Weekly Bible Study Review
January 9, 2011

In This Issue
Cafe Class
Read-to-Believe Class
Dichotomy of the Week
Class Schedule
Go to www.theocentrix.org click on the "Events" tab
for maps and more information.


Cafe Class
Culture Cafe
1359 N Altadena Drive
Pasadena CA 91104
Wednesdays 10:00 am

classroom
Read-to-Believe Class
Lake Avenue Church
Family Life Room 201
309 N Lake Avenue
Pasadena CA 91101
Thursdays 6:30 pm

peacock 1
Arbo Class
LA County Arboretum
301 N Baldwin Ave
Arcadia CA 91007
Saturday 12:00 noon
Once per month
January 22
February 26
March 26
 April 30
May no class
June 4
July 9
August 13
September 17
October 15
November 12
December no class


PCC Class
"How to Read the Bible  with Confidence"
Pasadena City College
Extended Learning Center
www.pcclearn.org
February 8 and 15, 2011

 

REMINDERS

Arbo Bible Study

It's time to RSVP for the Arboretum lunch and Bible study coming up on Saturday, January 22nd.

Cost: Free

Click here to RSVP.


PCC Bible Class

It's time to register for Sandy's Bible class at Pasadena City College. Two sessions: Feb 8th and 15th.

Cost: $49 payable to PCC.

Click here to register.

 



 
topofpageGreetings! 

This newsletter is sent to everyone who attends Sandy's weekly Bible studies. The left column has a table of contents and the current class schedule. Be sure to watch for the links in each article. Clicking on them will lead you to charts, diagrams and additional articles related to your class.  
Anyone can subscribe to this free newsletter by using the link in the upper left corner. If you would like to forward this issue to a friend all you have to do is click on the link below.




cafeclassWednesday Cafe Class 
Hebrews

  

Hebrews 11:32

The author of Hebrews continues this chapter with specific examples of faith. This week we read about Gideon, Barak and Samson.
 

Israel's history was a long series of crises. They rebelled against the Lord and worshiped other gods. Then the Lord would always allow some other nation to take them captive and oppress them terribly until they would finally cry out to the Lord to save them. The Lord always came through and saved them from their enemies, but within a few years they would forget what He had done for them and return to idolatry.
 

Gideon

Judges 6:1-7:24, 8:22-35

6:1 The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern people so fiercely that they were forced to live in mountain clefts and caves. Their land was ruined by their enemies and "Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help" (v. 6). A prophet told them their idolatry is what brought them to this condition.
 

An angel came to Gideon calling him a "mighty warrior" while he was hiding in a winepress threshing grain so the Midianites wouldn't see him. The angel said Gideon was the one the Lord would send to save Israel from the Midianites.
 

Gideon asked for a sign. The angel burned up his offering with fire and then disappeared (sign #1). Gideon built an altar to the Lord.
 

The Lord told him to tear down his father's altar to Baal. Gideon took a few men and tore it down at night because he was afraid the community would kill him for tearing down the altar to their idol. His father and the other men decided that if Baal was angry with Gideon for tearing down his altar then Baal could kill Gideon himself. Of course Baal did not kill him. Gideon was then called Jerub-Baal meaning "let Baal contend."

Click to read more...
 

rtbclassThursday Read-to-Believe Class  Colossians/Philemon

Colossians 3:1-4:18 and Philemon

 3:1-2 The readers have been raised (past tense) with Christ. So they are told to set their "hearts" on things above and also set their "minds" on things above. In other words, what they value, desire or long for, as well as what they think about, should be set on what is above rather than on earthly things. Paul wants them to make a conscious shift from their old life in the world to their new life in Christ.
 

v. 3-4 Their old life is no more. They have died to it and Paul says their lives are now "hidden with Christ." Where? In God. When Christ appears at His second coming, these believers will appear with Him in glory.
 

v. 5-7 They need to "put to death" whatever belonged to their old nature. This is something they must do themselves, it's not all done for them. Paul tells them to actively put these things to death.
 

v. 8-10 They must rid themselves of anger, rage, malice, etc. Notice that the believer is to do this themselves. Paul says they have taken off their old self and have put on the new self. And this new self is being renewed by God.
 

v. 11 In the body of Christ everyone is the same status. Whoever they used to be in their previous life doesn't matter now. Slave and master have the same status in Christ.

