Daily Bible Study

October 6, 2016 Bible Study — Healing the Sick, Facing Hatred

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 10-12.

    In today’s passage Jesus sends the Twelve out to preach to the people of Israel. They are to preach only to those who are already God’s people. This is the first, and most basic, of instructions which Jesus gives to His followers. Jesus tells them that they are to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure leprosy, and cast out demons. Is this for all of Jesus’ followers? Or, just those who are called to be apostles? O, maybe more than just the apostles, but not all of His followers? My belief is that none of us should conclude out of hand that this does not apply to us. Which is really a struggle for me. Do I have the faith to call on God’s healing the way Jesus, Peter, Paul, and many others in the New Testament did?

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    I was going to go in a different direction as I get to the next part, but then I realized that to some degree this next part answered my question. Jesus says that students are to be like their teacher and slaves are to be like their master. We are followers of Jesus, His students. Therefore we are called to be like Him. Part of being like Him is healing the sick, raising the dead, curing those with leprosy, and casting out demons.
    Of course, another part of being like Him is being arrested and put on trial. If we are faithful disciples (students) of Jesus, those who love Him will love us. And those who hate Him will hate us. He reminds us that we do not need to fear those who can merely kill our bodies. We should only fear God who can destroy us both body and soul. But even that fear needs to be tempered with the knowledge that God values us. He values even sparrows which are sold for just a small amount and each and every one of us is worth much more to God than a sparrow. When confronted by unbelievers, we need not worry about what to say. God’s Spirit will provide us with the proper words to use. If our goal in every situation is to bring glory to God, He will ensure that we are successful in all we do.

Daily Bible Study

October 5, 2016 Bible Study — Building On a Solid Foundation

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 7-9.

    Another passage packed with more than I can cover in one day’s blog. I think I am going to start in the middle and work out from there. Jesus warned us to build our beliefs and base our lives on the solid foundation of His teachings. This means constantly striving to better understand them and living according to that understanding. I am trying to figure out how to put the words together to explain how I see this all tying together today. Jesus’ comment about not judging others and being judged by the standards we use to judge others is a way of expressing the same thought as what we know as the Golden Rule, treat others the way we want to be treated. We should judge others according to a standard to which we would be comfortable being held. However, more importantly we should seek to learn the mistakes and sins that we commit rather than worrying about the mistakes and sins of others.

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    The other part of building on the solid foundation is persistence and faith, or persistent faith. It is continuing to believe, even when we do not see results immediately. We need to ask until we receive, seek until we find, and knock until the door opens. We do this, not because we think we need to nag God, but because we continue to believe that God will act in His own time. We need to ask over and over again to remind ourselves that God will act. If we believe that something is God’s will we should have the faith to continue pursuing it, no matter what obstacles are put in our way AND we should have faith that it will come to pass because we know that God’s will will be done.

Daily Bible Study

October 4, 2016 Bible Study — Following the Spirit of the Law, Not the Letter

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 5-6.

    This passage is central to my understanding of what it means to follow Christ. I do not think I can possibly cover all of the things of importance here in one blog entry. That being said, there are a couple of over-arching themes which cover most of what Jesus says here. In some ways the rest of the passage in an expansion on what it means to fulfill the characteristics listed in the Beatitudes. Jesus explains how we can live with humility, purity, and righteousness. We cannot accomplish these things by obeying the letter of the law. No set of rules, no matter how well thought out, can cover every eventuality. But even more so, being pure, righteous, humble, godly, etc. cannot be accomplished by following a set of rules. Rather we must strive for doing what is best for others and ourselves. This does not mean that we do not follow the rules. It means that we go beyond the rules.

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    The first point Jesus makes after the Beatitudes is that being righteous is about changing the world around us. At first glance it appears that Jesus’ teachings about being noticed and making a difference are contrary to His teachings a few verses later about not doing things to be noticed. However, if you read the whole passage carefully you realize that the latter verses are actually further explanation of the first verses on salt and light. We do not change the world by making people think we are righteous, good people. Rather, we change the world by making people realize that we are damaged, sinful people who do the right thing despite our weaknesses.

