The Bethany Bullet - October 27, 2009

Let this world’s tyrant rage;
In battle we’ll engage.
His might is doomed to fail;
God’s judgment must prevail!
One little word subdues him.

-A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther

What do you suppose that one little word is that can stop this world’s tyrant, i.e. the devil? Think of all the wonderful words that could supply the answer to this question:

Jesus - That one word is the answer to the devil’s threats.

Grace - That one word is the cure to the devil’s accusations.

Faith - That one word is the salve to the devil’s taunts.

Yet, none of them was the one little word Luther had in mind.

Liar - That was the one little word that Luther had in mind. Call the devil a liar:

• When he says, there is no hope for you - “Liar, Jesus is my hope.”
• When he says, God couldn’t love someone like you - “Liar, Grace abounds.”
• When he says, obviously God has abandoned you - “Liar, Faith is being confident of what I do not see.”
  

The difficult thing about using that word is that often we like the lies.

• Lies provide fertile ground for our self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
• Lies afford us secret sins.
• Lies allow us to cling to prejudices and illusions.
• Lies permit traditions and opinions that are selfish and shallow to be paraded as sacred and sacrificial.
  

In the Gospel for Reformation Sunday, John 8:31-36, Jesus declares that, “The truth will set us free.” Is it also possible that the truth will set us back? The truth is freeing but at the same time it isn’t free. It comes with a price. The truth that frees us also costs us our prejudices and illusions; our selfish and shallow opinions and traditions we’d like forced upon others; our self-righteousness and hypocrisy. The truth will set you free but it will set you back. The truth comes with a cost.

It cost Jesus His reputation, His support, and His life. This is the price for freeing truth? Jesus becoming captive:

• To the crowd (of mockers)
• To the crown (of Rome)
• To the cross (of Calvary)
  

The truth set Jesus back – to the back of a cave for three days where he lay dead for all our lies. When He burst free from the tomb He brought our freedom and set us back into a right relationship with God.

In Christ we are free - from the power of the devil, the threat of the grave, and the guilt of sin.

The Truth has set us free and set us back, into a right relationship with God.

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer

The One Year Bible- October 26th

I have always been a fan of the morning prayer service known as Matins. This service has a rich tradition in the Church. This service is filled with singing, prayer and other music. Growing up Lutheran I have seen many versions of this service. But regardless of what hymnal it comes out of the words are very powerful and have great meaning for me. We read one of the central passages used in Matins this week. Lets use these words as our focus today.

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.--Psalm 95:1-7 ESV

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
As we keep plugging away at Jeremiah I saw some great glimpses of gospel this week. Here are a few that hit me:

“Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.” Jeremiah 33:6-8

“For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the LORD.” Jeremiah 33:11b

And then a great Messianic promise: “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.” Jeremiah 33:15-16

We have come to the point in the story where there is more narrative than prophetic. Many historic details are filled in and give us a better picture of some of the events that took place right before the exile. We don’t usually get many of these stories in Sunday School. I had forgotten that Jeremiah gets thrown into a mud pit and almost dies. And that the king burned up the scroll that was written almost in spite of the message it contained. Eventually we see the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple itself. It was a sad day in the life of the people. I put quite a few frowning faces in the margin of my Bible this week. Another bit of the story that I forgot about was that of those who were left in the country and not taken into exile. I found it very interesting that the Lord promised protection for these people through Jeremiah as long as they stayed in the land. But, like what seems to happen again and again, the people do not listen and head to Egypt for what they think is “safety”. Their self-centeredness was their destruction.

Most of the rest of our readings this week were pronouncements of judgments on the surrounding countries. The Lord will finally punish all the other countries for their unbelief. It is sometimes hard for us to read about all this destruction, but we need to remember that God has every right to punish us for our sins. We need to have a good grasp on this so we can see that the gift of Jesus Christ is so amazing. We are not treated as we deserve. We have been given a wonderful gift in Jesus…you see, I told you this book was Christ centered.

