Biblestudy – Word of God

Summary: Topical Study on the Word of God.

Clarification of points that may have been made unclear during the night:
10 Commandments are not things we must fulfill to become Christians.  We are saved by the grace of God and by acknowledging Christ as our one true saviour, we go to Heaven.

For a Christian to be drinking and smoking is not necessaridly wrong.  However, we are told that if what we do causes someone to stumble, we are doing something wrong.

Notes for the night:

Sword in battle

-          The sword is an important piece in a soldier’s equipment list.  It must be ready to be drawn and used.

-          Notice that in scripture that the sword is after all the other pieces of armour.  In order to wield the sword, one must have the previous armour pieces.

-          Grace, truth, righteousness, faith, gospel of peace.

-          There are many who use the word of God (or God’s words) out of context

• refer back to Jesus’ temptation
• refer to Satan tempting Eve
  • Gen 3:4-5 “ ⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””

-          We can’t go to battle if we don’t have one or the other (armour or sword).

-          Important things about a good sword we use in battle:

• Sword must be strong, heavy, and solid.
• Further elaborate the obvious need for a sturdy sword and relate to the activity.

-          Metaphorically speaking, if the word that we use to battle the enemy is not strong, heavy, or solid enough, it will not be able to drive away or damage the enemy.

-          We are told, man’s words stand tall like grass, which is then cut down and put into the flames.  But God’s word endures forever.

-          Also, it is not us who speak the words that will damage the enemy, but the power that the Holy Spirit has when the HS is wielding the word of God.

• Only though the power of the HS is when the sword of the Spirit/word of God used effectively to attack the enemy.

The Word of God

-          The word of God is powerful.

-          The word of God comes from revelations from God.

-          Hebrews 4:12 “¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. “

-          It is like a double edged sword.  It convicts us of our sins and shows us how unworthy we are compared to God’s Holiness.  It removes our goodliness and brings us to the mercy of God.

• It is both a law for us as Christians
• Also a message for others who don’t believe

-          There is nothing else like the word of God that will pierce through the conscience and heart.

-          Sword of the spirit also reproves and corrects mankind.

-          It refutes Satan and repels temptations of the evil one.

• Think about the these three men of the bible:
  • Solomon – Wisest man of all, had great wealth and great power
  • Samson – strongest man of all, killed 1000 men with the jawbone of an ass, toppled a temple with his own bare hands
  • David – gifted with devotion, loved God and sought to honour and glorify God.  Look as psalms and all the adoration for God
• Yet all these men fell at Satan’s schemes
  • Solomon – led Solomon to marry many foreign women and then fell into the temptation of serving false gods
  • Samson – as strong as he was, was unable to resist the persistence of a woman.  Screwed up cause he told Delilah about the secret to his strength.
  • David – fell into temptation of lust, adultery, and then murder
• Jesus’ temptation Matt 4:1-11
  • Here get group to read and discuss the importance of knowing scripture in context and using it effectively

Reflection questions:

- What does scripture say about dating non-christians? Abortion? Drinking/Smoking? Suicide?

May 15- Biblical Answers to the Six Most Commonly Asked

Hi Guys! 
This night’s program sort of continued from last week’s Straight Talk.  The goal of this night was to focus on six questions people asks the most about Christianity and God.  By targeting these questions with the Bible and our views, we can, as a fellowship, challenge and help each other in their faith.  

We started the night off with an icebreaker: draw out your relationship with God!
Ie. 1/2 filled jar= God is continuing to teach me things , equation= God is bigger than me , rollarcoasting heartrate monitor= ask mike LOL.  

(The Following are from our discussion & my prepared notes)

1. Does God Exist?

• How the world came be?
• Is there a way to prove that God exists?
• Compared to a banana = it has 3 colors (green means its ripe, yellow means its ready, black means it is expired)
• God exists because of His creation
• Is it only Big Bang or only God
• Evolution only modifies what exists, but where did that come from
• God exists because the bible says so, but you need to know why you believe and what the bible says about this
•  Alvin Plantinga (one of world’s more brilliant living philosophers) delivered a paper outlining few theistic arguments: Argument: God is the best explanation for the Beginning of the Universe
  
• • Reason1: Whatever begins to exist must have a cause
  • Reason2: The universe did begin to exist
  • Conclusion: Therefore the universe has a cause
  • Philosophers unable to prove its truth but always been fundamental 1st principle of philosophy and science that “from nothing, nothing comes.”
• Scientific Confirmation: The Second Law of Thermodynamtics
  • Given enough time the universe will eventually reach a state of equilibrium- a cold, dark, motionless state
  • If universe w/o beginning, hence the past is finite, then we should already be in a state of equilibrium , clearly IT’S NOT

 2. Do all religions lead to God? True God?

• No, under Canadian Law every religion has higher power, historical evidence
• Jesus is the way, they truth, and the life… not a way
• Is God and Allah the same God? Conflicting arguments between bible and Koran
• Does religion lead to control
• Religion is a search for truth, Christianity is the truth but not a religion
• The  10 commandments, shall have no other Gods before me
• Do religions have some self-seeking attributes, or characteristics of God
• Do other religions proclaim that their God is the creator?
• There are aspects of it, yes

• Religions around world differ greatly on basic concepts – God, truth, reality, basic human dilemma and the solution to those dilemmas, hence, these religions contradicts each other and contradictory statements cannot be true
• Christians do not base their claim of salvation on Christianity (the religion) but on Christ alone: “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me”~ John 14:6 – when someone makes such a claim, we can believe or temporary stubbornly not believe
• Many people claim that all roads lead to God but Jesus taught just the opposite of the concept of all roads leading to God. 13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. ~Matthew 7:13-14
• People thinks all roads lead to God, forgets the need for Christ paying for their sins. Deep repentance/sorrow for sins is enough for God to forgive them. They think they can become good people. Yet the Bible says, “There is no one righteous, not even one…There is no one who does good, not even one”~ Rom 3: 10, 12
• Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses does not lead to God: claim to represent Christian religion, but rejects Jesus as second person of the Godhead. They do not believe He is God in the flesh. “So also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected” ~2 Tim 3:8
• Existence of so many religions is not an argument against God’s existence. Rather, demonstrates humanity’s rejection of the one true God and their replacement of Him with gods that are more to their liking. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” ~Galatians 6:7-8

• All religions lead to God and His judgement but ONLINE ONE will lead to His forgiveness and eternal life: Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ~Hebrews 9:27.

