BIBLE NEWS: Returning a stolen Bible... after 42 years!

I guess the phrase "Better late than never" comes to mind here.  A man who stole a Bible decades ago from an English church has finally returned it.  The church from whom it was stolen is both amused and pleased to have a little piece of its history returned.

Simon Scott, treasurer of the Holy Trinity Church, in the coastal resort of Hastings, England, received the large, leather bound, book in the mail earlier this month.It followed an anonymous note, inside an envelope marked with a German return address, that he'd received a few days earlier from the man who said he's taken the text back in 1971...The anonymous note said: "I've never managed to pluck up the courage to come and hand it back personally. But now that I've retired, I've definitely decided to get on the right side of things.""Whenever I came across the bible I would have this guilty conscience about doing it," he added.

God says His word never returns void.  Perhaps it did some good in the life of this man, in the end.

WEEKLY COMIC: Thorough Baptism!

GETTING READY: How do Romans & James relate?

This is our last week of the "Getting Ready" series, where we consider the high-level questions about these books.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

Romans and James are such different books, why are we studying them together?

It would be hard to imagine how the books of Romans and James could be much more different.  Different authors, different audiences, different emphases.  Some even argue they have different theologies!  (Martin Luther even once called James "a false gospel", in one of his grumpier moments.)  The only thing they have in common, it seems, is that they're both in the Bible!

But, really, Romans and James highlight the two inseparable sides of Christianity.

Romans has a focus on the grace of God.  Paul talks over and over about the fact that our salvation is a free gift, and that there was nothing in ourselves that made us worthy of Christ.  He highlights the fact that the Old Testament Law can't save anyone, which is why Jesus had to come and die and rise.  Romans takes our eyes off of ourselves and our own good deeds, and puts them onto God.

James, on the other hand, has a focus on what we do.  James agrees wholeheartedly that our works don't save us, but points out that such an amazing gift should spur us onto good works that will please our savior.  He challenges lazy or sinful Christians to examine themselves and start doing all the things Jesus commanded us to do.  James reminds us to remember while our eyes are on heaven, we're on mission on the Earth!

If you have Romans without James, you have happy Christians who are of no use to anyone.  If you James without Romans, you have busy Christians without any joy.  You need them both to be the men and women God called us to be.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Illuminated Manuscript - Christ on the Water

In previous centuries, Bible were often sources of fine art as artists (often monks) painted dramatic scenes from the book for the benefit of those who were illiterate in their flock.  This is an example of such an "illuminated" manuscript.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Love Take Me Over

Practices begin September 11!

UPDATED 3:00 PM:  Practices for the Trumbull Bible Quiz Team will begin September 11!  Start digging those scripture portions and t-shirts out of cold storage, because Quizzing is beginning again.  Woo-hoo!

HUMOR: Groan-inducing humor.

Not mine.  From here.

Q. Why couldn’t Jonah trust the ocean? A. Because he knew there was something fishy about it. 

Q. Why didn’t Noah go fishing?A. He only had two worms.  

Q. Where is the first tennis match mentioned in the Bible?A. When Joseph served in Pharaoh’s court. 

Q. How do we know Peter was a rich fisherman?A. By his net income. 

Q. Who was the fastest runner in the race?A. Adam, because he was first in the human race. 

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married?A. Ruthless.

DID YOU NOTICE: The Sidebar Has Been Updated!

Did you notice that the Sidebar links have all been updated for 2013-2014?  They have!  Any info you may need for the upcoming season is ready for your perusal.  The updates include:

• The new FTV list
• The new Reference Question list
• The new Keyword list
• The new Study Schedule
• The Quiz Team Intro (for any newbies out there)

Remember, there is one huge change this year:  we're switching from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible to the English Standard Version (ESV).  They are significantly different translations, so be sure to study the right one!  (If you want to review the reasoning, check out his link.)

WEEKLY COMIC: Ready for a Swim?

GETTING READY: What is the layout to James?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

How is the epistle of James laid out?

Last year, we studied the Gospel of Matthew so the structure of the book wasn't a big deal.  It was a story where event followed event.  Essentially, it was a biography of Jesus (though it had a point of view and an intended message).

