Monday, August 14, 2017

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Weekly Devotions: Grow Pray Study Guide “The Bible in 30 Minutes” "What the Bible is meant to do" for Tuesday, 15 August 2017

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States Weekly Devotions: Grow Pray Study Guide “The Bible in 30 Minutes” "What the Bible is meant to do" for Tuesday, 15 August 2017 
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"What the Bible is meant to do"
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
2 Timothy 3:10 But you, you have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose in life, trust, steadfastness, love and perseverance — 11 as well as the persecutions and sufferings that came my way in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 And indeed, all who want to live a godly life united with the Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.
14 But you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, recalling the people from whom you learned it; 15 and recalling too how from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can give you the wisdom that leads to deliverance through trusting in Yeshua the Messiah. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth, convicting of sin, correcting faults and training in right living; 17 thus anyone who belongs to God may be fully equipped for every good work. 
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The Hebrew Scriptures shaped the life of the apostle Paul’s young friend Timothy, as they did Paul’s (Acts 18:1-3, 2 Timothy 1:5). In his farewell letter, Paul succinctly summarized for Timothy the purposes he saw the Bible serving in a Christian’s life. The Scriptures, he said, would continue to shape Timothy’s character and direct him to God. (He did not say they would answer all Timothy’s historical, scientific or financial questions.) The Bible’s purpose is to tell the story of God’s dealings with humans, and shape our interaction with God.
• Article 5 of the United Methodist Articles of Religion, which date back to church founder John Wesley, say “The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation.”
The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church
Article I — Of Faith in the Holy Trinity
There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Article II — Of the Word, or Son of God,
Who Was Made Very Man
The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided; whereof is one Christ, very God and very Man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men.
Article III — Of the Resurrection of Christ
Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, wherewith he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until he return to judge all men at the last day.
Article IV — Of the Holy Ghost
The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.
Article V — Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation
The Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the church. The names of the canonical books are:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, The First Book of Samuel, The Second Book of Samuel, The First Book of Kings, The Second Book of Kings, The First Book of Chronicles, The Second Book of Chronicles, The Book of Ezra, The Book of Nehemiah, The Book of Esther, The Book of Job, The Psalms, The Proverbs, Ecclesiastes or the Preacher, Cantica or Songs of Solomon, Four Prophets the Greater, Twelve Prophets the Less.
All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and account canonical.
Article VI — Of the Old Testament
The Old Testament is not contrary to the New; for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only Mediator between God and man, being both God and Man. Wherefore they are not to be heard who feign that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God by Moses as touching ceremonies and rites doth not bind Christians, nor ought the civil precepts thereof of necessity be received in any commonwealth; yet notwithstanding, no Christian whatsoever is free from the obedience of the commandments which are called moral.
Article VII — Of Original or Birth Sin
Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.
Article VIII — Of Free Will
The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and works, to faith, and calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that good will.
Article IX — Of the Justification of Man
We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith, only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort.
Article X — Of Good Works
Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and spring out of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit.
Article XI — Of Works of Supererogation
Voluntary works—besides, over and above God's commandments—which they call works of supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. For by them men do declare that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is required; whereas Christ saith plainly: When you have done all that is commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants.
Article XII — Of Sin After Justification
Not every sin willingly committed after justification is the sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpardonable. Wherefore, the grant of repentance is not to be denied to such as fall into sin after justification. After we have received the Holy Ghost, we may depart from grace given, and fall into sin, and, by the grace of God, rise again and amend our lives. And therefore they are to be condemned who say they can no more sin as long as they live here; or deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent.
Article XIII — Of the Church
The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.
Article XIV — Of Purgatory
The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardon, worshiping, and adoration, as well of images as of relics, and also invocation of saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant of Scripture, but repugnant to the Word of God.
Article XV — Of Speaking in the Congregation in Such a Tongue as the People Understand
It is a thing plainly repugnant to the Word of God, and the custom of the primitive church, to have public prayer in the church, or to minister the Sacraments, in a tongue not understood by the people.
4. For the contemporary interpretation of this and similar articles, (i.e. Articles XIV, XV, XVI, XVIII, XIX, XX, and XXI) in consonance with our best ecumenical insights and judgment, see "Resolution of Intent: With a View to Unity," The Book of Resolutions, 2008, p.292).
Article XVI — Of the Sacraments
Sacraments ordained of Christ are not only badges or tokens of Christian men's profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace, and God's good will toward us, by which he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, but also strengthen and confirm, our faith in him.
There are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord in the Gospel; that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord.