 3. If God is good, why is there evil and suffering?

• The cause of evil is sin but it is not caused by God
• Cause and effect
• It is choice, God gave us free-will (He gave it out of love, because of love there is sin)
• Is there any good from evil and suffering? Job from the bible is a good example because he didn’t turn away from his faith instead he drew closer to God
• There are consequences to everything. Something good can come from evil
• There is a lot of good that comes from suffering but does it validate God
• To have free-will you need to have a choice between what is good and what is evil
• Sometimes you don’t have to make mistakes and still suffer
• Suffering is a result, it’s the consequence of free-will
• It could be the consequences but it’s not the consequence

• First, it is possible that God has reasons for allowing evil to exist that we simply cannot understand. In this the Christian can have confidence in God knowing that His ways are above our ways: 
  8 ”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
         neither are your ways my ways,” 
         declares the LORD.

9 ”As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
                so are my ways higher than your ways 
                and my thoughts than your thoughts. ~Isaiah 55:8-9

4         “See, he is puffed up; 
       his desires are not upright— 
       but the righteous will live by his faith  ~Hab. 2:4

• Second, God may be letting evil run its course in order to prove that evil is evil and that suffering, which is the unfortunate product of evil, is further proof that anything contrary to God’s will is bad, harmful, painful, and leads to death
• Thirdly, on the day of Judgment, the condemned will have no right to say that their sentence is unjust. God is not stopping people from exercising their free will
• Fourth, it is quite possible that God uses the suffering to do good. In other words, He produces patience through tribulation
• Not only so, but we[a] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance”~Rom. 5:3     

• Christ provides inner resources to cope in the midst of difficulty and suffering.  He causes all things to work together for good to those who love God: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b]have been called according to his purpose.~ Romans 8:28
• He promises victory>death (ultimate evil) : So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable~ 1 Corinthians 15:42. “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”~  
  1 Corinthians 15:52

 4.Is Jesus God?

• Fellowship, with no doubt, says yes and provided verses such as John 1:1- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
• Jesus’ claim: “I and the Father are one”~ John 10:30.  Liar/ Lunatic: Not liar/lunaticà His moral character and willingness to die for His claim to be God, convinced most people and His humility and unselfish love, intelligent communication w/crowds, amazing self control and composure during the tremendous physical and emotion stress for His betrayal and crucifixion all points to His contact w/reality!
• God/Jesus Never Changes: Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8
• God/Jesus is the Only Saviour: Isaiah 43:11, 1John 4:14
• God/Jesus created the universe and the earath: Isaiah 44:24 , Hebrews 1:10
• God/Jesus is the Word: John 1:1,  John 1:14
• God/Jesus is the first and the last: Isaiah 41:4 , Revelation 1:17
• God/Jesus forgives sins: Psalms 103:2-3,  Mark 2:5
• God/Jesus is our redeemer: Isaiah 63:16,  Titus 2:13-14
• God/Jesus are one: Deuteronomy 6:4, John 10:30
• God/Jesus is the Holy One: Psalms 71:22, Acts 2:27
• God/Jesus is worshipped: Matthew 4:10, Matthew 9:18
• God/Jesus is Messiah: Isaiah 9:6, John 4:25-26
• God/Jesus is from everlasting: Psalms 93:1-2, Micah 5:2
• God/Jesus is “I am”: Exodus 3:14, John 8:58
• God/Jesus heals all diseases: Psalms 103:2, Matthew 8:16
• God/Jesus is the Judge of the whole earth: Psalms 94:1-2, John 5:22
• God/Jesus has a life in Himself: John 5:26, John1:4
• God/Jesus raises the dead: John 5:21

  5.What will happen to those who never hear about Jesus?

• If you have never heard about Jesus, can you go to heaven?
• Romans 15:21, Romans 2:14-16
• Can’t depend on people because people change but you can depend on God because he doesn’t change
• Psalm 51:3, Romans 5:12-21, Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3
•  “Let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness   and the peoples with equity”~ Pslams 98:9 àGod won’t condemn somebody who hasn’t heard of Christ but we are already condemn for something more basic (ie. Right or wrong)
• God revealed Himself to everyone through the creation around us the sense of right and wrong inside us:
• For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. ~Romans 1:20 & 2:14, 2 Sam. 12
• and in the hearts of people: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  ~Ecclesiastes 3:11
• The problem is that the human race is sinful; we all reject this knowledge of God and rebel against Him: “21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” ~ Romans 1:21-23
• If it were not for God’s grace, we would be given over to the sinful desires of our hearts, allowing us to discover how useless and miserable life is apart from Him. He does this for those who continually reject Him : Romans 1:24-32

6. Is there really right and wrong?

• Here’s a good way to determine right from wrong. Turn the situation around on yourself. Jesus said it best. ~Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
• When you turn it on yourself, you realize that even inside ourselves God has placed a moral conscious and that conscious tells us when we do right and when we do wrong. And when we violate our conscious, we need forgiveness. That’s why the bible said, “God sent Jesus to earth so that we might be forgiven of all of our wrong.”

 

For those of you who could not join us, we hope this update of the night would help you understand the six common questions more and for those who did join us, thank you for your open and curious hearts, questions and views on the topic.  Feel free to leave comments, questions or discussions.

GOD BLESS

Workshop – May 8th – Questions, questions, questions!

The workshop was based on a discussino of questions that were asked by the fellowship.

The purpose of the night was to challenge our faith and to question Why do we believe what we believe, and are we sure of what we believe as true.  We do not have all the answers, nor do we expect to.  We do not claim to be 100% accurate in our responses, so please do not expect such.

If there are more questions on the answer please email genesis.t3c@gmail.com

Questions include:

Personal Questions:

1)      Why do you come to church on Sundays?

2)      Why do you come to fellowship on Fridays?

3)      What does fellowship mean to you?

4)      Why should we serve in the church?

