Weekly Bible Study Review

Weekly Bible Study Review

May 1, 2011

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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

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

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
July 19 and 26, 2011

Greetings!

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.

Wednesday Cafe Class
Romans

Romans 4:16-5:11

4:16 Since the promise God made to Abraham (that he would be the father of many nations) comes by faith, then it's accessible to both those who are under the law (Jews) and those who are not under the law (Gentiles). Abraham is not the father of only one nation (Jews) but of many nations (Gentiles too).

v. 17 God is the one who gives life to the dead (the resurrection of Jesus) and calls things that are not as though they were (He spoke the world into being). This is the God Abraham believed and the one in whom he put his trust.

v. 18-25 Abraham's faith in God's ability to fulfill His promise of a son was credited to him as righteousness. This faith was quite remarkable. His wife had been physically unable to bear children in her youth and now that she was decades beyond child-bearing age God made it possible for her to have a son. This was not a common occurrence. It wasn't as though Abraham had seen God do this before. He took God at His word. That's why Abraham's faith was no small thing. But the really great news is not only that Abraham's faith is credited as righteousness but also anyone (Jew or Gentile) who believes in God, the one who raised Jesus from the dead, is made righteous through faith.

Click to read more...

Thursday Read-to-Believe Class Acts

*Schedule Change: No class May 5th and May 26th.

Acts 5:12-8:2

Review-- Jesus tells the apostles to stay in Jerusalem until He sends the Spirit to them. Then He ascends to heaven. Matthias replaces Judas. On the day of Pentecost (the Jewish Feast of Weeks) all the believers in the upper room are filled with the Spirit. Peter gives a speech to the Jews who are gathered for the Jewish festival and 3,000 converts are added in one day. The believers share everything and meet daily for prayer in Solomon's Colonnade. The apostles perform many signs and wonders. Peter and John are arrested after healing a cripple in the name of Jesus. They accuse the leaders of murdering Jesus and call them to repent of their unbelief that Jesus is the Messiah. The officials release them and the believers pray for boldness to continue preaching the gospel. Ananias and Sapphira fall down dead at Peter's feet after lying about the price of field they donated. The number of believers continues to grow.

5:12-42 The apostles continued to perform miracles and drew large crowds which made the Jewish leaders jealous. They were arrested again but an angel opened the doors during the night and told them to preach in the temple courts in the morning. Once again they stood before the Sanhedrin and were questioned about why they were preaching in the name of Jesus. Peter gave another powerful speech and accused the leaders of murdering the Messiah but God raised Him from the dead. They must repent of their unbelief. The leaders wanted to put them to death but Gamaliel talked them out of it by saying that if this is of men it will fail but if it is of God they will not be able to stop it. The leaders flogged the apostles and warned them not to speak anymore in the name of Jesus.

6:1-7 The Grecian Jewish widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. Seven men were chosen to oversee this matter so the apostles could focus on teaching and praying. One of these men was Stephen.

v. 8 Stephen did miracles among the people. He was soon opposed by some Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia but his wisdom and the Spirit prevailed. Those who opposed him brought false charges against him. They accused him of blasphemy and they said he spoke against the temple, the law, and Moses. When he was brought before the Sanhedrin Stephen's face shone like an angel. I don't think this means he looked like a little cherub, but that his face shone with power and radiance. Whenever people saw angels they were usually afraid. Perhaps the Sanhedrin was at least a little intimidated by his countenance.

7:1 The high priest asked him if the charges against him were true. Stephen launches into a lengthy speech which includes key events in Israel's history. His point is that God is not confined to buildings or institutions created by men. Even though the leaders honored the law and the temple, they dishonored God by their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah.

Click to read more...

Dichotomy of the Week

There are many dichotomies in the Bible. A dichotomy divides people into two groups that do not overlap. In other words, 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 Paul's epistles:
           "in Adam" or "in Christ"
           "under law" or "under grace"
           "darkness" or "light"

It is very clear in the letters of Paul that righteousness is not something that can be earned. It is a gift from God that comes by grace through faith in Christ. Our dichotomy this week is whether people attain righteousness by faith or by works.

The term "righteousness" is similar to the term "justified." The prevailing idea among the Jews was that obedience to the Law makes you righteous in the sight of God. But Paul turns this idea upside down and says that the way to be righteous is to simply believe God. This was an unsettling idea to the Jews because it meant they had to believe God when He said that Jesus is His Son and their Messiah.

Romans 4:2-3 states, "If in fact Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about-- but not before God. What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." The example of Abraham was a powerful one not only because he was widely respected by the Jews, but Abraham lived long before the law was given. Paul uses Abraham's faith to show how God can declare someone to be in a right relationship with Him apart from the law. Next week we will continue this theme.