Click to read more...
Dichotomy of the Week
The apostle Paul often uses dichotomies to explain the Gospel. In other words, he divides people into two groups that do not overlap. It's impossible for a person to be in both groups at the same time. Here's a list of some dichotomies that are found in his epistles:
           "in Adam" or "in Christ"
           "under law" or "under grace"
           "darkness" or "light"

Our dichotomy this week is alienated versus reconciled. Everyone is either alienated from God or reconciled to Him. We usually don't think of ourselves as being alienated from God, or even worse an enemy of God, however Paul says that's how God views us before conversion. Alienation means being shut out from fellowship and intimacy. That's the bad news. The good news is that God has chosen to restore people to a proper relationship with Him through Christ.

In Colossians 1:21 Paul tells the believers, "once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior." Their evil behavior was the result of being alienated from God, not the cause of their alienation. In verse 22, Paul says "but now, He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation." Miraculously, God reconciles those who have faith in Christ's death and resurrection. God has done all the work and the believer can rejoice and be thankful for what He has done.
--Albert Baroody

Since ancient times the Bible has been read aloud to groups of people who were eager to hear the words of Life. We're really no different today. Believers still look to the Bible for wisdom and instruction. We belong in the Word together. Thank you for your participation in these classes. I hope you will pass this email on to others and invite them to attend a Bible study.

Grace and peace,
Sandy Blank


cafeWednesday Cafe Class (continued)

Hebrews 11:32

Before going into battle against the Midianites Gideon asked the Lord for another sign. He put a fleece on the ground and asked the Lord to let the fleece be wet with dew in the morning but the ground be dry. The next morning only the fleece was wet (sign #2). Gideon was still afraid so he asked that the next morning the fleece would be dry and the ground wet with dew. This also happened (sign #3).
 

Judges 7:1-8:35

Gideon went to battle the Midianites with 32,000 men but the Lord reduced it to only 300 men and no weapons. They only took trumpets and jars that had torches in them. These 300 men surrounded the enemy's camp at night and woke them with trumpets, shouts, and the torch light. The Midionites killed each other in their panic and confusion. Israel was saved.
 

Unfortunately, Gideon accepted golden earrings from the people and made them into an ephod that the people bowed down and worshiped. They soon forgot that it was the Lord who saved them. Gideon is listed in Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter) because he had faith in the Lord at a time when most of the people around him were serving other gods. He was not a perfect man but he trusted in God. 
 

 Barak

Judges 4:1-24, 5:31

Barak lived before Gideon at a time when Israel faced a powerful enemy. This time it was a king named Jabin and his military commander, Sisera. Jabin had 900 iron chariots and many fighting men. Deborah was the judge in Israel at that time. The Lord told her to tell Barak, the commander of Israel's army, to take 10,000 men and fight Sisera. The Lord would make Barak victorious. Barak told Deborah that he would only go if she went with him. She agreed but said the honor for the defeat of Sisera would go to a woman, not to Barak. Barak and his men fought and killed all of Sisera's men. But Sisera fled on foot and went to the tent of a woman named Jael who was married to a man who was a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law. Jael killed Sisera and Israel was at peace for the next 40 years.

Barak is also listed in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11) because he trusted in God.
 

Samson

Judges 13:1-16:17-31

This chapter of Judges starts by saying, "Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." It's become a familiar story. The Israelites are being mistreated and they cry out to the Lord to save them from their enemies.
 

A man named Manoah and his wife (who was childless) were visited by an angel who told them they would have a son. The woman was to eat no grapes, drink wine or fermented drink, or eat anything unclean. When her child was born he was to be under a Nazarite vow which meant he must never cut his hair, drink wine or fermented drink, or eat anything unclean. His name was Samson.
 

There's much more to the story of Samson. We'll continue next week.