5)      Why are there so little people willing to serve?

6)      Why are we so afraid to share the gospel?

7)      How do we find our spiritual gifts?

Questions about God:

8)      Doctrine of the Trinity: Is it really necessary? What role does it serve and what are the biblical grounds for this doctrine? Why isn’t it ever mentioned in the bible?

9)      Why would an all-powerful, just God create sinful humans, but put the responsibility and blame on mankind?

10)   Why would God put a tree of knowledge of good and evil knowing in advance that they would eat from it? Then, punishing them for their disobedience?

11)   Why is scripture limited (reformists) when God’s communication to humankind should be limitless?

Questions about the Bible:

11)    

12)   Why did God continue to harden pharaoh’s heart?

13)   Why did Jephthah have to sacrifice his daughter while Abraham got to keep Isaac?

14)   Why did God permit Lot’s daughters to get him drunk and have sex with him?  How is that right?

Miscellaneous questions:

15)   Will we still remember our earthly relationships when we are in heaven? Will we remember the past?

16)   Why should God make people knowing they are going to hell forever?

17)   Can God make a rock so big that even He Himself cannot hold it?

18)   Why is there evil and suffering in the world?

19)   If everything needs a creator, then who or what created God?

 Answers generated by the fellowship:

1)      Why do you come to church on Sundays?

• To learn and grow spiritually
• Receive wisdom
• Acts à apostles teaching, need the fellowship, breaking bread, eating together, and praying
• “When 2 or 3 gather in His name, we will all be in the presence of God”
• Is attending church really necessary, is it okay to be a Christian and not attend church?
• Place of worship, a place to get spiritually fed
• A gathering is an act of worship
• God wired us in this way
• Hebrews 10:24-25 “don’t give up and meeting with each other”
• Accountability, worshipping

 

2)      Why do you come to fellowship on Fridays?

• Fellowship and church is to build-up one another
• For unity in Christ
• Ephesians 4:13-14 “if we reach unity, we will no longer be infants”
• When twigs are put together, they won’t break as easily, there is support
• Tradition aspect à if we just attend church on Sunday then we just get fed and this is more of an individual thin
• Fellowship can be outside of Sunday where we are not restricted to just worship
• Attending church is important because it not only sharpens your spiritual growth and wisdom, it is about the accountability, as iron sharpens iron
• Fellowship is more of an opportunity for application, where we can show what we have learn and share what we have learned

 

3)      What does fellowship mean to you?

• Can fellowship happen everyday too?
• What differentiates a fellowship we have now vs. the fellowship of the ring
• Why are we here on Fridays? What is our focus of fellowship?
• To sharpen each other Proverbs
• It isn’t all about receiving and fellowship can include contributing to the growth of others in the fellowship

 

4)      Why should we serve in the church? 5)Why are there so little people willing to serve?

• Serving in church may not always mean that you have a strong or good relationship with God, serving is a part of it but not all of it
• Why should we serve? A: we serve out of love, to give back what the Lord has done for us. It is a way of showing how we love others. Through serving others, we can bring Glory back to Him that we may understand God’s heart more.
• There are different ways of serving: it isn’t just about going on missions. God will still give credit to those who are serving behind the scenes
• Maintaining your own spiritual growth can be serving as well
• Jesus’ great commission “Go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey what I have commanded you” In terms of serving we can measure this to the great commission. i.e. are we bringing people to Christ.
• Serving: praying, evangelism, brining others to Christ
• What happens we all of the people are just sitting on the sidelines? Are we just doing it for the sake of doing it and not growing from it? …. What drives you to serve? Why is it you want to serve? What have you been doing with what God is teaching you or have blessed you with?
• Are we serving out of the overflow of God’s love or we doing it just for the sake of doing it? We can ask God to equip and open up opportunities for leaders to step up because God should be the driving force behind the work that we do
• Why are people not stepping up to serve? Do people lack faith in what they are doing? (specifically in the church)
• Although people may not be serving in the church, maybe they are serving elsewhere. Where the need is and where God is calling you serve there.
• God doesn’t need our service, He can work without people serving
• Do you trust that God enough to serve where God is calling you? God could be asking us if we have enough faith in Him that to lead people.
• Be realistic, God called people to be at certain places and others to other places. Trust God to work through whatever area is lacking people
• Lack of initiative, people afraid to step out of their comfort zone. If we see that someone has potential and you see that God is working through them just ask them to serve in some capacity. God will provide people to help
• Encouragement is important, just to see how God works in people’s lives
• Are we as a church struggling with the issue of obedience? (there is no common solution but all we can do is give it up to God because God can work around the issue) we need to be careful
• The need to challenge each other to live out the faith, and to not lose sight of this. If we can’t spur others to help in the small ways, how can we spur others to help in the big ways

 

Questions about God:

 

1)      Doctrine of Trinity

• God is a relational God
• John 15:9
• Are they equal but different?
• Are they the same?
• A way for understanding God’s nature
• 1 Cor 12:4-6, Matthew 28:19
• Is the doctrine there for those who don’t understand?
• Is the doctrine just a tool for understanding the nature of God
• Comparing the bible vs. a study bible

 

2)      Why would an all-powerful, just God create sinful humans, but put the responsibility and blame on mankind?

• God didn’t create sinful humans, but He made humans with choices
• Adam and eve were created good

 

3)      Why would God put a tree of evil and then

• Not fruit is magical, but of choice of knowledge, to choose God’s way or other way
• Everything is permissible, but because God loves us there’s always a way out
• God can’t create another perfect being so he’s creating another god….

 

4)      Why do God continues to harden Pharaoh’s heart?

 

5)      Why does Jabah have to sacrifice his daughter while Abraham could have Issac?

 

6)      Why does God permit Lot’s daughter to be drunken and have sex and says it’s right?

• It all goes back to choices
• God allows a lot of things to happen

 

7)      Would we still rmb our earth relationships while we’re in heaven?

• We don’t know lol

 

8)      Why should God make ppl, knowing they will go to hell forever?

• 20 mintues talk of CHOICE. Lol
• Illusion of choices 
• Though God knows our end results, doesn’t mean we don’t have choices 

Worship Night Feb – 27th

Awesome night of Worship and reflection.

