Two are Better Than One

Welcome to Week Seven of our Bible Study! This week, we will continue our study of the parables of Jesus. It seems fitting that we will discuss the Kingdom of God as we end 2020 and look forward to the turning of the calendar to a brand new year. Rather than be singularly focused on our own ambitions and improvements, which are good things, we should also reflect on our service in the Kingdom. What is our place in God’s Kingdom and what are we doing to accomplish His purpose? These seem like good questions to ponder daily but certainly so as we reflect on the past year and consider where we will be in 2021. We have been under the cloud of Covid for most of 2020 and that has looked different to everyone depending on what stage of life you are in, your vocation, and what state/city you live in. For many, 2020 has been a year of suffering, isolation, and economic distress, and for others it has been much frustration as we waited for the curve to flatten and see some semblance of normalc

Welcome to Week Six of our Bible Study! This week, we will take a break from our study of the parables and look at the Christmas story. Sure, you’ve read it in the Bible, seen the movies and specials and we all have many fond memories that stir our emotions around this time of year. These are all great and nobody loves all things Christmas more than I; the lights and decorations and music, I love it all. But we know there is a much higher purpose in our celebration around Christmas. Unfortunately, during this odd year of isolation and, at times, anarchy, we have missed out on many celebrations and just the simple routine of gathering in church. So, I think this week’s study provides an opportunity to step back and reflect on life and maybe provide perspective. As we dig into the Christmas story this week, go back and read the accounts in the three Gospels (Matthew, Luke and John) with a critical eye. We don’t get any information about the birth of our Lord in John but he does provi

Welcome to Week Five of our Bible Study! This week, we will continue in Matthew 13 with the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. Recall that parables are stories that come with a moral or spiritual lesson. All of the stories that Jesus told would have been very familiar to his audience and they certainly understood the growing of crops, wheat being one of the most important. Jesus told the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds in verses 24-30 and then went on to explain the meaning in verses 36-43. He begins by giving us the subject or main idea of the parable, which is the Kingdom of Heaven, which “is like” or “has been compared to” the sowing of wheat in the field. Jesus goes on to tell several parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. A few things to consider as we discuss this Sunday evening: ·        Who is the enemy? ·        What is the significance of the sowing of the weeds being done while his men were sleeping? ·        What is the purpose of the sowing of weeds? ·      

Welcome to Week Four of our Bible Study! This week, we will look at the first parable that is recorded in the New Testament, the parable of the Sower and the Seeds. It is recorded for us in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not in John. This may seem odd at first glance, but a closer examination will help us understand why this is the case. Look at the number of parables recorded in each gospel. ·        Matthew: 15 parables ·        Mark: 9 parables ·        Luke: 35 parables ·        John: 0 parables Since the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record parables and many other details of Jesus’ ministry, they are referred to as “synoptic” gospels; “synoptic” comes from a Greek word that means “ability to be seen together.” All four gospels take on the character of their respective authors. Luke, for example, was a doctor and you can observe the myriad details he records in his gospel, no doubt a reflection of his personality and thought process. John, on the other hand, was one of the d

 Welcome to Week Three of our Bible Study! This week, we will look at another story from the Old Testament. I know most folks think of Jesus using parables to teach, and it is debatable if this story in II Samuel should be classified as a parable. It is a Bible story but was used as a vehicle to convict King David of his egregious actions. Whatever we want to call it, that’s our topic for this week. Most folks that have spent time in church have heard the story of David and Bathsheba, found in II Samuel 11. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, then ordered Uriah to be sent to the front line of battle so that he was killed. In chapter 12, we find the prophet Samuel confronting David. While the baby borne from this adulterous relationship dies, David and Bathsheba parent another baby that turns out to be pretty important, King Solomon. All of chapter 11 is a play by play of the events, but the last verse is a moral statement about David’s actions: “

 Welcome to Week Two of our Bible Study! This week, we will officially jump into our first parable and it actually fits the definition of a fable, since we have talking trees. Yes that’s right, talking trees and a thorn bush king, oh my.. This story takes place in the times of the Judges; the recurring theme in Judges is, “then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord…” It was during this period, after Joshua was gone and before King Saul, that Israel lacked a moral compass. The Nation did evil, God rebuked them and they were punished for a season, cried out to God, and he provided deliverance. Rinse, repeat, and that’s Judges. Our story takes place after the passing of Gideon, which most of us remember reading or hearing at some point if we’ve hung around in church long enough. You can read about Gideon in Judges 6-8. The net of Gideon’s obedience was 40 years of peace for Israel. As often occurs though, after Gideon was gone, things went south. The instrument of evil

  We will kick off the study on Sunday, November 22 at 7 pm, EST. The first week will be a general introduction to the study, a time of virtual fellowship and an opportunity for everyone to get the technical issues worked out. The good news is that, for the most part, folks have figured out Zoom and have likely participated in a Zoom or Google Meet event.   Since our study is based on the parables of the Bible, give some thought to that for week one. Your questions to ponder for week one are as follows. ·        In general, why were parables use as a teaching instrument? ·        Are they still used in modern times? ·        If you were teaching a person or audience a new topic that they may not easily understand, how would you do this? ·        Closely related to the previous question, how do we learn new information? As an aside, the first two parables in our study are in the Old Testament and they will be an interesting place to start. The remainder come from the New Tes

Blog Purpose:   This blog will support our on-going Sunday night Bible study, which meets at 7:30 pm, EST on Google Meet. You can subscribe using the button at the top of the page and you will get an email when updates are made to the blog. Normally, a post will be made weekly to introduce the study for that week. About the Study:   The title of the blog, “Two are Better Than One” comes from Ecclesiastes chapter 4. Now more than ever we need to come together and support one another. This is true regardless of where we are. My intent in starting this study is to provide a venue for mutual support and encouragement. It reminds me of the men’s Bible study on Saturday morning that we started at our church in Virginia many years ago. It went on the entire time we belonged to that church, and even after we moved away, it was still going on. That is the idea here, to create an on-going study that everyone can look forward to and attend when you are available. Additionally, this blog can prov