Happy New Year! We will resume C3 on January 10th.
On Jan 10th and 17th, we will learn about the basics of being Presbyterian.
Recap of the past few weeks:
Dec 6: the entire congregation enjoyed breakfast together.
Dec 13: the entire congregation stayed home due to ice.
Dec 21 and 27th: We hosted Bill M. as our speaker, speaking on current world events.
We studied Philippians 1:27 – 2:4.
Looking at groups we have belonged to, we found that short-term or narrow goals are easier to work toward than long-term or broad goals. Firm commitment of the group members makes reaching goals possible.
Paul exhorts the Philippians to live as citizens of God’s kingdom, which requires constantly showing Christ’s love, and acting with humility. Without the love of God, openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and humility, unity of purpose can go wrong.
For the last study question, we had choices!
One group decided to plan a party, inviting Albert Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, and the Apostle Paul, as people who exemplify unselfish caring. The party will be a banquet for Food Bank recipients and people who live in shelters. With a focus on community gardens, the centerpieces at the banquet will be fruit decorations, which the guests can take with them to eat!
Another group decided to examine concrete ways that our church tries to show the four traits Paul lists in verse 2:1.
1. Encouragement from being united with Christ: prayer chain, meals for sick and bereaved, praying in church for others, the uplifting music program
2. Comfort from Christ’s love: visiting people in the hospital, mission works like taking meals to the men’s shelter, Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, youth group mission trips
3. Fellowship with the Spirit: praying together, small groups, youth group, Bible studies like C3
4. Tenderness and compassion: individual attention, visitors and new members feel welcomed by members approaching them, people who are sick or have trouble getting to church receive cards and visits
Throughout today’s lesson we discovered how difficult it is to live up to these instructions of Paul to be unified and act with humility.
In Philippians 1:12-26 Paul’s circumstances seem discouraging. He is confined, chained to a Roman guard, and some leaders of the church are preaching out of selfish ambition (perhaps animosity toward Paul).
But Paul finds joy in the fact that the gospel is being preached, even if it is from wrong motives. He uses his imprisonment as a tool for spreading the gospel to the Roman guard. Some Christians are inspired by Paul’s bravery and calm in his difficult circumstances. Paul ponders life and death, and concludes that he still has work to do in his partnership with the Philippians.
We ended by either writing a dialogue between Paul and the soldier guarding him, or by writing a letter back to Paul. Here’s one of the dialogues.
Soldier: So, what are ya in for?
Paul: Great question. They tried to dismiss the charges. That would have swept things under the rug, but I wanted to take this to the top. I believe Christ is the one true God.
Soldier: Careful! Talking like that can get you in trouble around here.
Paul: Yeah, but I’m less concerned about getting in trouble around here than being faithful to God.
Soldier: What’s the big deal about being faithful to this god? Aren’t all gods the same?
Paul: Nothing can be further from the truth. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” You can live forever through Christ.
Soldier: Please, tell me more...
We did the exercise on “How to Read Someone Else’s Mail,” learning that when we read Paul’s letters, we sometimes need to read between the lines and use information from other reliable sources.
Then we looked at Philippians 1:3-11. The church at Philippi participated with Paul in a “partnership in the gospel” (verse 5) by praying, sending Epaphroditus to take care of Paul's needs, by sending money, even sending money beyond their ability. Paul keeps using the words “all of you,” to emphasize that he is speaking to everyone, not just the leaders of the church.
We concluded by writing prayers for our own church, modeled on Paul’s prayer for the church at Philippi in this passage.
We are thankful to God for:
music; fellowship; support; abundant talent; leadership; that our church is here; nurture; openness, home; good works done in the world; for guidance; the children; warmth and fellowship of Christians who come together to grow in Christ’s love; for the church campus and buildings that allow us to host things like the Leadership Workshop yesterday.
Our hopes for our church include:
growth, both spiritually and in number; mission outreach; internal and external love; for God to be proud of us; for our church to build the good work God started and reach out to the community and grow; that our love and knowledge continue to be fruitful in God’s eyes.
Intro to Philippians
a. Who wrote it? b. Who is it written to? c. Who is it written for?
a. Paul. Timothy’s name also listed as writer – maybe he was with Paul when letter was written; maybe Timothy wrote while Paul dictated.
b. to the Christians in Philippi. “The church” at Philippi probably consisted of gatherings of believers in their homes. Philippi was Roman/Greek in culture, was a Roman colony.
c. It was not written to us, but it was written for us. Always a good idea to figure out the context for which a particular Biblical text was written.
2. What?
a. What type of writing is it? b. What is it about?
a. a letter; only one side of the ‘conversation’.
b. Themes you might see – joy, partnership (fellowship, community = koinonia), unity, selflessness, “In Christ,” an example to follow.
a. Where were Paul and Timothy when the letter was written?
b. Where was Philippi?
a. Paul was in prison. Scholars not sure which prison (Ephesus, Caesarea, Rome).
b. Macedonia.
4. When?
a. When was it written?
Scholars conjecture anywhere from 54AD to 62AD; after Paul and Timothy had been to Philippi; before the New Testament was “published.”
Phil 1:1-2 - some of our observations
Two authors are listed. Timothy may have helped write or not, but Paul and Timothy are presented as authors together, perhaps to stress unity.
Paul and Timothy’s self-description as slaves indicates that Christ is their leader.
The writers open their letter with a benediction.
On titles: Choosing a title for ourselves was difficult, because we felt that our title should depend on who we are with, and which role we are in at that moment. The title “Christ” (Messiah) says that Jesus is the Anointed One. Christ is the king, but not like an earthly king.
