The Kingdom Come

This week's study looked at 1 Cor 2:6-16 through 1 Cor 3:1-23 and focused especially on 1 Cor 3:11-16 wherein we read:

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

The group discussed whether the context of 1 Cor 2:6-16 through 1 Cor 3:1-23 was about general Christians or was about Paul attempting to demonstrate that the apostles "have the mind of Christ", or inspiration. There was some talk about 1 Cor 2:15 as to what it means. Does it mean Christians can't be judged or is this Paul again asserting his authority as an apostle, which is often the theme with Paul?

While within the environs of the independent fundamental baptist denominations, an often quoted and topic-launching verse was Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

The implied contention is (at least within that denomination) that if you raise your children correctly, they will remain good, Christian persons.

Attached to this idea that you simply need to raise your child correctly are all sorts of other aspects such as; to home school or not, Christian school or not, sheltering or not.

Interestingly, some of the worst behaved children within the church structure tend to be the "pastor's kids"...at least this is what is often said. Is it the stigma and pressure of being the pastor's kid that would cause them to tend to rebel?

Further, children raised in strict Christian homes, sheltered from "the world" are often said to "go wild" later in life. If this is really true, why is this and how does it compare with what Proverbs 22:6 says?

As we know, the media often portrays Muslim or Islamic extremists as a different and minority group within the larger religion of Islam. We are told that most Muslims aren't terrorists and don't want to harm other people. We are told that "Islam is a religion of peace". And there is some truth to at least one part of these claims; most Muslims aren't terrorists, otherwise the situation would be worse. So, then why does a group of Muslims turn to terrorism? Are they merely taking an extreme, literal interpretation of the Koran?

Then, when we think of Christian extremism, is it groups like the Branch Davidians, the Jim Jones sect or other such groups? Or is it more accurate to consider groups like the Amish, Quakers, and Mennonites as the comparison to the so-called Islamic extremists. After all, the ones that are labeled extremists are those who take the actual text the most literal -- and with Islam that is the terrorists and with Christianity that is the Amish/Quakers/Mennonites and such.

Although the salvificⁱ message of Christ is not one where a person tries to be better so that they can get into heaven, there is an element where Christians are called to live God-honoring lives.

This weeks Bible study will focus on some simple proverbs that not only promise to help us live God-honoring lives, but also productive lives.

Perhaps it is best to start with Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

As we go through these proverbs, supposedly composed by Solomon, the son of David, perhaps to his children or as a general collection -- let us consider how the proverbs applied affects our daily life.

Barack Obama made the following statement:

"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable." -- source

Perhaps at face value and after decades of liberals trying to tell us the United States of America wasn't built on Christian values, Obama's stand sounds simply like a man defending the rights of his fellow Americans. But upon further consideration, we should look at the contrast of Obama telling Israel that they shouldn't build more settlements in their own territory because it would be insensitive to the surrounding Muslims.

Well, I was away from July 27, 2010 to August 8, 2010 on a vacation to Hawaii for my 20th wedding anniversary. Although it was a vacation, I'm constantly looking for how life relates to theology and theology relates to life. So, while sharing a little about the vacation, I'd also like to share some interesting theological perspectives about Hawai'i.

In Indianapolis, near where I live every summer the city hosts an event called The Indiana Black Expo (IBE). Typically, the event experiences some sort of violence but in the summer of 2010 there was a mass shooting where 9 people were injured (source). But it was the response to this situation that highlights the real trouble.

Tanya Bell, president and CEO of the IBE said a task force was being formed to examine "the root causes of youth violence" (source). Here is where there seems to be a very huge blind spot in much of the black community. When you have groups that focus on race; such as calling an event "Black Expo" or having "Black History Month", "Black Miss America", "Negro College Fund" and such then it should be clear that is seeding and perpetuating a root of bitterness (Hebrews 12:14-15) and resentment.

This week we tried something a little different in the Bible study. Instead of having a specific topic or specific verses to examine, we each took a blank piece of paper and divided it into two categories:

1. What a person must believe/accept to be "saved".
2. What a person must believe/accept to be part of the Christian community.

At first, there was a little confusion (as is to be expected) as to what the difference is between being saved and being part of the Christian community.

To keep our understanding of the Bible in order, it is important that we know the basic chronology of the main Bible figures. This week's study will focus on building a "family tree" of those main figures, patriarchs ("fathers"). See the graph below (shown in full article).