Sunday, July 30, 2017

August 6, 2017

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for August 6th: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 17:1-7, 15; Romans 9:1-5, Matthew:13-21 Romans: Now that Paul has made a case for the omnipotence of God in all parts of our lives, He now speaks to his toughest audience – the Jews. If they are the children of God, then why do they need Jesus. Paul makes a case with them that God is doing a new thing through Christ. He says that he is telling the truth to them and not making something up. That God does indeed love the Jews, but God indeed loves all people and needed a way for others to have a pathway to him. He explains to them that Christ was a Jew and understand and respects what it means to be Jewish, so if those who are dependent on Christ, follow him they are akin to the Jews. But it is not the ways of the Jews that leads to salvation, but following Christ. Paul feel caught in the middle, but he is clear that the way to God is Christ. Matthew: The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 is present in all of the gospels, including John. This mirrors the events in the Hebrew Testament when God provided manna for those wandering in the wilderness. This story takes place in each gospel after John the Baptist has been killed. Matthew intentionally makes this the first act that Jesus does in response to starting his ministry. It tells us that Jesus can supply our needs. But Jesus also says that man cannot eat by bread alone. We need to have our bellies full in order to fully take in the gospel and to live according to it. We need to be fed spiritually. Since this story is in all of the gospels, it is an important story and one that fully demonstrated the nature of God in Christ. Questions: What part of the gospel still does not make sense to you? Are you able to accept it on grace, or are you a jew in heart and need proof? How are we like Jews? How are we different as Christians? Have you ever experienced a miracle of God? How has God used you to be a blessing to others?

Thursday, July 20, 2017

July 30, 2017

Breaking Open the Scripture Scriptures for July 30, 2017: Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33; 44-52 Romans: The book of Romans contains all we need to know about giving our lives to Christ. Chapter 8 is the pivotal chapter of the whole book. In it Paul gives a framework for living on earth, but living in the spirit of Christ. There is a constant battle between the spirit and the flesh. Paul says that the key to winning that battle is to have a prayer life. So Paul gives us a framework of what it means for us to pray, even when we do not have the words. A lot of times, we do not pray because we don’t believe that God can hear us, we are cut off from our own spirits. But Paul says that God is always with us. More importantly God always wants what is best for us and will provide a way for us to achieve it. In all of Paul’s writings, you will hear him talk about living in the spirit of Christ. That is what a Christian should strive for. We will never be perfect, but as long as we are connected and living in the spirit, God will understand us and forgive our sin. When we live in the spirit, we want to do what is right, even when we do wrong. We are always striving for something better. That is the definition of being saved. The spirit takes over our mind, our body and our soul. Matthew: in this second half of Mathew 13 Jesus continues to use parables to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like. None of us have ever been to heaven, so we have no context to put it in, so Jesus uses experiences from this earthly life to help us to imagine. Jesus tell five parables – heaven is like a mustard seed because size does not matter. Yeast that rises to the top. Hidden treasure – joy unspeakable. A merchant – a treasure. A net able to catch anything. And the scribe – able to be recorded. Why would we want to go to heaven if we did not understand it? Which is why Jesus spends so much time giving examples that we can relate to. Jesus says that anyone who wants to go to heaven should become a disciple, and disciples take what is old to define what is new – making the connection is the treasure. Questions: What does it mean to you to have a relationship with the spirit? Do you think that is a challenge to live in the flesh and the spirit at the same time? How do you overcome that challenge? What is the kingdom of heaven like for you? Which metaphor is most important to you? If you were describing heaven to someone, what would you say?