Equipping Institute at Trinity

leaderman or servant leader

2008-12-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

I read the following at http://www.flowerdust.net/2008/09/16/leaderman-or-servant-leader/

I am not sure of the author as I tried to follow the link that Anne Jackson credits. Anyway, it seems a good reminder of Servant Leadership whether you are in the EIT class on small group leadership or following along with the current series in Philippians 2.

LeaderMan: Wants a platform on which to say something

Servant Leader: Has something to say

———–

LeaderMan: You almost feel you know his family, because he’s your Leader

Servant Leader: You allow him to influence you, because you know his family

———–

LeaderMan: Wants you to know he’s a Leader

Servant Leader: You’re not sure he knows he’s a leader

———–

LeaderMan: Loves the idea of the Gospel, and the idea of The Church

Servant Leader: Loves God and the actual individual people God brings across his path

———–

LeaderMan: A great speaker, but self-described as, “Not really a people person.”

Servant Leader: Makes himself a people person

———–

LeaderMan: Helps you find where God is leading you in his organization

Servant Leader: Helps you find where God is leading you

———–

LeaderMan: Gets together with you to talk about his vision

Servant Leader: Just gets together with you

———–

LeaderMan: Resents “sheep stealing”

Servant Leader: Doesn’t get the “stealing” part, since he doesn’t own anyone to begin with

———–

LeaderMan: Wants the right people on the bus

Servant Leader: Wants to find the right bus for you, and sit next to you on it

———–

LeaderMan: Shows you a flow chart

Servant Leader: Shows you his whole heart

———–

LeaderMan: A visionary who knows what the future looks like

Servant Leader: Knows what your kitchen looks like

———–

LeaderMan: If it’s worth doing, it worth doing with excellence

Servant Leader: Not exactly sure how to even calculate “worth doing”

———–

LeaderMan: Talks about confronting one another in love

Servant Leader: Actually confronts you in love

———–

LeaderMan: Impressed by success and successful people

Servant Leader: Impressed by faithfulness

———–

LeaderMan: Invests time in you, if you are “key people”

Servant Leader: Wastes time with you

———–

LeaderMan: Reveals sins of his past

Servant Leader: Reveals sins of his present

———-

LeaderMan: Gives you things to do

Servant Leader: Gives you freedom

———–

LeaderMan: Leads because of official position

Servant Leader: Leads in spite of position

———–

LeaderMan: Deep down, threatened by other Leaders

Servant Leader: Has nothing to lose

Winter class 3

2008-01-26T14:26:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 3 Theme: Creedal Consensus at Chalcedon

Homework Due: Read HAMMER OF GOD (Pages 43-110)
 What charges are leveled against Savonius (60)?
 Who was Pastor Hafverman and why was he critical of Savonius (65-66)?
 Why does the Dean tell Helvig that she must "trust Jesus and wear her mother's brooch" (69)?
 How does the Dean confront Savonius with his growing legalism (86-88)?
 How does the law preached by Savonius also accuse him (91-95)?
 How did "the ancient words of the liturgy" bring comfort to Savonius' wounded heart (95)?
 How does the episode with Anders show the beginning of another change in Savonius (106-112)?
 What help is sent to Savonius in Linder (117-121)?
In 451 a general council of over six hundred bishops was convened at Chalcedon, and to this gathering Leo's letter on the two-fold nature of our Lord was read. 'Peter has spoken by Leo!' was the decision of the bishops. This famous letter has become a classic, setting forth the church's teaching on the nature of Christ. (http://www.cin.org/leogreat.html)
Definition of Chalcedon (451 AD)
Following, then, the holy fathers, we unite in teaching all men to confess the one and only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. This selfsame one is perfect both in deity and in humanness; this selfsame one is also actually God and actually man, with a rational soul {meaning human soul} and a body. He is of the same reality as God as far as his deity is concerned and of the same reality as we ourselves as far as his humanness is concerned; thus like us in all respects, sin only excepted. Before time began he was begotten of the Father, in respect of his deity, and now in these "last days," for us and behalf of our salvation, this selfsame one was born of Mary the virgin, who is God-bearer in respect of his humanness.
We also teach that we apprehend this one and only Christ-Son, Lord, only-begotten -- in two natures; and we do this without confusing the two natures, without transmuting one nature into the other, without dividing them into two separate categories, without con- trasting them according to area or function. The distinctiveness of each nature is not nullified by the union. Instead, the "properties" of each nature are conserved and both natures concur in one "person" and in one reality {hypostasis}. They are not divided or cut into two persons, but are together the one and only and only-begotten Word {Logos} of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus have the prophets of old testified; thus the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us; thus the Symbol of Fathers {the Nicene Creed} has handed down to us.

Biography of Faith: Leo the Great
Birth name Leo
Papacy began September 29, 440

Papacy ended November 10, 461

Born 400
Tuscany, Italy

Died November 10, 461
Rome, Italy

Leo I (440-461) and Gregory I (590-604) are the only two bishops of Rome commonly called "the Great." Leo, at a time when the capital of the Empire had been moved to Constantinople, and the government even in Italy no longer had its headquarters at Rome, was the most important official in the city. To him fell such prosaic tasks as supervising the distribution of grain imports and reorganizing the municipal fire department. When Attila and the Huns invaded Italy in 452, he negotiated their withdrawal, and when Gaiseric (or Genseric) the Vandal captured Rome three years later, it was Leo who prevented the total destruction of the city. It is perhaps not surprising that the theory of papal supremacy gained much ground in his day.
In his day there were disagreements about the correct way to state the truth that Jesus Christ is both God and man. In 449 Leo wrote a letter (known as the Tome of Leo) to Bishop Flavian of Constantinople, in which he affirmed that Christ has two Natures in one Person. The letter was read in 451 by the Council of Chalcedon (the fourth Ecumenical Council), and judged by them to be sound doctrine. It contributed much to the creedal statements of that council.
Leo's influence on church government will naturally get mixed reviews. But for his defense of the belief that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, all Christians may thank God. (www.Satucket.com)

PRAYER (traditional language)
O Lord our God, grant that thy Church, following the teaching of thy servant Leo of Rome, may hold fast the great mystery of our redemption, and adore the one Christ, true God and true Man, neither divided from our human nature nor separate from thy divine Being; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Leo_Great.htm (prayer on Commemoration of Leo the Great)

Winter class 2

2008-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 2 Theme: Controversy

Homework Due: Read HAMMER OF GOD (Introductory Notes xxi-Page 42)
How did Johannes' conscience accuse him (18)?

Who is Katrina? What does she tell Johannes that Pastor Savonius failed to tell him (28-29)?

