Quest 52 Student Edition: A Fifteen-Minute-a-Day Yearlong Pursuit of Jesus

by Mark E. Moore

Overview

The bestselling author of Quest 52 and Core 52 Student Edition presents a fifteen-minute-a-day plan that helps teens to know and become more like Jesus over the course of a year.

Who is Jesus . . . really? Is he the world’s nicest guy? A social-justice champion? Is he super accepting or overly judgmental? If you’re ready for real answers rather than popular opinion, you’re in the right place.
 
Quest 52 Student Edition is your way to experience the life and heart of Jesus like never before. Daily readings include a mix of biblical passages from the life of Jesus, fresh insights into his purpose and character, opportunities to engage with others, and practical ways to put what you’ve learned into practice.
 
In just fifteen minutes a day, over the course of a year, you’ll come face to face with Jesus in 52 unforgettable encounters. Let respected Bible professor and teaching pastor Mark Moore be your guide. He developed this process to help students like you make sense of Christianity.
 
Gain clarity on topics such as:
• Does Jesus care about your pain?
• Can Jesus forgive you for, well, you know?
• Does God play favorites?
• What does Jesus say about social justice?
• Does your past determine your future?
 
This quest will enhance your understanding of Jesus in ways that will forever change how you make choices, engage with others, interpret today’s big issues, and even view yourself!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593193754
Publisher:	The Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Mark E. Moore loves helping others discover the richness of the Bible for themselves, which makes him your ideal tour guide for learning more about Jesus as you grow in biblical knowledge. He’s a New Testament teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley, one of America’s fastest-growing churches. His books are the perfect blend of serious study and practical application. His passion is to make Jesus famous. Mark and his wife, Barbara, live in Phoenix, Arizona.

Read an Excerpt

1

Is God Jesus?

Biblical Concept: Incarnation

Read: John 1:1–18

Who is God? Is he good? Is he all powerful? Is he one or many? Everyone—whether a pastor, celebrity, atheist, or philosopher—seems to have an opinion. Who has the authority to give an answer?

According to John 1, there’s one—Jesus—who can definitively answer the question: “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (verse 18). If Jesus is whom he claimed to be (God), if he did what the Bible says he did, then nothing could be more important than our quest for him. Whether or not we believe in Jesus, we can’t deny that he has had more impact on humanity than any other person in history. Let’s start with Jesus to answer the question, Who is God?

 

Jesus Is Creator

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). If this sounds familiar, it should. It echoes Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” John connected Jesus, the Word, with the God who created the world with a word. Paul, the apostle, said it like this: “By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. . . . And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16–17). The New Testament claims that the Creator, God, took on human flesh in the person of Jesus.

Is there evidence for this? Well, one could point to the predictions he fulfilled (Luke 24:44; John 5:39), his divine birth (Luke 1:30‒35), his sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), or all the miracles he performed. However, the most remarkable (and historically verifiable) evidence is his resurrection from the dead (see chapter 49). It was this one event that transformed the world.

Ultimately, you need to make up your own mind about who Jesus is. However, you would be in good company if you declared him Lord. After all, Jesus claimed to have all authority (Matthew 28:18), even to forgive sins (Mark 2:10) and judge the world (John 5:24–30). His friends affirmed he was God’s Son (Matthew 14:33), even God himself (John 20:28). Even Jesus’s enemies admitted he was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39; Luke 23:39–43). Throughout the New Testament, we have very clear declarations that Jesus is God (John 1:18; 12:41; Romans 9:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:12; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20). However, he’s a different kind of divine being--one who is near.

 

Jesus Is Here

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This idea that God became flesh is called the Incarnation. And, of course, it sparks all kinds of questions like “How can God be in heaven and on earth at the same time?” Without being dismissive (because questions like this are interesting), can we just admit that they are beyond human ability to answer? Oddly, this is kind of comforting. The God I worship is greater than my capacity to comprehend.