This year, we are studying an epistle.  It's a letter that James wrote to Jewish people in the Roman Empire (and he probably had no idea it would one day be included into the Bible as scripture).  We study chapter by chapter, but Paul intended it as one whole lesson and argument.

Here is an excellent outline from Bible.Org:

I. Salutation (1:1)

II. Enduring Trials (1:2-18)

• A. Summary/Main Theme: The Testing of Faith (1:2-6)
• 1. Faith in God’s Sovereignty (1:2)
  2. Faith and Perseverance (1:3-4)
  3. Faith and God’s Gifts (1:5)
  4. Faith Vs. Doubt (1:6)
• B. Specifics (1:9-18)
• 1. Faith Vs. Doubt (1:7-8)
  2. Faith and Finances (1:9-11)
  3. Faith and Perseverance (1:12)
  4. Faith and Fatalism (1:13-18)

III. Applying the Word: Faith Within the Church (1:19–3:18)

• A. Summary/Main Theme: The Obedience of Faith (1:19-27)
• 1. Anger Vs. Obedience (1:19-21)
  2. Passivity Vs. Obedience (1:22-25)
  3. Speech and Obedience (1:26)
  4. The Impartiality of Obedience (1:27)
• B. Specifics (2:1–3:18)
• 1. Partiality Vs. Obedience (2:1-13)
• a. Summary (2:1)
  b. Hypothetical Situation: Rich and Poor Enter the Assembly (2:2-4)
  c. Rebuke for Showing Partiality (2:5-7)
  d. Conditions of Obedience (2:8-11)
  e. Principle (2:12-13)
• 2. Passivity Vs. Obedience (2:14-26)
• a. Summary (2:14)
  b. Hypothetical Situation: Impoverished Believer in your Midst (2:15-17)
  c. Rational Argument: Demons’ Faith is Passive (2:18-20)
  d. Biblical Argument: Abraham’s and Rahab’s Faith is Active (2:21-25)
  e. Principle (2:26)
• 3. Speech and Obedience (3:1-12)
• a. Summary: The Tongue as a Measure of Maturity (3:1-2)
  b. Argument by Analogy (3:3-12)
• 1) Analogy One: The Tiny Tongue (3:3-6)
• a) Bits in Horses’ Mouths (3:3)
  b) Rudders on Ships (3:4)
  c) Sparks and Forest Fires (3:5-6)
• 2) Analogy Two: The Tamed Tongue (3:7-8)
  3) Analogy Three: The Forked Tongue (3:9-12)
• a) Praising and Cursing (3:9-10)
  b) Fresh and Salt Water (3:11)
  c) Schizophrenic Produce (3:12)
• 4. The Wisdom of Obedience (3:13-18)

IV. Witnessing to Divine Providence (4:1–5:20)

• A. Summary/Main Theme: The Reward of Faith (4:1-10)
• 1. The Prayer of Faith (4:1-3)
  2. Friendship with the World (4:4-6)
  3. The Humility of Faith (4:7-10)
• B. Specifics (4:11–5:20)
• 1. Avoiding Worldly Influences (4:11–5:6)
• a. Slander in the Community (4:11-12)
  b. Boasting about Tomorrow (4:13-17)
  c. Warning to Wealthy Oppressors (5:1-6)
• 2. The Patience of Faith (5:7-12)
  3. The Prayer of Faith (5:13-20)

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Bible Study by Candlelight

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Inland

Bible Quiz Team is coming!

The 2013-2014 season of Bible Quizzing is starting soon.  If you have friends - or relatives - who might be interested, take a moment to show them our promo video and invite them to join us!

HUMOR: Watch those corrections!

Not mine.  From here.

A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon.

"How do you know what to say?" he asked.

"Why, God tells me."

"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"

BIBLE NEWS: Please pray for Egyptian Christians

Please take a few moments to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt.  The Egyptian people are in the middle of great upheaval as they decide what kind of government they'll accept after the overthrow of two presidents.  Amidst the chaos, partisans are attacking Christians and churches while the police are too busy to do anything about it.