Katrina says "You do not lack repentance, Johannes, but faith. You have walked the way of repentance for thirty years." (28) What was Katrina trying to get Johannes to see? How does Katrina use Scripture to direct the dying man away from his sin to Christ (28-31)?

Chart of Historical Christological Heresies

Biography of Faith: Theodore Mopsuestia
THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA, b. at Antioch about 350; d. at Mopsuestia, in Cilicia secunda, 423 or 429; one of the chief leaders of the Antiochian school of theology. As a preparation for a juridical career, he studied philosophy and rhetoric under the famous Libanius, but at the same time he made the acquaintance of Chrysostom; and the religious enthusiasm of the latter induced him to devote his life to Christian philosophy and asceticism. Soon after, however, he repented of the change, and meditated a return to his former occupation; but the reproaches and admonitions of his friend finally decided him (see Chrysostom: Ad Theod. lapsum). His biblical studies he made under Diodorus the presbyter, afterwards bishop of Tarsus: indeed, his whole character as a theologian was modelled by Diodorus. He was ordained a presbyter in the Church of Antioch, and as a teacher in the school he soon acquired a great reputation. John, afterwards bishop of Antioch, Theodoret, and perhaps, also, Nestorius, were among his pupils. In 392 he was elected bishop of Mopsuestia; and in 394 he was present at a synod in Constantinople, where the emperor, Theodosius I., is said to have been very much impressed by his preaching. Throughout the whole Eastern Church his name had a great weight: even Cyril of Alexandria, to whom he sent his Commentary on Job, felt the greatest esteem for him. It was not until the outbreak of the Nestorian controversy, and the clash between the christology of the Antiochian school and that of the Alexandrian school, that his name came into bad odor; but he died just as the controversy began.
W. Müller, "THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA," Philip Schaff, ed., A Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd edn, Vol. 4. Toronto, New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1894. pp.2325-26.
Nestorius (c. 386–c. 451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern Turkey) and later became Archbishop of Constantinople. He taught that the human and divine aspects of Christ were distinct natures, not unified. He preached against the use of the title Mother of God (Theotokos) for the Virgin Mary and would only call her Mother of Christ (Christotokos). He also argued that God could not suffer on the cross, as he is omnipotent. Therefore, the human part of Christ died on the cross, but not the divine.
His opponents accused him of dividing Christ into two persons: they claimed that proposing that God the Word did not suffer and die on the cross, while Jesus the man did, or that God the Word was omniscient, while Jesus the man had limited knowledge, implied two separate persons with separate experiences. (Wikipedia article on Nestorianism)

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
W. Müller, "THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA," Philip Schaff, ed., A Religious Encyclopaedia or Dictionary of Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology, 3rd edn, Vol. 4. Toronto, New York & London: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1894.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing

Winter class 1

2008-01-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course
Term 2: A Closer Look at Jesus
Class 1 Theme: Christology Introduction

What is Christology?
The study of Christ Jesus. “Christology is the church’s doctrine of the person of Jesus as the Christ. It is always central in a system of dogmatics that claims to be Christian” (Braaten 469). “Means literally, the logos about Christos, thought and speech about Christ. Christ is a title and not the second name of Jesus” (Braaten 473).

How is Christology related to Theology?
“The more deeply theology probes the meaning of Jesus as the Christ of God, the more directly is it drawn to the very God of Christ” (Braaten 469). Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God! “The entire ministry of Jesus was radically theocentric” (Braaten 469).

Where do you start doing Christology?
The church has started “from above” and “from below”?

From Above: reflection beginning with the doctrines of the dual nature of Christ, Trinitarian doctrine, eternal deity, to his human nature here below. (Braaten 477).

From Below: Jesus of Nazareth, a historical figure. Evangelists, historical eyewitnesses, reporters, and historians. Early Church, historical movement with a truth claim concerning Jesus Christ.

Can only Christians do Christology?
JESUS IN ISLAM (Arabic: عيسى `Īsā) is a messenger of God who had been sent to guide the Children of Israel (banī isrā'īl) with a new scripture, the Injīl (gospel). According to the Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be God's final revelation, Jesus was born to Mary (Arabic: Maryam) as the result of virginal conception, a miraculous event which occurred by the decree of God (Arabic: Allah). To aid him in his quest, Jesus was given the ability to perform miracles. These included speaking from the cradle, curing the blind and the lepers, as well as raising the dead; all by the permission of God. Furthermore, Jesus was helped by a band of disciples (the hawāriyūn). Islam states that Jesus was not killed nor crucified by the Jews, but that he had been raised alive up to heaven. Islamic traditions narrate that he will return to earth near the day of judgement to restore justice and defeat al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl (lit. "the false messiah", also known as the Antichrist) and the enemies of Islam. As a just ruler, Jesus will then die.
Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is considered to have been a Muslim, as he preached for people to adopt the straight path in submission to God's will. Islam rejects that Jesus was God or the son of God, stating that he was an ordinary man who, like other prophets, had been divinely chosen to spread God's message. Islamic texts forbid the association of partners with God (shirk), emphasizing the notion of God's divine oneness (tawhīd). As such, Jesus is referred to in the Qur'an frequently as the "son of Mary" ("Ibn Maryam"). Numerous titles are given to Jesus in the Qur'an, such as mubārak (blessed) and `abd-Allāh (servant of God). Another title is al-Masīḥ ("the messiah; the anointed one" i.e. by means of blessings), although it does not correspond with the meaning accrued in Christian belief. Jesus is seen in Islam as a precursor to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter's coming.

What did Jesus believe concerning himself? What did he say concerning himself?
From Alpha Course…
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn’t be a great moral teacher, he’d either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he’s a poached egg—or else he’d be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse…But don’t let us come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He hasn’t left that open to us. He didn’t intend to.” CS Lewis in MERE CHRISTIANITY.

• Totally Human (John 4.6; Matthew 4.2; Mark 11.15-17; Mark 10.21; John 11.32-36; Mark 1.13; Luke 2.46-52; Mark 6.3; Luke 2.51)

• Totally God
o Indirect Claims (Mark 2.5; Matthew 24.31-32, 40, 45)

o Direct Claims & Teaching about Himself (John 20.28; John 10.33; Mark 14.61-62)

“The ‘Kingdom of God’ was the central theme in the entire message of Jesus. All three synoptic Gospels picture Jesus as an itinerant preacher from Galilee announcing the good news of the kingdom of God (Mark 1.15; Matt. 4.23; Luke 4.43. Rudolf Bultmann states, ‘The dominant concept of Jesus’ message is the Reign of God’” (Braaten 483).

