Please join the whole church for what looks to be a wonderful and meaningful service at Shawnee Mission Park.
Starts at 10am
Invite a friend!
Pray for the service, the pastors, the congregation, and the visitors
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Class items for October 3, 2010
Hello!
For class on October 3 please read Romans 1:1-7
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit[a] of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please answer the following questions:
A. Who is Paul? What is his role and who put him in it?
B. What is your role? Who put you on that role in life?
C. What is the history that Paul is talking about here? Why is it important?
D. Did Christ really rise from the dead? What would that have done to you if you met someone that had died and been buried and now was alive?
E. What dies it mean that we are all apostles? Is hat true?
F. Who Are we to call and who are saints?
G. Are you a saint?
Have a great great great service at the park this Sunday!
For class on October 3 please read Romans 1:1-7
1Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4and who through the Spirit[a] of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God[b] by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through him and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.
7To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please answer the following questions:
A. Who is Paul? What is his role and who put him in it?
B. What is your role? Who put you on that role in life?
C. What is the history that Paul is talking about here? Why is it important?
D. Did Christ really rise from the dead? What would that have done to you if you met someone that had died and been buried and now was alive?
E. What dies it mean that we are all apostles? Is hat true?
F. Who Are we to call and who are saints?
G. Are you a saint?
Have a great great great service at the park this Sunday!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Notes for September 19, 2010
Hello all! I trust everyone us having a wonderful week. Please pray, if you haven't already, for the prayer requests send out earlier today.
For this week please review the following key verses for the introduction to Romans this week:
Key Verses: Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
Romans 3:9-11, “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’”
Romans 3:21, “But now a righteousness from God apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and Prophets testify.”
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:9, “You however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:37-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Romans 16:17, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
For this week please review the following key verses for the introduction to Romans this week:
Key Verses: Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of every one who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
Romans 3:9-11, “What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.’”
Romans 3:21, “But now a righteousness from God apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and Prophets testify.”
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:9, “You however, are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:37-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Romans 12:1, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.”
Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Romans 16:17, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hello Again!
Hello Everyone!
I trust you all had a most excellent summer! I am excited about this fall and our next study of Romans!
Each week we will do 3 things:
1) Questions of the week - The upcoming week's passage with a few to several questions to ponder during the week.
2) Study Handouts with WAYPOINTS - We will continue to use the 1/2 sheet 3 hole punched sheets and each class we will have a short time to go over application to the waypoints.
3) Blog Questions and Answers - Anonymously (REALLY) submit questions and we will get them answered asap!
Look forward to the fall!
Andrew
I trust you all had a most excellent summer! I am excited about this fall and our next study of Romans!
Each week we will do 3 things:
1) Questions of the week - The upcoming week's passage with a few to several questions to ponder during the week.
2) Study Handouts with WAYPOINTS - We will continue to use the 1/2 sheet 3 hole punched sheets and each class we will have a short time to go over application to the waypoints.
3) Blog Questions and Answers - Anonymously (REALLY) submit questions and we will get them answered asap!
Look forward to the fall!
Andrew
Monday, January 4, 2010
Notes and Study Items for January 10, 2010
This week we will begin in verse 1 in Galatians 1. The mission will be to complete the first 10 verses so please read the first chapter in the book 'Let Freedom Ring'. If we are not able to move through the first 10 verses in one Sunday it will spill over into the next and we will only cover through verse 10.
As we discussed in class, the study questions are provided for your edification and application. The last section, including memorization of verse 1:8 will be helpful as we discuss absolutely essential verses from Galatians to know for anyone you speak with (including your kids). We will be studying context, meaning, and application verse by verse over the next few months.
Please do pray this week for the class prayer requests, those in transit, and continued prayer for our Pastors as they prepare to examine and exegete the Word of God this week. Have a great week!
As we discussed in class, the study questions are provided for your edification and application. The last section, including memorization of verse 1:8 will be helpful as we discuss absolutely essential verses from Galatians to know for anyone you speak with (including your kids). We will be studying context, meaning, and application verse by verse over the next few months.
Please do pray this week for the class prayer requests, those in transit, and continued prayer for our Pastors as they prepare to examine and exegete the Word of God this week. Have a great week!
January 3, 2010 Notes
Here are some of the notes from yesterday.
the outline for the board:
Rules Righteousness Relationship
Law Liberty Love
The opening verse identifies the author of Galatians as the apostle Paul. Apart from a few 19th-century scholars, no one has seriously questioned his authorship.
