Bible Discussion — Acts 8

09/10/2008, 1:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com heads on to the next chapter of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1 | 2 | 3-4 | 5 | 6-7

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
An expanded translation of Saul\’s participation in the martyrdom of Stephen says, “And Saul was together with the others approving of his death, taking pleasure in his death, and applauding it.” This chapter gives us a glimpse of the rest of his short career persecuting the church of God.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
Advertising was kind of lame ’round the turn of the AD, no? Simon says he’s “someone great,” fires off a few magic tricks, and suddenly the crowd is all, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power!” Imagine how scruffy old David Blaine could have done back then.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
David: Make Havoc
Steve: Someone Great
Josh: Havoc

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 6-7

09/3/2008, 1:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com progresses to the next two chapters of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1 | 2 | 3-4 | 5

 
INTRODUCTION:
Connie:
Believers continued to be made in staggering numbers until there was just too much daily work for the apostles to handle. When it became overwhelming they took a page from Moses and started to raise up new leadership. These two chapters tell the story of the leader of those leaders, Stephen, namesake of our own fearless leader here at Bweinh…

David:
There\’s trouble in paradise, as the Jewish converts who accepted Greek customs begin to feel discriminated against by the conservative Jewish Christians. The disciples call “the multitude” together, leaving the selection process of deacons to the body, while ordination rests (literally) in the hands of the Apostles.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
Stephen refers to those who sold Joseph as “the patriarchs” (7:9) — which they were, but it’s certainly not how I think of Joseph’s brothers in that story.

Chloe:
It was as if the men of the Sanhedrin were literally blind. They saw that Stephen\’s face was like that of an angel (6:15), and yet it had absolutely no impact on them.

Steve:
Stephen’s sermon was rhetorically brilliant in a few ways, but I noticed this time the way that he subtly and repeatedly identifies himself with his accusers. “Our father Abraham,” “our people,” “our fathers.” It makes me wonder if he would have been released, had he not chosen to twist the knife with his last three verses.

Connie:
As in all things, there are some jobs no one wants to do…or at least ones that sometimes get neglected. And there were seven men chosen, including Stephen, but I bet no one remembers the names of more than two of them…

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Stoning Stephen
David: Three Score and Fifteen Souls
Chloe: This Fellow
Steve: Proselyte
Connie: The Patriarchs

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 5

08/27/2008, 1:00 pm -- by | 3 Comments

This week, Bweinh.com progresses to the next chapter of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1 | 2 | 3-4

 
INTRODUCTION:
Steve:
Much like Mike refers to in his reprinted article today, this time in the growth of the early church was dangerous — and exciting. The disciples had just seen with their own eyes the powerful example of the only One worth giving their lives for, and they were prepared to take whatever risks were necessary to tell the world.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
David:
For the first time I began to think about the motives of Ananias and Sapphira. Why sell the land, keep back part of the price — then give the rest to the church? How does the song go? “Say a prayer but let the good times roll — in case God doesn’t show.”

What if this doesn\’t work out? What if I don\’t love God’s people, or they don\’t love me? I need something to fall back on. Maybe this was not about the couple’s greed as much as it was being unwilling to sell out completely and throw their lot in with God’s people.

Maybe it\’s less about money and more about keeping your options open.

Chloe:
Perhaps this is an obvious point I\’ve just failed to notice, but I find it very interesting that the passage does not say that anyone killed Ananias and Sapphira. They simply fell down and died.

Steve:
Gamaliel’s argument is a little odd. He gave examples of two men who tried to lead revolts and were killed as a result — I’m not sure why the other members of the Sanhedrin didn’t just say, “Uh, yeah, why don’t we kill these guys too?”

Connie:
When Gamaliel gave his advice about leaving the apostles alone to see how things would work out in the long run, he mentioned Judas of Galilee from the days of the census, as an example of someone who amounted to nothing.

Did anyone else just automatically change that to Jesus of Galilee, keep reading, then say, “Hey, wait, what did he just say? Who the blinkers is Judas of Galilee?” To which Gamaliel would’ve replied: “Exactly!”

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Chloe: Fallen Shadow
Steve: Colonnade
David: Healing Shadow
Josh: Jailbreak
Connie: Peter’s Shadow

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 3-4

08/21/2008, 9:30 am -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the next two chapters of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1 | 2

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
God pours out His Holy Spirit, and a “notable miracle” happens. By the end of chapter 4, the disciples were asking for miracles to continue to accompany the preaching of the Gospel to the unsaved world as signs and wonders.

Too many Christians today doubt that miracles occur — because they want to use them to entertain the church. That is not what signs and wonders were designed for. Go out and preach to the lost, begin to pray for miracles, and I guarantee you will see them.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Steve:
It was after Peter’s sermon that the rulers, elders, and teachers came to realize that he and John were “unschooled, ordinary men.” Guess they didn’t like the message.

