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STT: First Corinthians

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First Corinthians is an extremely relevant book for believers trying to live in culture that is contrary and hostile to faith. A careful reading of the two epistles leads many scholars to believe that we have two out of four letters. The letter is intensely personal and Paul's pastoral heart shows through each line.
 
Here are few ideas on how to approach a study of First Corinthians.
 
The book is roughly divided into three sections:
 
  • Paul encourages unity within the church. (1:10)
  • Paul admonishes the church to deal with sin. (5:1)
  • Paul answers a series of doctrinal and practical questions. (7:1) 
 
Perhaps the easiest way to study the book is to watch for each of these topics and keep track of what Paul says about each one. The key transition words to note are "now concerning" (Your translation may use "now regarding" or some similar expression.) Occasionally, Paul uses "I do not want you to be ignorant" (or unaware).
 
Second, the book is filled with quick encouragements and instructions that are worth listing. 
 
Third, some questions to consider:
What are believers' responsibilities to God and to each other?
Do Paul's answers/statements challenge your ideas?
 
 
What is your favorite verse or passage in First Corinthians?
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STT: Acts

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Acts is the sequel to the gospel of Luke and it tells the story of the witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit. It naturally divides into two sections. In the first twelve chapters, Peter is the main character and the church is just beginning to function. Beginning with chapter thirteen, Paul takes over and missionary work dominates the rest of the narrative. Acts is a dynamic action-packed book that forms the bridge between the Gospels and the epistles and it serves as the framework upon which the remainder of the New Testament is built.
 
Some suggestions for a study Acts-
 
Character studies – If you like this type of study Acts has some great people to profile. Major characters like Peter and Paul as well as supporting folks like Stephen, Barnabas, Silas, Lydia, Cornelius all make great studies.
 
Key Words – witness, believe, baptism, resurrection, persecution. Keep track of each of these words and record your insights. I didn't realize how crucial the idea of the resurrection was until I tracked the key words.
 
Paul's travels – If you like history, geography and details, Paul's missionary journeys are worth a closer look. Note his successes and his failures and how he adapts his approach to best connect with the culture.
 
Holy Spirit – Jesus kept His promise to send another Comforter, and His presence pervades the book of Acts, empowering, strengthening and directing the believers at every juncture. As you see the mighty works accomplished in the early church, remember the Holy Spirit hasn't changed since those days.
 
 
What if your life were recorded as an account of how God moves and works? What "Acts" would you highlight?
 
 
 

 

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STT: Resolving Contradiction

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The main rule for interpreting Scripture is a simple one. 

 
Scripture never contradicts Scripture.
 
Period. If you run into an apparent contradiction, then examine your context clues to resolve it. Let's look at an example.
 
Paul says in Romans 4:5 "But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness." But then James 2:14 says, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" It looks like Paul says if you have works, you can't be saved, while James implies you can't be saved without them. 
 
I won't take the time to go through all the verses here, but I encourage you to read Romans and James to what I say. However if you take a step back and read the verses in the bigger context, you'll see that Paul and James are talking about two different things even though they use the same word.
 
(We do this too. I could say, "He even rode his bike to work." Did I mean a bicycle or a motorcycle? Without context, there's no way to tell. However, if you'd heard the sentences before, it would be easy to tell. "He's really proud of that Harley." Vs. "He's trying to save money.")
 
Back to Paul and James- reading the verses in context, you find out that Paul is talking about what folks to merit salvation rather than relying on Gods grace alone. If you aren't trying to work your way to heaven, but trust solely on God, then that faith saves.
 
James is talking about the things we do after we're saved that give evidence of that change. (Jesus uses the idea of "fruit" for the same concept.) James' point is that faith that doesn't produce anything may not be genuine faith after all.
 
Have you run into seeming contradictions? What was the resolution?
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STT: Types of Context

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Last week we introduced the idea of examining the context to interpret Scripture, specifically the words around the passage you're studying. There are a few other factors to consider.

Geographical context – Where do the events take place? Remember, the events in Scripture don't take place in modern day North America. Many times the surroundings prompt psalms or teachings. For instance, in Matthew 24, Jesus and His disciples leave the temple in Jerusalem, and the sight of that building in all its grandeur leads Jesus to remark that not one of the stones from that magnificent building will be left on top of another. He then explains the framework for the destruction of the city and His own second coming. All that teaching occurs in the geographical context of Herod's temple.

Historical context – When do the events take place? The Bible spans hundreds of years of history. Things were different for Abraham than they were for Paul. Both are very different from our own perspective. Keep in mind the numerous scientific discoveries that hadn't been made yet, and still, the Biblical writers understood things like the water cycle (Job 36:27) and weather (Matthew 16), genetics (Genesis 30), prenatal development (Psalm 139). Things like representative democracy, quick travel and communication didn't exist.

Cultural context – How did the events fit into the larger scheme? In Biblical societies, slavery was commonplace. There was no opportunity to work hard and make a better life for yourself. If you were born poor, you'd die that way. Marriages happened under vastly different circumstances. Sickness likely meant death. The threat of invasion was an ever-present reality.

 

While God's word is relevant and applicable to us today, keep in mind the unique time and place in which it was written.

 

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STT: Just the Facts

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Sherlock Holmes wannabeAs you study, you run into them- genealogy lists, temple building instructions, missionary journey travel logs. What can you possibly take away from them if you're not into details? Here are some new perspectives on some of these more tedious (boring) sections of Scripture.

Genealogy and Census records- God uses ordinary people to accomplish His purposes. He knows each one, their history and their background, just as He knows ours, and in grace, He not only includes us in His work, but He records that for all eternity. Your name may not be written in Scripture, but it's recorded in God's ledgers. (1 Corinthians 1:26 …not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.)

Lists of offerings- In Numbers 7, for example, there is a huge list of the offerings each tribe brought as the tabernacle system was instituted. It's repetitive, and I often wondered why we couldn't have a much shorter chapter- "Each of the leaders brought …" But what's boring for us, God never tires of. He delights in EVERY offering, EVERY act of worship. It never gets old. If He accepts our worship with such intense delight, shouldn't that change how we offer it?

Temple-building instructions- You find these in Exodus for the tabernacle, in 1 Kings for the first temple and in the last chapters of Ezekiel for the millenial temple. Then there's wall-building in Nehemiah. I admit, those last chapters of Ezekiel are tough to wade through. Why does God do that to us? Just to kill our read-thru the Bible plans? No. Part of it goes back to the point I made about offering and God's delight in our worship. However, it also shows God's care and attention to detail. He has a right way that He wants things done. When we undertake something for God, it must be done His way and not ours. However, more significant than this, the temple and tabernacle represented God's physical presence with His people. When we see the cumbersome requirements that must be met before we can approach a holy God, we get a much greater appreciation for the what Christ's redemptive work did for us.

Missionary logs- If you're not into first century Mediterranean geography, wouldn't it be just as easy to say "Paul made a lot of stops." Yes, but we'd miss some insights, such as God has a plan. The places Paul went were not the only cities around, but they were ones God wanted Paul to go to. There are plenty on ministries around doing good work, but we can't work at all of them. God has a place for us, a route He wants us to take. Those other cities, other ministries- He's got somebody lined up for them.

Now when you read Scripture and hit some details that are … well, boring, take a minute before your eyes glaze over, and ask God why He wanted all that stuff in His word. What can you take away from it? You'll find out GOD is in the details.

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