The New Testament
As a pastor I really feel that Paul is talking to me through the words of 1 and 2 Timothy. But just because you are not a “pastor”, does not mean you cannot benefit greatly from these two letters of Paul. I kind of see these letters as letters of encouragement, sort of like Paul is the coach and Timothy is the player. Paul can’t do the work for him but he can give him some great advice. One of the most famous phrases of encouragement comes from 1 Timothy 4, “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” What awesome encouragement! Paul goes on to say, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” Paul also reminds us all, “You can’t take it with you.” We need to learn to be content where God has placed us. In 2 Timothy 2 Paul makes a connection to the Old Testament. He writes, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8 ESV) This is a flashback to the good old Davidic covenant that we have seen in Jeremiah recently. Once again it all comes back to a story about Christ. I love all the “trustworthy sayings” in these letters. The one on the unity we have with Christ gives me great comfort and hope. “If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV) There are some big passages in 2 Timothy for us in our Theology. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV) This passage forms the basis for our belief in Scripture. We believe that the Bible is the only rule and norm of faith. It comes from God, and is useful for all sorts of things regarding our faith. It gets us ready to respond to God in good works as well. This is one of those passages that should be committed to memory!!! The end of 2 Timothy shows us some of the humanity of Paul. He is stuck in Rome, under arrest, and many of his followers have left him. Only Luke remains. Paul asks for Timothy to come to visit with him. It shows us that Paul not only cares for his good friend and partner in ministry but he misses him terribly and desires his companionship. I hope you have good friends like this, I have been blessed with many of them.

Bits and Pieces

The Old Testament

We will move on to the book of Lamentations this week and begin the book of Ezekiel. Here are the vital stats for the books:

LAMENTATIONS

PURPOSE: To teach people that to disobey God is to invite disaster, and to show that God suffers when His people suffer.

AUTHOR: Most likely Jeremiah

DATE WRITTEN: Soon after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.

SETTING: Jerusalem had been destroyed by Babylon and her people killed, tortured, or taken captive.

KEY VERSE: “My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.” (2:11)

KEY PEOPLE: Jeremiah, the people of Jerusalem

KEY PLACE: Jerusalem

SPECIAL FEATURES: Three strands of Hebrew thought meet in Lamentations—prophecy, ritual, and wisdom. Lamentations is written in the rhythm and style of ancient Jewish funeral songs or chants. It contains five poems corresponding to the five chapters.

EZEKIEL

PURPOSE: To announce God’s judgment on Israel and other nations and to foretell the eventual salvation of God’s people

AUTHOR: Ezekiel—the son of Buzi, a Zadokite priest

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The Jews in captivity, in Babylonia, and God’s people everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: Approx. 571 B.C.

SETTING: Ezekiel was a younger contemporary of Jeremiah. While Jeremiah ministered to the people still in Judah, Ezekiel prophesied to those already exiled in Babylonia after the defeat of Jehoichin.

KEY VERSES: “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all you idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (36:24-26)

KEY PEOPLE: Ezekiel, Israel’s leaders, Ezekiel’s wife, Nebuchadnezzar, “the prince”

KEY PLACES: Jerusalem, Babylon, and Egypt

The New Testament

We will read two books in their entirety this week (Titus & Philemon) as well as start another (Hebrews). Here are the vital stats on these three books:

TITUS

PURPOSE: To advise Titus in his responsibility of supervising the churches in the island of Crete

AUTHOR: Paul

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Titus, a Greek, probably converted to Christ through Paul’s ministry (he had become Paul’s special representative to the island of Crete), and to all believers everywhere.

DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 64, around the same time 1 Timothy was written; probably from Macedonia when Paul traveled between his Roman imprisonments.

SETTING: Paul sent Titus to organize and oversee the churches on Crete. This letter tells Titus how to do this job.