Daily Bible Study

October 3, 2016 Bible Study — Jesus, the Origins

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Matthew 1-4.

    I do not know why I went here this morning. If you were to make a series of superhero style movies out of the Book of Matthew, today’s passage would be the basis for the “Origins” movie. I think it has the potential to make an interesting movie. First we have the opening scene showing that Jesus is descended from Abraham. I am not quite sure how you would make this compelling, but I think it has possibilities as a series of montages (I was going to list some of the scenes, but realized that I am not sure how to make it work). The next scene is Mary becoming pregnant and Joseph planning to divorce her quietly then the vision telling him to marry her anyway. Up to here should take no more than 15 minutes total, and probably less than 10 minutes. Next would be two scenes with the astrologers from the east. One with them in Jerusalem, one with them in Bethlehem. Then would come the first action scene where Joseph and Mary hurriedly leave Bethlehem, followed a short time later by Herod’s soldiers sweeping down and killing all of the young children in the town.
    The first half of the movie would end with Joseph bringing the family to Nazareth with a transition scene showing the young man Jesus with His family in the house in Nazareth (so that the audience can see the connection of the actor playing the grownup Jesus with the baby). The next scene is John the Baptist preaching along the Jordan, clearly showing him condemning the same sort of men we saw advising Herod earlier. Cut to Jesus in the audience coming forward to be baptized. John sees the dove and hears the voice, but it is clear that no one else does (except perhaps one or two of John’s disciples). While John continues to baptize others, Jesus heads out into the wilderness. I am not sure how I would do the temptation scenes. They could be either realistic or vision/hallucination scenes. I suspect I would do the latter, allowing the audience to decide for themselves if they were visions or hallucinations. When Jesus comes out of the wilderness He hears of John’s arrest and heads for Galilee. In Galilee we see Him on the shore speaking to one or two people, more people come over as they hear what He is saying. When He finishes speaking He heads down the shore and calls the first disciples. Then we have a scene in a synagogue where Jesus heals someone followed by ever increasing crowds when He speaks in synagogues and following Him as He travels. Initially, He is invited to speak at synagogues by people trying to get more people to come to their services. Eventually, the crowds are too large for Him to speak in buildings and the “Origins” movie ends with Him speaking on the side of a mountain with His disciples moving out and repeating what He says so that those farther away can hear.

Bible Study

Plow Up the Hard Ground Of Your Hearts

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Every week I receive the bulletin for the upcoming Sunday worship service in my email. It contains the announcements and the Scripture reading which our pastor is going to base his sermon on. In August, I decided to read the scripture passage and write a blog entry containing my thoughts on the passage as a way to prepare for Sunday morning worship. I do not know how long I will continue doing this, but I have enjoyed doing so up until now. I feel like a hypocrite as I write this because I believe that it is important to make it to church each Sunday (with there being allowances for special occasions…this applies to what I believe that I should do, not necessarily what others should do). Yet, all too often I do not make it to church on Sunday morning for reasons that just are not good enough.

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This weeks scripture passage is Jeremiah 4:1-4; 5:23-31.

    Every time I read Jeremiah 4:3 I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the Sower. When I read this I think about plowing up the hard ground so that the seeds of God’s word can take root and produce crops. However, in the very next phrase Jeremiah tells us not to waste good seeds among thorns. Jesus, in His parable, compared the thorns to the cares of the world which choke out the plants which produce the crops of God’s will. Having said all of this, I want to point out that that is not exactly Jeremiah’s point. Jeremiah’s point in this passage is that while we need to change our hearts, it is not that easy to do. We could change our hearts, but we won’t. Our hearts will only get changed, will only get plowed up, when we allow the Holy Spirit to do so. Because as the prophet tells us, we have stubborn and rebellious hearts. We resist doing God’s will, even as we know and acknowledge that we should.