Those five commonly called sacraments, that is to say, confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and extreme unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel; being such as have partly grown out of the corrupt following of the apostles, and partly are states of life allowed in the Scriptures, but yet have not the like nature of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, because they have not any visible sign or ceremony ordained of God.
The Sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be gazed upon, or to be carried about; but that we should duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation; but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to themselves condemnation, as St. Paul saith.
Article XVII — Of Baptism
Baptism is not only a sign of profession and mark of difference whereby Christians are distinguished from others that are not baptized; but it is also a sign of regeneration or the new birth. The Baptism of young children is to be retained in the Church.
Article XVIII — Of the Lord's Supper
The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death; insomuch that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.
Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, over-throweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.
The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.
Article XIX — Of Both Kinds
The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people; for both the parts of the Lord's Supper, by Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.
Article XX — Of the One Oblation of Christ, Finished upon the Cross
The offering of Christ, once made, is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is commonly said that the priest doth offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, is a blasphemous fable and dangerous deceit.
Article XXI — Of the Marriage of Ministers
The ministers of Christ are not commanded by God's law either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage; therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christians, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best to godliness.
Article XXII — Of the Rites and Ceremonies of Churches
It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should in all places be the same, or exactly alike; for they have been always different, and may be changed according to the diversity of countries, times, and men's manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's Word. Whosoever, through his private judgment, willingly and purposely doth openly break the rites and ceremonies of the church to which he belongs, which are not repugnant to the Word of God, and are ordained and approved by common authority, ought to be rebuked openly, that others may fear to do the like, as one that offendeth against the common order of the church, and woundeth the consciences of weak brethren.
Every particular church may ordain, change, or abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all things may be done to edification.
Article XXIII — Of the Rulers of the United States of America
The President, the Congress, the general assemblies, the governors, and the councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are the rulers of the United States of America, according to the division of power made to them by the Constitution of the United States and by the constitutions of their respective states. And the said states are a sovereign and independent nation, and ought not to be subject to any foreign jurisdiction.
Article XXIV — Of Christian Men's Goods
The riches and goods of Christians are not common as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as some do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability.
Article XXV — Of a Christian Man's Oath
As we confess that vain and rash swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and James his apostle, so we judge that the Christian religion doth not prohibit, but that a man may swear when the magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and charity, so it be done according to the prophet's teaching, in justice, judgment, and truth.
[The following Article from the Methodist Protestant Discipline is placed here by the Uniting Conference (1939). It was not one of the Articles of Religion voted upon by the three churches.]
Of Sanctification
Sanctification is that renewal of our fallen nature by the Holy Ghost, received through faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood of atonement cleanseth from all sin; whereby we are not only delivered from the guilt of sin, but are washed from its pollution, saved from its power, and are enabled, through grace, to love God with all our hearts and to walk in his holy commandments blameless.
[The following provision was adopted by the Uniting Conference (1939). This statement seeks to interpret to our churches in foreign lands Article XXIII of the Articles of Religion. It is a legislative enactment but is not a part of the Constitution. (See Judicial Council Decisions 41, 176, and Decision 6, Interim Judicial Council.)]
Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority
It is the duty of all Christians, and especially of all Christian ministers, to observe and obey the laws and commands of the governing or supreme authority of the country of which they are citizens or subjects or in which they reside, and to use all laudable means to encourage and enjoin obedience to the powers that be.
From The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church — 2016. Copyright 2016 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
That echoed Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:15. What parts of the Bible’s story played the biggest role in leading you to Christ and salvation by his grace? Have you found examples in your Bible reading that seem NOT to advance that purpose?
• Paul said that when we read the Bible correctly, “the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do everything that is good.” Have you ever seen the Bible used in ways that provoke bad results—e.g. tension, fear, guilt or hatred? What keys have you found that make your Bible reading a time with God that equips you to do everything that is good?
Prayer: O God, master and guide, I need your help today and every day as I read the Bible. Equip me more and more each day to be your physical presence in my world. Amen.
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Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection. He helps lead worship at Vibe, West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
The Bible has been compared to a sword in scriptures, and I actually really like that metaphor. Blades can be really useful things. Swords can be used for defense, yes, but blades can also be used to slice food, chop down trees, cut paper to be used in books, perform surgery, and a number of other vital things. When used carefully for a good purpose, blades are invaluable. But blades can also be really damaging things. When mishandled, it’s easy to cut yourself or someone else. And blades can be wielded as weapons to hurt, harass, or bully others. Blades are incredibly useful, but also frighteningly dangerous when used incorrectly. I think the Bible is similar.