Some 30 churches have been either partially or completely destroyed, many of them after arson attacks. Schools, libraries, shops, cars and businesses belonging to Christians have also been targeted.At least four Coptic Christians have lost their lives since Wednesday in suspected religious killings. Most of the violence has been in Egypt’s poor and conservative southern provinces, but there have also been scattered attacks on the outskirts of Cairo and in northern Egypt.

Persecution is nothing new for Christians - Christ said no one is greater than their master - but this is a time for prayer that God give special protections.

WEEKLY COMIC: What's in a Name?

GETTING READY: To whom was James written?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

To whom was the epistle to the James written?

Like Romans, James is quite up-front about who he is writing to:

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
James 1:1

Of course, "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" is not exactly a phrase you hear every-day in 21st Century America.  So, let's take each piece by itself.

First, the "twelve tribes".  This is a common way for Jews of Jesus's time to talk about the descendants of Jacob.  Jacob had twelve sons whose descendants became 12 tribes who eventually conquered the whole land of Israel.  Genesis 49 does a good job of listing the 12 sons (although for complicated reasons, the 12 sons and 12 tribes don't always exactly match up).  The "twelve tribes" is shorthand for "all of the Jewish people."

Second, "the Dispersion".  In other translations, it says "the Diaspora" which you may have heard in history class.  Both words mean "the scattering".  Originally, all of the Jews on Earth were located in Israel.  Then came God's judgement in the form of Assyrian, Babylonian, and eventually Roman Empires.  Babylon, especially, had a policy of splitting up conquered peoples to different places to keep them from organizing into resistance.  So, by the time of Rome, the Jewish people were scattered - or dispersed - throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe.

So, "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" roughly means "all of the Jewish people in all of the world."  And, from the context of the letter, we know he was talking to Jewish Christians, in the hope that one day all Jews would embrace Christ.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Brass Bible

This kind of Bible - with a brass cover - was often given to troops in World War II.  It was intended to be kept in a pocket over their heart, to protect them from evil (and bullets).

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: I Can Just Be Me

BONUS HUMOR: Is God handy?

Not mine.  From here.

Little Bobby was spending the weekend with his grandmother. His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. It had been snowing all night and everything was beautiful.
     
      His grandmother remarked... "doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?"
     
      Bobby said, "Yes, God did it and he did it left handed."
     
      This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked him "What makes you say God did this with his left hand?"
     
      "Well," said Bobby, "we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand!"

HUMOR: What would you give?

Not mine.  From here.

The Junior Sunday School Teacher asked her eight eager 10-year-olds if they would give $1,000,000 to the missionaries. 
       
      "YES!" they all screamed!! 
       
      "Would you give $1,000?" Again they shouted "YES!" 
       
      "How about $100?" "Oh, YES we would!" they all agreed!! 
       
      "Would you give just a dollar to the missionaries?" she asked. 
       
      The boys exclaimed "YES!" just as before except for Johnnie. 
       
      "Johnnie," the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, "why didn't you say 'YES' this time?" 
       
      "Well," he stammered, "I HAVE a dollar."

BIBLE NEWS: "American Bible Challenge" renewed

Last year, the Game Show Network premiered a new game show based on Bible knowledge called "American Bible Challenge".  The show got the highest ratings of any original programming from GSN, and now has been renewed for another season.  It is a good time for those of us who enjoy testing our Bible knowledge.

Host Jeff Foxworthy and musical co-host Kirk Franklin will both be returning for the nine-episode order.“We are proud of the breakthrough success of this atypical series,” said network executive vp pf programming and development, Amy Introcaso-Davis. “The American Bible Challenge is GSN’s flagship show that appeals to everyone in the family. 

WEEKLY COMIC: Treading (on) Water

GETTING READY: When was the Epistle of James written?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

When was the epistle of James written?

