de consultar alguns amigos de confiança. Temos que tomar uma decisão de imediato.

Para dizer a verdade, já perdi oportunidades porque tive medo de arriscar, de correr o risco, ou me lançar.

Por exemplo, há vários anos, justo antes da recessão econômica, tive uma oferta sólida de um comprador que queria minha casa, e eu queria vendê-la. Eu precisava vendê-la, mas tinha um número mágico na cabeça, e a oferta ficava alguns milhares de dólares aquém da quantia que eu havia pensado. Eu hesitei e não “aceitei” a oferta imediatamente (apesar de minha esposa me dizer que eu deveria)... e poucas horas depois, literalmente, de eu resolver aceitar a oferta, os interessados já haviam fechado negócio em um outro imóvel a mais ou menos um quilômetro de distância da minha casa.

Será que Deus está colocando algumas oportunidades no seu caminho?
Uma abertura óbvia para você contar a um colega a história de como você encontrou a fé
Uma tarde livre que pode passar com seus filhos fazendo algo que eles amam fazer (com o telefone desligado)
Uma viagem missionária que você adoraria fazer
Uma quantia que sempre lhe vem à cabeça que você deveria dar de dízimo, semear ou doar
Um pensamento incômodo de que você deveria na verdade dar um de seus carros a alguém que precisa

Esse tipo de coisas está cada vez mais me acontecendo. Algumas oportunidades são imensas, mas a maioria parece pequena e insignificante ... até eu olhar para trás e perceber que perdi a chance porque não quis arriscar.

Eu digo aos meus meninos quando estão jogando beisebol que eles têm que balançar o bastão se quiserem que a bola chegue à base. Eles nunca, jamais, vão fazer um ponto se apenas observarem o lançador.

Em outras palavras … quer você perca a jogada ou faça uma boa jogada, tem que jogar.

É assim que a fé funciona na vida real. Você tem que confiar que Jesus vai salvá-lo de seus pecados. Tem que confiar que Deus lhe perdoou e restaurou. Você tem que confiar que o Espírito Santo está vivendo em você e o guiando. Se confiar nessas verdades, então tem a confiança de ARRISCAR-SE, dar um passo com ousadia e acreditar em Deus para o melhor.

Quer você perca ou consiga, você arrisca! Os resultados dependem de Deus; assim como as oportunidades que Ele coloca na sua frente. Arremesse o bastão e veja o que acontece.—Clayton King[1]

*

Muitos cristãos gostam de estar bem seguros juntando o máximo de fatos possíveis, analisando as opções e fazendo as escolhas para estarem razoavelmente certos dos resultados. Temos a tendência de rotular o risco de “indesejável” porque poderia resultar em perda ou pesar; tememos os resultados indesejados tanto quanto tememos perder os nossos sonhos. Mas não só isso—também temos medo de parecermos tolos ou incompetentes, virmos a ter dificuldades financeiras, ou nos depararmos com perigos no físico. Do ponto de vista do ser humano, faz sentido eliminar as incertezas.

Mas qual é a perspectiva de Deus? Será que há momentos para os cristãos se arriscarem? A resposta é um grande sim, quando é o Senhor que nos pede para darmos o passo de fé e sairmos da nossa zona de conforto. Do ponto de vista do Senhor, não há incertezas, porque Ele está no controle de tudo e nunca falhará em realizar o Seu propósito.[2]

A Bíblia é cheia de pessoas reais que se arriscaram para obedecer ao Senhor. Uma delas foi Ananias, que Deus enviou para ministrar para o novo convertido, Saulo. Ananias arriscou sua reputação e sua vida para aquiescer. Outro foi o próprio Saulo, a quem foi dito que pregasse aos judeus o mesmo evangelho ao qual

ele e os judeus se opuseram com tamanha violência. Ao focarem em Deus, Sua personalidade e Suas promessas, ambos os homens obedeceram, apesar das incertezas, dúvidas e medo.

Que risco o Senhor o está chamando a correr? Ele entende que você está cansado e não vai decepcioná-lo. Dê um passo em obediência, e observe o que o Senhor vai fazer para aumentar a sua fé.—Charles Stanley[3]

*

A visão que alguém tem para o futuro, o sacrifício e a fidelidade de alguém ... pode mudar o mundo. “Por meio da obediência de um único homem muitos foram feitos justos!” Mas alguém tem que decidir confiar em Deus. Alguém tem que ser o pioneiro! Alguém tem que estar disposto a dar o primeiro passo, ter a iniciativa por causa da sua visão, e seguir sozinho, se for necessário, independente do custo! Cabe a nós o obedecer. Cabe a nós fazermos o que sabemos que Deus nos disse para fazer! Temos que dar o passo na direção que Ele disse para seguirmos, para descobrirmos o que Ele vai fazer. Se obedecermos, Ele nos dará a fé! Quando obedecemos o Senhor, Deus não nos falha!

Ouse ser diferente. Aventure-se a variar da norma. Os caras que ficam no mesmo lugar e nunca vão a lugar nenhum, tal como todo o mundo mais, nunca mudam nada, nunca fazem história! Você nunca ouve falar das pessoas que ficaram sentadas esperando para ver se dava para fazer. Só ouve sobre aquelas que ou conseguiram ou morreram tentando!

O homem diz, “É impossível! Atraque no porto!” Deus diz, “Lança-te ao mar profundo!” O homem diz, “Olhe para as ondas! Olhe só o vento!” Deus diz, “Olhe para Mim! É impossível para o homem; mas para Deus, nada será impossível!”—D. Brandt Berg

*

Fé sempre significa risco. Tudo na vida é um risco. Eclesiastes 10:8 diz, “Quem cavar um poço, pode acabar caindo nele! Quem for derrubar um muro velho pode ser mordido por uma cobra. Quem trabalha quebrando pedras, pode se machucar com elas! O lenhador corre perigo por causa de seu machado!”[4] Tais são os riscos da vida. Não há nada que possamos fazer que não envolva algum risco.