Also was a joint program with the Grad fellowship Exodus.

Bible Study:Breastplate of Righteousness February 6th, 2009

Theme Verse: Ephesians 6:10-18

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place.

What is Righteousness, What does Paul mean by the “Breastplate of Righteousness”:
- Define righteousness in biblical terms. Righteousness means to act in a morally correct manner, correct by divine declaration (taken from the life application study bible). In other words, righteousness can be defined as being right with God – by faith and by action (this can be found in James 2:14-25)
- In olden times, soldiers would use the breastplate of their armor to protect their vital organs, the front and back, but particularly the heart
- What Paul meant by breastplate of righteousness is that, the breastplate is used to protect the upper body but more importantly to protect our hearts. He is warning us to guard our hearts because that is where Satan can easily attack us if we are not careful and if our hearts are not guarded by scripture.
- Satan can play tricks on us; he can attack our emotions, our trust, and self-worth. In other words, we need to guard our hearts with scripture so that we can stand firm in His truth.

God’s Righteousness: Credits to – Bible.org
- What do you think righteousness is or means?
- What is God’s definition of righteousness?
- Let’s look at other verses to understand what righteousness means: (taken from the Life Application Study Bible)
- Genesis 15:6 – yes, Abraham did demonstrate his faith through actions, but it was because he believed rather than his actions that made Abram right with God. However, our outward actions like attending church, Sunday school, prayer, and good deeds will not necessarily make us right with God. We need to believe and have that faith that he is who he says he is
• Romans 4:11 – what does this verse say about righteousness? Abraham found favor in God because of his faith alone. The focus of our faith and belief in God should be in Christ alone and his actions rather than relying on our own actions and our own strength
• The righteousness of God is one of the most prominent or most important attributes and characteristics of God in the scriptures
• The words ‘right’ and ‘just’ has to do with God’s actions, meaning that God’s righteousness and justice is a natural way of expressing His holiness. this means that He is assuring us of His actions and that they are in “perfect agreement with His holy nature” (taken from the NIV Study Bible)
• A quote I found about the righteousness that I think describes what righteousness means is by Richard Strauss. He states, “Righteousness, in relation to men, is their conformity to a standard. Unlike men, God is not subject to anything outside of Himself”
• Through scripture, we can say that God acts consistently according to His own character and that the righteousness of God is evident in this way, through scripture he shows how he is consistently revealing to us his character and who he really is
- God alone defines what righteous means, basically he sets the standard for what righteousness means
- Hebrews 11
• After reading Hebrews together, over and over again, we see that the bible characters were quote verse 3: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

During worship, we always sing: “We live by faith and not by sight”, Do we really? Do we inherit both the believing part and the doing part?

Faith and Deeds:
• Before we read, James 2:14-25: What is faith to you? And what is deed to you? Do the two traits naturally mesh together or are they successful on their own?
• After reading, are your definition of faith and deeds still the same? Or different? Why?

James 2:14-25 (New International Version)

Faith and Deeds
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

• Where do you think righteousness fits-in in this passage?
• What is meant by faith and works?
• In verse 17, it states that faith if not accompanied by actions is dead
• What was the righteous choice Abraham made in this situation? How did Abraham obtain righteousness from God? (let’s look at an example from Genesis 22 when Abraham was tested by God) (In this passage Hebrews 11, what were some of the righteous choices these people made in the situations they face?)
• How can we obtain righteousness from God?
• First of all…let’s break it down [credits to the NIV Study Bible]
- Verse 14 = James here is not telling us that a person is only saved through works and not by their faith. Rather, he is stating that man will be justified and (declared righteous before God) by faith alone and not by just faith alone. Genuine faith is faith that produces good deeds, and faith found in Christ is salvation
• Verse 15-16 = James is writing about faith in action, but in V. 17 “faith without actions is dead”
• V. 21 = may seem contradicting in the idea that people are saved by faith and not by good deeds. Really here, James is saying that righteous actions is evidence of a faith that is genuine
• Abraham’s righteousness was given to him by God because he stood before God on the basis of faith. If you read the chapters before, he heard God’s call and he obediently stepped out in faith. Because Abraham believed in God, it was through his faith that righteousness was credited to him, not by works. (Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3) He believed in God and by that act of faith alone, he received righteousness from God. Abraham was made right with God by faith and not by works
• For instance, in Genesis 22 God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his only son, whom you love to the altar as a burnt offering. In Galatians 5:6 states, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” and so again, genuine faith is faith that saves and produces good deeds
• Verse 12 Abraham acted in obedience towards God, Abraham trusted that God has a purpose and he acted out of obedience (in these very verses you can see that faith without actions is dead) but because he had faith in God, it was made complete
• James 2:14-25 summarizes how faith and righteousness are intertwined, and how righteousness is both an action and something you must believe

2 Factors of God’s Righteousness:
• The story does not end here by us being faithful and do deeds…
• Read Genesis 22:9-18
• After reading this, we can see that because we obey Him faithfully, we are made righteous AND we get a prize, not a tiny prize but quote“17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring [a] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

- In reading these passages and studying Abraham, I found 2 key factors that highlighted the importance of how God has demonstrated his righteousness and how we should live out our life in a righteous way like Abraham did: [taken from the Life Application Study Bible]
• 1) Our righteousness with God can be revealed by understanding that genuine faith needs to come from producing good deeds through actions and believing
AND
• 2) Our righteousness with God can be revealed by trusting in God’s promises, that it is through active obedience from which our faith can be seen as genuine
• Deut. 6:25 states, “And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness”
• This is God’s promise to us, we need to trust in God’s promises and His provisions for us because he expects our obedience

Conclusion:
• From the beginning of the term we talked about our theme verse which is found in Ephesians 6:10-18 Putting on the “Armor of God”
• We learned tonight about what Righteousness means in biblical terms and what Paul meant by breastplate of righteousness
• Next we learned about the righteousness of God and how to be righteous in His presence
• We talked about how righteousness is defined by God and that he sets the standard for what righteousness means
• Next we looked in scripture, specifically James 2:14-25 of the significance of righteousness relates to being justified by faith
• By looking at different translations of the verse, we were able to break down and understand that genuine faith is faith that saves and produces good deeds, because faith without action is dead
• Finally, the 2 key factors of God’s righteousness is 1) God reveals his righteousness by stating that true faith comes from good deeds, but the deeds do not justify us; and 2) God revels his righteousness by stating that faith brings us salvation, where active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine

Reflective Questions:
1) What do you think it means to live righteously in your day to day life? – whether it be at school, at home, etc.
2) What do you think is the fine line between being self-righteous and genuinely righteous in God’s presence
3) Have there been any major decisions made recently that may have compromised the act of being righteous?