Connie:
Either the 5000 conversions came as Peter and John were being arrested, or the passage mentions that they were arrested, and then throws in the 5000 conversions as an afterthought. The Sadducees and government officials were lucky those 5000 didn’t turn on them when they took Peter and John away.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Unschooled
David: Manifest
Steve: Annas and the Sanhedrin
Connie: Nation’s Rage

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 2

08/13/2008, 6:00 pm -- by | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the second chapter of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1

 
INTRODUCTION:
Connie:
I think the day started out the same as quite a few others the apostles had been having, but something was different in the heavenlies — and suddenly, something was quite different in the Upper room… then throughout Jerusalem… until the whole world was different.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
“…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

These verses to me seem a fitting response to those who believe the full power of the Holy Spirit was only available to those present at Pentecost.

Erin:
Peter used a great excuse for the Apostles to not be drunk: “It\’s only nine in the morning!”

Connie:
There must be a difference between old wine and new wine?

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Drunk in the Morning
Erin: Phrygia and Pamphylia
Steve: Fear Came
Chloe: Blood Moon

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Acts 1

08/6/2008, 9:00 pm -- by | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com begins discussing a new book: the first chapter of Acts!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Matthew, Mark and John offer valuable Gospel narratives, but only Luke follows it up with a second volume that goes beyond what “Jesus began both to do and teach,” recording the Acts of the Apostles who founded the Christian church.

Connie:
Background and preparation is what this chapter is all about. And just in case you thought we were done with gambling, we have another round of casting lots in order to determine the new 12th disciple.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
David:
I saw anew the naiveté of the disciples who wanted to jump to the conclusion immediately — thinking the conclusion was restoration of the kingdom to Israel (v. 6). They didn\’t have a clue what was coming.

Steve:
Already the disciples had expanded tenfold — with another drastic expansion on the horizon.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Vacancy
Connie: Akel Dama
David: The Promise
Steve: By the Mouth

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Esther 9-10

07/30/2008, 1:00 pm -- by | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com finishes our discussion of Esther by addressing its last two chapters!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time “to gather stones together and a time to cast stones away,” meaning a time to commemorate events and a time to let things slip away into obscurity and be forgotten. This great deliverance of the Jews is to be commemorated and celebrated forever.

Connie:
It’s showtime. All the preparations were made to the best of everyone’s ability, but the actual battles still had to be fought.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Chloe:
It says repeatedly that the Jews did not lay hands on the plunder of the men they killed. This harks back to Deuteronomy, when God told the Israelites to destroy the towns of the people living in Canaan, taking no plunder so that they might remain ceremoniously clean. In other words, what the Jews committed in Esther was not a massacre, but a holy cleansing.

Connie:
Just like in the other battles the Jews had waged, part of the victory was in the reaction of the enemy to God’s movement on their behalf. 9:3 says that the Jews were helped by government officials during these battles, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

David:
The king’s garrisons in each province helped the Jews.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Can’t Touch Plunder
Connie: Casting Pur
Chloe: Distant Shore
David: The 10 Sons of Haman

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Esther 6-8

07/16/2008, 12:00 pm -- by | 7 Comments

This week, Bweinh.com continues in Esther by discussing the next three chapters!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
When God begins to deliver His people, it all starts with a King having a sleepless night, courtesy of the King of Kings, the One who watches Israel, who never slumbers nor sleeps.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
I don\’t think I\’d noticed that the honoring of Mordecai came after the edict to destroy the Jews. Did the king just not read the edict, or was he really that impulsive?

Connie:
At the end of chapter 8, many of the people of the land became Jews because fear of the Jews fell upon them. This was the only way to salvation at the time, so this was not just a plan to save Esther’s people, but also their friends and neighbors. This is what we’re supposed to be doing now as well.

Steve:
This whole situation came about because of the king’s insomnia, and his desire to be put to sleep by a happy story from his archives. How would God have worked deliverance had Unisom been available?

David:
When the decree went out to reverse the fortunes of the Jews, many of the other inhabitants of the empire suddenly became Jews. Can they do that?

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: King’s Delight
Chloe: Rather Than Me
Steve: Royal Crest
Connie: Harbonah’s Irony
David: Big Thana

Continued here!

Bible Discussion: Esther 3-5

07/2/2008, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com continues in Esther by discussing the next three chapters!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
The scene is now set for the clash between God\’s people and the reigning world power. All we need to set it off is an arrogant prime minister and an uncompromising man of God.

Connie:
The newlyweds begin their happily-ever-after — but wait, there\’s an evil ambitious madman threatening to wreck their future! Why hasn\’t Disney gotten to this yet?

