God’s Plan Revealed

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My grandson lost one of his water shoes at our house the other day. We looked everywhere for it – outside, inside, in drawers, under couches…no place left unturned. It appeared to have a yearning to be free because it never showed up. Until a few weeks later, when we weren’t looking for it, it was resting in plain view in our toy room. Had it been there all along? It seems impossible, and yet there it was on the floor for everyone to see. I’ve had numerous experiences like that in life, predominately with our refrigerator. I ask Robbie if we’re out of mustard, and she replies “No, it’s in the fridge”, to which I reply “I’m looking in the fridge and there isn’t any.”; which prompts her to join me at the door of the icebox where she magically reaches in and retrieves the mustard which was right in front of me. She’s a wizard.

Sometimes things are hidden to us even when they’re in plain view. In our study in 1 Corinthians this week, we’ll be considering how the Gospel, God’s great plan for humanity and this world, was something hidden in plain sight until it was revealed by Jesus. We’ll be reading 1 Cor 2:1-16.

Verse two of this chapter is one of my favorite verses. Think back on what we’ve learned about Roman culture, the honor / shame aspect of it. How might a crucified Messiah sound to people in that context? Paul doesn’t seem to mind how out of sync his message is to the prevailing cultural norms. Why do you think Jesus as the crucified One was an important message in Paul’s view? What message does Christ’s crucifixion give us about God’s intent for humanity (hint, look at John 3:16-17). How might Paul’s singular focus on the cross impact our message in the world we live in?

Paul goes on to describe the Gospel as a mystery – which in the Greek means something revealed that was formerly hidden. What aspects of the Gospel were likely surprising to those Paul is writing to? Paul references the “rulers of this world” being in the dark about God’s purposes. Why do you think Paul said that?

As you read his concluding thoughts on this subject (v10-16), how does it appear that the mystery of God’s plan gets revealed to human minds? It’s interesting how readily we will make assumptions about what’s going on in other people’s minds – and here Paul points out that we do that with God as well. However, we can know God’s mind because He has given us His Spirit, who reveals God’s intent to us. What do you think is the primary way in which the Holy Spirit has revealed the mind of God to us?

It’s a rather dense section of Scripture we’ll be tackling, but I know you’re up for it – and I hope you can join us this Sunday as we dig into God’s Word together!

The Wisdom Paradox

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“Wisdom shouts in the streets.

    She cries out in the public square.

She calls to the crowds along the main street,

    to those gathered in front of the city gate.” ~Proverbs 1:20-21

I don’t know about you, but when I think of wisdom, I don’t often imagine it calling out to us in the streets and the busy places we find ourselves. However, from the beginning, the Bible paints a consistent picture of wisdom that is in sharp contrast with the world around us. We see this thought continued in the New Testament with Paul who is writing the church in Corinth. We’ll be continuing our study in 1 Corinthians this Sunday, reading ch 1:18-31. Paul is desperate to remind the church that God’s wisdom should look different than the world’s wisdom. He also reminds them that what the world has to offer, especially in terms of wisdom, is actually quite foolish and insignificant compared to what God has to offer.

So, why is Paul telling the Corinthians about wisdom and reminding them about who is the “smartest of them all”? Well, since the book of Corinthians is a response and not the beginning of a conversation, we have to use context and our imagination to fill in the gaps. Last week’s verses emphasized the importance of unity and this week Paul is emphasizing God’s wisdom above our own. Could Paul be mentioning this because the Christians in Corinth are trying to change the gospel so that it looks and sounds less foolish to the world around them? Or maybe Paul is mentioning this because the Corinthians were using things like philosophy and scholarship to determine who had the highest standing among the Christians in that area? Whatever the reason, I think it’s safe to assume that a lack of humility and an abundance of pride is probably at the center of it all.

Even though it would be oh so easy to judge the “simple” Corinthians for falling into such follies, we want to remember how to hold the scripture that we read. We want to hold this living word up like a mirror to ourselves and see the places in our hearts that God wants to reach. I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we consider the context and explore this scripture together.

The Weight of Unity

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Has anyone ever had a job that would require regular inspections from outside sources? When I (Janelle) worked in the children’s program at the navy base we were regularly inspected by government officials to make sure our practices complied with their standards.

