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Study Tip Tuesday: What’s on Second

Study Tip Tuesday, on Wednesday. I apologize for the delay.

Last week, we discussed the whos of a given passage. After answering all the ‘who’ questions in a passage, the next step is to move on to the ‘what’ questions. Especially when I’m teaching my kids, I make a point of asking what the verses say. Being able to answer the ‘what’ questions tells me whether or not they understood what they read. This past Sunday we studied Paul’s defense before King Agrippa. In Acts 26:4-5 what does Paul say about himself? (He was a strict Jew from his youth.) In verses 12-18 what happened? (Paul saw a vision of Jesus Christ on the way to Damascus and received a commission to preach.) What is the passage about? (Paul’s defense and story of his conversion)
You may be thinking ‘what’ point is there in asking these really simple questions? It forces you to slow down and examine the test and not just assume you know what it says.
You don’t have to stay with the easy questions. What ‘crime’ is Paul charged with? What are the main points of Paul’s defense? What changes did the gospel make in Paul’s life and purpose according to his own testimony? What changes has it made in yours?

Next week- I don’t know

Study Tip: Like what?

By Paula

Scripture contains dozens of abstract concepts and to help us understand them, the writers often use comparisons and contrasts with familiar items.

For example, Psalm 1 starts out describing how the righteous man doesn’t keep company with or follow the advice of the ungodly. Verse 3 says that he “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither…” A tree planted by a river will have a steady source of nourishment. Therefore the plant can turn its energy into producing fruit. Then when the heat and drought of summer come on, the tree will be able to survive. By comparison, the righteous man has an abundant dependable source to draw his strength from. He’s productive and he’s able to withstand hard times.

In verse 4, the psalmist says “The ungodly are not so…” We could stop right there and have a good negative comparison. The ungodly have no source outside themselves. They can’t focus on being productive because they spend all there energy getting their needs met. When hard times come, they wither. However the psalmist goes on to say they “are like the chaff which the wind drives away.” Verse 5 gives us the key to the simile. The “ungodly shall not stand in the judgment.” The chaff is the husk that must be peeled away (beaten off) to get to the kernels of wheat. The chaff can’t protest, and its powerless against the wind. The ungodly won’t be able to protest God’s pronouncement against them, and must be driven away, leaving just Him and His wheat.

One of my favorite ‘like’ comparisons is Jeremiah 17 comparing the man who trusts in man to a ratty, scrubby bush in the desert. Jesus uses these comparisons in His parables- ‘The kingdom of heaven is like…’ Paul compares believers to a physical body.

Sometimes the comparison is made without the ‘like’. Psalm 23, for example, says the Lord is my shepherd. In other places, He’s called a Rock, a stronghold, and a shield.

When you see ‘like’ (or ‘as’) or if you see another comparison, stop and list some characteristics of the item in the comparison, whether it’s a tree, a sheep, a ship, a lamp or whatever. Then see how those insights apply.

Connecting Physical and Spiritual Discipline

By Paula

: Image via Wikipedia

We are most of the way through our week of Bible school, and I have to say, it has been the least stressful VBS I can remember since I was a kid. (Not counting the VBS my brother and I came down with the chickenpox.) If you’ve prayed for me, for us during this week, thank you. God has answered in a tremendous way.

I know I’m supposed to exercise, but I don’t like it. I don’t like being sweaty. I don’t like that gasping for my next breath and I really don’t like being sore the next day. BUT… I like those really cool high-tech, moisture wicking shirts, and I love good running shoes. So I bought three of those shirts and thus obligated myself. Sigh. Last week, I started getting up early and interval training. (I call it that because I can’t run very far yet. I run til I think I might die, then I walk until I can breathe again. Rinse Repeat.)

My husband, who is a real runner, is extremely encouraging (and wise 😉 ). My goals for running are set pretty low. I just want to make it around the park, maybe twice (around a mile and a half). For me, it’s less about the fitness and more about self-discipline- the getting up and doing it part. Sure, I’d like to drop some weight, and get all those other benefits that come with exercise, but self-discipline takes practice. If I can do it here, exercising, it will be easier the next time I try it in some other area of my life. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul talks about self-discipline in relation to effective, credible ministry. Sadly, we’ve seen ministries destroyed when individuals couldn’t practice self-discipline.

