Bible Discussion — Esther 6-8

07/16/2008, 12:00 pm -- by Bweinh | 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 1-2

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

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

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 Bweinh | 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 Bweinh | 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 Bweinh | 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!

One Hundred Words (2)

05/16/2008, 9:00 am -- by Josh J | No Comments

In the spirit of Proverbs 10:19, our newest regular feature will be a series of posts of 100 words — or fewer. Comments under ten words!

My favorite new ad campaign is Quizno’s response to Subway’s haunting “Five Dollar Footlong.” The ads consist of people eyeing a five dollar bill before eagerly devouring it. The visual is quite hilarious, but my favorite part is the words on the bottom of the screen:

“Dramatization. Do not attempt.”

Really??? Have we gotten to the point where we have to tell people we’re just kidding and they shouldn’t eat their money? Of course, if someone wasn’t warned, and did try it, and (of course) then sued, well, at least we’d have no problem quantifying the loss.

–JDJ

Bible Discussion — Luke 21

05/14/2008, 12:30 pm -- by Bweinh | 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 Bweinh | 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!

Bible Discussion — Luke 20

04/30/2008, 4:00 pm -- by Bweinh | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 20.

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

INTRODUCTION:
David:
Authority, and how we respond to it, is the main theme of this chapter. After the Jews ask Jesus where He got his authority, He traps them by promising an answer if they can answer a question of His: “Where did John\’s authority come from?”

Ah, but they could not answer because, in reality, they had no interest in whether Jesus — or John — had real authority; they just cared about how long they could avoid submission to it while not angering the crowds who believed. There is the crux in life: if you believe in God, live out that belief. If you don\’t, say so.

But not us; like hypocrites, we stay in the miserable middle ground, claiming to still search for an answer, waiting for the weather to change, while our opportunity to obey, or identify with God, disappears.

Connie:
These are a few different examples where Jesus was teaching the people and the religious teachers of the day threw Him questions to try to trip Him up and accuse Him of “crimes,” or perhaps make Him look foolish. It usually had the opposite effect.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
On at least one occasion, the chief priests and teachers of the law sent spies to ask Jesus one of their trick questions instead of doing it themselves (vv. 20-21). Good idea, guys! Make sure they preface the question with a compliment about His teaching to reel Him in. He\’ll never see through that one.

Connie:
In verse 39, after the seven brothers question (which I think the Broadway musical was based on), “some” of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” And it says they stopped asking questions after that. Could it be that those “some” were won over, not just tired of the game?

Steve:
Jesus doesn’t just say that God is the God of the living — He says that, to Him, “all are alive.” What does this suggest about our conception of the afterlife?

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Enemy Footstool
David: Lord of the Vineyard
Connie: Cornerstone
Steve: Empty Hand

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 19

04/23/2008, 1:00 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 19.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
Here, Jesus sensed the errant thoughts of the disciples concerning His rule on earth, and tried to let them down easy. “There was this guy, and he was going to receive a kingdom, but to do it he had to leave for a while and go to another country far, far, far away”¦”

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
Luke\’s telling of the parable of the ten minas is different than I realized. There were ten servants who received a mina, although only three report upon the master\’s return.

Chloe:
God likes short people better?!

Steve:
The people on the side of the road during Christ’s entry into Jerusalem were described as “the whole crowd of disciples.” I wonder how many people that included.

David:
Not this time, but another time, I noticed that this is actually the second time that Jesus cleansed the Temple. He did it at the beginning of his ministry too, the first time he ever visited Jerusalem.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Chloe: Muttering Sin
Josh: Five More; Stones Cry Out
Steve: Ten More Mina

Continued here!

Clash of the Titans LXXX: Short-Term Mission Trips

04/22/2008, 12:00 pm -- by Bweinh | 3 Comments

In this corner, opposing short-term missions, is Job!

And in this corner, in favor of the trips, is Josh!

Dear _______ ,

Hi! Some of you are my family, some of you know me from church, and some of you are friends of my parents, whom I assume must have some money. Don\’t you just love the Northeast this time of year? Or whatever part of the country you might live in? I just love it when the snow melts and the growing grass seems to scream, “Time for a short-term mission trip!”