Kingdom impact in the New Testament!
Message

Miracles

Parables

Connection to Earliest Christian Proclamation: JESUS IS LORD!

Romans 10.9; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 2

Bo Harald Giertz “(31 August 1905 Räpplinge in Öland – 12 July 1998 in Gothenburg), was a Swedish Confessional Lutheran bishop and Christian novelist.
Giertz' characteristic combination of the pietistic type of care of souls with his High Church Lutheran theology, which can also be noticed in his novels, made him listened beyond boundaries. It also made his novels as well as non-fictional books about Christian faith popular in all Scandinavia.” Wikipedia
Family & School Life
Church Life
Writings
During his time as pastor in Torpa (1938-1949), Giertz authored four monumental theological works, Christ's Church (1939), Church Piety (1939), The Great Lie and the Great Truth (1945), and The Battle for Man (1946); two engaging novels, The Hammer of God (1941), and Faith Alone (1943); a retelling of the gospel events, With My Own Eyes (1947); and The Foundation (1942), a widely-used (225,000 copies sold by 1977) catechetical textbook - even translated into Tamil and Zulu! After retiring from Episcopal office, Giertz wrote: The ABCs of Our Christian Faith (1971); another best-selling novel, The Knights of Rhodos (1972) the devotional books To Believe in Christ (1973) and To Live with Christ (1974); a new translation of the New Testament with Commentary (1977-1982); and at age 90(!) The Living God - A Guide to the Christian Faith (1995). Most of Giertz's writings are not available in English.
“The Church Movement for Bible and Confession”
In his vision of the One Holy Christian and Apostolic Church, Giertz integrated a vibrant Evangelical-Lutheran orthodoxy, the Church's traditional liturgy, and sincere church piety into a harmonious and powerful wholeness.- Rev. Hans O. Andrae

Works Cited:
Braaten, Carl E. Christian Dogmatics. Fortress Press, Philadelphia. 1984.
Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI. 1999.
Lane, Tony. Exploring Christian Thought. Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1984.
McGrath, Alister E. Christian Theology: an introduction. Blackwell Publishers, Malden, Mass. 1994.
Shelly, Bruce. Church History in Plain Language. Word Publishing

Here is the info for the Theo foundations course

2008-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

Theological Foundations Course

Theme Verse for the Institute: Ephesians 4:11-13
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

Mission of the Institute: To equip the people of Jesus Christ, with the heart of the Father, for ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Theme Verses for the Course: 2 Timothy 1:13-14
Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [14] By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
2 Tim. 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Mission of the Course: j To strengthen and guard the good deposit of faith entrusted to us. k To rightly handle the word of truth in ministry to others. This is accomplished through rigorous individual, communal, and historical reflection, and the shaping of our individual and corporate identity in light of God’s identity.

Term 2 A Closer Look at Jesus
Doctrine of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ

Class 1 Theme: Christology Introduction
Biography of Faith: Bo Giertz

Class 2 Theme: Controversy
Biography of Faith: Theodore Mopsuestia
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Introductory Notes xxi-Page 42)

Class 3 Theme: Creedal Consensus at Chalcedon
Biography of Faith: Leo the Great
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 43-110)

Class 4 Theme: Christ’s Dual Nature and Kenosis
Biography of Faith: John of the Cross
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 113-153)

Class 5 Theme: Cross Purposes (theory’s of the atonement)
Biography of Faith: Anselm and Abelard
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 155-192)

Class 6 Theme: Cross Training and Theology (theology of the cross)
Biography of Faith: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 195-235)

Class 7 Theme: Case for Christ 1
Biography of Faith: John Bunyun
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 237-282)

Class 8 Theme: Case for Christ 2
Biography of Faith: Blaise Pascal
Homework Due: Read Hammer of God (Pages 283-332)

Winter Term 08

2007-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

EIT gets going again on Sunday, January 13th--I hope you can join us.

1: Care, Healing, Deliverance:
6:15-7:30pm Trinity East
Using the Scriptures, as well as video teaching from Francis & Judith MacNutt, we will become equipped to “do the stuff.” This is practical course—get ready to practice!

$50/term--includes resources

2: Theo. Foundation: Jesus
7:45-9:00pm Trinity East
Looking deeply into the biblical teaching on the person and work of Jesus. We will draw richly on Scripture, as well as use Bo Giertz’s wonderful novel “The Hammer of God.”

$40/term--includes resources

EIT Fall Term Year 2 information

2007-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

WHO? Geared to the maturing Christian who wants to hone their skills for missional ministry. You want to be trained to the next level for effectiveness in the Kingdom of God.
WHAT? 2 Courses this year:
First Course: Care, Healing, Deliverance
† Intro to Care, Healthy Boundaries, Personality Inventory
† Fruits/Roots (Symptoms/Causes): guilt & shame; anger; Loss & depression; Anxiety & Fear; Conflict
† Sacramental ministry; Truly listening
† Ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit (Prophetic, intercessory, fruit)
† School of Healing Prayer
Second Course: Theological Foundations
† A Closer look at the Trinity and the Father: creation; personhood, intimacy with God; heresy & orthodoxy.
† A Closer look at Jesus: person and work; New Testament affirmations; heresy & orthodoxy.
† A Closer look at the Holy Spirit and the Church: Welcome Holy Spirit! Person and work of the Holy Spirit; Gifts of the Holy Spirit; fruit of the Holy Spirit; Nature and marks of the Christian Church.
WHEN? Sunday nights—3 (8 session) terms,
First Course* 6:15-7:30pm (Starts Sept 23rd)
*A Weekend retreat option is available for the first course, sometime in November.
Second Course 7:45-9:00pm (Stars Sept 23rd)
HOW MUCH? $75/per course term includes book; $125/if you enroll
for both; or for a married couple to enroll together in one course.
WHERE? Trinity San Pedro Room 3
HOW DO I SIGN UP? Download the application from our website www.TrinitySanPedro.org or pick up an app. in the church office and return by Sept. 16th (with first term’s payment).

Term 3-Blog 3

2007-05-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,
Jesus' peace. What a treat we had to welcome Julia Anderson to teach us last week. No need to blog this week--just do what Julia asked you to do. Put some real thought and prayer into your work, for Julia will be able to help us identify gifts as well as growth areas.
Lord bless you all!
in Jesus,
Nathan

Term 3 Blog 2

2007-05-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Dear EIT friends,
Jesus' grace and peace this week. Thank you for the great discussion last week.
This week we look forward to welcoming Julia Anderson to teach us practical helps in proclaiming the Gospel.
Julia comes to us with much experience--in and out of the church. She teaches at Harbor College www.lahc.edu and Marymount College www.MaryMountPV.edu. Please come prepared to receive what she has to give us.
Lord bless,
Nathan

EIT 3rd Term 1st Blog

2007-05-10T16:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome back friends,
In our reading for the week, Stott quotes Professor Ian Pitt-Watson,

Every sermon is stretched like a bowstring between the text of the Bible on one
hand and the problems of contemporary human life on the other. If the
string is insecurely tethered to either end, the bow is useless.