Você provavelmente se lembra da parte no terceiro filme Indiana Jones em que Indiana Jones chega à beira de um precipício. Ele foi desafiado a dar um passo no precipício apesar de não ver a ponte. Essa é uma boa ilustração da fé genuína. Fé é dar um passo e fazer o que Deus lhe pede quando não consegue ver o que vai acontecer no final. Você não sabe exatamente o que Deus vai fazer no final, mas sabe que ele está lhe pedindo para dar um passo por fé.

Muitas vezes chegamos ao limite da fé em nossas próprias vidas. Não temos certeza da direção que as coisas vão tomar. Talvez seja uma decisão de começar um relacionamento com Jesus pela primeira vez. Talvez você tenha que confiar nele para uma decisão de trabalho ou algo relacionado a uma relação. Dar um passo por fé envolve risco. Em quem você vai confiar? Vai confiar no Senhor de todo o seu coração? E se você estiver errado? Será que é mesmo Deus lhe dizendo para dar o passo de fé?

Se você fizer a [parte da] vontade de Deus que está clara na Bíblia, ele lhe mostrará o que não está claro. Em outras palavras, ame o seu próximo. Tome tempo na Palavra de Deus. Converse com Deus em oração. Tome tempo com o povo de Deus. Ame sua família. Ame seus filhos. Cuide com a maneira como fala com as pessoas. Seja gentil em seus relacionamentos. Seja paciente. Faça a [parte] que está clara, e Deus lhe mostrará o resto.

Então, arrisque-se. Confie em Deus com todas as suas forças. Faça o que Deus lhe disse para fazer na Sua Palavra. E então, quando Deus o desafiar a se arriscar por fé, você estará mais do que confiante para fazer o que Deus lhe dirá para fazer. —Rick Warren[5]

Publicado no Âncora em agosto de 2015.


[1] https://newspring.cc/articles/miss-it-or-make-it-you-have-to-take-it.

[2] Efésios 1:11.

[3] http://www.christianpost.com/news/taking-risks-89130/

[4] Editor: Eclesiastes 10:9 Bíblia Viva.

[5] http://rickwarren.org/devotional/english/faith-means-taking-risks.

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Lifeguard Blinded by Unseen Prankster; God Arranges Forgiveness 15 Years Later

By Mark Ellis

As a 19-year-old lifeguard in Laguna Beach, California, he was living the lifestyle many only dream about.

“In the beginning, everything was a new adventure that reminded me of stories I had read as a young kid,” says Dale Ghere. In his free time he dove for abalones, lobsters, clams and halibut. He also pushed beyond his comfort zone with night dives, swimming through blowholes, and making rock rescues.

By the middle of his first summer as a lifeguard stationed at St. Ann’s Street, he was so excited about the beach he decided he would drop out of college and go to Hawaii to surf for several months. Then he would return home, buy a car, and hit the road to spend a year on the beach.

Then the unexpected happened. “I saw a small kid standing to the left of my lifeguard tower just fall over like he had been hit by a freight train,” Dale recounts. “As I turned to look at him I was suddenly hit on the side of the head so hard I was knocked out of my tower and into the sand.”

Hit by a water balloon with surprising force, he fell eight feet to the sand, unconscious.

When Dale woke up, he realized he was blind in his left eye. Locals at the beach called for help and he was transported to a police station and then to the hospital.

“While at the police station I can remember looking in the mirror on the cigarette machine. I could see the blood pooled in front of the pupil. As I twisted my head from side to side I could watch the blood move back and forth with my right eye. I was really scared,” he recalls.

When he arrived to the hospital the doctor wrapped his eyes and told him to hold his head still.

Then Dale got some jolting news. “He said there was nothing that could be done medically to save the eye. The only hope was that if I held still for two weeks, then the blood might be reabsorbed by my own system and my vision would return. If in two weeks my vision had not returned, I would have permanent eye damage from the water balloon.”

But a Great Physician bestowed healing mercies to Dale. “As it turned out, the eye was healed, the culprits were found, and I was given the wages I had not been able to earn while in the hospital. I was back on the beach before the end of summer and happy to be there. I did go to Hawaii that winter and learned that I really liked big surf.”

Fifteen years after the water balloon incident, Dale and his wife Marilyn were in a Bible study in South Laguna and the leader was discussing the topic of forgiveness.

“He suggested that we each think of someone we had offended and go to him or her, apologize, and ask to be forgiven.”

Dale began to probe his mind for someone he might have offended in the past.

Then something astonishing happened. A young mom in the Bible study said it would not be possible because she didn’t know the person she had offended.

“What do you mean by that?” the leader of the group asked.

“When I was a little girl I went with some older boys to throw water balloons off the cliff at tourists on the beach. We went to the end of the streets like Brooks Street and Anita Street. When we got to St. Ann’s Street, one of the balloons hit the lifeguard and he really got hurt,” she said.

“All of the others were blamed for his injury; no one told the police I was there. They were all punished, but not me. It was my balloon that hit him. I know because I watched it hit him in the head. I was so scared I never told anyone.”

At the end of her story Dale turned to her, looked her in the eyes, and said very simply, “You are forgiven.”

A quizzical look came over her face. “That is nice for you to say, but I need to say it to him.”

“You just did,” he replied. “I am that lifeguard.”

She began to weep as she realized the enormity of God’s special provision for this divinely appointed reconciliation. “That simple act of forgiveness put an end to years of torment for her and started a long and lasting friendship between us,” Dale says.

