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 provide a community of sorts, so feel free to comment on the weekly
posts.
We have studied through the parables of Jesus, the gospel of Matthew, and we are currently in the gospel of John.
About Google Meet: We will use Google Meet for this Bible
study. If you are using a computer, use this URL: https://meet.google.com/rda-odwx-ueh?authuser=0. I will let you into the meeting within a few minutes of you joining. I typically try to start it by 7:25.
If you are using a phone, iPad or other portable device, you can download the app or just open your browser and use the same web address. If you are using the Google Meet app, then you would us "rda-odwx-ueh" as the meeting ID.
You are free to
join with or without video, but if you want to talk, which I really encourage
everyone to do, please turn your camera on so we can see you.
I encourage everyone to
discuss topics, answer questions, ask questions or otherwise participate in the
discussion. Please jump in if you have information to help clarify a point or
you just need to talk. It’s all fine!
How to Contact Me: The easiest way to
contact me is to send the form on the top right side of the blog. This will
send a message to me via email and I will get back with you. I welcome your
feedback and comments.
Final Thoughts: We started this study during the great Covid lockdown. Fortunately, that is in our rearview mirror, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from this time. Each of us is dealing with our own issues, but no problem is too
trivial or too monumental for God. I may well disappoint you at times, but I
promise God will never disappoint and he will always forgive (and forget) the
trespasses of His children. All we have to do is ask.
We know
that the greatest virtue is love (I Cor 13), as in the agape (unconditional) kind,
which may otherwise be translated as compassion or charity. It is caring more
about you than I do for myself. That is our goal in life. So I want us all to
be open and honest in our conversation and discussion, but to cloak it all in a
spirit of love and encouragement.
I look
forward to seeing you all on Sunday evening! Greg
In our study of the gospel of John chapter 3, we recently covered the “born again” passages and Nicodemus’s response to Jesus’ remarks that one must be born of water and spirit to see and enter the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was puzzled and said “How can these things be?” And Jesus chided Nicodemus saying “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not know these things?”
ReplyDeleteJust what things was Jesus referring to- perhaps much of the Old Testament prophecies that pointed to Him and the atonement Jesus would make for His people?? We may have covered this but I will reemphasize it below.
A visiting pastor in our church recently addressed this Nicodemus question by reference to Ezekiel 36: 24-28. That prophetic passage states “ For I ( God the Father) will take you from among the nations and gather you from all countries and will bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean. From all your filthiness and all your idols, I will cleanse you. Also I (God the Father) wii give you a new heart and a new spirit I (God the Father) will put within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep my judgements and do them. …… And you will be My people and I will be your God.
My views: God does it all and on this day after Reformation Day (October 31) , I suggest that the reformers some 500 years ago ago got it essentially correct re spiritual rebirth.
john Smith