Is that really true?

Term 2 last blog!

2007-03-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter 5 in Stott's book is our grand finale for this term. It was very helpful (and convicting) to me. I hope you can read it before our last class on Saturday.

Comment on one of the following quotes:

We have to open our minds wide enough to risk hearing what we do not want to hear. For we have been taught to come to the Bible for solace. Does not Paul himself write of 'the encouragement of the Scriptures' (Romans 15.4)? So naturally we cherish the hope that through our Bible reading we shall be comforted; we have no wish to be disturbed. Hence we tend to come to it with our minds made up, anxious to hear only the reassuring echoes of our own predudice.

or...

From David Read, "It remains and axiom of Christian preaching that the road from study to pulpit runs through a living, demanding interrupting manse; out into the noisy street; in and out of houses and hospitals, farms and factories, buses, trains, cinemaa...up between rows of puzzled people to the place where you are called to preach...For the living Word there is no by-pass road from study to pulpit."

or...

Humble listening is indispensable to relevant preaching.

See you Saturday--everyone speaking on Good Friday (7 last words) will have time to do their practice proclamation.

Term 2 Blog 6--Pr Mike Bradley Coming!

2007-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I hope you can come to EIT this week. We will have the pleasure of receiving teaching from Mike Bradley. Mike will teach on...Building Bridges in Communicating the Gospel in 2007. EIT homework for the week? Bring a friend or bring a written question to class this Saturday at 7. Even better come hear Mike speak at 5-7pm beforehand about his work at Master's Institute and on the Leadership Team of the Alliance of Renewal Churches. Bring a dish to share--POTLUCK!

Rev. Michael Bradley is the President of The Master's Institute. He graduated from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN with a B.A. in Youth and Family Ministries: and from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA with a Masters of Divinity (Mdiv). Mike brings over 20 years of leadership experience in Christian ministry to MI, having served in a variety of ministry positions and functions in both para-church and congregational contexts in the Midwest and on the West Coast. He has authored a book on pursuing God's vision for your life as an individual or as a corporate body entitled, The Ongoing Journey!, and writes and speaks extensively on the topic of "Being a Safe Place and A Dangerous People" and on equipping God's people for ministry. Mike has a passion to see leaders being equipped to faithfully serve the Lord and His Church with vision, daring, and integrity in today's ever changing cultural and world scene.

Term 2 Blog 5

2007-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

From Reading Stott, pages 50-85.
On page 58, John Stott quotes former Archbishop of Canterbury, Donald Coggan:

To preach, a man must know the authority of being under Authority.

What do you think Coggan (and Stott) mean by this point? Is there any Scripture to support this thesis?

Term 2 Blog 4--Jesus' false tomb

2007-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

On the third day he rose again, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God.

Christians, Jesus' bones are not in Jerusalem, no matter what James Cameron proposes. He is directing pure fiction. Check out this link, and Paul L Maier's letter, and respond to this question: What if Christ Jesus' bones lay in a tomb in Jerusalem? Would that matter?
Ben Witherington's Blog
http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/02/jesus-tomb-titanic-talpiot-tomb-theory.html

Paul L Maier's Letter
Paul L. Maier, Ph.D., Litt.D
Department of History
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

February 25, 2007

Dear Friends and Readers,

Thanks for the profusion of e-mails I’ve received over the last two days regarding the Talpiot tombs discovery in Jerusalem, a.k.a., “the Jesus Family Tomb” story. Some of you also suggested that “life seemed to be following art” so far as my A Skeleton in God’s Closet was concerned. Believe me, this is not the way I wanted my novel to hit the visual media!

Alas, this whole affair is just the latest in the long-running media attack on the historical Jesus, which – we thought – had culminated in that book of lies, The Da Vinci Code. But no: the caricatures of Christ continue.

Please, lose no sleep over the Talpiot “discoveries” for the following reasons, and here are the facts:.

1) Nothing is new here: scholars have known about the ossuaries ever since March of 1980. The general public learned when the BBC filmed a documentary on them in 1996. James Tabor’s book, The Jesus Dynasty, also made a big fuss over the Talpiot tombs more recently, and now James Cameron (The Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici have climbed aboard the sensationalist bandwagon as well. He

2) All the names – Yeshua, Joseph, Maria, Mariamene, Matia, Judah, and Jose -- are extremely frequent Jewish names for that time and place, and thus most schol-ars consider this merely coincidental, as they did from the start. One-quarter of Jewish women at that time, for example, were named Maria.

3) There is no reason whatever to equate “Mary Magdalene” with “Mariamene,”
as Jacobovici claims.

4) So what if her DNA is different from that of “Yeshua” ? That particular :Mariamme” (as it is usually spelled today) could indeed have been the wife of that particular “Yeshua.”

5) What in the world is the “Jesus Family” doing, having a burial plot in Jerusalem, of all places, the very city that crucified Jesus? Galilee was their home. In Galilee they could have had such a family plot, not Judea. Besides all of which, church tradition – and Eusebius – are unanimous in reporting that Mary died in Ephesus, where the apostle John, faithful to his commission from Jesus on the cross, had accompanied Mary.

6) If this were Jesus’ family burial, what is Matthew doing there – if indeed “Ma-tia” is thus to be translated?

7) How come there is no tradition whatever – Christian, Jewish, or secular -- that any part of the Holy Family was buried at Jerusalem?

8) Please note the extreme bias of the director and narrator, Simcha Jacobovici. The man is an Indiana-Jones-wannabe, who oversensationalizes anything he touches. You may have caught him on his TV special regarding The Exodus, in which the man “explained” just everything that still needed proving or explaining in the Exodus account in the Old Testament! It finally became ludicrous, and now he’s doing it again. – As for James Cameron, how do you follow The Titanic? Well, with an even more “titanic” story. He should have known better.

There are more arguments, to be sure, but I want to get this off pronto.

With warm regards,

Paul L. Maier

021707 Session recording

2007-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

See shortcut for last weeks session.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30041.WMA

Term 2 Blog 3

2007-02-21T21:45:00.000-08:00

John Stott begins the body of his book with these words:

Preaching is indispensable to Christianity.

Is this true or is this an exageration?
Why?
No brownie points for saying what the teacher wants you to say!

