OC Bereans

Gentlemen,

Once again, Dallas Willard “hits the nail on the head” with these quotes from “The Great Omission”:

“The missing note in evangelical life today is not in the first instance spirituality but rather obedience.  We have generated a variety of religion to which obedience is not regarded as essential … But I don’t understand how anyone can look ingenuously at the contents of the Scripture and say that Jesus intends anything else for us but obedience.  So my first point is simply: Life in Christ has to do with obedience to His teaching.” (pp. 44-45)

Click here for the Hebrews 11:1-7 Notes from last night’s study.

Questions still remain from the previous post that will help prepare you for next Monday’s study.  Brent will bring the dessert! … need I say more? … his reputation precedes him!  See you at 7 pm next Monday.

Continue to pray for each other!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Are you ready to get back into our study of the N.T. book of Hebrews?  Hopefully, you’ve continued your study of chapter 11, the “Faithful Hall of Fame,” even though we have not met collectively since June 27th.

Before posting additional questions for Monday’s study, I must share with you two quotes from Dallas Willard’s, “The Great Omission,” that I have been chewing on for the past couple weeks:

“You might wish to think about what your life amounts to before you die, about what kind of person you are becoming, and about whether you really would be comfortable for eternity in the presence of One whose company you have not found especially desirable for the few hours and days of your earthly existence.  And He is, after all, One who says to you now, ‘Follow me’!”  (p. 17)

“Yet it is today necessary to assert boldly and often that becoming Christ-like never occurs without intense and well-informed action on our part.  This in turn cannot be reliably sustained outside of a like-minded fellowship.  Our churches (Bible studies?) will be centers of spiritual formation only as they understand Christ-likeness and communicate it to individuals, through teaching and example, in a convincing and supportive fashion.”  (pp. 80-81)

To prepare for Monday night’s discussion (please prepare!), carefully read through the entire chapter.  The handout for Hebrews 11 is embedded in the June 24th post below.  Please review questions #4 and #5 in that post as well.  Here are additional questions to prepare you for Monday:

• Make a list of the members of this “Faithful Hall of Fame” … how many are there? … what did it take for them to get inducted?
• Look for specific “spiritual disciplines” practiced by the men and women of faith listed in vv. 4-40.
• In the midst of these stories of faith are deposited nuggets of spiritual truth.  Identify as many as possible … “take-aways” that we can apply today as well.
• What do you suppose made Abel’s sacrifice “better” than Cain’s?  (v. 4)
• What unprecedented thing happened to Enoch?  (v. 5)
• What results of faith are found in Noah’s life?  (v. 7)
• What evidences are there that Abraham was a man of faith?  (vv. 8-10)
• Did Sarah act immediately like a woman of faith?  (v. 11)
• Isaac is referred to as a “type” in v. 19 … a “type” of what or whom?

Plan to arrive by 7 pm … Bob H. is bringing a “first-time” dessert / snack!  The study will start shortly after this.

*SPECIAL NOTE:  The Gate 3 entrance to Casta del Sol will be closed Monday, due to street re-surfacing.  I will email all of you a reminder on Sunday, along with a map.

Eager to see … and hear from … all of you!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

It’s been a month since our last study, so I trust you are as eager as me to get back into Hebrews.  Click here to download a handout on Hebrews 11 where we will invest a few weeks.

To prepare for Monday night’s discussion, carefully read through the entire chapter (40 verses), with these questions in mind:

1. How is “faith” defined?
2. How many times is the word “faith” used in this chapter?
3. Can you identify any synonyms or derivatives of this word used in this chapter?
4. Identify at least half a dozen results of faith, described in this chapter.
5. Pick one of the members of this faithful “Hall of Fame” and briefly research the Old Testament account of his/her life.  Come prepared to share what you discovered.

Before we delve into our study, the seven men who participated in the Montana “Trinity Encounter” will share some of their experiences.  Plan to arrive by 7 pm for dessert so we can get the evening started.

See you Monday!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Click here for the Hebrews 10:32-39 Notes.  In addition, here is an interesting comparison between Hebrews 6 & 10 Parallels.