--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

Wednesday Cafe Class (continued)

Romans 4:16-5:11

5:1-2 Believers are justified (made righteous in God's sight) through faith in Christ and have real peace with God. This peace is not just a pleasant feeling. They used to be enemies of God and now they are His friends-- no longer under His wrath. So believers rejoice in the hope of the glory of God and will surely share in His glory in the future.

v. 3-5 They also rejoice in sufferings because suffering produces perseverance and character, which results in hope. This hope will not disappoint them because it's based on the love that God has for them and His Spirit which lives in them.

v. 6-8 Jesus came at just the right time, not too early or too late. He came when people were still powerless because of their sins. This is a very precious thing because few people would willingly die for another person and no one would be likely to die for an evil person. But Jesus was willing to die for godless, evil people. This shows God's great love for humanity. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

v. 9-11 Since Christ's blood has justified them, they are saved from God's wrath. Believers are saved from the wrath of God, not saved from experiencing an unpleasant life on earth. The wrath of God is real and justification through the blood of Jesus is the only way to be saved from that wrath. Believers rejoice in God through Christ because they have been reconciled to the Father through Jesus' sacrifice.

--Sandy Blank

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Thursday Read-to-Believe Class (continued)

Acts 5:12-8:2

v. 2-5 Stephen said God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia before he went to Haran and well before he went to Canaan. God was still God in Mesopotamia (far away from Jerusalem). Keep in mind that many of the nations around them had local gods. When someone moved from one area to another they worshiped the local gods. But God is God over all and He is not restricted to the temple in Jerusalem or even to the nation of Israel. God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia and promised him he would possess the land of Canaan.

v. 6-8 God also predicted that the Israelites would be slaves for 400 years but God would punish the nation that mistreated them. He did this at the time of the exodus from Egypt. After God gave Abraham the promise that he'd be the father of many nations He gave him the covenant of circumcision. Isaac and Jacob were also circumcised, signifying that the promise made to Abraham was passed on to them.

v. 9-16 Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt but God rescued him and raised him up to become ruler over Egypt and Pharaoh's palace. God was still God in Egypt. Famine struck the land and Joseph's father, Jacob, was eventually reunited with Joseph. The whole clan moved to Egypt.

v. 17-22 The Israelites in Egypt grew in numbers and became a threat, so the Egyptians enslaved them and mistreated them. They ordered that the baby boys be left outside to die. But when Moses was born he was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter and lived in the royal household.

v. 23-36 At age 40 Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite. He thought it was time for him to rise up and lead his people but he was rejected by them so Moses fled to Midian to herd goats. Forty years later Moses heard a message from God in a burning bush. "I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." God was still God in Midian, far away from Jerusalem. And the Lord God sent Moses back to Egypt to deliver His people from bondage. Moses led the people out of Egypt and did miraculous signs not just in Egypt, but also at the Red Sea and then for 40 years in the desert. Once again, God was the same God in all those places far away from Jerusalem.

v. 37-38 Moses prophesied that God would send another like himself (God sent Jesus). Moses "received living words to pass on to us." He was one who wrote the first books of the Bible. These are "living words" he received from God.

v. 39-43 Stephen reminds the leaders that their forefathers refused to obey God. They rejected Him and turned their hearts back to Egypt. They made a golden calf which they gave credit for bringing them out of Egypt and they worshiped it. So God turned away from them and "gave them over" to the worship of created things. Eventually the Israelites would be forced into exile by the Babylonians.

v. 44-47 In the 40 years of their wilderness wandering the Israelites had the Tabernacle with them. It was basically a portable version of the temple that would later be built in Jerusalem. Joshua took the Tabernacle with them when they entered the land of Canaan. David wanted to build a temple for God but instead his son Solomon built it.

v. 48-50 Here is the main verse in Stephen's entire speech! "The Most High does not live in houses made by men." Heaven is his throne and earth is His footstool. How could man possibly build a house for Him?

v. 51-53 Now Stephen insults the high priest and Sanhedrin by calling them stiff-necked (stubborn), with uncircumcised hearts and ears (unclean hearts like Gentiles and unable to hear). He accuses them, even though he's the one who is on trial for blasphemy. He says they resist the Spirit, persecuted every prophet God sent to them, even the ones who predicted the coming of Jesus, and now they've betrayed and murdered Jesus too. They have the law God gave them but they haven't obeyed it.

v. 54-60 The leaders and others with them were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. Stephen looked up and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand. When he told them what he saw they covered their ears and dragged him out of the city to stone him. Stephen said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." and "Lord do not hold this sin against them." His statement was remarkably similar to Jesus' own last words on the cross, when He asked the Father to forgive those who killed Him (Luke 23).

8:1 Saul approved of Stephen's death. Saul was a zealous young Pharisee who probably believed that Stephen was a blasphemer and deserved to be executed. That same day a great persecution broke out and everyone scattered to Judea and Samaria except the apostles. Remember, Jesus had told them in Acts 1:8 that they would be His witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria. The Lord hadn't told them how He was going to take them there.

v. 2 Stephen was buried and Saul began going house to house arresting men and women who had faith in Jesus. Those believers who fled Jerusalem preached the gospel everywhere they went.

--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 sandyblank@theocentrix.org. 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.