C. S. Lewis rules

2007-02-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

I personally find all of them hard to follow; to follow his rules, you have to really think before you talk and that is difficult to do well in the heat of the moment. However, when you do have time to think, then the rules are very helpful.

PS: I thought this was one of the best parts of the reading assignment.

Charlie Orr

Term Two Week Two

2007-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

How not to commit "verbicide" (CS Lewis) From Page 235 of Between Two World
(Stott)

What really matters is:
1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean, and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.
2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long vague one. Don't 'implement' promises, but 'keep' them.
3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean 'more people died', don't say 'mortality rose'.
4. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want to feel about a thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was 'terrible', describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was 'delightful', make us say 'delightful' when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only saying to your readers 'please will you do my job for me'.
5. Don't use words too big for the subject. 'Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.

Answer one of the following:
1. Which rule do you find broken
or do you break most often? How?
2. Would you add any rules for today? What
is it?

021007 Audio file

2007-02-11T22:31:00.000-08:00

Session 2 audio file, missing about 10 minutes of Olie's talk.
http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30040.WMA

Second Term First Blog

2007-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome back everyone!

Psalm 1:1-2 [1] Blessed is the man that walketh not in
the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in
his law doth he meditate day and night.

Of course reading the Bible and meditating on it are not particular to preachers. After picking a portion of Scripture to preach on, John Stott says, step two is, "Meditate on it."

Stott uses a few word pictures on page 220 to explain meditation. Which is your favorite, or would you add a different one? If you have a helpful practice, how do you meditate on God's word?

2/3/07 Equiping audio file

2007-02-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have placed the audio file for the Sat night (2/3/07) equiping session on the following web site:

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30039.WMA

Note: This is a very large file (26 Mb), so if you need me to break the file up, let me know.

Eighth Assignment

2006-11-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

1.) Have a great Thanksgiving.
2.) Do whatever homework you need to do to catch up.
3.) See you on Saturday at 7pm!

Seventh Assignment

2006-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Equipping Institute at Trinity Seventh Assignment is to read Psalm 19: 1-14.

Key Words---Glory of God:LAW Key Point:To tell of God's Glory in creation and the LAW. God's Glory is proclaimed in the first six verses. In a paradox God's wisdom and knowledge are declare without speech or words. " Day is equal to speech and night is equal to knowledge. Yet it goes to the end of the world." The sun is a special object of God's Handiwork.Verses 5&6 declare the Sun's movement across the heaven's. In the Ancient near East the sun god was a god of justice. Nothing could hide from him. He had insight into all things. Verses 7-10 tell how perfect, sure, simple and desirous God's law really is. Verses 11-13 tell us that even with the warnings in God's word, we can't avoid sin. It is our nature. We need God's forgiveness. Verse 14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, oh Lord, my rock and my redeemer." is a prayer of dedication and offering. ADVICE/Reason: The LAW of the Lord is perfect. Desired more than Gold. Emphatic statement: verse14 Literary form: Poetic. Synonymous parellelism. Meaning that the 1st line is paralleled by the second. Atmosphere----awe, wonder, positive, uplifting. Comparisons----God's glory is compared to the heavens and the movement of the Sun from sunrise to Sunset. No repetitions or questions. Grammatical construction is present tense----are and is. FrannieT

Sixth session

2006-11-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I put the recording of the sixth night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30032.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30033.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30034.WMA

6th Assignment

2006-11-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

Don't Miss Andy Noch This Saturday Night at EIT!
Homework: Come with either a friend (for free) or a question.

Andy oversees the Adult Ministry team and ministers to married couples at Rolling Hills Covenant Church. Significant among his numerous responsibilities are reproducing leaders within the small group ministry and “One to One” discipleship.

Andy graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While working full-time as a surgical nurse, he ministered on the weekends to troubled youth through a coffeehouse ministry he developed. Andy served part-time as guest minister at a local community church while continuing his nursing career.

It was during this time he felt called by God to pursue full-time service in Christian ministry.
Graduating from Westminster Theological Seminary, Andy received his master’s degree (divinity). In 1995, he received his doctorate of ministry degree from Fuller Seminary.

Andy’s prior experiences include two years as a youth pastor at Church in the Canyon in Calabasas, California. He was ordained in 1986 in the Pacific Presbytery and was called to plant New Hope Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California, where he served as senior pastor.

He has a keen interest in international missions and has visited and/or preached in over 17 countries. The Nochs spent two and a half years with Mission to the World training spiritual leaders in Ethiopia by teaching at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Andy met his wife, Susannah, when her parents began attending New Hope Church in San Diego. He proposed to her during a brief Christmas Eve message that was aired on local television. Susannah was born and raised in Ethiopia as a "missionary kid," where her family lived for 17 years. Susannah and Andy live in Rancho Palos Verdes with their three children, Kayla (16), Sarah (14), and Stevie (12).

Andy loves music—starting as a 9-year-old “Beatle fanatic,” he taught himself guitar, keyboards, and flute. He continues his interest in music and has written a number of songs, a few of which are routinely sung at various churches.

Gospel Assignment

2006-11-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

Just prior to this, the Pharisees had asked Jesus about breaking tradition by
not washing their hands before they ate. Jesus' discourse on the subject
follows, using the illustrations of food and plants

Mat 15:10-20(10) And he called (Greek - summoned) the people (Greek -crowd) to him and said (Greek - related) to them,

"Hear and understand: (Greek - put together mentally)

(11) it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles (Greek - makes unclean) a person,

but

what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

(12) Then the disciples came and said to him,

"Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying (what you said)?"

KK comment: disciples seem to still be concerned about the opinions of the
Pharisees here, and he warns the disciples about the Pharisees and their
customs.

(13) He answered,

"Every plant (Greek - transplanting) that my heavenly Father has not planted (Greek - instill doctrine) will be rooted up (Greek - plucked out by the root).

KK question: we know God plants good seed (the Word), so are the seeds the
Pharisees plant "weeds"?

(14) Let them alone (Greek - forsake them) ;

they are blind guides.

And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit (Greek - cistern)."

KK comment: Jesus appears to point out that customs not originating from God
will be pulled out by the root and the originators of these customs will lead
others into the "sewer" - see a little bit later.

Question: Does
this "coarse" language surprise you? Jesus grew up around tradesman, do we think
his language was clinically clean all the time? How does your answer about
what you think came out of Jesus' mouth fir in with the message of this passage?

(15) But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us."

KK comment: Good old Peter - butting in again.

Question: Are we
like Peter and willing to put forth what we are thinking or do we hold
back? Didn't Peter provide a lot of teaching and discussion opportunities
for teh other disciples?

(16) And he said,

"Are you also still (Greek: the same) without understanding (Greek: wicked)?

