Good Morning - Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Good Morning! 

 

Good morning from scenic Rogers, Arkansas!

 

The new unit for this week is  Unit 21, Opposition Along the Way   

 

Focus Scriptures for the Week:  

 

Matthew 5:10   

 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

Ephesians 6:10-11

 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

 

Today's Scriptures:  John 15:18-27

 

Today's Discussion: 

 

-- this scripture is very straightforward - Jesus is talking to his disciples about the opposition that they are going to encounter for his sake.  To me, the most powerful verse in today's scripture is the first verse --"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first".  I have a hard time thinking in terms that the world hates Jesus, but I think that is because we somehow turn a blind eye to the evidence around us.

 

-- the other side of the story, which is something I worry about, is the idea that people who have very misquided ideas about what it means to be a Christian -- such as the Brand Davidians (Waco), or other extreme sects -- use passages like this to shut off debate or discussion about their beliefs.  When they encounter opposition to their beliefs, they can point to this scripture and similar passages and chalk it up to the "world's opposition" to their faith.  I don't know how you overcome that particular quandry.

 

-- and before we nod in agreement in understanding that we know who we think the people on the fringe of the faith are and what they look like, we need to remember that John Wesley was one of those people on the fringe during his times -- his beliefs and approach to Christianity were subject to ridicule and even violence. How could the church of his day get it so wrong? 

 

-- I think it goes back to knowing what you know.  Navigating through these kinds of questions is one of the reasons why we are encouraged to read our Bibles and to be in thoughtful study about what we read -- so we will be less likely to be led astray by the world, in whatever guise it takes.

 

Question for Sunday:  

 

-- when you read about these fringe groups and their beliefs in the news media or from your personal experience -- how have you evaluated their set of beliefs?

 

Today's prayer request:   Hurricane Katrina evacuees

 

We need to continue to remember all of these people, as they are spread out over the country.  In particular, we need to remember those that are along the Texas Gulf Coast, since they are probably going to have to go through another hurricane or evacuation because of Rita.

 

Today's class member prayer: 

 

Kyle Findlay

 

Have a great day.

 

Jay