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
David:
I just noticed, or perhaps re-noticed, that Mordecai\’s refusal to bow to Haman leads to the decree to kill all the Jews. The Bible says the upright contend with the wicked just by keeping the Law; this is the proof.

Connie:
I guess that Mordecai sort of caused all the trouble in the first place by telling his friends at the gate that he was Jewish — after swearing Esther to secrecy. He\’d already told everyone she was his daughter, so whether he told or she told, either way, the cat was out of the bag.

Chloe:
3:15 says that the city of Susa was bewildered, but it doesn\’t say why.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
David: Nisan
Connie: Haman’s Conspiracy
Steve: Hammedatha

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Esther 1-2

06/25/2008, 12:30 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com starts a brand new book by discussing the first two chapters of Esther!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
The Greek word “diaspora,” used to describe the scattering of the Jews in the Old Testament, carries with it the idea of being sown like seeds. Here is a wonderful example of God powerfully using two of his people who were carefully planted in the right place while in captivity.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
Esther was really Mordecai\’s cousin, not his niece, which made me wonder why he didn\’t marry her. I mean, Jewish law was weird that way anyway”¦

Erin:
Mordecai and Hadassah (Esther) were of the tribe of Benjamin, the youngest brother of the twelve. Once again, God uses the least to bring about salvation.

Chloe:
The men believed it would only take one action of the queen to cause a rebellion throughout the nation.

Josh:
When I heard the story as a kid, I always pictured some kind of beauty contest with everyone assembled, lasting maybe a day or two. I didn\’t realize it was more of a private audition, stretched out over years. A 12-month beauty treatment?!

David:
The feast at the beginning of the book was in the third year of the King\’s reign, but Esther didn\’t appear before him until his seventh year.

Kaitlin:
Xerxes\’ palace is described in ornate detail, from the colors of the curtains to the “mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble.”

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Kings of Babylon
Steve: The Word of Memucan; Seven Eunuchs
Connie: Thus Prepared
Erin: India to Cush
Chloe: Vashti
David: Hegai, Keeper of The Women

Continued here!

Bible Discussion: Luke 24

06/4/2008, 2:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 24.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23

 
INTRODUCTION:
Connie:
The night is over — the Promise has dawned. It is merely waiting to be experienced, saints.

David:
This chapter is the only explanation the priests and Pharisees got concerning the bold change in Peter and the other apostles, seen in Luke\’s next treatise (Acts). Seeing Jesus risen from the dead, and having the Scriptures opened to them, changed everything — including the world. Soon they would be known as the men “who have turned the world upside down.”

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
It took the entire day for the disciples to believe/understand/experience the Resurrection. It was dinner time for most of them. We emphasize Easter as the dawn, which it was for the women, maybe — but not for the majority of His followers.

Chloe:
The disciples were more inclined to believe they saw a ghost than to believe Jesus had told the truth about rising on the third day.

Steve:
Jesus urged the disciples to “handle Him” to assuage their doubts!

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Flesh and Bones
Connie: What Things?
Steve: Suffer and Rise
David: Threescore Furlongs

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 23

05/28/2008, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 23.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22

 
INTRODUCTION:
Steve:
Jesus is brought before the rulers of the area, who rightfully find no fault in Him. But at the insistence of the religious leaders, and the crowds they whip into a frenzy, He is beaten, mocked, ridiculed, whipped, and brutally murdered. Yet at all times He responds with love. With forgiveness.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
Verse 11 says that Herod (contemptuously) gave Jesus a beautiful robe while mocking Him, then sent Him away. In John’s Gospel, He still had it on the way to the cross. I wonder if that’s part of what the soldiers drew lots over in v.34. All I remember from John is a tunic with one seam, but it does say there were four parts — enough for four men.

Chloe:
Verse 56 says of the women preparing the burial spices and perfumes, “But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” Just thought it was interesting.

Josh:
Jesus’ words in v.43 — “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” — are often used in the debate over whether we go straight to heaven when we die, or lie in some dormant state until the resurrection.

I don\’t care much one way or the other, but what I hadn\’t even thought of until this reading is that Christ himself wasn\’t even going to paradise that day. He had some other stops to make first.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Give Us Barabbas
Chloe: Subversive Nation
Chloe; Connie: Barabbas
Josh: Cover Us!

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 22

05/21/2008, 8:00 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 22.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Here Jesus says farewell to His puzzled disciples and faces arrest and trial before giving Himself for the sin of this world.

Steve:
The Last Supper and Christ’s prayer in the garden. Fascinating and compelling narrative that takes us back two millennia to personally witness the agony that brought our peace.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
Verse 36, where Jesus tells His disciples to buy swords, seems a bit troubling, like an endorsement of violence. But one minute after telling them all to get a sword, He told them that two were enough for the whole group (v. 38). Then, when they actually used one — a mere flesh wound — He immediately stopped them and healed the man (vv. 50-51). In this context, Jesus\’ words seem more of a warning to be prepared for strife, because the real battle is finally coming.