KEY VERSE: “The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I direct you” (1:5)

KEY PEOPLE: Paul, Titus

KEY PLACES: Crete, Nicopolis

SPECIAL FEATURES: Titus is very similar to 1 Timothy with its instructions to church leaders.

PHILEMON

PURPOSE: To convince Philemon to forgive his runaway slave, Onesimus, and to accept him as a brother in the faith.

AUTHOR: Paul

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Philemon, who was probably a wealthy member of the Colossian church, and all believers.

DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 60, during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, at about the same time Ephesians and Colossians were written.

SETTING: Slavery was common in the Roman Empire and evidently some Christians had slaves. Paul does not condemn the institution of slavery in his writings, but he makes a radical statement by calling this slave Philemon’s brother in Christ.

KEY VERSES: “Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord (verses 15-16)

KEY PEOPLE: Paul, Philemon, Onesimus

KEY PLACES: Colosse, Rome

SPECIAL FEATURES: This is a private, personal letter to a friend.

HEBREWS

PURPOSE: To present the sufficiency and superiority of Christ

AUTHOR: Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Silas, Philip, Pricilla, and others have been suggested because the name of the author is not given in the Biblical text itself. Whoever it was speaks of Timothy as “brother” (13:23)

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Hebrew Christians (perhaps second-generation Christians) who may have been considering a return to Judaism, perhaps because of immaturity, stemming from a lack of understanding of Biblical truths; and all believers in Christ.

DATE WRITTEN: Probably before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, because the religious sacrifices and ceremonies are referred to in the book, but no mention is made of the temples destruction

SETTING: These Jewish Christians were probably undergoing fierce persecution, socially and physically, both from Jews and from Romans. Christ had not yet returned to establish his kingdom, and the people needed to be reassured that Christianity was true and that Jesus was the Messiah.

KEY VERSE: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (1:3)

KEY PEOPLE: Old Testament men and women of faith (see chapter 11)

SPECIAL FEATURES: Although Hebrews is called a “letter” (13:22), it has the form and content of a sermon.

Bethany Bullet - October 20, 2009

“Stop in the name of Love,
Before you break my heart…” (The Supremes)

Perhaps you have heard this song by The Supremes. Perhaps you have even stopped for love once or twice in your life but in this day and age it is hard to stop. The tyranny of the calendar dominates our lives.

In our house we have three white board calendars in the office on which we try to plan ahead. There are times we just stand in the back of the house and stare, trying to figure out who will be home, when/how to cover childcare, when the next birthday party or wedding is, and the list goes on. Perhaps for you, it is the calendar at work, filled with requirements and appointments, or the kid’s calendar with soccer practice, play rehearsal, dentist appointments, and dance class.

Even when we go on vacation we don’t stop. We are so busy on our time off we seldom rest. I am sure that some of you have not stopped this morning. Some of you are already thinking about the work that awaits you when you get to the office. Some of you are thinking about the homework you need to do before class, or that honey-do list that needs to be accomplished today, or what you will order at IHOP after church.

Stopping—mentally and physically is not something we tend to do.

We find it hard to stop in our spiritual life as well. There are some who do not know Jesus who are trying to live a good life or fulfill a set of required activities in order to receive blessings. Even those in the body of Christ get so busy volunteering for the next project or event that service gets in the way of rest. We find it hard to stop when we come into worship as well. With the distractions of the Chimes or the child behind us our minds do not come to a stop to hear the Word of God.

But the writer of Hebrews calls us to stop! (Sunday’s New Testament reading was from Hebrews 4:1-13 [NCV]) Now we don’t find the word stop in our English Bible’s, but the literal meaning of the word translated as “rest” is a “complete stop” or more accurately a “calming of the winds.” It is used 8 times in the Book of Hebrews and only one other time in the New Testament.

Our text begins with the promise of rest and a warning.
“Now, since God has left us the promise that we may enter his rest, let us be very careful so none of you will fail to enter.” Hebrews 4:1

There are a number of meanings of “rest” that our text deals with; however, our text speaks of “God’s rest”. This was a promise to the people of Israel under the leadership of Moses and Joshua.