Daily Bible Study

October 2, 2016 Bible Study — It Is a Sin To Say That Sin Is Not Sin

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Malachi 1-4.

    The prophet condemns God’s people for failing to be faithful. He condemns those who give damaged goods as sacrifices to God. My first thought was, “How does that apply to us today?” It occurred to me that there might be a parallel in giving things to thrift stores, or other charities, that we no longer want or need (clothing, furniture, etc.). The government allows us to use the value of such things as a deduction on our taxes. There is nothing wrong with doing so. However, I am sure there are people who think they are being charitable by doing so. I will admit that I feel good when I make such donations. However, my pleasure derives from the thought that those goods will not go to waste, not because I am somehow helping someone less fortunate than myself.

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    The prophet goes on to condemn the religious leaders who have left God’s paths and instructed people to sin. There are many ways in which religious leaders today are guilty of this charge…and you should not let yourself off the hook on this charge just because you are not a pastor, or otherwise employed by the Church. Are you sure that you have not been called to provide religious leadership to someone in your life? And then comes the final condemnation which applies thoroughly to our society, being unfaithful. In particular, marital fidelity. First, I want to say that you do not have to go through a ceremony to be married in the eyes of God. Second, Jesus taught us that it does not require a physical act to be unfaithful. If you have ever fantasized about having a sexual relationship with someone other than your spouse you are guilty of the charge the prophet is bringing.

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    I am not sure now where I was going with what I wrote above. I really did have a plan as to where that would lead, but it escapes me now. However, the prophet condemns those who may not commit any of the sins he mentioned above. He also condemns those who say that such things are not sins. He condemns those who say that those who sin are doing God’s will. If we proclaim that there is no harm from doing those things which will harm the person who does them, we are as guilty as those who harm that person directly.

Daily Bible Study

October 1, 2016 Bible Study — Cleansing Water and Life Giving Water

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 11-14.

    There are bits and pieces of this passage which speak clearly to me, but the whole of the passage eludes my understanding. I know that at least part of the reason for this is that the author used imagery which would have been clear to his contemporaries, but which does not transfer well to the way we think today. I will continue to read this passage because I know that the Holy Spirit will use it to speak to me when the time is right. Having said that I want to comment on the parts of this passage which I do understand.

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    There is clear Messianic prophecy in this passage, probably even in the parts I do not understand. There is the 30 pieces of silver, which the New Testament writers tell us was a reference to Judas. There is the passage about mourning for the one “whom they have pierced.” A reference to Jesus’ death on the cross. One thing we do not often look at is the reference to God breaking His covenant in the middle of this passage about Jesus. I sure that I do not fully understand what the prophet is telling us here. However, part of the message is that, with the Crucifixion of Jesus, God is entering into a new covenant with the human race. There is also the message about the coming fountain of cleansing which will wash away sin and idolatry. Part of me wants to connect that fountain to the life-giving waters which the prophet refers to a few verses later. I think this is an example which most clearly shows how Zechariah uses a metaphor one way to give one message than turns around and takes a similar metaphor to give a different message…and yet the second message is somehow connected to the first. The waters of that cleansing fountain become the life-giving waters. It is only when we allow the cleansing waters which are Jesus’ blood to wash us and scour us that we can experience the life-giving waters which are also Jesus’ blood. The cleansing water and the life-giving water are different things…and yet they are the same thing. A paradox that never be fully understood by our limited minds.

Daily Bible Study

September 30, 2016 Bible Study — Are We Doing It For God? Or For Ourselves?

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 7-10.

    After the rebuilding of the Temple got under way some of the people came to Zechariah to ask if they should continue to hold days of fasting and mourning to commemorate the destruction of the Temple. Zechariah’s answer was to ask them if it was really for God that they were fasting. Further, he asked them if they were really holding their feast days for God. Weren’t they really doing that because they enjoyed it? That is the question we need to ask ourselves when we conduct the various ceremonies/sacraments we have. When we take Communion, are we doing it for God, or for ourselves? When we baptize new believers, who are we really doing it for?