The date of Galatians depends to a great extent on the destination of the letter. There are two main views:
1. The North Galatian theory. This older view holds that the letter was addressed to churches located in north-central Asia Minor (Pessinus, Ancyra and Tavium), where the Gauls had settled when they invaded the area in the third century b.c. It is held that Paul visited this area on his second missionary journey, though Acts contains no reference to such a visit. Galatians, it is maintained, was written between a.d. 53 and 57 from Ephesus or Macedonia.
2. The South Galatian theory. According to this view, Galatians was written to churches in the southern area of the Roman province of Galatia (Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe) that Paul had founded on his first missionary journey (see note on 1:2 ). Some believe that Galatians was written from Syrian Antioch in 48-49 after Paul’s first journey and before the Jerusalem council meeting ( Ac 15 ). Others say that Galatians was written in Syrian Antioch or Corinth between 51 and 53 (see chart, Timeline of Paul’s Life ).
Almost without exception, Biblical interpreters who have written a commentary on Galatians believe that the letter was written primarily to counteract the activities of the Judaizers in Galatia. The mischievous work of these “legal men” is described in general in the previous section on the historical background; a more specific, though brief, treatment of these “Old Testament Christians” might be useful in aiding the reader to understand more fully the contents and the theological issue of Galatians. Who was a Judaizer and why was he called thus? The term is derived from a coined Lat. word Iudaizo meaning “to be or live like a Jew.” It is a religious designation rather than a national description. Bible students have called these opponents of the early Christian missionaries Judaizers because of their fundamental belief that Gentiles should live like Jews; that is, follow the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs and traditions, when and after they became Christians. It is not that Judaizers were wicked people or that they did not have good intentions; for them the issue was a matter of principle and from God Himself. But the implications of their insistence upon Jewish ceremonial law for the young Christian Church, both theologically and socially, were volatile and divisive indeed.
The theme of Galatians is Christian freedom in terms of salvation by grace and freedom from the law as the way to salvation. In this it partakes of the objective of the great letter to the Romans. Another way of asking the major question of the letter is: What is the place of the law in Christian theology? Is Christian salvation a question of faith and works, or faith without works? No one denied that the law was given by God and that it was divine. But did the new Pauline emphasis on grace and faith wipe out the law completely? Paul’s answer is negative and his statement of the relationship between law and Gospel in the letter becomes a dominant leitmotif. The law has its place in God’s plan but it is not the old Pharisaical or legalistic approach. The law tells a man what sin is. If there is no law one cannot transgress law; and if there is no transgression against law there is no sin.
Furthermore, for Paul the law drives a man to despair and causes him to throw himself upon the grace of God in one great act of faith. The honest legalist knows from experience that he can never completely obey the law for God and that the law only condemns. Only grace and faith give true life and liberty to the total man. In this letter then, the apostle’s great theme is Christian liberty which praises the grace of God.
The Judaizers attempted to answer this question of the law and the Gospel by opting for a legalistic system. Their argument was subtle and rational. If a Jew became a Christian, naturally he must bring Judaism with him into the Christian faith. Was not the Jew there first? Was not the law from God? It was so simple. A Jew must always remain a Jew. On the other hand, if a Gentile wished to become a disciple of Christ, he had to become a Jew to qualify. Were not all of God’s promises, even of the Messiah, promised to Jews alone? Christianity, like Judaism, was for Jews only. This was a new kind of slavery, worse than the old. It also faced man with demands he could not meet and drove all love for God and man from his heart. What hopes the poor Gentiles had were dashed to pieces. Everything in the letter is gathered about the theme of freedom in the grace of God, whether it be Paul’s own biography, his altercation with Peter, the works of a Christian ( Gal 2:19-21 ), the case of Abraham, the desires of the flesh and the compulsion of the Spirit, the doctrine of love, or forgiveness ( 6:15 ). Vehemently the apostle writes against the folly of salvation by works: “All who rely on works of the law are under a curse...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” ( 3:10-13 ). In some way, each issue of the epistle has something to do with this theme.