The people of God were not at rest, they were in slavery in Egypt. But God led them out of oppression and promised them rest in the Promised Land. But, you know the story; they did not enter into that rest right away. Why? Disobedience! And because of it the people did not stop wondering in the desert for 40 years. Eventually Joshua led the people into the Promised Land and finally the people had rest. War had stopped, but the people did not stop to rest in the presence and promises of God. Soon they began to work for their own pleasure. They ran after idols and riches. Rest was theirs, but they did not stop. They had heard the Good News of God, yet continued to disobey. The people of God lost that rest by their own disbelief and many were sent into exile. While God’s rest is perfect, the rest given by Joshua was only temporary.

It is a story not unlike our own. We are slaves to sin. And we too have been promised a land of our own to rest in, namely heaven. As our text says, “We who have believed are able to enter and have God's rest” (Hebrews 4:3). God’s rest is a present reality. We have heard the message of God’s perfect rest, but we do not stop either. In our sinful nature we do not stop sinning. We continue in the pattern of the people of Israel. We disobey, we fall short, and by our actions we shall not enter into the “complete stop” of God.

There is another other idea of rest here in the text. We continue with verse 4, “In the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his works." God gave us the first example of rest. After He was done with His work of creation, He rested. This rest is not a complete cessation of activity. For we know that God continues to be active in the world through means, through His Son, and by His Spirit.

God’s rest was the beginning of setting a day aside for worship, for resting in the presence of God. For stopping our regular routines and being gathered into this place. As the people of Israel had a Sabbath rest, verse 9 of our text from the NIV reads, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.”

What is this Sabbath Rest?

It is different than the Sabbath of the people of Israel. For Jesus, Himself, did not follow the Sabbath the way the Pharisees saw fit. Through the Gospel we see Jesus healing on the Sabbath and His disciples gathering grain, both of which were condemned by the teachers of the law. When confronted on the topic Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

So what is this rest all about? To REST means to:
Receive
Eternity’s
Solace
Today!

As we receive the faith given to us by the Holy Spirit, we come to an understanding of who God is. As we receive the grace offered, we stand as forgiven children of God.

Eternity’s solace is the hope of our place in heaven secured by Christ for us. The dictionary describes solace as the alleviation of grief or anxiety and a source of relief and consolation.

Solace comes as we hear the Word proclaimed in God’s house. Here we find alleviation of grief in the person of Christ; as we receive eternity’s solace in bread and wine, in His body and blood the anxiety of sin is taken away. It is a source of relief and consolation as we come to REST in Him. This is how we are able to rest on the Sabbath.

Martin Luther once wrote, “We begin to keep the true Sabbath when our old Adam ceases to perform all his works…But we shall not keep this Sabbath properly until we are dead.”

While it is true that we cannot truly keep the Sabbath, truly rest, and stop the effects of sin while the Old Adam, our sinful nature still clings to us; we know that this day is coming and our possession of eternity’s solace is not just a future reality. We can, with joy, know that those in Christ receive eternity’s solace today.

Jesus rested on the Sabbath too. He wrested the effects of sin as He gave sight to the blind, healing to the crippled, and life to the dead. He wrested sin from the entire world as He felt the punishment of the cross and separation from His Father. And He rested behind a stone after He cried out, “It is finished”. His resting and His wresting make us able to Receive Eternity’s Solace Today!

So, are you tired? Are you weak? Are you burdened? Do you need some rest? Then listen to the Words of our Savior, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

In a world that doesn’t seem to stop, in situations where there is no rest, Jesus calls us to Himself to Receive Eternity’s Solace Today.

So, rest at the foot of the cross laying down your burdens, rest from your feeble attempts to make restitution for your actions, rest in the knowledge that Jesus will not rest until that final trumpet blows and all His followers are called to eternal solace.

Jesus Himself stopped in the name of Love so that we can be in His heart forever.