Sometimes the inspections were planned and sometimes they were surprises. The planned inspections involved a great deal of preparation on our side. We would review the areas that would be inspected, we would re-train staff, and we would clean every last inch of a space that was constantly filled with over a hundred kids. Needless to say, it was a stressful time.

There was always a huge feeling of relief when the inspection was over and we could return to our normal ways of running the center. We could untuck our shirts and be a lot more relaxed about how we ran things.

While Paul was not an inspector for the church of Corinth, he was invested in how they lived out their Christian faith. Even though Paul spent a good deal of time with the church in Corinth and teaching them about Jesus, even from afar, Paul found that it was clear they got sloppy while he was away. We’ll be reading 1 Corinthians chapter 1:10-17, where we’re told that Chloe’s household noticed that they did more than untuck their shirts… they seemed to have forgotten the majority of the way they were taught to live.

From what we understand of the culture at that time, societal standings were built on an honor and shame code. It was like a never-ending game of chutes and ladders where people could move up or down depending on what leaders they followed and who they associated with. Even though they were instructed to flip the board game table like Jesus, they seemed to have fallen back into the same social traps by creating a Christian-themed version of the game.

Paul, knowing and loving this church well, had no patience for this type of behavior and was clear about where he wanted them to go from there. I find it fascinating and heartbreaking that a church’s problems from so long ago and so far away can still relate to us today.

This brings us to Sunday and the questions we must ask ourselves as we study the text. Is this a cycle we are doomed to repeat, like the one in Genesis, or are there different choices we can make? Is it possible that the actions of our small church could make a difference? Do you think the Corinthians heard Paul’s word and changed? Or do you suspect their divisions only got deeper as time passed? 

Since we don’t have the Corinthian response to Paul’s letter it means that we get the opportunity to live out the response for them. I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM as we study 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 together and discover for ourselves the power of Paul’s pleas for unity.

Our Next Teaching Series

Rob Woodrum2 Comments

So, we finished up Genesis last week, and this Sunday we’ll begin a new series, working our way chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through another book of the Bible.

However, instead of just telling you what we’re going to be studying, I’m inviting you to figure it out for yourself. Follow this LINK, and read the chapter it points to. From that background you should be able to figure out what we’ll be studying. When you are confident that you know, look that book up in your bible or bible app, and read the first 9 verses. Take note of any repeated words or names. Does the author sound kind, or angry? How would you feel if the opening words of that book were directed at you?

That will be a great way to prepare for our study on Sunday. Leave a comment if you know what book we’ll be studying next, and give me your take on the first 9 verses.

Hope to see you this Sunday!

The Two Roads

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There is no way around it, the Bible presents us with a dualistic worldview. We are continually presented with two paths, two choices, two loves.  Middle ground is hard to come by in Scripture. As the Didache says in it’s opening: “There are only two paths; one leads to life and the other to death and there is a world of difference between the two.” 

This Sunday we’ll be starting to wrap up our study in Genesis, reading the fallout from Cain’s murder of Abel and the consequences that befell him because of it. We’ll be reading chapter 4:17-26. As we’ve noted before, following Cain’s lineage is sort of like viewing the trajectory of the offspring of the snake.

Cain was banished to the wilderness with God’s provision of a sign which would protect him. As you read the passage, does Cain end up in the wilderness? What might be significant about him building a city?

As we follow his family line, we get to the 7th person from Adam – Lamech. What is first noted about Lamech in the text? How does his taking of two wives reflect on Gen 2:24? How would you describe what is happening in Cain’s family line?

Lamech writes the first song recorded in the Bible – a lovely little tune sung to his wives about retaliatory murder (what a romantic!). Lamech, the 7th human from Adam, sings a song about sevens. In Gen 4:15, God promised to protect Cain by giving a sign that warned of a 7-fold retribution for harming Cain. What does Lamech do with the words of that promise? How does it interact with Jesus’ words to Peter in Matt 18 about forgiveness?

Last week we read about the line of Seth, the son God provided to Eve after the loss of Able. We’ll revisit that again as we consider the other road, the offspring of the woman. How does v26 compare with the lineage of Cain and their actions and attitudes? Who would you rather be?

I’ve really been enjoying getting into Genesis – hope you can join us this Sunday as we examine the two roads for life.