On Nov 1st we’ll begin our study of Philippians. In preparation, you may read Acts 16.
Here’s what we talked about this week.
Philip and the Ethiopian, Acts 8:26-40. Philip’s call is unclear. Philip is just told to walk down the road, without a clear assignment. He comes across the Ethiopian, in need of an explanation of scripture.
Philip has to work out what his call is. How does he? How do we work out our calling?
- look for signs of God’s activity. God is a hands-on God. We only see the tip of the iceberg of what God is doing.
- Remember that God initiates the calling. We respond.
- Most of our ministry is an immediate response to an opportunity. We are not saying “let your circumstances dictate what you do,” but rather, “regardless of circumstances, be attentive to God’s call.”
- The boundary between the call “to be” and the call “to do” is fuzzy.
- Some callings are not easy, but God wants you to love doing your calling. Have fun! For example, the “Muffy the Cat” ministry or the Barefoot Water-skiing ministry.
- Prepare each day to serve God. Always be checking in with God, in position to receive the calling. Be listening.
This Sunday we’ll finish our series on “God’s Calling.” On Nov 1, we begin our series on Philippians. I invite you to prepare by reading Acts 16.
Here’s what we talked about this week.
The call of Elisha (1 Kings 19:19-21). Elisha’s calling is to a life radically different from the one he has led. Elisha has radical obedience. A calling is sometimes this dramatically different than one’s current life. But usually not.
1. Proactive. Elijah doesn’t just sit there. In a healthy faith community some are asking others about their call.
2. External affirmation to the internal witness. Elisha probably was thinking about this call before Elijah comes. The external affirmation is that Elijah put the cloak on Elisha. In a faith community today, someone considering a call (internal witness) should be able to get confirmation from the Body of Christ (external affirmation).
3. Willingness to nurture. Elijah commits to be a mentor to Elisha. In a healthy faith community, some are mentors.
Questions we discussed:
Where are our Elijahs? Our Elishas?
How do we discern what’s from God?
How can we be an Elijah?
Next week we’ll look at Elisha and his calling.
Recommended (but not required) reading: 1 Kings 19:19-21.
You are invited to continue to wrestle with The Big Questions:
How do I discern what my calling is?
Is there something God is calling me to? What is my unique role in God’s kingdom?
Here’s what we talked about this week.
“Don’t despise small beginnings. If you are faithful in little, God will know you can be faithful in much.”
After a dramatic reading from Judges 6 (Oscars to be handed out later), we looked at Gideon’s response to God’s call.
- he doubts that it is God calling him
- he doubts his own abilities
- he asks for a sign
- he asks for another sign
Gideon’s response was quite different from Mary’s response, which we discussed last week (Luke 1: 26-38).
Some of the questions we talked about:
Can you say “No” to a calling from God?
Why does God ask us to do anything at all?
Why did God ask Gideon to cut down the Asherah pole first before going after the Midianites?
Is a particular call a life calling or a seasonal calling?
Next week we’ll look at:
What are possible responses to a call from God?
Can you turn down your calling?
Here’s what we talked about this week.
There are two kinds of calling. We are called
1) To Be
2) To Do
Every person redeemed by Christ is called to be a disciple, molded to the image of Christ.
Definition of “Calling” (the call To Do) – being appointed for a specific assignment; being held responsible to do it (God will hold you accountable).
Questions we discussed:
Is it possible to have a calling and be faithful to the calling but not realize it?
Why is understanding your calling significant?
What are we called to do?
Read Luke 1: 26-38. Does Mary have a calling?
Can work (in the business world) be a calling?
Question – can you choose your mission and the timing of fulfilling it?
The Big Question to think about throughout the month: How do I discern what my calling is?
The Old Testament:
There’s the Protestant Bible, the Hebrew Bible, The Greek Bible (the Septuagint). Legend has it that 70 scholars in 70 days translated the entire Hebrew Bible into Greek. Hence the name includes the prefix “Sept-” referring to 70.
Most of the New Testament is written in Greek. The writers of the NT wrote according to their level of education and knowledge, which varied from writer to writer. Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke, was the language of the common people (e.g. “Throw the cow over the fence some hay.”) but not the language of the upper crust.
The Gospels
The first three gospels are called the “Synoptic” gospels (from the Greek meaning “same view”). Mark was probably written first; Matthew and Luke have similar outlines as Mark. Matthew was a Galilean Jew and wrote his gospel for Jews. Luke was a Gentile scholar. In his gospel, Gentiles and women have a more active role than in the other gospels. Luke wrote two volumes: Luke and Acts.
Hebrews: uses the most eloquent Greek in the New Testament. Maybe it was written by Apollos (see Acts 18:24-28), or by Priscilla (cheers from women everywhere) (see Acts 18:2-4; 18-28).
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Found in 1947, The Dead Sea Scrolls included an almost intact scroll of Isaiah. This manuscript predated existing/known texts of Isaiah by 1500 years, but was practically the same as the later versions of Isaiah. Thus the DSS confirmed the text of Isaiah.
Other tidbits:
Pauline was not Paul’s wife.
2/3 of Job is bad advice.
Proverbs 31: written by the mother-in-law. Behind every successful man is a surprised mother-in-law.
The Big Question of the hour was: What is the Bible?
Here’s one classic definition: God’s authoritative word, useful for instruction in all areas of faith and life.
What’s your definition?
Handouts:
Choosing the Right Bible by James Rodgers. With so many Bibles available, how can you know which one is best for you?
Bible Basics: Old Testament and New Testament organization
The Books of the Bible: Varieties of the Old Testament Canon, and The New Testament Canon