“Today you too can ask for forgiveness and begin a long and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. Forgiveness gives us a new beginning and hope for the future.”

http://blog.godreports.com/2014/12/lifeguard-blinded-by-unseen-prankster-god-arranges-forgiveness-15-years-later

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Palestine Overwhelmed by Illegal American Immigrants

By Juan Cole, ICH, August 30, 2015

If there were a Palestinian Donald Trump, he’d be fulminating against illegal immigrants swamping the Palestinian West Bank. And he’d be complaining that fully 1 in 6 of these undocumented squatters are Americans .

Since Americans have trouble understanding the basic facts of the situation, it is worthwhile underscoring that the United Nations General Assembly’s partition plan for British Mandate Palestine in 1947 did not include Gaza or the West Bank of the Jordan. Those territories were never awarded to Jewish settlers or later Israelis by any legitimate authority (even the UNGC is not an executive body and the Security Council should have signed off to grant real legitimacy in law). Israel militarily conquered Gaza and the West Bank in 1967 and have by now so altered the ways of life, economy and society of these occupied territories that the Occupation is illegal by the Hague Convention of 1907 and the Geneva Convention of 1949 (designed to prevent atrocities against occupied populations of the sort the Axis carried out during WW II).

It is strictly illegal for the occupying power to attempt to annex occupied territory or to transfer its citizens into militarily occupied territory. Mussolini’s Italy pulled that stunt with the parts of France he occupied during WW II. When you hear that someone has violated the Geneva Convention, that isn’t just an abstract matter. It means that someone is acting the way the dictators acted during the war, because it is that kind of lawless behavior the conventions were attempting to forestall from happening again.

Israel illegally annexed part of the Palestinian West Bank to its district of Jerusalem and then settled it with Israeli squatters. Am I comparing Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to Mussolini in Menton, France? If the shoe fits …

Outside the territory annexed to Jerusalem, there are at least 350,000 Israeli squatters who have usurped Palestinian land.

Some 60,000 of the squatters, today’s equivalent of Mussolini’s Black Shirts, are Americans, according to a new study.

Those American politicians like Mike Huckabee and Donald Trump, who make exaggerated and untrue statements against undocumented workers in the United States but who defend illegal Israeli immigration into the West Bank, are supreme hypocrites. The Israeli squatters, moreover, are often hostile and aggressive, excluding Palestinians from the townhouses they construct on stolen property.

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An Orthopedic Doctor's Near Death Experience - Dr Mary Neal

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Jesus—His Life and Message: The Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes (Part 2)

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by P. Amsterdam


Having covered the first three Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, we now move on to the remaining five.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.1

A key to understanding this Beatitude is the meaning of the word righteousnessas used here. The Greek word dikaiosynē, translated in the New Testament asrighteousness, is often used in reference to our being in right standing with or declared righteous before God due to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—especially when it’s used in Paul’s epistles. However, in the context of this Beatitude, as well as throughout the Gospel of Matthew, it is used in reference to behavior which conforms to God’s will.2 The righteousness spoken of here is best understood as being eager to live as God desires, having the attitude that Jesus expressed: My food is to do the will of him who sent me.3

To hunger and thirst is used metaphorically and means to seek with eager desire, to ardently crave. It mirrors Jesus’ response to Satan when He said: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”4Those who deeply desire to live in accordance with God’s will shall be satisfied.

Satisfied, sometimes translated as filled, means “sated,” “slaked,” “bloated,” “filled to overflowing.” Those who hunger and thirst for living as God desires, who live in accordance with the teachings of Jesus, will be filled with God’s presence in their lives.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.5

Who are the merciful that are blessed? The Greek word translated as mercifulderives from the root word eleos, which means kindness or good will toward the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them. Mercy is compassion for people in need. It’s not just pity for the needy and miserable—it’s pity plus action, endeavoring to do something to relieve a need. A good example of mercy is seen in the action of the Samaritan in the parable of the good Samaritan.6

Throughout the Old Testament, we read that God is merciful.

The Lord is gracious and merciful.7 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.8

The Hebrew word used for merciful in these verses is defined as compassionate. We see an example of God’s mercy and compassion in His sending Jesus to die for our sins. Our God is a merciful God and shows mercy continuously, and as citizens of His kingdom we are to show mercy too.9 We are to be merciful, because we have been shown His mercy. He reached out to us in our miserable state, forgave our sins, and brought us into a relationship with Him.

The merciful who are blessed are those who are compassionate at heart, who have an attitude of mercy which moves them to act for the benefit of those in need. The actions stem from a heart filled with the love of God. Because they have received God’s mercy, they are transformed into people who do to others as they would have others do to them. They have experienced God’s merciful love and are moved by God’s Spirit to empathize with and show compassion to others.10

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.11

Today we see the heart as a physical organ, as well as a way of referring to emotions. In the Jewish understanding of Jesus’ day, it was considered even more—the center of one’s inner state, one’s thoughts and will, as well as emotions. It was the seat of their decision-making, their moral choices, their feelings; the center of their personality. So Jesus speaking of being “pure in heart” is speaking about having purity at the center of our being.

Jesus spoke of the condition of our inner being when He said:

What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.12

These words show the state of the heart of all humans, as due to sin, we all are impure. Yet drawing near to God through faith and salvation cleanses our heart.