While we live out our lives righteously, God demonstrates His righteousness to us, what GOOD NEWS!

One Truth and Two Lies

Overview: We spent the night learning and comparing Christianity, Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are three foundational truths that we set our standards by for Christianity. After learning the history of Mormonism & Jehovah’s Witnesses, we looked into the doctrines of the two and compared these with the three foundational Christian truths. We ended off the night with a comparison of John 1:1 and sharing. Below you will the information that I took off the slides that were presented.

Know that the purpose of this workshop and the information below is not intended to cause any offense to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. We are just trying to inform you about what is out there. Feel free to post any of your comments on the blog, but please speak with love.

Three Foundational Truths of the Christian Church:

1. Jesus Christ is God – John 1:1, John 1:14, Colossians 2:9, Colossians 1:15-17

2. The Bible is the ultimate authority – 2 Timothy 3:16

3. Salvation is through Christ alone – Ephesians 2:8, Romans 6:23, Romans 11:6

MORMONISM

History:

• Founded by Joseph Smith Jr.

• 1820: Fourteen year old Smith is visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ

• 1823: Angel Moroni visits him for the first time

• Moroni instructs Smith to translate gold plates – the Book of Mormons

• 1827: Smith receives gold plates which are hidden near his home of Palmyra, New York

• 1830: Book of Mormons is complete and Smith establishes the ‘Church of Christ’ (not affiliated with the Church of Christ denomination)

• 1834: Church name is changed to ‘The Church of Latter Day Saints’

• 1838: Church name is changed to ‘The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’

Basic Beliefs:

The Restoration of Truth

God is your Father in Heaven. He knows you personally. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and your Savior. His life and teachings are the way to peace and happiness.

God knows you personally and loves you more than you can comprehend. He wants you to be happy now and always. To accomplish this purpose, Heavenly Father has provided a plan called the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; His teachings are the way to peace in life and joy for eternity.

As part of His plan, God has followed a simple pattern from the beginning of the world. He chooses a prophet (like Noah or Moses) to teach the gospel and lead the people. Sadly, most of God’s children have disregarded, disobeyed, and rejected His prophets.

As promised, Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life. He established His Church, taught His gospel, and performed many miracles. Incredibly, even Jesus Christ was rejected. Following His death, many people began to drift away from or distort Christ’s true teachings. As a result, God withdrew His authority to direct the Church that Christ had established.

Our loving Father in Heaven is the “same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (see Hebrews 13:8).  As in ancient times, He has followed His simple pattern in our day. He has again established the gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth through a prophet. This prophet whom the Lord called to restore God’s truth is named Joseph Smith. The evidence of this Restoration is found in the Book of Mormon, which you can read, ponder, and pray about.

God continues to speak His words and reveal His truth in our day through a living prophet. If you ask your Heavenly Father in prayer, He can confirm the truth of this to you.

(Taken from the official LDS Website)

Truth One: Jesus Christ is God

• We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. (First Article of Faith of the Mormon Church)

• Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters. (Ether 3:14)

• Jesus Christ is the Firstborn of the Father in the spirit (Heb. 1: 6; D&C 93: 21).

• He is the Lord of lords, King of kings, the Creator, the Savior, and the God of the whole earth. (Guide to the Scriptures, Taken off official LDS website)

Truth Two: The Bible is the Ultimate Authority

• We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. (Eighth Article of Faith of the Mormon Church)

• The approved scriptures of the Church, also called the standard works, are the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. (Taken off official LDS website)

Truth Three: Salvation is by Grace Through Christ Alone

• We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. (Third Article of Faith of the Mormon Church)

• If you follow His example as closely as possible, you will not only find joy in your life, but you will someday return to live with Him and your Father in Heaven.  Specifically, you are to:

1. Have faith in Him ( Mark 11:22–24).

2. Repent of your sins ( Acts 2:38).

3. Receive baptism ( John 3:3–6), the gift of the Holy Ghost?, and the other ordinances? of the gospel? of Jesus Christ.

4. Keep His commandments? ( John 14:15). (Taken off the official LDS website)

JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

History:

• 1870s: Charles Taze Russell led a Bible study group in modern-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• 1879: First issue of Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s presence appears

• 1881: Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society was formed

• 1884: Tract society became incorporated and Russell served as president

• Name changed a few times and group grew

• 1931: Under new leadership named officially changed to Jehovah’s Witnesses

Basic Beliefs:

The Good News They Want You to Hear

WHEN Jesus was on earth, his disciples came to him and asked: “What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” He replied that there would be wars involving many nations, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, an increasing of lawlessness, false religious teachers misleading many, a hatred and persecution of his true followers, and a cooling off of the love of righteousness in many people. When these things would start to happen, it would indicate that Christ was invisibly present and that the heavenly Kingdom was at hand. This would be news—good news! So Jesus added these words as a part of the sign: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”—Matthew 24:3-14.

In themselves, recent world happenings are bad, but what they signify is good, namely, Christ’s presence. The conditions mentioned above started to be evident in that widely heralded year 1914! It marked the end of the Gentile Times and the beginning of the transition period from human rule to the Thousand Year (Millennial) Reign of Christ.

That there was to be a transition period is indicated by the 110th Psalm, verses 1 and 2, and Revelation 12:7-12. There it is shown that Christ would sit at God’s right hand in heaven until the time for his becoming King. Then war in heaven would result in Satan’s being cast to earth, bringing woe to the earth, and Christ would rule in the midst of his enemies. The complete end of wickedness would come by means of a “great tribulation,” culminating in the war at Har-Magedon and followed by Christ’s Thousand Year Reign of peace.—Matthew 24:21, 33, 34; Revelation 16:14-16.

