Summer Plans and Schedule

Hello Men. For the summer we are going to take a break from meeting every other week and will only be meeting the 1st Thursday  of the Month. During these summer meetings it will be more of a emphasis on fellowship, so we will have dinner at each and will be meeting a one of the men's houses. We will plan on having discussions around a fire. This summer we will be discussing a chapter each time from "The Scriptures Testify About Me," So read ahead of time. Below is the schedule and the place of meeting we will be at. See the coming email each time for directions. 

6/3: Meet at Sam Rodman's House (discuss ch 1)

7/1: Meeting Place TBA (discuss ch 2)

8/5: Meeting Place TBA (discuss ch 3)

9/2: Meeting Place TBA (discuss ch 4)

Ch 4: Systematic Theology and hermenutics

 

To be able to faithful interpret a certain passage, we need to study Systematic Theology. Why you ask? Because if we are to understand what the bible is saying at a certain text, we need to understand what the bible says as a whole on certain topics, so we must be careful to not interpret something that contradicts what might be said in another text. The bible is the inspired word of God and does not contradict. This assumes the bible is unified and has coherent meaning and clear message. We are also to understand the bible in its redemptive-historical context. Together we get a fulling and faithful understanding to interpret. We will discuss this more in our chapter for this week. Please read chapter 4 and be ready to discuss. If you would like some extra reading feel free to read the appendix. This will not be required but can aid in discuss. See you all thursday at 6pm. 

Ch 3: New Testament Hermenutics

 

In this chapter we will see how we are to interpret the New Testament. In light of the last chapter about interpreting the Old Testament, we are carrying on what learned into this chapter. We do want to have a grammatical historical hermeneutical when we approach a New Testament text, but we also want to have a Christocentric, also known as a Redemptive Historical Hermeneutic. We are to read to understand the human authors meaning, but also God's over all meaning, which may be more elaborate, layered and exhaustive than that of the human author.  We do this by seeing all of scripture as Christian scripture centered on Christ and redemption.  That said we are to read the the old testament in light of the new and visa versa. This means we are to see the New Testament as the fulfillment to what was promised in the Old. In this chapter we will learn how to do this and more helpful interpretive tools to guide us. Please have chapter 3 read and ready to discuss for tonight. See you all at the church building at 5:30pm

Ch 2: Old Testament Hermeneutics

 

While we are all about the grammatical historical hermeneutic as we approach the old testament, it is incomplete with out the Christocentric hermeneutic, which is also known as the Redemptive Historical Hermeneutic. The two go together. As we come to the scriptures we see that Christ is the center of it all, including the Old Testament. While the Old Testament addressed the original hears in their giving context, it also has a message for us, who now have the fulness of revelation . Since there is a divine author of scripture, God can give greater meaning then which the human authors understood at that time through types and shadows. We will examine this more tonight in Chapter 2 of out book. Please have that read and come ready to discuss at 5:30 pm at the church building. 

New Book: Seeing Christ In All of Scripture (Ch 1)

 

We will be beginning a new book. Seeing Christ in All of Scripture is designed to help people understand the beautiful, Christ-centered structure of the Bible. In this book we will learn the hermeneutics to the able to know how to properly interpreter the scriptures to see Christ as the center. We will be meeting at our new time at 5:30pm thus Thursday at PBC church building. Have the introduction and the 1st half of Chapter 1 read. We will do the second half next time. 

Ch 6: The Green Pastures

 This week we will be discussing chapter 6, as we conclude our book, Green Pastures. Jesus has accomplished our redemption, and he sends us the Holy Spirit to apply the benefits and blessings to us who believe, and the does so through the ordinary means. In this chapter we be bringing it full circle and discuss practical applications in light of the means of grace God gives to his church. We will discuss how we should then treat and observe these means given their significance. How often should we observe them and how do we see them in the context of worship. Have this chapter read and ready to discuss this Thursday. We will meet at the church building at 7pm on Thursday. Feel free to bring a snack to share. 

Ch 5: Prayer as a means of Grace

 

Prayer is one of the great privileges we have a believers. Prayer was something that the early church was devoted to. Prayer was central to the reformation and it ought to be central for us today. Not only as individual prayer but also in corporate prayer. It is by the work of Christ that we are reconciled and able to approach God our Father in prayer. As we read our bible we see prayer is something that characterizes the Christian life. But how can prayer be a means of grace when it seems that it is something we are doing? Isn't prayer our response to God grace not a means of God's grace? While it is our response to God's grace, it is also a means of grace because prayer is something Christ does for us continually and  prayer is something God uses in us to bring about his work in the church and in the world. Not only that but as we pray we get to see God at work as he answers our prayers and this strengthens and encourages our faith. We also have the privilege of prayer for others and having them pray for us. Tonight we will discuss prayer as a means of Grace from ch 5. Come meet at 7pm and feel free to bring snacks to share.

Green Pastures: Ch 4: The Lord's Supper

In our day it seems that the predominate way of thinking when we come to the Lord's supper is we are to remember what Christ has done on the cross. The Lord's Supper is then treated as merely a memorial as and something we do each month. When we think of it like that it is easy to see why some may think it would lose its significance if we did it more frequent. While the Supper is something we are to come to as we remember the death of Christ, it is much more then  merely that. The Lord's Supper is a means of Grace for us. Yes we remember but we are also nourished and strengthened in the faith and was anticipate what is to come. When we see it this way we ought to long for it and cherish it. When we see it this way we do not merely come mourning and remembering, but also thankful and celebratory as we anticipate the promises in Christ that are to come. Tonight we will be considering this in chapter 4. Please read it over and be ready to come to discuss. We will be meeting at the church building at 7pm and will be zooming it if you can not be there in person. 

Green Pastures: Ch 3: Baptism

Last time we saw in chapter two one of the means of Grace that the Lord gives to us is the Ministry of the Word. Another Ordinary Means of Grace that the Lord gives to his church is Baptism. This is something Christ instituted and commissioned his church to observe. It is easy to see Baptism as a means of Grace for the one being baptized, but baptism is also a means of grace for believers as they observe the baptism of others. While baptism is the washing with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as we partake and observe, our minds and hearts a reminded of the things that baptism signifies, our forgiveness of sin and our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. For this week read chapter 3 on Baptism and come ready to discuss at 7pm.