In addition to writing the GPS every other week here, I write other places all over the Web. I’ve written articles on mental health, professionalism, and general people skills, and my articles have an international readership. And it’s funny, because it’s not like I have extensive training in any of those areas. I just started writing down the things that, to me, seemed like common sense. A friend recently asked me where I learned those things. My answer? It all stems from my faith. When I let God’s words transform me as a person, it gave me great insight into my own humanity--and that of others. Deep insights into human nature seemed like common sense to me because scripture had become such an ingrained part of my life that it defined my thought processes.
But I’ve also seen the word of God be used to hurt people. I’ve been told countless times in my life that I’m not a real Christian because of my political beliefs. I’ve been told that my mental illness is due to unconfessed sin in my life and that God would heal me if I had enough faith (which basically implies that I don’t have faith). I’ve seen regular church-goers turn against a friend of mine who was asking honest questions about faith, driving him away from the church altogether. I’ve seen men tell women that they’re not fulfilling God’s purpose if they’re not having as many kids as possible and homeschooling them. Each of these statements was accompanied by scripture. And each of them hurt people deeply.
Notice Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3. He warns Timothy in verse 13 that evil people and swindlers will grow even worse with time. But notice his words after that. He doesn’t tell Timothy to smite the evildoers; he tells Timothy to transform himself and guard himself against evil. Yes, scripture can be used to gently correct and guide others, but its first application should always be personal. If you read a scripture and immediately think of who you can use it against or how it justifies your pre-existing beliefs, you’re walking a very dangerous line. We should spend most of our time applying scriptures to ourselves. That’s not to say that we should never call out sin or evil when we see it; but if that’s all we do with scripture, we’re missing out on the best parts of our own relationship with God.
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“Open my eyes”
Wednesday, 16 August 2017
Psalm 119:9-18 
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Reading the Bible is different from reading a bank statement, newspaper or Facebook page. To grow spiritually from Bible reading calls for us to open our heart as well as our mind to what God wants to say to us through the Bible. Today’s passage offers a lovely model of a prayer that can prepare us to “hear” God’s word on the pages of Scripture. • “I have hidden your word in my heart,” the psalmist wrote. What does it take to move the word from the printed page (or the screen) into your heart? Here’s an easy way to start: choose a short Bible passage (e.g. John 3:16-17, Psalm 23, or maybe Psalm 119:11 from today’s reading) and commit it to memory this week.
• At the same time, remember this: “The Bible is more than just a big book of inspirational verses and some do’s and don’ts. It’s a story. And like any story, it requires proper context. The Bible we hold in our hands today has been translated across multiple languages and was originally written in a culture much different than ours. This is important to understand because without proper context you will ultimately read the Bible out of context.” * How can you grow in your ability to relate all the “pieces” of the Bible to the big story it tells? Two good options for learning the Bible’s big story are “Meet Your Bible” (Visit cor.org/leawood/grownight for more information) and Disciple 1 Bible Study (cor.org/leawood/disciple).
Prayer: Lord God, open my eyes so that like your faithful followers in all eras, I can examine the wonders of your Instruction! Amen.
* Tyler Speegle, “Five Signs You’re Reading the Bible All Wrong.” Relevant Magazine, web version
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"Jesus lived the Bible’s eternal principles"
Thursday, 17 August 2017
Matthew 4:1-11
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Jesus was tempted to make choices that would have derailed his saving mission. In one case, the tempter tried to mislead Jesus by quoting a single Bible verse. But Jesus grasped the Bible’s overall message, met every temptation with a verse that embodied a deep Bible principle, and no doubt knew that the verse the tempter quoted was a poetic image, not a literal pledge. As we read the Bible, we may find things we question, and some historical puzzles. But like Jesus, we can prayerfully seek the principles that will guide our lives right.
• In verse 6, the tempter quoted from Psalm 91. Jesus didn’t just say, “From the Bible—must be right.” Scholar Scot McKnight wrote that at times we “read the Bible as a collection of… sanctified morsels of truth…. the blessings and promises of God in the Bible emerge from a real life’s story that also knows that we live in a broken world and some days are tough.” * What steps can help you discern the Bible’s core truths? How can it be spiritually (as well as physically) unsafe to take all Bible verses literally, as the tempter urged?
• Our culture tends to keep (and add to) the medieval idea of a horned devil in red tights. Do you think such a figure would have had any appeal for Jesus? Has temptation ever come to you, not as a big “devil” figure, but as a tiny inner whisper urging you to choose a path other than God’s? How can the Bible help you resist that whisper?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me to read the Bible with discernment, as you did. Use it to guide me and armor me against temptations to veer from your path. Amen.
* Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008, pp. 46-47.