--Sandy Blank
 

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readtobelieveThursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Colossians 3:1-4:18

v. 12-14 The readers are called "God's chosen people." Paul gives them more to do. Once they've taken off the things associated with the old life then they must "put on" other things like compassion, humility, etc. and forgive one another the way Christ has forgiven each of them. They are to be united in love.
 

v. 15-17 The peace that Paul talks about is not a peaceful feeling. Rather it's the peace that comes when enemies are reconciled. That's what happens when believers are together in Christ. Jew and Gentile are one, slave and master are the same, and everyone is at peace with one another and at peace with God. They are to do everything in the name of Jesus and give thanks to God.
 

v. 18-22; 4:1 Paul briefly reminds them of how to treat one another in their everyday relationships. He makes it clear that even the masters are slaves to Christ. God does not show favoritism.
 

v. 2-4 Paul emphasizes prayer here and tells them to be watchful. He asks them to pray for him that God may open a door for the message he preaches. Interestingly, Paul does not ask them to pray that God will open the door to his prison. Paul knows that he can still preach the gospel even while he's in prison.
 

v. 5-6 They are to be wise in the way they deal with outsiders (unbelievers), taking advantage of every opportunity to share the gospel. They must speak graciously. The reference to salt probably means to make the message palatable to the hearer.
 

v. 7-9 His final greetings start with mentioning that Tychicus and Onesimus are delivering this letter to Colossae. Paul vouches for these two men.
 

v. 10-16 He gives greetings from several Jews who are with him and then mentions the non-Jewish believers who are also with him. Epaphras was mentioned in chapter 1 as the one who first preached the gospel to the believers in Colossae. They are told to be sure this letter is read to the Laodiceans and that they also read the letter Paul wrote to Laodicea.
 

v. 17 Special instructions are given to Archippus.
 

Philemon

We read this short letter next because it's so closely related to Colossians.

v. 1-3 Paul addresses the letter to three individuals: Philemon, Apphia and Archippus. Remember, Archippus was given special instructions in Colossians 4:17.
 

v. 4-7 Paul praises Philemon for his faith in Christ and love for the saints. The same thing he praised the Colossians for in Col. 13-8. Paul prays that Philemon will be active in his faith. Philemon's love for people brings Paul great joy.
 

v. 8-9 Paul is about to ask Philemon to do something for him. Although Paul has the authority to order him to do it, he instead appeals to him on the basis of love.
 

v. 10 Paul views this man Onesimus as his son in Christ. Remember, at the end of Colossians Paul was sending that letter with Tychicus and Onesimus. Now we learn more of the story about Onesimus.
 

v. 11-15 The name Onesimus means "useful." Paul uses a play on words here telling Philemon that Onesimus (Useful) was once "useless" to Philemon but now has become "useful" to both of them. Paul is sending Onesimus back to Philemon. He keeps praising Onesimus and building him up in the eyes of Philemon. He speculates that perhaps Onesimus was separated from Philemon for a good reason.
 

v. 16 Now we see clearly that Onesimus is a slave and Philemon is his master. It was likely that Onesimus ran away from his master and through God's providence ended up with Paul. Now Paul was working hard to make it possible for Onesimus to return to his master safely. Paul was even going so far as to ask Philemon to set Onesimus free. This was a very big thing Paul was asking. It would likely set a precedent for other believers who owned slaves.
 

v. 17-19 Paul wants Onesimus to be treated as an equal, not as a slave. He is even willing to pay any debt that Onesimus owes. Perhaps he had stolen some of Philemon's property when he ran away. Paul is quick to remind Philemon that he owes much more to Paul than Onesimus owes him.
 

v. 20-21 It's clear that Paul expects Philemon to do the right thing and set Onesimus free. Also Apphia and Archippus are there as witnesses.
 

v. 22-23 Paul asks that a guest room be prepared for him. He wants to visit Philemon when he is released from prison. Remember, Paul is quite famous among the Christians. It would be a great honor for Philemon to be his host. The letter closes with greetings from several of the same men who were named in the letter to the Colossians.

 --Sandy Blank
 

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This newsletter is maintained by Sandy Blank (Ph.D. Educational Studies, Biola; MA Biblical Studies, Grace University). If you would like further information about any of her classes or would like to know how to start a Bible study in your area please contact her at [email protected]. This newsletter is sponsored by Theocentrix, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting God-centered Bible literacy. Visit www.theocentrix.org for more information.