(Taken from the official JW Website)

Truth One: Jesus Christ is God

• Although Jesus rarely spoke of himself as God’s Son, he did acknowledge that he was. (Mark 14:61, 62; John 3:18; 5:25, 26; 11:4) Almost invariably, however, he said that he was “the Son of man.” By identifying himself this way, he highlighted his human birth—the fact that he was truly a man. (Taken off official JW Website)

• Rather than proclaim himself to be God’s Son, Jesus allowed others to reach that conclusion. And even people besides his apostles did so, including John the Baptist and Jesus’ friend Martha. (John 1:29-34; 11:27) These believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. They learned that he had lived in heaven as a mighty spirit person and that his life had been miraculously transferred by God to the womb of the virgin Mary.—Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-23. (Taken off official JW Website)

• Jehovah’s first creation was his ‘only-begotten Son’. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things” (Aid to Bible Understanding, pp. 390-391)

• Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man (The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284)

• Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh (Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 306)

Truth Two: The Bible is the Ultimate Authority

• Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible.( The Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967. p. 587)

• It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communication to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose. (1939 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, p. 85.)

• From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah’s people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude…They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such ‘Bible reading,’ they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom’s clergy were teaching 100 years ago… (The Watchtower, August 15, 1981)

Truth Three: Salvation is by Grace Through Christ Alone

• Accepting the message of salvation and devoting ourselves to God through Christ and being baptized in water is only the beginning of our exercise of faith.  It is only the beginning of our obedience to God. It sets us on the way to everlasting life, but it does not mean our final salvation  (This Means Everlasting Life, p. 181)

Four Requirements:

1. Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ includes knowledge of God’s purposes regarding the earth and of Christ’s role as earth’s new King.

2. Obey God’s laws, yes, to conform one’s life to the moral requirements set out in the Bible. This includes refraining from a debauched, immoral way of life. — 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 1 Peter 4:3, 4.

3. Be associated with God’s channel, his organization. God has always used an organization. Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.

4. God requires that prospective subjects of his Kingdom support his government by loyally advocating his Kingdom rule to others. Jesus Christ explained: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth,” (Matthew 24:14)

Comparison of John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV)

In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word; and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. (Bible translated by Joseph Smith. The Mormon Church has since changed to KJV)

In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god. (New World Translation, JW Translation of the Bible)

Belt of Truth Workshop

Goal: Learning how to study the Truth (Bible), so that we can apply and stand firm every day.

Part One: Why I love God’s Word?

Ÿ Studying God’s word is intellectually challenging, emotionally satisfying, and spiritually necessary. The bible is an ancient document and is God’s living word; we must seek the truth of the passage and the meaning of scripture and what it is meant for it’s original hearers.

Ÿ We are called to love God’s word

1. It is God’s creative power

Ÿ Genesis Chapter 1:3,6-7,8,14-15,20-21, and 24

Ÿ God’s word is so powerful, the verses talked about how God created the world and it was so

Ÿ Things came to be what it was as he created them

2. It is Alive!

Ÿ Hebrews 4:12 says that God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword…”

Ÿ God is word is very much alive

3. The Bible is full of Surprises!

Ÿ Isaiah 43:19

Ÿ Read the bible with an open heart, be receptive to his word

Ÿ Pray before you read the bible, this way you will be able to gain more

4. The Bible is powerful in practical ways!

Ÿ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is our daily bread

Ÿ practical

5. The Bible centers on Jesus!

Ÿ John 5:39

Ÿ This part is all about Jesus

Ÿ Jesus is the focus and the most important part of our lives

Ÿ We should take advantage of the bible and what we have

Ÿ The bible should be our meeting place with God as well as prayer

6. The Bible brings people to Jesus!

Ÿ 1 Peter 1:23

Ÿ Life is never easy, God never promised us an easy way of life as Christian but he promised us an eternity with him if we believe in him

Part Two: Why we should study God’s word

Ÿ John 1:1-18

Ÿ General observations – Gave us the right to become the children of God

Ÿ mysterious: ‘word” , “him”..who is he? We don’t know until the end=interesting

Ÿ Revolutionary in the end, mysterious then Out with the truth

Ÿ A quick summery of the O.T. à leading to tell who Jesus is

Ÿ The book of John was written for those who already know Christ

Ÿ Written mainly with Greek readers in mind, more to convince then confront with facts(according to Evie’s non-student bible)

Fellowship’s notes:

Ÿ The passage is similar to the beginning of Star Wars J

Ÿ Thoughts:

Ÿ Relate it back to nowà yonge and dundas, man at the corner speaking the truth, I would not take concern but if longer time observation I would be touched

Ÿ The beginning, serious, teaser, then later on explains it

Parking Lot Questions:

Ÿ “word”: weird.. What is it?

Ÿ “word” means a source of God’s message through the bible?

Ÿ In O.T. the “word” is like an entity, then N.T. the “word” is Jesus Christ, Jesus is the entity J

Ÿ John uses “word” to be relevant to those who understood the scriptures

Ÿ By talking about Moses, it ties back from past to present time!

Ÿ The Spirit was there already

Ÿ John says the Word is Christ so He existed before time existed

Ÿ Jesus exist from the beginning (God=Jesus=Holy Spirit) OR he exist starting from N.T., when he was born??

Ÿ It seems it’s always the 2 (God and Holy Spirit) until N.T. when Jesus was revealed

Ÿ O.T. only look at single God? And not the Trinity?

Sharing:

Ÿ Do you actually spend quality time with God? How long is this quality time with God?

Ÿ What do you do during this time with God?

Ÿ Has this been helpful to your daily life by spending time with God?

Ÿ Is there something that you are struggling with in life that is hindering you from spending time with God?

Ÿ If you haven’t been spending time with God, is there something that you’re busy that is keeping you from spending time with God?

 

 

 

Workshop – Aplogetics

Purpose: Apologetics Workshop on the defense for the resurrection of Christ.