-Pastor Seth Moorman

The One Year Bible- October 19th

It has been a very busy couple of weeks for me so not much of an opening today but I did want to encourage you to keep up the good work and remember that we are almost done with the book of Jeremiah. After this book we have 14 more books to read in the Old Testament and 8 weeks to do it. Needless to say the books will be coming fast and furious the last few weeks of the year. We are in the home stretch, but stay strong. On to the study…

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament

I hope you have been enjoying digging through Jeremiah and finding the nuggets of grace. There were quite a few this week. We continue to see that even with the oncoming disaster, God has mercy and promises to save the remnant and bring them back. We also read some prophetic words about the Messiah as well, more on that later. There were a few other things that hit me this week and I would like to share. First of all there was mention of the Davidic covenant in a few places this week. We first met this covenant back in 2 Samuel chapter 7. God promised to David that, “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16 NIV). Now of course you remember that the earthly kings of Israel are long since gone. They were in their twilight in the time of Jeremiah. But this covenant had much more than just earthly meaning. Like many of God’s plans, they are much deeper and more amazing than we think. The true line of David would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the one who was born of the house and line of David who now sits on the throne of the universe. This is a big deal! Jesus reigns at the right hand of God today!! Even when we think God does not fulfill his promises, we find out that not only is this not true but it is even better than we imagined. Speaking of Jesus, in my digging for nuggets this week I came across a passage in Jeremiah that speaks of the coming Messiah. Chapter 23:5-6 again mentions David’s line as well as a king who will, “reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5 NIV). This person is called, “The LORD is our Righteousness.” This is most definitely a reference to Jesus as the Messiah.

In Chapter 30 Jeremiah gives some practical advice to the people. In short, he says for the people to “Bloom where they are planted”, be that in Israel or in exile. He tells the people that the exile will last for 70 years so keep doing what God wants. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29:5-7 NIV). In this context comes one of the more famous passages from Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). I hope I am not sacrificing any sacred cows in your world with my next statements. This passage was not written for us to use at graduations or for people who are going through hard times. This passage has been pulled out of context so often many have forgotten what it really means. When we look at this verse we have to remember the original context in which it was written. This verse was written to give the people hope in a time of great despair. It was a message of grace in a time of punishment. We must remember that God was talking to a stubborn people who had consistently gone against his will. These people deserved to go into exile. Even in the midst of this, God gives grace and mercy. Now, that being said, can we apply this verse to our lives today? Sure! But don’t forget the original context and remember that we are not living in that same context today. It is a stretch to use only this verse and make major applications to us today. If you plan on using this verse make sure you put it in context and then related it to the current situation.

The other big thing in our readings this week is the idea in Chapter 33 about the New Covenant. Remember there was nothing really wrong with the old covenant. It simple, as Jesus summarizes it when he says, “Be perfect”. That’s all, no big deal!! (please sense the sarcasm here) The Old Covenant was not broken by God, but broken by man and the sinfulness that we bring to the table. We are incapable of following what God desires. This New Covenant was not to be sealed in the blood of animals but in the blood of Jesus Christ. This New Covenant would transcend space and time and even Abraham would live under the New Covenant (even though he never knew it, see the book of Romans) I would like to spend more time on this but I fear that if I continue I will either confuse you or bore you with the details. If you have questions, please let me know.

The New Testament

I want to take a look at parts of all three letters we have read from this past week. There is no way to cover all of the material, so if you have any specific questions, please feel free to email me or use the comment section on this blog.

1 Thessalonians

At the beginning of the book, Paul and his companions try to validate their ministry. They do so relying on Jesus and their track record of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. After getting on some firm ground and giving some positive encouragement, Paul gets to the point. He tells the Thessalonians what will happen when Jesus returns. It will not be some secret event. And all those who have already died in the faith will be raised back to life. It will be a wonderful time. In the mean time Paul has some advice, “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 NIV)

2 Thessalonians

The main thing to remember about this book is to not be idle in your journey of faith. We do not know when Jesus will return so we must keep working so as many people here the message as possible. Paul tells the people not to think that Jesus has already come and they somehow missed it. Paul mentions a character called “the man of lawlessness”. This person is often called the Antichrist. It is the work of the Devil in the world today. Paul says that he is at work right now in the world. He will win some battles but he will be destroyed by the power of Jesus. Paul gives a great word of hope in Chapter 2, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17 NIV). Great words to end on for this book.