God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.13 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.14

Purity of heart in the context of this Beatitude also has to do with our relationship with God and others. As David wrote in the Psalms:

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.15

The person who keeps focused on God, who doesn’t lift up his soul to things which are false (idols—anything that takes the place of God in one’s life), who is single-minded toward God, is the one who stands in the holy place. He does not swear deceitfully; he is free from falsehood in his relations with God and others. The Hebrew word for clean used in this Psalm is also translated as innocent, so those with clean hands are those who have acted innocently toward others. Likewise, the pure heart is one that is cleansed of all unworthy motives toward other people.16

Those with a pure heart are those who will see God. We see Him now with the eyes of faith, and in the future we will see Him face to face. Exactly how is not fully explained in Scripture. However, we see Him now in a variety of ways—in the beauty of His creation, in His answers to our prayers, in the guidance He gives us, in the love we have in our lives, in our family and friends, in our many blessings. The pure of heart, those who have entered the kingdom of God, who are living under His reign, see God participate in their lives. This seeing, though, is only a foretaste of our seeing God in heaven.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.17

Peacemakers bring reconciliation between those who are in conflict. God is the author of peace and reconciliation, as He has made reconciliation possible between Himself and humanity through the sacrifice of His Son.

For in him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.18

When Christians are peacemakers, they are the “sons of God,” as they reflect the attribute of God’s reconciliation.

Christians are called to be peacemakers. While we are meant to live peaceably with all,19 that isn’t the same as being a peacemaker. Peacemaking is an active involvement with conflicting parties for the purpose of creating reconciliation and peace.20 It’s not taking one party’s side over another, but being willing to recognize their differences and attempting to bring reconciliation between them. It may be a husband and wife who are struggling in their relationship, or parents and children who don’t trust one another, or coworkers at strife. Being a peacemaker can also mean taking the first step in overcoming any conflicts youmay have with others.

As believers, we are also involved in the process of bringing peace between humanity and God, as we make efforts to bring others into reconciliation with their Creator through sharing the message of the gospel with them.

In Scripture, the phrase “the son(s) of” is sometimes used to connect a person with an attribute. For example, in the parable of the wheat and the weeds,21 the weeds are called “the sons of the evil one,” meaning they have the attributes of the Devil. Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells His disciples:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.22 In loving our enemies, Christians reflect an attribute of God, who is love.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.23

These two Beatitudes are combined as one, since they both deal with the same subject. Having expressed the attributes and attitudes that the disciples, as participants in the kingdom of God, were to have, Jesus then spoke of the cost of living in God’s kingdom. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be persecuted because of that. Disciples are engaged within society; however, their center, worldview, and ultimate purpose are aligned with God and His ways, which puts them at odds with society at large. When one adopts the values of the kingdom, one will stand out. This difference can, and often does, result in persecution. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus makes this very clear.

Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. … Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.24

While persecution doesn’t necessarily result in physical suffering or death, it can be manifested in harassment, mistreatment, and hostility. Jesus spoke of verbal abuse, of others “reviling you,” railing at you, taunting you. He also spoke of disciples being lied about and falsely accused of things they didn’t do.

Jesus said that such persecution will occur not only because of righteousness, the distinctive lifestyle of the disciples, but more specifically “because of me.”25Disciples who live the teachings of Jesus will pay a price in this life. However, Jesus said that those who experience persecution, who are railed against, are blessed. They can rejoice and be glad for two reasons. The first is that your reward is great in heaven. Those who suffer persecution are promised good things hereafter. The blessing is not in the suffering in itself, but in its promised outcome. The source of the disciples’ celebration is the recognition that the good which is promised to them far outweighs the bad that they may experience now.26

The second reason to rejoice is that being persecuted for the sake of Jesus is a badge of honor. In saying rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you, Jesus was putting those who are persecuted in the same category as the Old Testament prophets who were also persecuted in their day.

Believers are called to follow Jesus’ teachings, to enter the kingdom of God. Doing so means giving our allegiance to God and His truth and adopting His set of values. The result is the blessings of God’s reign in our lives. At the same time, living in alignment with God’s Word opens us up to various levels of harassment and suffering. When it does, we are called to rejoice and be glad, for our reward will be great.

This brings us to the end of the Beatitudes, the opening section of the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes are a general picture of what all Christians are supposed to be like as we endeavor to pattern our life after Jesus.

As we compare the Beatitudes with Jesus’ life, we see that He set the example we are to follow. We read that Jesus was meek and lowly in heart: Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.27 He mourned over Jerusalem and the unrepentant cities of the land: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!28 He showed mercy:As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”29 He was a peacemaker: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”30He was ridiculed as a false prophet: They spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”31

The Beatitudes give us the general overview of how we are to live our faith. The rest of the Sermon on the Mount, which we will look at in upcoming articles, gives us further principles and more detailed descriptions of life as it is to be lived in God’s kingdom.

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

General Bibliography

Bailey, Kenneth E. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

Biven, David. New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus. Holland: En-Gedi Resource Center, 2007.

Bock, Darrell L. Jesus According to Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke Volume 1: 1:1–9:50. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke Volume 2: 9:51–24:53. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996.

Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Brown, Raymond E. The Death of the Messiah. 2 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1994.

Carson, D. A. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the Word.Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1987.

Charlesworth, James H., ed. Jesus’ Jewishness, Exploring the Place of Jesus Within Early Judaism. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997.

Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A. Evans, eds. Authenticating the Activities of Jesus.Boston: Koninklijke Brill, 1999.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Updated Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988.

Elwell, Walter A., and Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering the New Testament.Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.

Evans, Craig A. World Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27–16:20. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000.

Evans, Craig A., and N. T. Wright. Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened.Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.

Flusser, David. Jesus. Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1998.

Flusser, David, and R. Steven Notely. The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus’ Genius. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.

Gnilka, Joachim. Jesus of Nazareth: Message and History. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.

Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

Green, Joel B., and Scot McKnight, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels.Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Guelich, Robert A. World Biblical Commentary: Mark 1–8:26. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1990.

Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1996.

Jeremias, Joachim. Jesus and the Message of the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.

Jeremias, Joachim. New Testament Theology. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Volume 1. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Volume 2. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976.

Manson, T. W. The Sayings of Jesus. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1957.

Manson, T. W. The Teaching of Jesus. Cambridge: University Press, 1967.