Study was based on the book Case for Christ (Specifically chapter 12)

Evie started the night with a powerpoint presentation (from Pastor Tim) on an intro to Apologetics.

Here are the notes Jon researched for the night.  Not everything was covered, however there were good discussions on the topics:
- How Jesus was really dead and buried in the tomb
- How Jesus could not get out by Himself
- Talks about the guards guarding His tomb.
- The first eye-witnesses of Jesus after resurrection
- The discrepancies of the gospels when retelling the witness accounts 

Introduction:

The word “apologetics” comes from the Greek word “apologia,” pronounced, “ap-ol-og-ee’-ah.” It means, “a verbal defense.”  

Apologetics is the work of convincing people to change their views.  In this, it is similar to preaching because its goal is ultimately the defense and presentation of the validity and necessity of the gospel. It is an attempt to persuade the listener to change his beliefs and life to conform to biblical truth and to come to a saving relationship in Christ.

Focus today is on defense of the resurrection of Christ and the defense of the empty tomb.

 

Jesus who he was and significance of the Resurrection:

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish prophet who claimed to be the Christ prophesied in the Jewish Scriptures, was arrested, was judged a political criminal, and was crucified. Three days after His death and burial, some women who went to His tomb found the body gone. In subsequent weeks, His disciples claimed that God had raised Him from the dead and that He appeared to them various times before ascending into heaven.

 

From that foundation, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire and has continued to exert great influence down through the centuries. ~Josh McDowell, (http://www.leaderu.com/everystudent/easter/articles/josh2.html) Read Paul’s account in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7, a summary of the resurrection

Significance

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six disastrous consequences if there were no resurrection: 1) preaching Christ would be senseless (v. 14); 2) faith in Christ would be useless (v. 14); 3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars (v. 15); 4) no one would be redeemed from sin (v. 17); 5) all former believers would have perished (v.18); and 6) Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth (v. 19). But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the first fruits of those who have fallen sleep” (v. 20), assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.( http://www.gotquestions.org/resurrection-Christ-important.html)

 

Therefore, as we have said before, Jesus is the Cornerstone and if we can be reasonably assured of the resurrection, then we can be assured of his dominion over death (Rom 6:9), Jesus will intercede for us in heaven (2 Cor 4:14), upon receiving the grace of justification by faith we can have hope will we be raised by him (Eph 2:6), and that we can have a personal fellowship with him (Matt 28:20)  ~John Piper (http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2008/2675_Let_These_Results_of_the_Resurrection_of_Jesus_Revive_Your_Passion_for_His_Supremacy_Over_All_Things) There are other things that we are assured but these are the basic ones, more on this site

 

 

Questions that Need to be Answer

1. Was Jesus real and claim he was God?
2. Did Jesus physically die?
3. Was he buried and resurrected?
4. Did he appear to others after his death?

1. C.S Lewis in his Book Mere Christianity claimed that Jesus could only be 1 of 3 things

1.  
   1. Legend
   2. Something Worse (Liar)
   3. Mad Man
   4. Son of God

Since then Legend has been erased. For the following reason:

Many religions that diverge from Christianity, will agree that Jesus was a real person and therefore for the most part has been abandoned by sceptics to try to attack the physical person of Jesus

-          Biblical evidence of  Jesus which the accounts are considered historically accurate Chapter 1 in Case 4 Christ by Blomberg is good. It’s important to discuss reliability of scripture because it is going to be a running theme . CARM = http://www.carm.org/evidence.htm has good references too

-          A lot of people don’t know that there is a lot of non-biblical evidence. In fact, we could get the same kind of picture of Jesus from non-biblical sources alone.

o   Some Writers from 100-150 years after Jesus (Roughly 17 sources)

§  Tacitus

§  Jospheus

§  Plinty the younger

§  Thallus

Did he Claim to be God?

Many Muslims will assert that Jesus never asserted that he was the Son of God.

He claims

Ch 9 and chp 7 in Case 4 Christ deals very well with this topic. The following are verses I got from CARM:

1.      John 1:1,14  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…¹⁴ And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us…”

1.      This shows that Jesus is God in flesh. 

2.      If you say that John 1:1 should be “a” god, then…

3.      If Jesus is “a” god, then isn’t that polytheism?

4.      If Jesus is “a” god, then how many gods are their in JW theology?

5.      If Jesus is “a” god, then is he a true God or false god since the Bible says there is only one God (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)?

6.      If Jesus is “a” god, then why does he tell people to come to him and not the Father (Matt. 11:28)?

2.      John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” With Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.”

1.      Jesus uses the same title for Himself that God uses of Himself.

2.      If you say that the verse is really, “I have been”, then why did the Jews want to kill him — especially when in John 10:30-33 they say they want to kill Him because He claimed to be God?  Where and what did Jesus say to cause them to think that?

3.      John 10:30-33, “‘I and the Father are one.’ 31 The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ 33 The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’”

1.      Re:  John 10:30-33, What was Jesus saying that caused the Jews to accuse Jesus of claiming to be God?  If you can’t say, then you don’t know the text or the culture well enough to address the issue of Christ’s deity.

4.      John 20:27 

1.      In John 20:27 Thomas called Jesus God by saying to Jesus, “My Lord and My God”.  If Jesus is not God, then why did Jesus did not correct Thomas. Four verses later, it says that this is written so you might believe that Jesus is the son of God, (John 20:31). Therefore, we can see that the term Son of God is saying that Jesus is God.

CARM, http://www.carm.org/cut/Jesus.htm, Last one is one from the C4C

5.      Matthew 14:17

1.      But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. don’t be afraid.”

This runs the same idea as no.2. NIV almost gets it wrong by saying Take Courage! It is I. It really should be quoted as saying “Take Courage! It is I AM.”, just as God had said to Moses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Physical Death

Common Theory that people give is, swoon theory:

The swoon theory has been thoroughly refuted by many people and very few continue to bring it up as a possibility.  Nevertheless, following is an outline of why the Swoon theory can’t work.  Basically, it is because Jesus’ ordeal was far too serious to permit Him to survive.