1 Timothy

This is Paul’s instruction to young Timothy. There are some great instructions for all who serve in the church in this letter. Paul states his purpose right at the beginning, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5 NIV) There are many “trustworthy sayings” in this letter that should not be ignored. They all read like little sermons for Timothy. One thing that has caused much confusion is the definitions of what an elder is and what a deacon is. They seem to be quite similar but Paul treats them as two different things. Theologians have spent countless hours trying to figure this one out and we don’t have time to get into all the details but in my humble opinion, both sets of requirements are useful for anyone who does work in the church. They are the standard that we should strive for, but we must remember that forgiveness must fit into this somehow, someway. More about this book next week...

Bits and Pieces

The New Testament

We will finish up 1 Timothy and move on to 2 Timothy this week. Here are the vital stats on 2 Timothy:

PURPOSE: To give final instructions and encouragement to Timothy, pastor of the church at Ephesus

AUTHOR: Paul

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Timothy, and all Christians everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 66 or 67, from prison in Rome. After a year or two of freedom, Paul was arrested again and executed under Emperor Nero.

SETTING: Paul was virtually alone in prison; only Luke was with him. Paul wrote this letter to pass the torch to the new generation of church leaders. He also asked for visits from his friends and for his scrolls, especially the parchments—possible parts of the Old Testament or other Biblical manuscripts.

KEY VERSE: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2:15 NIV).

KEY PEOPLE: Paul, Timothy, Luke, Mark, and others.

KEY PLACES: Rome, Ephesus

SPECIAL FEATURES: Because this is Paul’s last letter, it reveals his heart and his priorities—sound doctrine, steadfast faith, confident endurance, and enduring love.

The One Year Bible- October 12th

A few years ago I started teaching a class here at Bethany called “See Through the Scriptures” which studies the overarching themes found in scripture and how the Bible tells one story of salvation. If you have not had a chance to attend this class I would highly encourage you the next time it is offered (sometime next spring). One of the lessons is about the prophets of the Old Testament. In our text book the author, Rev. Dr. Harry Wendt, gives some good info that we can use as we study the prophets.

The prophetic books constitute one-third of the Old Testament, or one-quarter of the Bible. They empower people today to hear, in astonishing ways, the passionate proclamations of those to whom the LORD revealed his truth and will. To understand the message and mission of Jesus the Messiah, we must understand the ministry of Israel’s ancient prophets. After all, Jesus was that expected Final Prophet (see Deuteronomy 18:15, Mark 9:7)

To really understand Jesus we need to understand the prophets, and when we understand the prophets we will fully understand the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. On to the study...

Seth’s Thoughts

The Old Testament
This week I have been searching for the nuggets of grace in Jeremiah. All too often we get bogged down with the repeated message of the coming doom and destruction. I hope you can start seeing the nuggets of grace as well.

“’But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you..”—Jeremiah 5:18 ESV

Here Yahweh gives some hope to his continued message of exile and punishment. This faithful remnant would return to the Promised Land and set the stage for the coming of the Messiah.

“‘But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD..’”—Jeremiah 9:24 ESV

Yahweh describes his true character in this verse. Even though punishment is coming (and it is deserved) he still is full of love. The exile showed his justice. It was not a good time for the people but it was to benefit them as a whole and again make way for the Messiah.

“‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit..’”—Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV

God is the one who has planted us; his living streams water us. When we stay connected to this living water we continue to grow and we have nothing to worry about. When we think we can go on our own, we start having problems.