McKnight, Scot. Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.

Michaels, J. Ramsey. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

Milne, Bruce. The Message of John. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.

Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1960.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Words & Works of Jesus Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.

Sanders, E. P. Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.

Sheen, Fulton J. Life of Christ. New York: Doubleday, 1958.

Spangler, Ann, and Lois Tverberg. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

Stein, Robert H. Jesus the Messiah. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Stein, Robert H. The Method and Message of Jesus’ Teachings, Revised Edition.Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978.

Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology: Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Witherington III, Ben. The Christology of Jesus. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990.

Witherington III, Ben. The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.

Wood, D. R. W., I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman, eds.New Bible Dictionary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Wright, N. T. After You Believe. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2010.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.

Wright, N. T. Matthew for Everyone, Part 1. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.

Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.

Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

Young, Brad H. Jesus the Jewish Theologian. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995.

Footnotes:

1 Matthew 5:6.


2 McKnight, Sermon on the Mount, 44.


3 John 4:34.


4Matthew 4:4.


5 Matthew 5:7.


6 Luke 10:30–37. See also: The Stories Jesus Told: The Good Samaritan.


7 Psalm 111:4.


8 Psalm 103:8.


9 Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 47.


10 McKnight, Sermon on the Mount, 44.


11 Matthew 5:8.


12 Matthew 15:18–20.


13 Acts 15:8–9.


14 James 4:8.


15 Psalm 24:3–4.


16 The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 967.


17 Matthew 5:9.


18 Colossians 1:19–20.


19 Romans 12:18.


20 McKnight, Sermon on the Mount, 47.


21 Matthew 13:24–30, 38.


22 Matthew 5:44–45.


23 Matthew 5:10–12.


24 Matthew 10:16–18; 21–22, 24–25.


25 As translated in the NIV and NAU.


26 France, The Gospel of Matthew, 172.


27 Matthew 11:29.


28 Matthew 23:37. See also Matthew 11:20–24.


29 Matthew 9:27, 29. See also Matthew 9:13; 20:30–34; 17:14–18; Luke 17:12–14; 18:38–43.


30 Matthew 5:43–44. See also Matthew 26:50.


31 Matthew 26:67–68.

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Ele Se Importa

Link
Compilação

O livro de Hebreus diz que “Jesus ofereceu orações e súplicas, em alta voz e com lágrimas, àquele que o podia salvar da morte.” Logicamente Ele não foi salvo da morte. Será exagero dizer que o próprio Jesus fez a pergunta que me persegue e persegue a maioria de nós em algum momento: Será que Deus Se importa? Por que outro motivo Ele citaria as sombrias palavras do Salmo: “Meu Deus, meu Deus, por que me desamparaste?” Mais uma vez, para mim é muito reconfortante saber que Jesus, diante do sofrimento, respondeu como eu. No Getsêmane Ele não orou: “Senhor, muito obrigado por ter Me escolhido para sofrer por Você. Eu me alegro por esse privilégio!” Não, Ele vivenciou dor, medo, desamparo, e um sentimento próximo do desespero.

No entanto, Jesus suportou porque sabia que, no centro do universo, estava o Seu Pai, um Deus de amor em quem Ele podia confiar independentemente das circunstâncias. A resposta de Jesus ao povo sofrido, aos “zés-ninguéns”, nos dá um vislumbre do coração desse Deus que não é o Absoluto inflexível, mas sim um Deus amoroso e próximo. Eu acho que Deus vê a mim e as minhas fraquezas como Jesus considerou a viúva ao lado do caixão do filho, e Simão o Leproso, e Simão Pedro, que O negou, no entanto foi incumbido de fundar e guiar a Sua igreja, uma comunidade que sempre acolhe os rejeitados.—Philip Yancey


Um banquete no meio da batalha

A maioria de nós sabe que “evangelho” significa “boas novas”. No entanto, podemos ter o conceito errôneo de “bom”, achando que está sempre associado a algo agradável, simpático e favorável.

A geração dos anos 50, por exemplo, provavelmente se lembra da época em que não era possível escolher remédio com sabor, quer banana, quer morango ou chocolate. Existia apenas o “sabor original”, que tinha gosto de gasolina misturada com graxa de sapato. Os medicamentos não tinham que ser agradáveis e bonitos, o essencial era a finalidade.

Deus age da mesma forma. Quando Ele nos oferece um arco-íris, símbolo da Sua bondade conosco, o pano de fundo é um céu escuro e tempestuoso. O Salmo 23, uma das passagens mais conhecidas e amadas na Bíblia, diz sobre Deus: “Faz-me deitar em pastos verdejantes, guia-me pelas águas tranquilas, refrigera a minha alma”.[1] Por mais reconfortante que isso seja, não pode ser usado como uma definição da vida cristã. No mesmo Salmo, no versículo 5, Davi diz: “Preparas uma mesa diante mim na presença dos meus inimigos.” É um banquete e uma batalha concomitantemente. O banquete representa o cuidado de Deus durante nossas batalhas. Chris Thomas, filho do major Ian Thomas, disse algo muito profundo: “Geralmente a perda material e o ganho espiritual nos são servidos na mesma bandeja.”

O propósito de Deus é que venhamos a conhecer a Ele e Jesus Cristo, e que sejamos moldados à imagem de Cristo, e isso não nos é dado de bandeja. Deus quer nos formar aos poucos, motivo porque as provações são necessárias, caso contrário perderíamos grande parte da aprendizagem. Mas as ocasiões de provas e testes revelam o nosso grau de confiança em Deus. Na nossa relação de amor e dependência de Deus Ele vai tirar as coisas ruins para as positivas poderem vir à tona. Como resultado, nossas experiências com Deus enriquecem grandemente a nossa vida.