David:
Even at the last supper, while Jesus discussed his death, the disciples were still carrying on the argument from the start of their trip: who would be the greatest after Jesus was gone.

Steve:
Verse 18 explains some of that confusion about the current generation not passing away until the Kingdom of God came — Jesus here seems to be explicitly referring to His resurrection.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Treacherous Kiss, Hour of Darkness
David: Perverting the Nations
Steve: Fervent, Stone’s Throw

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 21

05/14/2008, 12:30 pm -- by | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 21.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Starting in 20:46 and carrying through to verse 6 here, Jesus dealt with the wrong attitudes people had about ‘mammon,’ and the things of this world. Pharisees playing at religion for profit, a widow’s gift of a penny worth more than the overflowing bags of the wealthy, and his disciples’ inordinate affection for the beauty of the Temple building. None of it mattered — especially in the face of what is coming to pass, God\’s judgment on the earth.

Mike:
Jesus encourages His disciples to be ready for the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God.

Steve:
This passage seems to me to be directed not only to the disciples, but also to those who would read it throughout the ages, wondering about the signs that would foretell the return of Christ. The advice Jesus gave is just as valuable now as it was then. Do not be frightened when you hear of wars and revolutions, destruction and pestilence, for it will come in God’s time, just as it did on a smaller scale in the years following His ascension. And meanwhile, Jerusalem will be “trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
“. . . and they will put some of you to death . . . but not a hair of your head shall be lost.”

I assume the second statement refers to spiritual salvation, since a cure for baldness would offer little comfort after hearing that your own mother was going to kill you.

Connie:
v.19 — “By your patience possess your souls.”

Mike:
How Jesus leads into the coming-of-the-Kingdom story with the jarring image of the Temple being destroyed ”” how powerful and unsettling that must have been to the original hearers!

Steve:
Jesus compared the day of His return to a closing trap, but not just toward the unrighteous — toward those who believed, yet let their hearts become “weighed down” with the things of the world.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Mike: Flee to the Mountains
Josh: Another Fig Tree
David: onestone
Steve: Delayed End
Connie: Trampled by Gentiles

Continued here!

Best of Bweinh! — Genesis 1-4

05/7/2008, 12:00 pm -- by | No Comments

Every Wednesday, we discuss a passage from the Bible, and this week, we reprint our very first — Genesis chapters 1 through 4.

 
INTRODUCTION:
Steve:
It seems there’s a widening dichotomy these days between those who read the opening to Genesis as a scientific textbook, and those who see it as an ancient creation myth, on par with the claim that Earth rides on the back of a giant turtle.

I stake a claim between those two positions, believing wholeheartedly in the divine creation of the universe as told in Genesis, while remaining largely unconcerned about specific details undefined by the text. This story was not meant to answer all the scientific and philosophical questions surrounding the origin of the world; if it had been, it would have befuddled all its readers, ancient and modern. What it tells us is enough, and what it tells us is not only perfectly compatible with the discoveries of science, but God’s simple and singular command for light to ‘be’ seems more and more apt as the Big Bang is explained theoretically.

Job:
I’ve always wondered if this springboard to the Bible, these first four chapters, is where most people in their darkest hour flip – having turned to God in anger, frustration, pain or confusion. Subsequently, I’ve always wished that the Gideons would put their “recommended reading” page right between the first and second chapters. An ambush of sorts.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Djere:
2:23 is in poetic form. It’s more than just a quote, Adam notices Eve and just casually says what he does, but he says it in the poetic form.

Tom:
1:11 notes that plants came before animals, an evolutionarily sound idea.

Job:
In the first verse of chapter 3, the serpent is described as being more crafty than any of the wild animals God had made. Am I to think then that God made domesticated animals alongside them for provisional purposes, implying the known need for future sacrifice?

Josh J:
One theory of The Fall is that eating the forbidden fruit represents Adam and Eve discovering their sexuality. The Scriptures rule out this possibility: 1:28 contains a command to “be fruitful and increase in number.” Since there’s only one way, by God’s own design, to accomplish this, human sexuality is actually God-ordained.

Steve:
Some complain the first two chapters of Genesis are incompatible, that the Biblical creation account can’t be true because it’s self-contradictory. But re-reading these chapters, I see it more like the classic structure of a sermon, essay or speech — start off with an overview, then zoom in on the particular point you want to make. The retelling of the creation of man gives more details, not contradictory ones, and it explains a lot.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Tom, Djere: Bdellium
Steve: Tunics of Skin
Job: Vengeance Seven Times Over
Josh J: Surface of the Deep

  Continued here!

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