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"The apostle Paul’s thoughtful quoting of the Bible"
Friday, 18 August 2017
Romans 15:1-13
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The apostle Paul urged Roman Christians to stay united despite their differing Jewish and Gentile backgrounds. How did choose the verses he quoted to them? He read the Bible as a sweeping story, not a set of free-standing verses of equal truth and weight. Though some Old Testament verses might sound as if God loved Jews more than Gentiles, Paul chose verses that said God wanted to reach all people, including Gentiles. He’d thought and prayed hard about the Bible, and traced the directional arc of God’s purpose, not just isolated verses.
• Pastor Hamilton wrote that as we read the Bible, we need something like “a kitchen colander or strainer, holding the important things while the less desirable are rinsed off.” He suggested that one of the best “strainers” is “What is the heart, character, and will of God that Jesus reveals?” So, he concluded, “It is Jesus who serves as the final Word by which other words of scripture are to be judged.” * In what ways can you see Paul using that “strainer” principle in his choice of verses to guide the Roman Christians?
• Paul was living out God’s great purpose, shown in Jesus, to extend love and grace to all people. On that basis, Paul bypassed places where the Bible sounded exclusionary. Have you ever known someone who rejected the Bible because of violent or sexist verses that don’t fit with Jesus' teachings? How can thoughtful Bible reading help you honor God’s inspiration while recognizing human and time-limited parts of Scripture?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, lead my heart beyond theories, abstractions and rigid systems. Meet me as I come to the Bible, and speak your life-giving word into my heart. Amen. 
* Hamilton, Adam. Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today (pp. 176, 177). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
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"Jesus: God’s final word" 
Saturday, 19 August 2017 
Hebrews 1:1-4, Luke 24:13-32 
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A key guiding principle for Disciple 1 Bible study is, “The Word of God is Jesus Christ, and the words of the Bible tell us about that Word. Therefore, when we study the words of the Bible we always look behind, in, and through the words for God’s Word—Jesus Christ.” Luke said that was how Jesus himself explained the Bible to his followers. The letter to the Hebrews said God’s greatest revelation, God’s final word, was not a book, but a person: the person of Jesus: “The Son is the light of God’s glory and the imprint of God’s being.” That’s why only through the Son can we rightly understand the rest of God’s story the Bible unfolds.
• Scholar N. T. Wright said, “The Jewish law told a story which came to its climax in [Jesus]. It pointed to the ideal for human life, and to God’s provision of sacrifice for human sin, not so that people could boast of how successfully they’d accomplished it all, but to point to the Messiah, the truly human being (see John 19:5), the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. Jesus’ charge against his contemporaries [in John 5:39-40] is thus that they have been looking at the right book but reading it the wrong way.” * How can you study the Bible, not just as a cerebral task (though it calls for all your mental firepower), but to come into Jesus’ presence and learn from him? In what ways does making him the standard of all truth cast a clearer light on many of the Bible’s difficult parts? How have you learned to look “behind, in and through” the Bible’s words for Jesus?
Prayer: Loving Jesus, I don’t just want to read the right book; I want to read it the right way. Help me know how to look behind, in and through the Bible’s words for you, my Savior and Lord. Amen.
* N. T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1–10. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 69.
Family Activity: To fully live into God’s wisdom and grace, it is important that we know Scripture. Create a stack of Scriptures for your home. Gather and distribute colored index cards and pens or pencils along with a Bible to each family member. Ask each person to choose 3-4 favorite Bible verses and write them on his or her index cards along with his or her name. Collect the cards and keep them on the dining table. Before each meal, select a card, read the passage and pray for the person who chose it. Place that card on the bottom of the stack. If you have young family members, invite them to draw pictures describing the verses or to help other family members. Keep adding to your family’s stack throughout the year and see how many verses you can memorize!
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer Prayers for Peace & Comfort for: 
• Amy Harris and family on the death of her husband Heath Harris, 8/7
• Delmar Ferguson and family on the death of his son Steven Ferguson, 8/6
• Rhonda Scofield and family on the death of her brother Steven Ferguson, 8/6
• Brenda Sanders and family on the death of her father James Earl Mills, 8/4
• Marian Smith and family on the death of her husband Charles W. “Chuck” Smith, 8/1
• Allison Ewing and family on the death of her father Charles W. “Chuck” Smith, 8/1
• Shanda Clayton and family on the death of her mother Dolly Southgate, 7/31
• Jane Millard and family on the death of her son Thad Stewart Millard, 7/24
• Stacie Wells and family on the death of her mother Janice Remele, 7/23
• Caroline Wells and family on the death of her grandmother, Janice Remele, 7/23
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Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
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