O grande pregador do século 19, Charles Spurgeon, disse: “Eu sempre senti saudades dos tempos de batalhas, não porque desejasse revivê-los, mas para sentir a força de Deus que senti na época, para sentir o mesmo poder da fé, para me apoiar no poderoso braço de Deus como me apoiei na ocasião, e para voltar a ver Deus em ação.”—Charles Price


Descansando nos Seus cuidados

O segredo dessa calma e paz, desse repouso, paciência, fé e amor é descansar no Senhor. — Ficar calmo diante do Senhor, louvar e buscar a Sua face primeiro. Confiança reflete paz de espírito. A mente e o coração talvez tenham que continuar ativos, mas a sua atitude e o seu espírito são calmos. Jesus disse: “Vinde a Mim, todos os que estais cansados e oprimidos, e Eu vos aliviarei.”[2]

Senhor, ajude-nos a não nos sentirmos tão pressionados que adiamos o nosso tempo com Você. Ajude-nos a dar prioridade a Você cada dia, a descansarmos no Seu calor e braços, e a bebermos profundamente a Sua Palavra e inalarmos o Seu Espírito.—D. Brandt Berg

*

Existe um lugar de doce descanso,
Perto do coração de Deus.
Um lugar onde o pecado não alcança
Perto do coração de Deus.

Jesus, meu redentor,
Vindo do coração de Deus,
Apoie os que em Ti esperam,
Próximos ao coração de Deus.

—C. E. McAfee, 1903


Acesso ao coração de Deus

Ter convívio com Deus é a primeira e maior necessidade do cristão. A santidade no nosso íntimo provém de Deus, e depende totalmente dEle. Assim como preciso do ar que respiro a cada momento, e do sol que envia a sua luz, apenas uma comunicação direta com Deus pode fortalecer a minha alma. O maná era para um dia. Não durava para o seguinte. Preciso cada dia renovar a graça vinda do Céu, o que resulta de esperar em Deus. Comece cada dia esperando na presença de Deus e sentindo o Seu toque. Tome tempo para se encontrar com Deus.

O primeiro passo na hora da devoção deve ser ficar quieto e sossegado na presença de Deus. É essencial, tanto na oração como na adoração dar prioridade total a Deus. Devemos nos prostrar diante dEle com humildade de fé e veneração, dizendo no nosso coração: “Deus é Deus. Deus está próximo de mim. Deus é amor e deseja Se comunicar comigo; Deus é onipotente, Ele cuida de tudo, e deseja Se revelar e me favorecer neste exato momento.” Tome o tempo que for preciso até sentir que Deus está juntinho de você.

Depois de dar a Deus o Seu lugar de honra, glória e poder, assuma uma posição humilde, procure ser preenchido com o Espírito de humildade. ...Como um santo, deixe o amor de Deus inundar você. ...Entre na presença sagrada de Deus com a ousadia que o sangue de Jesus nos dá, na certeza de que, em Cristo, você agrada a Deus. Em Cristo, você está dentro do véu e tem acesso ao coração e ao amor do Pai . Este é o grande objetivo da comunhão com Deus, ter mais de Deus em nossas vidas, e que Deus possa ver Cristo tomar posse de mim. Fique em silêncio diante de Deus e receba a Sua bênção.—Andrew Murray

Publicado no Âncora em agosto de 2015.


[1] Salmo 23:2–3.

[2] Mateus 11:28.e você sabe que Deus o ama, Se importa com você e vai cuidar não importa o que aconteça, consegue ter paz de espírito e descansar no Senhor, porque acredita que Ele está no controle de tudo. Mas se você está perturbado, confuso e preocupado, temeroso e aborrecido, então ainda não encontrou o descanso e confiança.

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Loving and Reverencing God

A compilation
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Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments! Oh, how abundant is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You.—Psalm 112:1; 31:191

*

The Bible speaks a fair bit about fearing God. When the Bible speaks of fearing God, there are two different concepts being referred to—being afraid of God and His wrath, and honoring Him and having reverence for Him. One of the concepts of fearing God portrayed in the Bible is terror, dread, or fear, in reference to being afraid of God, and is used mainly when speaking of people who have sinned and are going to face God’s judgment. Some examples of this concept are:

People shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of His majesty, when He rises to terrify the earth.2

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.3

This concept of the fear of God is different fromthe positive sense of reverencing God; that is, having awe, reverence, honor, and respect for Him. Synonyms for these words are wonder, admiration, amazement, astonishment, esteem, veneration, worship, devotion, high opinion, deference, regard. Fearing God in this way brings blessing and goodness to our lives.

As saved Christians, we need not have the dread of punishment for our sins, for Jesus has already taken that punishment on Himself through His death on the cross. We have been forgiven for our sins and delivered from the “wages of sin” through the gift of God of salvation and eternal life with God.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any consequences for our sins in this life; nor does it mean that God will countenance willful sin and disobedience of His moral laws. The Bible does speak of chastisement or being disciplined. Chastisement in Scripture is generally spoken of as training or causing one to learn, the molding of the character by reproof or admonition, which is quite different from punishment for our sins. The Lord may chastise us in some way for our sins for the purpose of teaching us or molding us, which is an act of His love. “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.”4

As believers, the right reaction to all God is and has done is having the fear of the Lord—in the sense of veneration and devotion, of reverence and deference, of worship and devotion, as well as awe and wonder. When we think of His creating the universe, from all of the stars to subatomic particles, we can only marvel at His power and glory. When we realize that as human beings we sin and therefore deserve His punishment, but that because of His love He made our salvation and reconciliation possible, then the correct response is praise and worship, honor, love, obedience, and reverence. It’s all part of acknowledging that He is God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Those of us who love the Lord don’t need to have the type of fear that causes us to be afraid of God and His wrath. We are part of His family, having been given this right through our faith in Jesus. Our sins are forgiven, so we won’t face the punishment of God. We are redeemed. Our relationship with the Lord is one of love, of gratitude, of praise and worship. As such, we are rightly to fear the Lord by giving Him our love, obeying His Word, and living in a manner that glorifies Him, for He is infinitely worthy.—Peter Amsterdam