How could I ever know the unknowable God if he didn’t make himself known? We can’t take a shuttle to heaven. So, if God wanted us to know him, doesn’t it make sense that he would show up at our level? If you want to play with a child, what do you do? You get on the floor. That’s similar to what God did in Jesus. He met us where we are.

Some of the best things we believe about God are because we’ve seen them in Jesus. Three are unique to Christianity:

1.   God is near. Christianity is the only global religion where God is both personal and knowable. We’re invited into a relationship with him. To this point, John 1:12 says, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” This was a brand-new idea in the Bible, that through Jesus we can pray to God as Father, even calling him Abba (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

2.   God is love. I think most people have no problem believing that God can love people who are considered good. But can you imagine a religion where God loved not only those who loved him but also the people who hated him or wanted nothing to do with him? This is exactly what Jesus does! Check out what he said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). And he modeled that from the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Only through Jesus do we know that “God show[ed] his love for us . . . while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

3.   God suffers. Now, there’s a crazy idea! How could God suffer? Look through the Old Testament, and you’ll find only two descriptions of God suffering (Isaiah 53; Zechariah 12:10). This is an offensive idea in many religions. Yet in Jesus we see a God who suffers for those he loves even while they’re unlovely. Now, that is a God worth worshipping. This is a God we never could have imagined without the incarnation of Jesus.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Section 1 The Person of Jesus 1

1 Is God Jesus? 3

2 Is Life Random? 8

3 Can God Use Me for Big Things? 13

4 Does God Play Favorites? 18

5 Did Jesus Know He Was God When He Was a Boy? 23

6 If Jesus Was Perfect, Why Was He Baptized? 28

7 Did Jesus Have a Life Purpose? Part 1 33

8 Did Jesus Have a Life Purpose? Part 2 38

9 How Do I Recognize God's Call on My Life? 43

10 How Do You Get into Jesus's Inner Circle? 48

11 Does My Past Determine My Future? 53

12 Who Are Social Influences for Jesus? Parti 58

13 Who Are Social Influencers for Jesus? Part 2 63

Section 2 The Power of Jesus 69

14 Is Christianity Boring? 71

15 Can Jesus Turn My Storm into a Story? 76

16 Can Jesus Provide for My Needs? 81

17 Is Jesus Really Divine? 86

18 Does Jesus Care About My Pain? 91

19 Can Jesus Make Me Clean? 96

20 Is Jesus Impressed with Me? 101

21 Can Jesus Restore My Relationships? 106

22 Can Jesus Give Me Life? 111

23 Can Jesus Forgive Me? 116

24 What Do We Need from Jesus? 121

25 Can Jesus Help Me See Clearly? 126

26 Can Jesus Accept Me? 131

Section 3 The Preaching of Jesus 137

27 What Did Jesus Say About Social Justice? 139

28 What Did Jesus Say About Morality? 144

29 What Did Jesus Say About Religious Duties? 149

30 Why Does Jesus Care So Much About My Money? 154

31 How Does Jesus Feel About Prodigals? 159

32 How Do I Hear God's Voice? 164

33 How Can I Be Sure I'm Saved? 169

34 How Did Jesus Lead? 174

35 How Can We Share Our Faith Effectively? 179

36 Do You Ever Doubt Your Doubts? 184

37 What Makes You a Good Person? 189

38 Who Do You Say Jesus Is? 194

39 What's Worth Worrying About? 199

Section 4 The Passion of Jesus 205

40 Was Jesus Political? Part 1 207

41 Was Jesus Political? Part 2 212

42 Was Jesus Full of Himself? 217

43 What Did Jesus Think About Himself? 222

44 How Can I Survive Difficult Days? 227

45 How Can We Learn Grit from How Jesus Suffered? 232

46 How Do You Stay in Control in a Crisis? 237

47 How Do You Endure Pain? 242

48 Why Did Jesus Die? 247

49 Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? 253

50 What Does Jesus Expect Us to Do Now? 260

51 How Can We Make Jesus Famous? 265

52 Who is Jesus? 270

Overview 275

Notes 281