Outside of Eden

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One of the intriguing puzzles of the Biblical narrative is the amount of detail that is afforded some elements of the story, and the shocking lack of detail given to others that feel like they deserve more. Part of that, I believe, is intentional. There is no better way to draw your readers in than to push their minds to fill in the gaps. Much like an impressionist painting, the story of the Bible has many moments that virtually demand our participation.

One such section is what we’ll be reading this Sunday as we continue our study of the first four chapters of Genesis. We’ll be reading ch 4:1-16, which describes the start of life outside of the Garden.

The structure of chapter 4 is pretty important. It fairly mirrors certain aspects of chapter 3. Re-read chapter 3 after reading chapter 4 – what similarities jump out at you? What does God ask the humans in ch 3, what does he ask Cain? How do the humans respond in ch 3 and how does Cain respond in ch 4? Are you picking up the similarities.

The consequence for Cain’s sin mirrors the consequence of his parents: exile. Something to ponder: the humans are already outside of the Garden, where do you think is Cain being exiled to? What might be the point of this consequence and what could it be describing about humans and their Creator?

Who do you think the “they” could be that Cain is afraid of? We aren’t told what the sign is (there’s that lack of detail) that God gives to Cain – but what is the purpose of it? What does this reveal about God’s character in the face of abject human failure?

I hope you can join us this Sunday as we continue examining at the roots of the Biblical narrative in Genesis.

God’s Response to Human Failure

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We’re coming to the most tragic part of the Biblical narrative this Sunday – we’ll be reading Genesis 3:8-24 in our continued study in that book. It’s a tragedy that sets up a pattern that gets set on repeat throughout the whole Hebrew Scriptures, leading right up to the Gospel.

As you read about God’s response to human failure, what are some of the images that your mind conjures up? Imagine (and it shouldn’t be too hard) that you’ve messed up royally – how do you imagine God responding to that sin? As you read about God’s appearance in Genesis 3, how would you describe His entrance?

God speaks 7 times and ands 3 questions. What does He ask? More importantly, if God is omniscient, why do you think He asks?

Do the humans come clean and confess what they did wrong right away, asking forgiveness? What do they do instead? Does this seem consistent with human nature as you know it? What message do you think this is trying to give us?

Read the section very carefully. Who or what is cursed by God? Who or what is not cursed? As you perceive it, does that mean anything, and what might it be?

God forecasts a war between the offspring of the snake and the offspring of the woman (we would assume she represents human existence). How do you think this plays out through the Bible and through history? We must carefully note that biology or lineage have nothing to do with who is who’s offspring – it is all in the context of choice – whose voice is listened to. Jesus called someone the offspring of a snake in Matt 12 – do a little digging to determine who he called snake-offspring, and why.

We’ll have a lot we’ll be covering in this teaching – it’s sobering but encouraging at the same time. I hope you can join us this Sunday!

The Ruin

Rob Woodrum1 Comment

Have you ever done a diet, say restricting carbs or something? I don’t know if it’s your experience as well, but the moment I decide to cut out carbs the only food I ever think about is full of carbs. “Just don’t think about it, Rob.” – Heh….for me, the moment I’m told not to think about something the only thing I can think about is whatever I’m not supposed to think about. Can I get an “amen”?

I wonder about that forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden – the one tree the first humans were told not to eat from and I wonder if they had that experience too: “All these fruits are great! They’re the BEST!….I wonder what the fruit tastes like on the one we shouldn’t eat?” They were in an idyllic environment, so it’s hard to say if that was a thing, but it didn’t take a very hard push to get them to that tree.

This Sunday we’ll be reading about when everything got ruined – Gen 3:1-7.

How well does a talking snake sit with you intellectually? Is that a hard one for you, and is that easy to accept? I know it’s different for different people. We’ll discuss the nachash, the snake, on Sunday and consider some possibilities.

The text describes the snake as “crafty” – some translations say “cunning” or “subtle”. We usually assign a negative spin on that description, however, a quick word search indicates that it is often used in a positive context, especially in Proverbs. A negative or positive connotation comes down to how that ability is used. What might that tell us about the nature of sin, since the origin of sin is the theme of the text?