*

Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.—Revelation 4:11

The whole duty of man

What’s our main job? What does the Bible say is the whole duty of man? “Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”5 Since Jesus came along, God has boiled it down to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself.”6 It was there in the “fear God,” but the Lord made it a more personal loving relationship between Him and you and me, and instead of fear God, He said lovethe Lord. And instead of just “keep the commandments,” He said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself. On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”7

Of course, first of all we have to love God in order to have love for our neighbor. You can’t love the lost or the foreigners or the unsaved or your enemies or anybody else unless you’ve got the supernatural, miraculous, miracle-working power of the love of God in your heart. “We love Him because He first loved us.”8 We love others because He first loved them and us. Only that can give you enough love for others to be willing to forsake yourself and to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature—people you’ve never seen before, and you don’t know their language or their religion and their different kinds and races and colors and peculiarities. That takes the love of God. So you’ve got to start with that; nothing short of that will do it.

When Jesus appeared to His disciples after His crucifixion, He asked Peter, “Peter, lovest thou Me?” Peter answered, “Sure, Lord, I love You.” So Jesus replied, “Then feed My sheep.” And again, “Peter, lovest thou Me?” “Lord, You know I love You.” “Okay, prove it, Peter. Feed My sheep.” Peter must have really gotten a little bit upset on that last one because he said, “Lord, You know I love You.” Third time! “How come You’re asking me, Lord? You shouldn’t have to even ask me. You know I love You.” “Okay, Peter, you say you love Me, but now get out there and prove it and lead and feed My sheep.”9

You have to love the Lord to love your neighbor, so maybe that’s the first thing you ought to ask yourself: “Do I love the Lord enough? Do I love You enough, Lord, that I’m really sticking close to You, the Shepherd, in Your will, right at Your heels, on the right path, just the way You know is best to go? Am I following right in Your path, right in Your footsteps?”

If you stay close to the Shepherd, He has promised to lead you into green pastures and beside the still waters, to restore your soul. He takes care of you. Even in the valley of the shadow of death, you will fear no evil. He’ll even prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies, and anoint your head with oil. Even His rod and staff will comfort you with a few whacks now and then if you get out of line. It doesn’t sound very comfortable, but sometimes the rod is a comfort.10

If you stick close to the Shepherd, you’re bound to be well fed, well cared for, and well protected. But what do shepherds have sheep for? Increase. Bearing fruit! “Herein is God glorified, that ye bear much fruit.”11 So how are we going to bear fruit? First of all, we love God. The question is, how much do we love God? Are we obeying Him? Are we following Him closely? Are we loving our neighbor enough to bear much fruit?

Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves: “Do I love the Lord enough? Am I close enough to the Lord? Am I following Him, obeying Him, following right in His footsteps, right on His heels, right by His side and not straying off on the fringes someplace or clear out in the woods?”

We need to get our priorities straight. We need to sit down and count the cost, even count the figures. That’s why I like to keep statistics and keep books, so I’ll know where we’re at. Any merchant that doesn’t take an inventory every once in a while to see where he’s at is apt to go out of business. He could be losing and going bankrupt and not even know it. You need to keep books—financially and with yourself and with God—and keep stats on the progress and the results and the fruit to see if you’re ahead or behind or where you’re at.

And lastly, and most important of all, let’s not forget that “one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall never be taken away from her.”12 She sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to the Lord. That’s the only thing that’s really necessary: listening to the Lord, sitting at His feet and hearing Him and hearing His Word.

Help us to remember, Lord, that Your Word, comes first, that Your love comes first, and Your love is manifested in Your Word, Your loving Word on which our lives and work for You stand. This is our whole duty and our whole obligation and our whole job: to love You and to love others, to love Your Word and love others with Your Word.—D. Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor September 2015. Read by Jason Lawrence.

1 ESV.

2 Isaiah 2:19 ESV.

3 Matthew 10:28 ESV.

4 Hebrews 12:6 ESV.

5 Ecclesiastes 12:13.

6 Matthew 22:37–39.

7 Matthew 22:40.

8 1 John 4:19.

9 John 21:15–17.

10 Psalm 23.

11 John 15:8.

12 Luke 10:42.

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New school year at Israel Christian schools in doubt

AFP, August 28, 2015

Jerusalem (AFP)–Israel’s academic year starts Tuesday, but if tough financing talks with the government bear no fruit, the doors of the country’s 47 Christian schools will remain closed, a church official said.

Some 33,000 children, mostly Muslim Arabs, attend the schools, which have a history predating Israel’s foundation in 1948 and are run primarily by the Roman Catholic church.

Traditionally, the schools received 65 percent of their budgets from the state, with parents paying the balance. But that figure was cut to 34 percent two years ago, doubling the amount parents had to come up with.

Father Abdelmassih Fahim, director of schools for the Catholic church’s Custody of the Holy Land, said the situation had become untenable and he is pressing for a return to the 65 percent funding figure.

“It is a matter of equality,” he told AFP.

“A Jewish Israeli child had the right to 100 percent (of school costs financed by the state) while our schools don’t, while our teaching is among the best in Israel.”

Fahim said the authorities are proposing that the Christian schools move from being “unofficially recognised” to “officially recognised,” effectively meaning their buildings and staff would come under state control.

“We categorically reject that,” he said.

The office of President Reuven Rivlin has said he and Education Minister Naftali Bennett met with church officials this week, and that the “president welcomed the important work of these schools”.