Unlike Paul's epistles, whose references can be fit into the narrative in Acts, James's letter is harder for scholars to pinpoint.  It was clearly written to Christians living in the first century (i.e. from 1 to 99 A.D.)  Various evidences indicate it was written between 47 and 60 A.D., possibly in the last years before James (brother of Jesus) was martyred in 62 A.D.  The book mentions the persecutions going on in Jerusalem as current affairs, which are recorded in Acts and elsewhere in church history.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Wildwood Bible Car

I posted a photo of a "Bible Car" a while back from an exotic location, but while in Wildwood, NJ we saw a "Bible Car" of a different type.  I do not recommend doing this to YOUR car, but it did make me smile.

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: The Coloring Song

This is an oldie, but a goodie. "Old School" as Coach Jim would say.

GETTING READY: Who wrote the Epistle of James?

The second book we'll be studying for the 2013-2014 season will be the epistle of James.  The next few weeks of the "Getting Ready" series, we will be considering the high-level questions about this book.  If you have additional questions, don't be shy about e-mailing the coaches!

Who wrote the epistle of James?

Like the book of Romans, the epistle of James starts off telling us right away who the author was:  "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ"  (James1:1 ESV).  But unlike Paul, there isn't only one known early church leader by this name!  Jesus had two disciples who went by the name James:  James, son of Zebedee (brother of John) and James, son of Alphaeus.  However, it is unlikely that either of these men wrote this letter.  James, son of Zebedee, died about 44 A.D while this letter came after 60 A.D.  And while James, son of Alphaeus, is mentioned as an apostle, he is never mentioned again in scripture after the gospels and is not known among the church fathers as a writer of letters.

So, who is this mysterious writer?  Well, there is one other James who was quite prominent in the Early Church, mentioned repeatedly by other writers of the New Testament:  James, brother of Jesus!

• Matthew 13:55 mentions James as Jesus's brother
• Paul visited James in Acts 21
• In 1 Corinthians 15:7, Paul confirms that Jesus appeared to James after the resurrection.
• In Galatians 1:19, Paul confirms his visit to James.
• In Galatians 2:9, Paul indicates he views James as a "pillar" of the church.
• In Jude 1:1, the writer - also believed to be a brother of Jesus - identifies himself as a "brother of James"

(If it's not obvious, technically James would be the adoptive or half-brother of Jesus.  His mother was Mary, but his father was Joseph and not God.)

In fact, early church fathers are united in identifying James the brother of Jesus as the writer of this book.  So, all of the evidence points in the same direction.  And it is rare even among modern scholars to find anyone who has a different view.

HUMOR: Picking the Hymns

Not mine.  From here.

One Sunday a pastor told the congregation that the church needed some extra money and asked the people to prayerfully consider giving a little extra in the offering plate. He said that whoever gave the most would be able to pick out three hymns. After the offering plates were passed, the pastor glanced down and noticed that someone had placed a $1,000 bill in the offering. He was so excited that he immediately shared his joy with his congregation and said he'd like to personally thank the person who placed the money in the plate. A very quiet, elderly, saintly lady all the way in the back shyly raised her hand. The pastor asked her to come to the front. Slowly she made her way to the pastor. He told her how wonderful it was that she gave so much and in thanksgiving asked her to pick out three hymns. Her eyes brightened as she looked over the congregation, pointed to the three handsomest men in the building and said, "I'll take him and him and him!"

BONUS COMIC: See Him Yourself!

WEEKLY COMIC: The Danger of Sloth

GETTING READY: FTVs & Reference Questions

Before we jump into James, we wanted to get a few resources out to you for this upcoming year.  So, without further ado, here are some important links.  We'll be turning to James later in the week.

What are the Finish-the-Verse & Reference Questions for next Season?

We just got the list of FTV and Reference Questions for the 2013-2014 season, hot off the presses.  Click on either of the links below, or use the ones in the sidebar - both go the same place.  There is no pressure to start working on these now, but if you're bored in the mid-summer malaise, you have the option.

• Finish the Verses:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/0bm6s5l2fggpbwp/RomJamFTVCycle2013-14.doc
• Reference Questions:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/h9c5ivhfsv9x9dm/2013-2014_RomansJames_OfficialReferencesEFCA.pdf