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    When we conduct ceremonies/rituals/sacraments we need to remember that none of them have value to God in and of themselves. Their value to God lies in the degree to which they remind us to judge fairly and treat each other with mercy and compassion. If we get the ceremonies, rituals, and sacraments exactly right, but oppress the fatherless, or widows, or foreigners, or the poor, we would have been better off to not have even tried in the first place. When we take Communion, when we baptize new believers, when we do any of the other religious observances we follow, let us remember to think about showing mercy and compassion to those around us. If in any way the performance of our religious observances make us feel better than others, we are not listening to God, and therefore He will not listen to us.

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    I almost stopped after that, but I have to comment on the fact that Zechariah emphasizes the lesson of Haggai from a different perspective. Haggai told the people not to wait until every thing else was taken care of before doing God’s will. Zechariah reminds us to keep on doing God’s will. He reminds the people that before they started on doing God’s will (rebuilding the Temple) there were no jobs and no money. No one was safe because there were bandits everywhere, people were turned against each other. Once they started to do God’s will people became unified and prospered. When we do God’s will, we will find that all of our efforts prosper.

Daily Bible Study

September 29, 2016 Bible Study — When We Turn To God He Will Meet Us More Than Halfway

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Zechariah 1-6.

    There are several statements in today’s passage that I find inspiring (that is not quite the right word, but the best I can come up with). The first is: ” ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’…” There are two basic and important messages for us. The first is that if we return to God, He is not only there waiting for us, He will come to meet us. It is never too late to return to God. The second message is that at some point in our life we have been close to God, even if we did not know it. everyone of us has at one point or another in our life known God.

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    The next one which inspires me/makes me feel God’s call in my life is this: “Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you. Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they, too, will be my people.” The day to which the prophet is referring is today. Yes, God has a special place in His heart for the Jewish people, but He will graft into them all who come to Him and wish to be His people. The Jews are God’s people, His children, but God has adopted all who put their faith in Jesus into His family. Let us spread this good news throughout the earth.

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    The final one is this: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” When we look at the trials, troubles, and challenges we face, let us remember this. We do not need to overcome the obstacles in our path by our own might or power. If we trust and rely on God, His Spirit will overcome any obstacle which might get in the way of our doing His will. When we turn from sin and seek to return to God we will see all sorts of obstacles in our path, mountains and crevices. However, God’s Spirit will turn those obstacles into level ground for us as long as we keep our eyes on God.

Daily Bible Study

September 28, 2016 Bible Study — The Time To Do God’s Will Is Now

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I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Zephaniah and Haggai.

    When I started reading this, part of me thought it was a prophecy about the coming (at the time it was written) fall of Jerusalem to Babylon, but part of me thought that it was a prophecy concerning the end times, or possibly some combination of both. If this passage is just the first, it contains a lot of hyperbole about what is going to happen. I am generally hesitant to attribute passages to hyperbole, but I know that some biblical writers used it. Having read through this passage several times this morning, my conclusion is that it is both a hyperbolic prophecy concerning the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon AND a prophecy concerning the end of the world. However you read this passage there is a message which you need to take to heart. When God’s judgment comes upon the land in which you live, your wealth will not protect you. The only possible protection from God’s judgment is God Himself. Now is the time to repent and to humbly seek the Lord.

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    The message of the prophet Haggai is one we need to heed. All too often we know what God’s will for us is, but think we need to wait until we have accomplished this or that (paid off our college debt, earned enough money, overcome some sin in our lives, etc). Haggai tells us that if we know what God wants us to do, then Now is the time to do it. If we come up with reasons why we need to wait to do God’s will, we will always have reasons to wait. On the other hand, if we do God’s will He will bless us and things will go well for us.