I have said it before and I will say it again now, don’t get discouraged by hearing all the gloom and doom news from Jeremiah. Try to mine the gems of good news.

The New Testament
In my studies this week I found some great information in “The Peoples Commentary Bible” by Harlyn J. Kuschel. The following paragraphs are from that book:

Only two of the thirteen letters of the New Testament authored by Paul we addressed to congregations he had not founded and most of whose members he had never met. One was Romans the other was Colossians. About four or five years after the founding of the church in Colosse, its pastor Epaphras came to Rome to visit Paul. Why would he make the 1300 mile journey just to see Paul? There were some problems with the church in Colosse. They were being influenced by some ideas that mixed Judaism, Pagan religions, and Christianity. Thier message included a belief in self-salvation. This was a danger to the true teaching of Jesus. Epaphras wanted to discuss this with Paul personally. In the letter Paul does not directly address those who are teaching falsely in the church. He simply overwhelms their errors by confronting the Colossians with the full riches of the Gospel of Christ. Throughout the letter there is constant emphasis on the greatness of Christ. Paul knew that the more thoroughly the Colossian believers understand the person and work of Christ, the better equipped they will be to recognize and reject errors like the one seeking to win its way into their congregation.

From the time that this epistle was written to our own day the clear message of the gospel and salvation by grace through faith in Christ has been obscured by many false teachers. In Colossians Paul cuts through all the confusion of human laws and ideas and simply and directly points us to Christ. Christ is sufficient for our eternal salvation, and he is sufficient for our day-to-day living as his children.

One of the things that struck me this week as I was reading through Colossians is the wonderfully clear view of Christ it presents. We see that Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was the Messiah and salvation comes only through him. His ministry was one of love and caring so that “Christ is all, and in all.” (ESV) or as the New Living Translation says, “Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us” (Colossians 3:11b NLT).

Chapter 4 has one of the best messages of evangelism in the entire New Testament. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4: 5-6 NIV). We all should live our lives in such a way.

I know we got into 1 Thessalonians a bit this week too but I will hold my comments on it until next week.

Bits and Pieces

We will finish 1^st as well as 2^nd Thessalonians this week. We will also start on 1 Timothy. Here are the vital stats on 2 Thessalonians:

PURPOSE: To clear up the confusion about the second coming of Christ

AUTHOR: Paul

TO WHOM WRITTEN: The church at Thessalonica, and all believers everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 51 or 52, a few months after 1 Thessalonians from Corinth

SETTING: Many in the church were confused about the timing of Christ’s return. Because of mounting persecution, they though the day of the Lord must be imminent, and they interpreted Paul’s first letter to say that the second coming would be at any moment. In light of this misunderstanding, many persisted in being idle and disorderly, with the excuse of waiting for Christ’s return.

KEY VERSE: “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” (3:5)

KEY PEOPLE: Paul, Silas, Timothy

KEY PLACE: Thessalonica

SPECIAL FEATURES: This is a follow-up letter to 1 Thessalonians. In this letter, Paul indicates various events that must precede the second coming of Christ.

Here are the vital stats for 1 Timothy:

PURPOSE: To give encouragement and instruction to Timothy, a young leader.

AUTHOR: Paul

TO WHOM WRITTEN: Timothy, young church leaders, and all believers everywhere

DATE WRITTEN: About A.D. 64, from Rome or Macedonia (possibly Philippi), probably just prior to Paul’s final imprisonment in Rome

SETTING: Timothy was one of Paul’s closest companions. Paul had sent Timothy to the church at Ephesus to counter the false teaching that had arisen there. Timothy probably served for a time as a leader in the church at Ephesus. Paul hoped to visit Timothy, but in the meantime, he wrote this letter to give Timothy practical advice about the ministry.

KEY VERSE: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” (4:12)

KEY PEOPLE: Paul, Timothy

KEY PLACE: Ephesus

SPECIAL FEATURES: First Timothy is a personal letter and handbook of church administration and discipline.