That\’s right — while our youth group leader isn\’t sure yet where he feels “led” to take the youth group on our annual summer mission trip to any non-American place that\’ll have us, we\’ve been told to raise $3000 anyway. So I\’m writing you! Won\’t you please donate $100 so I can spend a day traveling to Honduras or somewhere, a day to recover from jet lag, four days to hammer away on a roof or something, another day to sight-see, and then a day flying home?

I\’ll take pictures!

While I am already knee-deep in college planning and other social trappings that will ensure a life lived here in the States, I think it best not to invest myself completely in a summer job that will expose me (and the Gospel) to my unbelieving contemporaries. Instead, I want to spend a week or two struggling with the language somewhere visually stunning and, quite possibly, way more Christian than my own country! Viva wherever!

I\’ll be going with 20-25 other young people and in addition to our iPods, we’ll also be taking our petty dramas and romances. Yeah, Shannon is going but she\’s being really weird lately. We, like, never play foosball anymore on Wednesday nights. I think Tyler may have told her how I kissed Esther. OMG! Hopefully we can work it out over a pile of rubbish.

Look, it\’s just $100, but it’ll look like a million bucks on a college application. So whaddya say?

What’s that? I live mere miles from inner cities choked with poverty and crime, places where Satan has laid easy claim? I have friends in school who don\’t even know I\’m a Christian? (My art teacher does — she goes to my church!) My understanding of theological matters is at best elementary, while my concept of missions will soon be forever shaped by gross excess and lack of commitment, in an appallingly poor nation we will leave to flap in the wind? And — worst of all — I only stand to (maybe) accomplish temporary physical gain, while learning to accept that as reasonable proxy for the eternal and spiritual?

Well… How ’bout $50 then?

My first question when I received this assignment was how exactly we were defining short-term mission trips. Since Job was involved, I should have known the answer would be “narrowly and cynically.”

So, if the question is whether I think it’s a good idea to take weeklong trips, masquerading as vacations, to areas so distant as to be a financial burden, by large groups of people with questionable spiritual maturity, then I guess not. But what we’re looking at here is an error in execution, not a wholesale indictment of short-term missions.

Let me start by conceding that I don’t believe ministry is ideally accomplished in the short term, that it takes commitment and often immersion to make real Gospel connections. But many people have ministries almost entirely defined by the short term, including the apostle Paul, and — in a way — Job’s own pope-whuppin’ hero, Billy Graham. One man plants, another waters, you know the drill.

And who said a missions trip has to be to the other side of the world? Job correctly recognizes that there are fields to be harvested right in our backyard, and yet he still frames this debate in caricature. Having personally led student-based mission teams all over the northeast United States, I can assure you that not every effort fits that mold.

Ultimately, I think short-term missions should have a few goals in mind. Energizing existing ministries with extra manpower and new perspective is obvious. So is the idea of encouraging both the visiting team and the host church, by shrinking the world and expanding the body of believers.

But what is also okay is to concede that sometimes the visitors will be the ones most blessed and convicted, challenged to go back boldly to the need at home, while not forgetting the world of need they’ve witnessed firsthand.

You might even be able to get that all done in a week.

What did you do with your spring break?

{democracy:237}

Bible Discussion — Luke 18

04/16/2008, 1:00 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next two chapters of Luke, Luke 18.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
In this chapter God uses a story about an unjust judge to make two points. One, men ought always to pray and not faint. Two, there will be times in your life when the God who loves you so much will appear disinterested in you and your problems, but that is never true. When this happens, refer to point one.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
In John’s telling of the Bartimaeus story, he says he wants to regain his sight. Matthew reports that there were two blind men, and they asked Jesus to receive their sight. I keyed in on the word regain, because I think that sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have until we lose it. We need to stop that behavior, saints.

Chloe:
I never noticed that little phrase in verse 7 — “cry out to Him day and night.” Jesus isn\’t talking about any prayer. He\’s talking about prayers with depths of emotion and need. It\’s a promise, but not the promise we may like to interpret it as.

Steve:
Jesus made the blind man ask for his sight (as Josh mentions below in a great illustration).

David:
Infants were being blessed, but not baptized — something Protestants still do today.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Flog
Josh: Tax Men
Josh, Connie: Scourge[d]
David: How Hardly; Sorrowful Rich

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 16 and 17

04/9/2008, 1:00 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next two chapters of Luke, Luke 16-17.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
Chapter 16 starts with one of the more difficult parables, so let\’s simplify it. Parable comes from two Greek words: para (alongside) and ballew (to throw). In a parable, God throws something beyond our experience from His kingdom alongside something we do understand, for perspective. It\’s like photographing the latest microchip next to a dime as a reference point.