In the dialogue that follows, the snake asks a question which the woman answers and the snake concludes the dialogue. Read that exchange very carefully. What jumps out to you, if anything? Read the divine command in Gen 2:16-17 – how does the snake’s quotation match up with God’s words? How do Eve’s corrective quotation match up to the original wording? What do you observe about this – what can it teach us about how we view or interact with God’s words?

The snake suggests that God has been holding out on the humans. He tells them they will achieve something if they take matters into their own hands – what does he say they’ll become? How does Gen 1:26-27 reflect on what the snake was offering? What could that tell us about the nature of temptation?

Read Gen 3:6 with 1 John 2:16 – what parrallels can you find between Eve’s consideration of the fruit and John’s warning about what the world offers?

I’m really looking forward to this study – I hope you can join us. We’ll be observing the communion ceremony after the teaching!

What’s the Deal with Baptism?

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This Sunday, we are going to take a short detour from Genesis and spend some time examining the subject of baptism. I know that this is a topic that has been taught before at Eastgate, but to clarify that choice is intentional. There is a reason that we keep coming back to a sacred ritual of our faith, a sacred ritual that we encourage all Christians to partake in. At the beginning of the gospel of Mark, we find John the Baptist in the Jordan River baptizing many Israelites. Baptism was a demonstration of their repentance and renewal in God. In Mark chapter 1, Jesus arrives at the Jordan river and asks John to baptize him.

Why do you think Jesus took his turn with all the other people there and underwent this ritual? What does it tell us about the nature of this Divine King?

After his baptism, the fabric of reality is torn open and a glimpse is given to God’s reality – and from heaven the Holy Spirit descends on Jesus and God’s voice speaks calling Jesus His beloved Son. This is a passage that gives a provoking glance at the mystery of God’s Triune nature.

Jesus, as Messiah, stands as representative of all the human race. He entered our condition in order to bring us into His condition. That means that what is true of Jesus is true of those who believe in and follow Him.

What do you believe the Father declares about you?  Can you imagine God saying to you: “You are my Child, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Let that run through your mind, and put your own name in that sentence. What is your reaction to that?

I invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:00AM as we discuss the importance of baptism. We also invite you to join us at Rick Seltzer park after church to cheer on those who have decided to dedicate their lives to Jesus and get baptized.

The Rescuing Counterpart

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This Sunday is Mother’s Day and coincidentally enough, in our study we’ll be reading about the very first mother, the creation of Eve. We’ll be continuing our study in Genesis, reading ch 2:18-25.

Once again, I want to remind us to manage our expectations when we come to a study like this. Remember, Genesis isn’t a modern science text-book – it is sacred spiritual literature – and we are approaching it to discover its theological truths. We’ll be reading about the creation of a counterpart for the human (Adam), and we’ll consider what this part of the story is trying to tell us. Whole fields of ideology on gender and gender roles have been derived from this section, for good or bad. Issues of gender are in the foreground of the text, but whether or not they’ve been well understood is another matter.

As you read the text, you’ll see we are confronted with another obstacle, maybe even crisis, since it is described as “lo-tov” – not good. What is it? God determines to resolve or eliminate the obstacle by providing a “helper”, which was “just right/suitable” for him.

The word “helper” in the Hebrew is EZER. Now, if you’re interested, click HERE to look at the word and a concordance list of all the times that word is used in the Hebrew bible. As you examine the passages, how might it indicate what an EZER is – that is, is it describing a subordinate who assists, or something else? Does its usage elsewhere inform you about the nature of the EZER God provides for the solitary human (Adam)?

When it describes the EZER who is “suitable” for Adam, that word is NEGED in the Hebrew, meaning “in front of, or opposite of”, like a mirror. Again, does that seem to imply someone inferior, superior, or an equal?

We’ll look at the woman’s formation, and the deep sleep Adam goes into, and consider the significance of that. Adam began alone, then the one became two, for the purpose of becoming one again. While this certainly has the marriage relationship in view, this idea spills over into a variety of relationships, not least of which is the one we have with the church in Christ. There is a pattern being revealed in this – one which carries through the entire biblical narrative, landing at John 17 and arching like an arrow through the NT epistles.

This has the potential of being an intense study – but one that can be inspiring, albeit, challenging to some of our pre-loaded assumptions about the nature of humanity as God has made us. I hope you can join us this Sunday at 10 AM!