Fahim said “these declarations are positive, but we are now awaiting the minister’s proposal.”

“If we do not get satisfaction, we will be obliged to announce that the school year will not begin on Tuesday.”

The talks are taking place at a time when Christians in Israel are under growing strains, with leaders of their communities saying they are afraid in the wake of attacks by Jewish extremists on churches and other properties.

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The Best Jobs Now Require You To Be A People Person

By Andrew Flowers, FiveThirtyEight, Aug. 25, 2015

Are you good at math? A computer whiz? Well, great! Presumably your “hard skills” are a surefire ticket to a high-paying job.

Well, maybe that used to be the case. But it’s not necessarily so anymore. To land a lucrative job today, hard skills in math and engineering, for instance, may not be enough. As technology allows us to automate more technical jobs, new research shows that people skills–communicating clearly, being a team player–matter more than ever. And women appear to be the ones capitalizing on this shift in the workplace.

“The days of only plugging away at a spreadsheet are over,” David Deming, an associate professor of economics at Harvard, told me. Deming is the author of a new working paper, “The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market,” which shows how today’s high-skill, high-paying jobs–like consultants and managers–increasingly require interpersonal skills.

It’s not that hard skills are suddenly less desirable. Training in mathematics, computer science and other STEM fields (what Deming would count as “high cognitive skills”) is still a great investment; that “plugging away at a spreadsheet” is still valuable. “High-cognitive-skills workers still earn more,” Deming said, “but social skills increasingly are a complement to cognitive skills.” He argues that having strong cognitive skills is a necessary but not sufficient condition for a high-paying job.

Social skills have become more important for workers because they provide a crucial advantage over a frequent competitor: technology. A 2013 paper by two Oxford researchers projected that nearly half of U.S. jobs would be vulnerable to automation within 20 years. But “computers aren’t good at simulating human interaction,” Deming said. That means a job as a manager or consultant is harder to automate, and the skills those jobs require become more valuable.

In his paper, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research last week but not yet peer-reviewed, Deming tries to precisely define and quantify social skills. For example, he said, “Can you work with others? It’s not necessarily whether you’re a nice person–though that probably matters–but it’s more about can you work in a team.”

To categorize job skills, Deming used the Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network surveys of worker occupations. He grouped job tasks into four types: routine, nonroutine analytical, social-skill-intensive and service-intensive. Routine tasks are repetitive and likely to be automated, like assembly-line work or checking ledger entries; nonroutine analytical tasks involve more mathematical or abstract reasoning, such as computer programming; social-skill-intensive tasks require persuasion, social perceptiveness and coordinating with others; service tasks involve assisting and caring for others. An accountant, for example, might perform all four types of tasks, but some more than others, and the job probably requires a varying level of skills in each task.

It’s not news that jobs mainly requiring skills in the first category–routine work in manufacturing, for example–have declined sharply in the U.S. over the last few decades. At the same time, low-skill service-sector jobs (like janitorial and fast-food positions) have grown in number, if not in pay, and nonroutine analytical jobs (like computer programming) have grown a lot, at least through the 1990s.

But an interesting thing happened at the turn of the century: “If anything, growth in high-wage, technical occupations slowed in the 2000s,” MIT economics professor David Autor said. Autor’s own research has documented how middle-skill, routine jobs (like those of machinists) decreased over the last few decades, whether through automation, globalization or some other factor. But Deming’s work “offers a couple of very nice insights” explaining the slowdown in the high-wage, technical jobs, Autor said. He thinks Deming’s paper raises an interesting question: Has there been a slowdown in growth of high-wage, technical jobs, or is there simply a shift in growth toward jobs that also require high social skills? It seems to be the latter.

Deming found that most of the employment growth in jobs requiring cognitive skills occurred in those that also required interpersonal skills. Think of doctors, lawyers and management consultants. Purely technical occupations–those requiring knowledge of math but fewer social skills, such as actuaries, machinists, electricians, billing clerks–have fared badly since 2000 in both pay and job growth. Even jobs with low math but high social skills have grown–lawyers and physical therapists, for example. “Jobs with that description have grown across the board, not just at the top; they’ve also seen more wage growth,” Autor said. Dentists, in particular, have done really well.

Deming’s paper goes on to say that women have ridden this wave of change in the workplace better than men, supporting the argument presented in books such as Hanna Rosin’s “The End of Men,” which documents how women have excelled in work and school and are primed to overtake men by many measures. Autor said Deming provides more data to back up Rosin’s thesis and “a little more grounding, more information on how the workforce is changing.”

Deming finds that the composition of women’s job tasks has radically changed in the last 30 or so years, while men’s tasks have hardly budged. He ranked both the hard and soft skills requirements of more than 300 jobs and standardized them on a percentile scale (the higher the ranking for a particular skill type, the more important it is to the job). In 1980, the typical woman’s job was below average in its requirement for social skills–it ranked in the 47th percentile (think of a cook). But by 2012, the typical woman’s job was in the 66th percentile of all jobs in requiring social skills (think of a teacher). Over the same period, the typical woman’s job saw a decline in routine tasks, to the 34th percentile from the 58th. Men saw little change in their job tasks, however–the breakdown between routine and social tasks for the typical man’s job was pretty similar in 2012 to what it was in 1980.

Deming also looked at the jobs where the female employment share grew the most, and sure enough, they tended to rank higher in social-skills requirements.

Although cognitive skills don’t vary by gender, Deming cites research from psychology showing that women consistently score higher on tests of emotional intelligence and social perceptiveness. The link between women’s documented advantage in social skills and their increasing presence in social-skill-intensive jobs might explain the narrowing of the gender gap in employment and earnings, he says. But he doesn’t know how much influence it might have, exactly. “I deliberately chose not to” estimate this effect, he said. “I didn’t want to give the illusion of certainty.”

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