The physical life often reflects the spiritual life. Jesus healed people physically as proof of His ability to heal spiritually. My ultimate goal is to translate some practiced physical self-discipline to spiritual discipline. Maybe God is honoring that desire with a less stressful VBS. Even so, I’ll be up… oh about 5:30 in the morning. I can’t quit now. Besides, I bought the shirts.

Friday Update: By Grace, Chosen to Serve

By Paula

What am I writing? I finished the draft of Contingency and submitted the summary and first chapter to a contest. The prize is having an agent look at it. I’d be happy with some positive feedback. I’ve also begun working with Amanda on plotting the next book. I’m not going to start the actual writing until next month at the earliest.

What have I learned? No online geek stuff, but I’m learning MediaShout. Our computer master at church upgraded us, so if I have hopes of getting VBS on the big screen, I need to get a handle on the software. So far it’s fairly intuitive, but I’ll be building my cues this week.

What am I reading? Captured by Grace by David Jeremiah. He intertwines the story of John Newton and his tremendous hymn with Paul’s life and writings especially from Romans. He covers what grace means for us past, present and future. I think we have a decent grasp of grace’s role in our salvation, and how it results in our eternal life, but we’re less clear on what it means for us to walk in grace each day. I never cease to be impressed/amused by Dr. Jeremiah’s knack for alliteration. His chapter titles- The Captivating Presence of Grace, The Converting Power of Grace, The Comforting Provision… The Confident Promise… The Continual Praise… and five more! The book fits well with Max Lucado’s In the Grip of Grace. Both of these make me want to go back and read The Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll.That may be my favorite book.

On a side note- we got a pool pass this year, so I envisioned reading by the pool for an hour or two a day… Thanks to a mild, wet summer, it ain’t happened. So like the addict I am, for every book I’ve read, I’ve bought 2 or 3 more and have made NO headway on my stack. Oh well, maybe next week.

What has God taught me? In 2 Chronicles 29:11 Hezekiah encourages the priests and Levites “…do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him…” The Lord has chosen me… me… chosen by God. Okay, this was not new information, but a refresher never hurts. God doesn’t just save us because it’s a nice thing to do. He saves us for a purpose, for some kingdom work of eternal significance. Nothing I do (for Him) is wasted, no matter how small it may seem to me. God says to me, “Now, do not be negligent… Don’t sit on this grace, on this calling. Fulfill all that I have for you.”

Study Tip: Break It Down

By Paula

One of my favorite things about teaching is getting to share something that might be familiar to me, but completely fresh to my listeners. It makes me stop and consider what I’m teaching, and come up with a way to interpret all the ‘jargon’. Next time you study one of your favorite verses or passages, break it down word for word. Ask yourself what the significance is of each word choice the writer used. What idea does that word convey? What difference does that word make in the rest of the passage?

Here’s an example. Yesterday, I got to break down the gospel for the kids at church camp. We used 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 as a framework.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Since we weren’t studying Paul or Corinth, I skipped the first part and concentrated on the gospel as Paul defined it.

Christ: Paul doesn’t call Him Jesus here. He wants to draw attention to His title – the chosen Son of God, born for this purpose
Died: Even though He was God, Christ allowed Himself to die a physical death
For: The reason it happened
Our: Christ’s death is sufficient for the sins of every individual person
Sins: Everything we say, do or think OR fail to say, do or think that is contrary to God’s perfection
According to the Scriptures: It is recorded, not made up and God’s reputation is staked on its absolute truth.
Buried: The fact that Jesus was buried is proof that everyone there was thoroughly convinced He was dead.
Raised the third day: Resurrection is awesome enough, but it means His death was acceptable to God as payment for sins and whoever accepts that payment to cover his or her own sins gets to raise from the dead as well, just as God promised.

Dear God, may we never get so familiar with Your word that it loses its meaning and impact in our lives. Like Your compassions and mercies, Your word never fails. It is fresh and new every morning.