Last week, Scott B. articulated an insightful connection between the warnings issued in Hebrews to the various levels of sin.  Here is what he wrote as a follow-up to that discussion:

“Hebrews 2:1 warns us about drifting away, and that leads to the deadly ‘D’s’ … Drifting, Doubting, Dullness, and Disobedience.  If we lead this type of life, or fall back into this lifestyle, habits, ways and thought processes, it could bring us into deeper levels of sin.

• When ‘Drifting’ occurs – Sin is trying our best to hit the target and do right, but always slightly missing the target.
• When ‘Doubting’ occurs – Transgressions, knowing right from wrong, yet choosing to make a conscious decision to following through or do wrong.
• When we become ‘Dull’ – Iniquities rear up and our sin comes with a wicked purpose, no longer listening to God or seeking His direction or guidance.
• ‘Disobedience’ – Rebellion, not needing God, and possibly to the point of elevating ourselves above God.

Certainly there are various levels here, but my point was simply trying to share that our lack of being in the Word, praying, fasting, fellow-shipping, etc., can lead us down the road of various levels of Sin, which we all need to be very careful not to do.”

Thanks Scott! … truly good stuff to ponder between now and the next time we meet, which is not until Monday, June 27th.

In the meantime, I encourage you to keep reading through to the end of Hebrews: chapters 11, 12 and 13 … several times … questions will be posted for chapter 11 prior to when we meet again.

Remember to keep praying for each other.  Consider posting prayer requests as a comment on this blog, or email them to me, and I will forward them to all the guys via email.

Abide in the Vine!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

As advertised, tonight’s study was thought-provoking, compelling, stimulating, … and the superlatives could go on … primarily because all of you were so engaged with the Scripture, and in tune with the Holy Spirit … thanks for being such an integral part of my life!

Click here for the Hebrews 10:6-31 Notes.  In addition, invest several minutes in reading the classic sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” delivered by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741.

On a much lighter note, check out the promo video on “Flag Football” just released by Uncharted Waters Sports Ministry, featuring Jason and Nate.  Jason makes a great sliding catch of a poorly thrown pass … and I especially like the end zone dance by Nate!

We will meet next Monday night (Memorial Day), so if you are in town, and have no other family plans, join us as we finish Hebrews 10:32-39.

Remember to pray for each other the rest of this week!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

We will most likely invest two or three weeks in Hebrews 10 … these questions will help us get started:

1. The human writer of Hebrews demonstrates in vv. 1-18 that he is a proponent of the teaching maxim: “Spaced repetition is a key to learning.”  Connect various phrases, sentences, and/or verses to earlier references in Hebrews chapters 1 through 9.
2. You may already be familiar with the quote: “We are not sinners because we sin.  We sin because we are sinners.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree or disagree?  Why?
3. Define “consciousness of sins” in v. 2.
4. The O.T. sin sacrifices served not to remove sin, but to remind the people of their sin.  What do you do to remind yourself that you have sin that needs to be dealt with?
5. Why was blood such a significant part of sacrifices?
6. Unpack in your own words what it means to … “enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus”  (v. 19)
7. … “draw near with a sincere heart”  (v. 22)
8. … “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering”  (v. 23)
9. … “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds”  (v. 24)
10. How do you define “sinning willfully” (v. 26) in today’s language? … use modern-day examples.

Only half of you have voted in the poll about what to study next.  Please check out the last post, then vote … thanks!

Steve P. is bringing Monday night’s dessert, which will be served at 7 pm … see you then!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Although we still have four, content-rich chapters to go in our study of Hebrews, I want to get started with preparations for what follows after that.  Two of our veteran members have suggested to me that we are ready to study the New Testament book of Revelation.  Frankly, I have avoided this in the past, not only because it is a difficult book to understand and may prove to be controversial, but also because it will demand lots of study and preparation … not only from me.

However, it is the only book in the Bible that explicitly promises a blessing to “… he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it …”  (1:2)

If we decide to go in this direction, we will necessarily take a slight detour first … to study the Old Testament book of Daniel … the two books should be studied in tandem.

So, please cast your vote on the following poll question as soon as possible:

Thanks!

~ tr

Gentlemen,