(17) Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled (Greek: goes into the toilet)?

(18) But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

KK comment: now Jesus goes a little further with the explanation, the author
seems to imply he is frustrated the disciples don't seem to be getting
it. Instead of referring to what goes in and comes out of the mouth - he
points out that food eventually passes through the body and ends up in the
toilet. Then he goes on to explain what comes out of the heart

(19) For out of the heart come evil (Greek: morally diseased) thoughts (Greek: discussion) , murder, adultery, sexual immorality (Greek: harlotry) , theft, false witness, slander. (20) These are what defile (Greek - makes unclean) a person.

Question: I thought it was very interesting the word used here for thoughts
could mean discussion - doesn't this sound a lot like the internal self-talk
that often leads us into a sin capable state of thinking? Do you
agree?

KK comment: here's the bottom
line:

But to eat with unwashed hands does
not defile anyone."

Thanks,
Kevin

5th Assignment

2006-11-07T22:02:00.000-08:00

Do a little more looking on the issue of hair length and head covering.

1 Cor. 11:2-16 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and
maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. [3] But I want you to
understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her
husband, and the head of Christ is God. [4] Every man who prays or prophesies
with his head covered dishonors his head, [5] but every wife who prays or
prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as if her
head were shaven. [6] For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut
her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or
shave her head, let her cover her head. [7] For a man ought not to cover his
head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. [8]
For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. [9] Neither was man created
for woman, but woman for man. [10] That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of
authority on her head, because of the angels. [11] Nevertheless, in the Lord
woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; [12] for as woman was made
from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. [13] Judge
for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
[14] Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a
disgrace for him, [15] but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her
hair is given to her for a covering. [16] If anyone is inclined to be
contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

I would love for you to do one of the following:
1. make a few observations about this passage.
2. ask a few questions about this passage.
3. do some looking into context and culture in which this was written. Remember Epistles are occasional. We get to hear the answer, but often are not privy to the question.
4. do some looking into what other trusted Christian leaders have said about this passage.
Share a short digest of you work on the blog!
Lord bless and keep you all.
Nathan

Fith Session

2006-11-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

I put the recording of the fourth night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30023.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30024.WMA

Fourth session

2006-11-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

I put the recording of the fourth night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab. Note: There was no break in this session, so there is one long file.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30022.WMA

4th Assignment

2006-11-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hi EIT,
Jesus' peace. Respond to this one thing:
What has been the most challenging thing in our course so far?

Epistle: Colossians 2:8-15

2006-11-01T22:08:00.000-08:00

Colossians 2:8-15

First read all 4 chapters of Colossians. (only 95 verses, just over 2000 words in NIV)

Observations:
Author: Paul, though it appears that the church was founded by Epaphras (1:7, 4:12) It appears that Paul had not visited Colosse at the time of writing but has a desire to visit (Philemon 1:22.) Paul learned of situation of church in Colossee from Epaphras.

Keywords in Col 2:8-15
circumcised, circumcision, uncircumcision (2:11,12) [also appears in 3:11]
"in Him" (4 times) , "in Christ" (2 times)
"with Him" (3 times)
"according to" (3 times in 2:8)
authority, authorities

Advice, Admonition, Warning: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ." (2:8)

Contrast; Comparisons; Illustrations:
Compares and contrasts the "according to(s)" in verse 8:
1) human tradition; 2) elemental spirits of the world; 3) Christ
Contrasts circumcision of flesh and circumcision of Christ
Illustration in 2:12 of death and resurrection, drowning in baptism and rise a new man
Illustration in 2:14 of a debtors court
Illustration in 2:15 of disarming rulers and authorities and put them in open shame (i.e. Roman army marching in triumph with captured enemy leaders shamed and humiliated)

Connectives:
"For" (2:9) expands on "according to Christ"
"in" as "in Christ", "in Him" --denotes position ("in your trespasses" also denotes a position)

Grammatical Construction:
Warning in 2:8 is present and future tense
Tense in 2:9 denotes an ongoing action or state of being
Past tense in 2:10-15 denote completed actions

Atmosphere:
Paul's letter is prompted by news brought by Epaphras, so in this section detect that Paul's warning and development of the supremacy of Christ's authority is in response to problems or gaps in the life and maturity of the church in Colosse.

General Structure:
This section (2:8-15) starts with a warning to not be taken captive and ends with a picture of Christ disarming and taking captive the very rulers and authorities he warned against in 2:15. Between these two ends Paul builds his case for the supremacy of the rule and authority of Christ and our position in Him and with Him.

Questions:
1a) What might be some of the philosophies and empty deception in 2:8? (Then and/or now)
or
1b) What might be some "human traditions" or "elemental spirits" in 2:8? (Then and/or now)

2) I once thought that circumcision was "Old Testament"/"Law" and baptism was "New Testament"/"Grace". Paul speaks of circumcision on 2:11 and baptism in 2:12. Would Paul agree/disagree with my simplistic thinking? What is Paul saying that might "set me straight"?

3) Have you "trespassed" today? In 2:13, some versions use "trespass", others "sin" or "transgressions". Look up the words and define them.

4) Imagine yourself in the crowd watching the scene painted by Paul in 2:15. What are the names of the disarmed rulers and authorities that bring you most joy as you watch them led in shame as defeated captives?

Just for fun and geography on Google maps: Approximate location of city of Colosse

"How to read the Bible for all its worth", Chapter 3 outline

2006-10-30T23:15:00.000-08:00

I. Epistles, Thinking Contextually.
A. Apparent ease of interpretation.
1. Examples.
a. Romans 3:23 & 6:23; Ephesians 2:8 & 5:2; Galatians 5:16.
B. Interpretation difficulties regarding hermeneutics.
1. Examples.
a. I Corinthians 7:25 & 11:2-16 etc.
C. Accurate interpretation important for faith both hermeneutically and exegetically.