The contents of the letter to the Galatians must compel the Christian’s personal attention. This is not just a theological or polemical essay which, like a Gr. debater, may take either side without impunity. The subject matter of this treatise of the Gospel involves every man and his eternal salvation or judgment. The news of Judaizers’ success caused great turmoil and even tempestuous anger in the apostle’s heart. He divided his wrath between the Judaizers for preaching such heresy and the Galatians for believing it. It is not only that the Galatians would lose their liberty; they would lose their God and His eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Justification by faith rather than by works must stand at all costs.
Another special feature of this great letter is that it deals directly with basic concerns of man in his relationship to God and his life on earth. It reveals the basic nature of man in that he tends to turn from truth to untruth because deception seems more delectable than truth ( 1:6-9 ); it points up the basic premise upon which man is received by God, namely the grace of God in Christ ( 2:11-21 ); it shows the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atonement for the sins of all men and the gift of salvation through His saving work ( 2:15 , 16 ); it reveals that God chooses to give His Gospel through other men whom He has called to be His ambassadors ( 2:6-10 ); it teaches the relationship between legal requirements and the gospel of freedom and human responsibility ( 2:17-21 ); it exhibits a brief but profound statement and understanding of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith ( 2:15 , 16 ); it shows a proper use and understanding of the OT ( 3:15-18 ; 4:21-31 ); it speaks in no uncertain terms about the equality of all men under God in Christ ( 3:23-29 ); the unity of the Church is emphasized repeatedly ( 5:6 ); it teaches the work of the Spirit and His power in the lives of men ( 5:6-25 ); its admonition to forgiveness is held up as a basic fruit of the Gospel ( 6:1-5 ); in short, the letter teaches the basic elements of Christianity in brief and unforgettable form.
Thanks to the NIV commentary, Glo (and associated works), The Zondervan illustrated commentary, and the lifeway book we are studying through for the above.
the outline for the board:
Rules Righteousness Relationship
Law Liberty Love
The opening verse identifies the author of Galatians as the apostle Paul. Apart from a few 19th-century scholars, no one has seriously questioned his authorship.
The date of Galatians depends to a great extent on the destination of the letter. There are two main views:
1. The North Galatian theory. This older view holds that the letter was addressed to churches located in north-central Asia Minor (Pessinus, Ancyra and Tavium), where the Gauls had settled when they invaded the area in the third century b.c. It is held that Paul visited this area on his second missionary journey, though Acts contains no reference to such a visit. Galatians, it is maintained, was written between a.d. 53 and 57 from Ephesus or Macedonia.
2. The South Galatian theory. According to this view, Galatians was written to churches in the southern area of the Roman province of Galatia (Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe) that Paul had founded on his first missionary journey (see note on 1:2 ). Some believe that Galatians was written from Syrian Antioch in 48-49 after Paul’s first journey and before the Jerusalem council meeting ( Ac 15 ). Others say that Galatians was written in Syrian Antioch or Corinth between 51 and 53 (see chart, Timeline of Paul’s Life ).
Almost without exception, Biblical interpreters who have written a commentary on Galatians believe that the letter was written primarily to counteract the activities of the Judaizers in Galatia. The mischievous work of these “legal men” is described in general in the previous section on the historical background; a more specific, though brief, treatment of these “Old Testament Christians” might be useful in aiding the reader to understand more fully the contents and the theological issue of Galatians. Who was a Judaizer and why was he called thus? The term is derived from a coined Lat. word Iudaizo meaning “to be or live like a Jew.” It is a religious designation rather than a national description. Bible students have called these opponents of the early Christian missionaries Judaizers because of their fundamental belief that Gentiles should live like Jews; that is, follow the Mosaic Law and Jewish customs and traditions, when and after they became Christians. It is not that Judaizers were wicked people or that they did not have good intentions; for them the issue was a matter of principle and from God Himself. But the implications of their insistence upon Jewish ceremonial law for the young Christian Church, both theologically and socially, were volatile and divisive indeed.
The theme of Galatians is Christian freedom in terms of salvation by grace and freedom from the law as the way to salvation. In this it partakes of the objective of the great letter to the Romans. Another way of asking the major question of the letter is: What is the place of the law in Christian theology? Is Christian salvation a question of faith and works, or faith without works? No one denied that the law was given by God and that it was divine. But did the new Pauline emphasis on grace and faith wipe out the law completely? Paul’s answer is negative and his statement of the relationship between law and Gospel in the letter becomes a dominant leitmotif. The law has its place in God’s plan but it is not the old Pharisaical or legalistic approach. The law tells a man what sin is. If there is no law one cannot transgress law; and if there is no transgression against law there is no sin.