What is being compared here? In v. 9: how the wicked know enough to use wealth to furnish themselves with a comfortable future, a lesson we need to learn. Jesus goes on to stress that dishonesty (vv. 10-12) is undesirable in a Christian and thus is not the point of the story. Instead, He illustrates it in vv. 19-30, where a rich man passes up an opportunity to use his wealth to assure himself a better place in eternity, and is punished for it.

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
In v. 5, the apostles begin a request to Jesus with the words, “Increase our faith.”

Reaaalllly?

Oh no they di’in’t!

But they did. I wouldn’t have had the nerve. I just would’ve shut up and hoped to have increased my own faith.

David:
That the dishonest steward is called a “rascal” in the NLT.

Steve:
The Pharisees, described as lovers of money, “sneered” at Jesus after he spoke of its incompatibility as a dual master with God. What does He know?, they probably thought. What could a poor itinerant teaching carpenter understand of the blessings God has entrusted to us? And then, just as now, Christ put the lie to their implicit boast that wealth and success were signs of God’s favor.

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Steve: Roof
Josh: One or The Other
Connie: One Tittle
David: Rascal

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 14 and 15

04/2/2008, 12:30 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next two chapters of Luke, Luke 14-15.

INTRODUCTION:
David:
The contrast between these two chapters is noteworthy. In ch. 14, Jesus addresses scribes and Pharisees during a social event at a chief Pharisee’s house, and rebukes the guests (v. 7), the host (v. 12), and the entire nation of Israel (vv. 16-24), while challenging their commitment to follow Him.

In ch. 15, He addresses publicans and sinners, and it\’s all about how anxious God is to have them saved, how happy that salvation makes heaven (v. 10), and how happy it should make the rest of us (v. 32).

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
After the man finds his lost sheep, he calls together his friends AND neighbors, and has a party to celebrate. I know it’s a metaphor for the lost sinner, but it made me wonder what all those people will eat during this party? Hopefully not all of his other sheep, hmm?

Chloe:
The father gives the lost son the best robe, a ring, and a party with a fattened calf for the meal. But what never occurred to me before is that since the lost son took his inheritance, the father is using what is rightfully the good son\’s to supply this party. I can see why he\’s sore about it.

Erin:
Peace is always an option instead of war, even when two armies are getting ready to fight (14:31-33).

Josh:
Jesus preempts the Pharisaical protests to healing on the Sabbath by asking them if it’s okay in advance (14:3).

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: The Other Son
Chloe: Famine
David: Lost Coin
Steve: Dropsy; Pig Pods
Connie: Bread Enough
Erin: Five Yoke of Oxen

Continued here!

Bible Discussion — Luke 13

03/26/2008, 1:00 pm -- by Bweinh | No Comments

This week, Bweinh.com looks at the next chapter of Luke, Luke 13.

INTRODUCTION:
Connie:
The red words continue to abound in this chapter, although this time they include some warnings we should heed…

David:
This section starts with two narratives showing the wrong and right attitudes about judgment. In the first one, people gloated about God\’s judgment falling on others, and Jesus rebuked them. He followed that up with a story about a man interposing himself to save a tree from judgment, saying, “Wait! Give me some more time! Maybe I can turn this around!”

SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Connie:
Galilean blood was shed as a sacrifice by Pilate (v. 1). Was that to get back at Jesus through His countrymen?

Steve:
Pharisees came and warned Jesus that Herod wanted him dead.

David:
Many will seek to enter by the straight gate, but won’t be able to.

Josh:
In this passage, the synagogue ruler does not directly rebuke Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, but rather the people, for coming to be healed on that day.

At any rate, based on the description provided here — merely a touch and a word — it\’s hard to fathom how anyone could consider this healing “work.”

BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Fallen Tower; Gathering Brood
David: DIG IT/DUNG IT
Steve: Ox or Donkey
Connie: Fruit on the Fig
Chloe: Third Day (shhh, don’t tell anyone, but it really is one!)

Continued here!

« Previous Page — Next Page »