II. Nature of Epistles.
A. 21 of 27 New Testament books are Epistles, (the Gospels, Acts and Revelations are not Epistles).
B. Two types of Epistles.
1. Real letters. Not intended for public distribution or posterity. (Paul’s Epistles and 2nd and 3rd John are real letters, personal).
2. Literature intended for the public.
C. Relevance of two categories of Epistles.
1. Some clearly personal. Some clearly public.
2. Ancient letter form.
a. Name of writer. (e.g., Paul).
b. Name of recipient. (e.g., To the Church of God in Corinth).
c. Greeting. (e.g., Grace and peace to you from God our Father).
d. Prayer wish or Thanksgiving. (e.g., I always thank God for you).
e. Body.
f. Final greeting and farewell. (e.g., the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you).
D. Letter form variation.
1. Most Epistles are as 3 John 2 “Beloved…I pray”.
2. Prayer or Thanksgiving may be missing.
3. Prayer and Thanksgiving sometimes both included.
4. Thanksgiving sometimes becomes doxology. (Uttering hymns of praise to God).
5. Epistles lacking name of writer and recipient as well as greeting or farewell are not true letters.
a. Hebrews is 3 parts tract, chapters 1-10, and 1 part letter, closing in a personal farewell, v. 22-25.
6. 1 John.
a. Lacks all elements of a formal letter.
b. Body of text written like a letter.
c. Not meant for Church at large.
7. Epistles (tracts for the whole Church).
a. James (which almost appears as sermon notes), and 2 Peter are closest to being true “Epistles”.
E. Epistle commonalities, (crucial to note).
1. All are occasional documents, (i.e., arising out of and intended for a specific occasion).
2. They are all from the first century.
3. All were written be inspiration of the Holy Spirit, making them timeless, but in the context of the first century.
4. Being occasional and belonging to the first century makes interpretation difficult.
F. Take the occasional nature of the Epistles seriously.
1. They were needed, called forth, to address some special circumstance either of the writer or the recipient.
2. Almost all occasioned from recipient side. (Exceptions; Philemon, James and Romans).
3. Usually written to correct behavior or clarify doctrine or some misunderstanding.
4. Being occasional documents increases difficulty of interpretation.
5. Lack of proper context, (we have answers, but we don’t know the questions).
6. Try to ask the question to which you are reading the reply.
7. Epistles are not theological treatises. (Theology; The Word of God, scriptural, divine revelation, specifically designating the three virtues faith, hope and charity. Treatises; A formal of systematic essay or book on some subject. Especially a discussion of facts, evidence or principles, and the conclusions based on these).
G. Conclusion.
1. Epistles are full of Christian Theology.
2. Not primarily written to expound Christian Theology.
3. Epistles are Theology applied to particular needs.
4. Determining original intent of, (exegesis), used in Epistles. How is it done?

III. Historical Context.
A. Try to reconstruct the situation addressed.
1. What caused Paul to write I Corinthians?
2. How did Paul learn of the problems at Corinth?
3. Who was Paul’s primary relationship with, and who were his contacts in Corinth?
4. What were their attitudes toward one another?
B. Try to understand Corinth and it’s people at that time.
1. What kind of place was first century Corinth?
a. Standards of living?
b. Norms?
c. Religion?
d. Social attitudes?
e. Keep the particulars of the place in mind as you read.
2. Reading the letter.
a. Read it through entirely in one sitting, as you would any other letter.
b. Get the big view.
c. Divide the letter into sections.
d. Study each section in the same way.
e. Read aloud if possible.
f. Jot things down if necessary.
g. Read and reread several times if possible.
3. Take notes for reconstructing the problem.
a. Who are the recipients?
i. Jew or Greek?
ii. Rich or poor?
iii. Attitudes and/or problems?
b. Paul’s attitudes?
c. What occasioned the letter?
d. What are the letter’s natural divisions?
4. Notice things.
a. Corinthians.
i. Chiefly gentiles, some Jews.
ii. Love of wisdom and knowledge.
iii. Prideful and arrogant.
iv. Judgmental, even of Paul.
b. Paul’s attitudes in response.
i. Rebuke.
ii. Appeal.
iii. Exhortation.
c. What occasioned Paul’s letter?
i. Information from people in Chloe’s household.
ii. Matters he was written about from the Church.
iii. Visited by Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus from Corinth. (The letter may have come with them).
C. Develop a working outline of the Epistle.
1. Major divisions within letter.
a. Subdivisions within first section.
i. Divisions in the Church.
ii. The incestuous man.
iii. Lawsuits among believers.
iv. Sexual immorality.
b. Subdivisions within second section.
i. Whenever a new issue is addressed.
ii. Whenever the letter form changes, (i.e., greeting to prayer, thanksgiving to main body, main body to final farewell).
c. Look for things that tie sections together.
2. Items of note.
a. Only in I Corinthians and I Thessalonians does Paul address multiple independent issues in the same letter.
b. We only know superficially what occasioned the Epistle, a report and a letter. We would want to know the precise issues which brought forth Paul’s specific responses.

IV. Historical context of I Corinthians 1-4.
A. Hypothesis of an assignment of I Corinthians 1-4.
1. Read the text at least twice, in two different translations if possible. Get the big picture. Develop a feel for the argument.
2. List problems of the letter’s recipients.
3. List key words and phrases. See how the paragraphs fit together.
a. In I Corinthians 4:1-5 and 4:18-21, there appears to be bad blood between the Church and Paul.
b. Key words “wisdom” or “wise” are used 26 times in chapters 1-3, and only 18 times in all the rest of Paul’s letters. God is out to set aside the wisdom of this world.
i. We might suspect that divisions in the Church at Corinth are over leaders and their opposition to Paul in the name of “Wisdom”.
4. Paul’s answer.
a. I Corinthians 3:5-23: The Corinthians have seriously misunderstood the nature and function of leadership in the Church.
b. I Corinthians 1:18-34: The Corinthians have misunderstood the basic nature of the Gospel.
c. I Corinthians 4:1-21: The Corinthians are wrong in their judgment of Paul and need to reevaluate their relationship with him.

V. The literary context.
A. Hypothetical.
1. Trace the argument of I Corinthians 1:10-4:21 paragraph by paragraph.
2. Think “paragraphs” as a key to understanding.
3. Ask, “What’s the point?”
a. State the content of each paragraph.
b. Try to explain why Paul says a certain thing at a certain point.
c. Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, responds to the Corinthians’ inadequate understanding of the Gospel, a Crucified Messiah, which stands in contradiction to human wisdom.
i. Paul exposes the Corinthians’ inadequate understanding of the Gospel, a Gospel that in no way is based on human wisdom.
ii. Paul exposes inadequate leadership in the Church and warns of God’s judgment on those who promote divisions.
iii. I Corinthians 3:18-23, a concluding statement that “Human wisdom is folly”, therefore no more boasting of the Church’s human leaders.
4. Note: The exegesis is self-contained. Nothing in the I Corinthians text does not fit into the argument. It all makes good sense. This was God’s Word to the Church at Corinth. This is what exegesis is all about. Think “paragraphs”; ask right historical and contextual questions.

