Olathe, Kansas, United States - The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection West RezChat Bible Study News for Friday, 30 May 2014
Hi, RezChatWell here's another beautiful Friday with just me and dog.
Me still at the computer and Buddy coming upstairs every now and again to pull me away to throw the ball in the backyard. He lays his chin on my right forearm so I can't type.
You can say a lot without words.
NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
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Sunday's session: Steve Miller
Chewables & Cafe: Bette and Gary Tranbarger
2nd Sunday Social: Youth cookout
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Sunday's session:
Adam's B-I-B-L-E
Is that the book for me?
We begin a 4-week series of sessions about the Bible. Here's what's ahead:
6.1, Steve Miller
Pastor Adam’s B-I-B-L-E. See more details below.
6.8, Jim Buffington:
Life with Pastor Adam's B-I-B-L-E. Discuss several Bible passages that could change our lifestyle if we adopt Pastor Adam’s way of reading them. Session leader would select these, and perhaps a few quotes from Adam’s book, to lead the class though the discussion.
6.15, Steve Miller
Write your own Bible. We’ll look at a few Bible passages and paraphrase them into words we would use to get the point across to our kids or grandkids or a friend outside the faith.
6.22, Rick Stones (Welcome home)
Who invented the Bible? This is the story of how we got the Bible.
Deuteronomy 31:9 Moses wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of Yahweh’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.
2 Samuel 1:17 David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son 18 (and he commanded them to teach the children of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):
2 Timothy 3:15 From infancy, you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. 16 Every Scripture is God-breathed and[a] profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Footnotes:
a. 2 Timothy 3:16 or, Every writing inspired by God is
Pastor Adam’s B-I-B-L-E
In Sunday' session we're going to discuss statements I've highlighted from Adam's book, Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture.
In fact, I'm going to give you my notes. Here they are:
Excerpts from Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture:
1.Do you think the scripture writers Moses, David, Matthew, and Paul were inspired to a greater degree or in a different way than we experience the inspiration and guidance of the Spirit as Christians today? …What differentiates their writing from ours is that they were closest to the events described….I am suggesting that the Spirit’s inspiration of the biblical writers was consistent with the way the Spirit inspires human beings today.
2.None of the historic creeds of the church, those from the first five hundred years of the Christian faith, mention an infallible or inerrant Bible…and none begin with an affirmation of faith in the scriptures.
3.. …some things taught in scripture may not represent God’s character nor his will for us today, and perhaps never accurately captured God’s will.
4.My point is that the Word of God by which all other words of God are measured must be the Word that was made flesh, Jesus Christ.
5.If Jesus is our colander, we may question whether the passage from Leviticus [21:9, ordering a priest to burn to death his daughter if she becomes a prostitute] ever actually reflected God’s timeless will for humanity. [Adam notes that Jesus forgave a prostitute and told her to “Go in peace,” (Luke 7:50).]
6.Even the apostles did not read the Bible from the perspective of “God (or the Bible) says it, I believe it, that settles it.” They were willing to debate how their Bible applied to new situations. [Adam points to the Jerusalem Council debates in Acts 15.]
Counterpoints to consider, pulled from 100 Tough Questions about God and the Bible:
1.Some compare God to a muse who mystically inspires a painter or a poet. But most Christians argue that the Bible comes from a higher grade of inspiration—and a higher Source. One Bible writer put it this way: “No prophecy ever originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the Holy Spirit as humans spoke under God’s direction.”(2 Peter 1:20-21)
2.Prophets often introduced their messages by saying, “Listen to the word of the Lord” (Jeremiah 2:4).
3.Jesus, debating Jewish scholars, quoted a line from Exodus and asked: “Haven’t you read what God told you?” (Matthew 22:31).
4.Christian preachers described their sermons as messages from God: “Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let’s go back to every city where we spread the Lord’s word’” (Acts 15:36).
5.The most famous link between the Bible and God shows up in a letter Paul wrote to his friend Timothy, who was pastoring the church in Ephesus, a city in what is now Turkey:
“Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval. They equip God’s servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things.(2 Timothy 3:16-17)
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2nd Sunday social: burgers & dogs
The church youth will be doing their annual fundraising cookout on June 8, which is the date of our Second Sunday Social.
We'll join them.
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Those of you following the saga of Terry's quest for a new teaching gig will be happy to know that all the paperwork he needed has been put in the right hands, thanks to FedEx.
He is now able to apply for teaching assignments in Kansas. Say a prayer, if you would be so kind.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Steve
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Our mailing address is:
Stephen M. Miller
PO Box 2712
Olathe, KS 66063
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