Six trials – three before Jewish officials (Annas, John 18:12-14; Caiaphas Matt 26:57-68; the Sanhedrin, Matt. 27:1-2), and three before Roman officials (Pilate, John 18:28-38; Herod, Luke 23:6-12; Pilate, John 18:39-19:6).

In these trials, Jesus was beat on the face (Matt 26:67).

Scourging

Scourging was done with a flagrum, a short whip with several leather strips which were either embedded with pieces of metal and glass or small metal balls were tied to the ends of the leather strips.  The victim was either tied to a post or tied bent over an object with his back exposed.  The person inflicting the blows had been trained on how to properly administer the beating so as to assure the most painful and damaging punishment.  The whipping consisted of 39 lashes.  Each lash was administered and pulled across the back so as to rip the back open.  Often the back muscles were so badly shredded that the skeletal structure was exposed.  People very often died from this punishment alone.

     Jesus suffered 39 such lashes.  Undoubtedly, his back was very badly beaten and bloody.

Crown of thorns

A crown of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus (Matt. 27:29).  There are different thorn bushes growing in the region with thorns being very short to quite long.  Even short thorns can tear the scalp.  The crown was woven and then pressed down around the head ripping the skin.  Bleeding would then occur.

Purple Robe

Wearing a purple robe (John 19:5) may not seem like a physically harmful thing to do.  But, when you consider that Jesus had just undergone a terrible scourging and that His back had been ripped open and was quite bloody and raw, the robe on His back would cause additional pain by rubbing against it.  Additionally, as the blood began to congeal, it would congeal into the fabric of the robe.  When the robe was ripped off, more excruciating pain would result.

Crucifixion

The arms are pulled apart and nails driven through the wrist into a cross beam which is raised in place.  This dislocates the shoulders.  The nails in the wrists sever the median nerve resulting in a burning pain as well as paralysis in the hand.  To breathe Jesus had to press up on the nails in His feet, scraping His raw back on the wood.  The body gradually drains of blood causing the heart to beat faster and faster.  Dehydration is occurring.  The breathing becomes more labored and intense as well as frequent adding to the agony.  The blood loss results in extreme thirst as the body craves water to restore the lost blood. Jesus said, “I thirst” (John 19:28).  The heart beats so hard trying to compensate for the loss of oxygen (due to the lack of blood) in the body, that it eventually ruptures.  At this point the chest cavity fills with fluid.  The soldier pierced Jesus’ side and out came blood and water, signifying that the heart had stopped beating and the blood was settling in the chest cavity.  Jesus was dead.

Burial

Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen (Matt. 27:59).  This wrapping was done tightly around the whole body from head to toe.  We see from the resurrection of Lazarus, that Lazarus had to be unbound (John 12:44) since help was needed to get out of the linens.

Three days without medical attention in the cold tomb

The tomb was cold and Jesus laid in it for three days without medical attention.

Moving the stone

A “large stone” had been placed over the entrance to the tomb (Matt. 27:60).  Unless Jesus had some help, which isn’t mentioned, He would have had to move the large stone.  The stone had to be large enough to cover an entrance big enough for people to walk into.  Even if they ducked to get in, the stone was large enough that it would take more than one person to move it in place.

Presence of the guards

The Romans guards on the tomb were given the job to guard the tomb.  Since there had been rumors that the body of Jesus might be stolen, they were ready to meet the challenge.  In Roman society, if the prisoner of the guard escaped, the guard would then take the prisoner’s place in punishment.  The guards had a strong motivation to not let anyone take the body of Jesus.

Walked on pierced feet to get to the disciples.

Jesus appeared to several people after His resurrection.  Does this mean He walked on feet with holes that had been made by nails several inches long? 

     The swoon theory falls apart quickly when you consider that Jesus had undergone six trials, been beaten, then scourged with 39 lashes that left His back raw, exposed, and bloody, had a crown of thorns forced upon His head, ripping His scalp, been crucified with nails in the hands and feet, hung there for six hours bleeding and dehydrating, had his side pierced with a spear which emitted blood and water, was left in a tomb for three days, and was tightly wrapped up.  Was anyone in this condition able to revive, get himself out of the tight wrappings, walk on pierced feet, and single handedly move a large stone with hands that were unusable due to the wrist piercings which severed the median nerve in the hands and paralyzed them, and then some how got by the armed guards given the charge of watching the grave side?  Are we to further believe that Jesus managed to walk a long distance on feet which had been pierced through and appear to the disciples as a victorious conqueror of death?  It makes no sense.  In fact, it would take more to believe this ridiculous conjecture than it would to believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

 

CARM, http://www.carm.org/evidence/swoon.htm

 

 God Bless

Amazing Grace Video (Aug 22)

This week we watched the crtically acclaimed “Amazing Grace” which highlighted the life and times of William Wilberforce, a political activist and born again Christian in the late 18th century, who dedicated his life to abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire. It is a poignant film that emphasizes what it means to radically follow Christ in living out your faith in a broken world. The fellowship was given a handout as a follow up to the film to think about how the verse in James 2:14-18 applies to a certain scene in the movie. The scene is when Wilberforce was challenged that he could be live for God and be a politician at the same time. See below and feel free to post any comments you may have had after watching the film. I would challenge those who haven’t yet watched it, to go pick it up. It may start out slow.. but be patient – it has a great ending

*** The promised handout WILL be posted very soon once I figure out how to do that***

Outreach Night (Aug 8, 2008)

Genesis split up into two groups: The Bamburgh Area Garbage Clean-Up and the L’Arche Daybreak Visiting Group.

The Bamburgh Area Garbage Clean-Up group did exactly that.  They went into the park and picked up trash.  Why?  The purpose of this group was to go into a more natural urban setting and care for the creation and beauty that was placed in front of us to be taken care of.  At the end of the night, this group learned a lesson of humbleness that was not expected to be encountered.  While picking up garbage, a lot of different looks of curiosity and suspicion were given by pedestrians walking by.  Other passerbys asked about the group, and they were able to tell them that they were park of TCCC.

The L’Arche Daybreak group visited a faith-based community worship service.  This community has a focus on families living among people with intellectual disabilities.  It was an eye-opening experience for the group as they got to worship together.  For more information on this organization please visit: http://www.larche.ca/en/communities/daybreak