VI. Problem Passages and texts.
A. Guidelines.
1. They were not written for us. The original author and his readers were on the same page, so to speak, for that time and place. We may need to be content with our lack of understanding regarding all the circumstances surrounding the production of the Epistles.
2. What God wants us to know, He has communicated to us. What he has not told us may still hold our interest, but our uncertainty should make us hesitant to be dogmatic.
3. What is certain about the text?
4. If not fully certain about the text’s details, can we at least get the point?
5. Consult a good commentary, one with reasons for and against. Get a variety of opinions.
6. Realize that even the best of scholars are guessing. Texts like I Corinthians 15:29 have at least 40 guesses.
7. Note: The goal is to learn to hear God’s Word to the recipients of it in the times and places where they lived.

Thank you, Stuart and Ollie

2006-10-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

I updated the complete third session with Allen R. files. PS: They are large files.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/EIT_3a.mp3

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/EIT_3b.mp3

3rd Assignment

2006-10-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

Reflect and respond to this quote by Martin Luther on the week before Reformation Day:

Let everything be done so that the Word may have free course instead of the prattling and rattling that has been the rule up to now. We can spare everything except the Word.
"Concerning the Order of Public Worship" from the Liturgy and Hymns Volume 53 of the American Version of Luther's Works.

Original text importance

2006-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

It is also necessary to track the original manuscripts because of the effects of modern liberalism, science, commercialization, and the enemy. I believe there is a already a trend to get away from the original autographs. This is hard to prove; however, the Nestle-Aland text (the textual source for the New English Bible, New American Standard and other modern English translations) differs considerably from the Majority/Received Text (the textual source for the King James Bible and the New King James Bible) which concerns me, and in several cases confers different meaning.

For Example, in Luke 2:14 the Received/Majority text states “—peace, good will toward men” whereas the Nestle-Aland text states “—peace toward men of good will”; a significantly different meaning.

In Eph 3:9 the Received/Majority text states “--- in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” whereas the Nestle-Aland text states “--- in God who created all things”; through Jesus Christ is deleted, his is a significant deletion.

Second session audio files (WMA files)

2006-10-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

I put the recording of the second night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30017.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30018.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30019.WMA

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30020.WMA

2nd Assignment

2006-10-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Someone asked a good question after class this last Saturday night. "Why are we studying so much about manuscripts?" I have a few reasons. Why don't you either respond to these or add a few yourself:

1. Important to know. Most Christians don't know anything about the process the Holy Spirit used to get God's Word to us. It is important to realize that not only did the Holy Spirit inspire the human authors, but that the Holy Spirit guided the discovery process in regards to the canon, and the transmission of the Bible to this day.

2. Important to share. Some critics will say that the Bible is full of inconsistencies, and that the church, because of her biases, has silenced those that disagree (DaVinci Code's premise). Some say, "We have not autographs, so to talk about an inerrant Bible is misleading." I like Grudem's point. Consider the American Constitution. We have the autograph, but if anything were to happen to it, would we know what the original said? "A similar process occured in determining the original words of the Bible. For over 99% of the words of the Bible, we know what the original manuscript said."

1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as
holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a
reason for the hope that is in you;

1st Assignment

2006-10-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hi EIT friends,
1. We got the new books in for those that only have copies.
2. Don't forget to write down your personal goals in taking this class (do so on the back of the student handbook).
3. please make a simple comment on the following reflection:
"The word canon is derived from the Greek kanon (a rod, ruler) which in turn comes from the Hebrew kaneh, an Old Testament word meaning "measuring rod" (cf. Ezekiel 40.3). Even in pre-Christian usage the word was broadened to indicate a standard or norm other than literal rod or rules. The New Testament employs the term in its figurative sense to indicate a rule for conduct (Galatians 6.16)" (Geisler & Nix, 62).
Consider and respond to this statement: We do not determine the canon. We discover the canon. Inspiration of Scripture determines the canon of Scripture.

First Session MP3 files

2006-10-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

I put the recording of the first night of the institute on my web site at specialcreation.com

See files under Nathan Hoff in the Charasmatic page/tab.

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30015_0.mp3

http://www.specialcreation.com/files/WS_30016_0.mp3

Ship is leaving harbor this Saturday!

2006-10-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

EIT friends,
The EIT ship will be leaving harbor this Saturday at 7pm. I'm glad that 27 of you are on board and ready for departure. Don't forget to bring a Bible and a writing utensil. Everything else will be provided.
Can't wait to see you!

Introducing

2006-09-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

NEW SCHOOL BEGINS THIS FALL AT TRINITY SAN PEDRO
Geared to the maturing Christian who wants to hone their skills for missional ministry, the Equipping Institute at Trinity will offer one affordable, foundational course in the 2006-2007 school year. Get in on the first year!

Cost: $125 per term + $10/term for books.

When: Saturday Nights (8 sessions each term) 7-9pm; Each session will include worship, ministry, teaching, application, using.

Where: Trinity Lounge (1450 W 7th St, San Pedro, CA 90732)

Sign Up: Call 310.832.1189 for an application due by Sept 17, 2006, or download and send in the PDF version of the application (mail or fax: 310.832.5258) by that same date. Download EIT Application

Term One [October-November 2006]
Course Title: How to Study Your Bible: the inductive method of Bible Study
Course Discription: This course will lead you from TEXT to INTERPRETATION. By actually engaging the Scriptures, we will seek to give the tools necessary to rightly read and interpret the Word of God for personal study, and for broader proclamation. This course will teach the art and science of Scriptural interpretation historically called "Hermeneutics." Theological convictions covered will include: Theology of the Word; Doctrine of Inspiration; Law and Gospel, Oratio. We will use Oletta Wald's Keys to Bible Study.

Term Two [February-March 2007]
Course Title: Proclaiming the Gospel: 1
Course Discription: This course will lead you from INTERPRETATION to ORGANIZATION. By looking at natural sections, points, and structure, we will move from confidence that we have a faithful reading of God's Word to a usable organization to exposit God's Word. Theological convictions covered will include: Material and Formal Principle; Historical Sketch of Preaching; Justification and Sanctificaion; Meditatio. We will use John Stott's Between Two Worlds

Term Three [April-May 2007]
Course Title: Proclaiming the Gospel: 2
Course Discription: This course will lead you from ORGANIZATION to PROCLAMATION. Now we do it. Enough talking about it. God's Word, theology, and doctrine are meant to be proclaimed. It is not enough to tell your spouse about love, eventually you better tell them, "I love you." We will cover foundations of public proclamation, rhetoric, use of technology, and core theological convictions including: The Preacher; Response to the Word; Tentatio. We will use John Stott's Between Two Worlds

Future Courses
Intro to Pastoral Care (I)
Prayer Ministry: healing & deliverance (II,III)
How to lead a small group (I)
Leadership (II,III)
Church History (I,II,III)
Church Purposes (I)
Church Planting (II,III)
Theological Foundation (I,II,III)