Furthermore, for Paul the law drives a man to despair and causes him to throw himself upon the grace of God in one great act of faith. The honest legalist knows from experience that he can never completely obey the law for God and that the law only condemns. Only grace and faith give true life and liberty to the total man. In this letter then, the apostle’s great theme is Christian liberty which praises the grace of God.
The Judaizers attempted to answer this question of the law and the Gospel by opting for a legalistic system. Their argument was subtle and rational. If a Jew became a Christian, naturally he must bring Judaism with him into the Christian faith. Was not the Jew there first? Was not the law from God? It was so simple. A Jew must always remain a Jew. On the other hand, if a Gentile wished to become a disciple of Christ, he had to become a Jew to qualify. Were not all of God’s promises, even of the Messiah, promised to Jews alone? Christianity, like Judaism, was for Jews only. This was a new kind of slavery, worse than the old. It also faced man with demands he could not meet and drove all love for God and man from his heart. What hopes the poor Gentiles had were dashed to pieces. Everything in the letter is gathered about the theme of freedom in the grace of God, whether it be Paul’s own biography, his altercation with Peter, the works of a Christian ( Gal 2:19-21 ), the case of Abraham, the desires of the flesh and the compulsion of the Spirit, the doctrine of love, or forgiveness ( 6:15 ). Vehemently the apostle writes against the folly of salvation by works: “All who rely on works of the law are under a curse...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” ( 3:10-13 ). In some way, each issue of the epistle has something to do with this theme.
The contents of the letter to the Galatians must compel the Christian’s personal attention. This is not just a theological or polemical essay which, like a Gr. debater, may take either side without impunity. The subject matter of this treatise of the Gospel involves every man and his eternal salvation or judgment. The news of Judaizers’ success caused great turmoil and even tempestuous anger in the apostle’s heart. He divided his wrath between the Judaizers for preaching such heresy and the Galatians for believing it. It is not only that the Galatians would lose their liberty; they would lose their God and His eternal salvation in Jesus Christ. Justification by faith rather than by works must stand at all costs.
Another special feature of this great letter is that it deals directly with basic concerns of man in his relationship to God and his life on earth. It reveals the basic nature of man in that he tends to turn from truth to untruth because deception seems more delectable than truth ( 1:6-9 ); it points up the basic premise upon which man is received by God, namely the grace of God in Christ ( 2:11-21 ); it shows the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atonement for the sins of all men and the gift of salvation through His saving work ( 2:15 , 16 ); it reveals that God chooses to give His Gospel through other men whom He has called to be His ambassadors ( 2:6-10 ); it teaches the relationship between legal requirements and the gospel of freedom and human responsibility ( 2:17-21 ); it exhibits a brief but profound statement and understanding of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith ( 2:15 , 16 ); it shows a proper use and understanding of the OT ( 3:15-18 ; 4:21-31 ); it speaks in no uncertain terms about the equality of all men under God in Christ ( 3:23-29 ); the unity of the Church is emphasized repeatedly ( 5:6 ); it teaches the work of the Spirit and His power in the lives of men ( 5:6-25 ); its admonition to forgiveness is held up as a basic fruit of the Gospel ( 6:1-5 ); in short, the letter teaches the basic elements of Christianity in brief and unforgettable form.
Thanks to the NIV commentary, Glo (and associated works), The Zondervan illustrated commentary, and the lifeway book we are studying through for the above.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Galatians
For those of you that would like to dig deeper in Galatians here is a bibliography of material I am using for the study:
W. M. Ramsay, Saint Paul the Traveller and Roman Citizen (1898) An Historical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1900); F. Stahelin, Geschichte der Kleinasiatischen Galater (2 Auflage, 1907); W. M. Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire (1911); A. H. M. Jones, Cities of the Eastern Provinces (1937); R. A. Cole, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians (1965); E. M. Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament (1966). E. M. Blaiklock
See you on January 3rd!
W. M. Ramsay, Saint Paul the Traveller and Roman Citizen (1898) An Historical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians (1900); F. Stahelin, Geschichte der Kleinasiatischen Galater (2 Auflage, 1907); W. M. Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire (1911); A. H. M. Jones, Cities of the Eastern Provinces (1937); R. A. Cole, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians (1965); E. M. Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament (1966). E. M. Blaiklock
See you on January 3rd!
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