Weekly Discussion Class

[Prov910]

Hello all,

I would like to do my best to start the equivalent of a Wednesday night/Sunday morning class at church. I am basing the format off of something a church I attended as a kid where the subject material was based solely off questions that were submitted by the attendees of the class. I want to do this one, to help me study the Bible more, to have a good discussion about issues, and to work on my teaching skills as I would like to start a class like this when I move back home.

A little about me. I was born and raised in the Lord's Church and still follow the teachings of solely the Bible. I believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God and everything we need to know for our salvation is in its pages.

So without further ado, let's jump right in. Please ask any questions you want. It can be anything scriptural related, it can be anything about the Lord's Church and why we believe what we believe, do what we do, etc. Any question is a fair question. I will choose 1-2 a week, depending on depth and complexity of the question and post a new thread to keep the discussion going. I encourage everyone to ask whatever is on their minds.

Thanks and looking forward to this!
Ego788

Maybe one of your discussions could be based on the question, "What is sin?"

Is a sin only breaking one of the ten commandments? Or are there other sins? If you decline to help someone in need, is that a sin? Is it a sin to break the old testament laws? If you mow your lawn on Sunday, is is sin? Are drinking and smoking sins? Is it a sin to speak harshly to someone? Is it a sin to speak harshly to someone on an Internet message board? Is it sin to do other than WWJD?

Lots of possibilities with that question. I'm not sure of the answers, or that there is a definitive answer.

 

[posthuman]

I just read posthuman's comment on post #36, and I am sure that he will remember that this is another belief that I don't not hold. The CofC that I attend has been bringing this up a lot lately. It really gets under my skin. I have no desire to try to get instrumental music in our services. I just get tired of the condemning tone with which it is addressed. Posthuman is correct that there is no direct command, and I would even go as far as to say a better argument could be made (biblically) for musical instruments than there is to be made against.

it's one thing to say "we prefer not to use musical instruments" and something else entirely to say "using musical instruments in worship is wrong"

i hope i didn't sound condescending ((though i absolutely do disagree with a doctrinal ban on music)) - i do remember, and thanks for providing an illustration of how this isn't a unanimous belief in the COC

 

[p_rehbein]

Just FYI.............

Psalms
150


1 .) Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 .) Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 .) Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 .) Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 .) Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 .) Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

 

[Ariel82]

Can you clearly state the gospel message with accompanying Bible verses?

If you are going to teach a weekly class, this should be the first question you should answer.

Then you need to learn about the people in your group and meet them where they are.

Through prayer and discussion, you allow a topic to be chosen that feeds and enriches all of the group members.

Are they new believers? Are they young adults with some knowledge of the Bible? Do they want deep study and will do homework (extra reading) outside of your meetings? Or do they prefer most of the study be done during the meeting and have a simple task like meditate upon a scripture during the week?

Why have people joined your group? What are they seeking for the group to provide?

Are their expectations realistic or should they seek God for some of what they expect the group to fulfill for them?

It's hard to plan for a group before meeting the members you are trying to teach.

There is basics new believer classes you could prep for but to help people to grow to maturity, you have to examine your heart and see if you are mature enough. Do you display the wisdom from above? Do you have patience, gentleness, kindness, self control, love and joy?

 

[Ariel82]

See what happened in this thread? It will happen in your weekly meetings too.

You have to acknowledge that wandering of the conversation is expected and learn how to steer the conversation back to the topic you want to discuss without offending people by making them feel dumb or like misbehaving children (the whole snide comment diatribe wouldn't fly, folks would just stop coming to your meetings)

Especially since everyone has done what you ask:

Ask questions about what you would like to discuss about the Bible in a weekly meeting.

 

[tourist]

Seeing how you will choose only one or two questions a week I don't see how anyone is going to seriously follow and participate in this discussion of yours. Why not just interact with the community and let everyone know who you are and what you are about. Glad to have you join in on the conversation. Welcome to CC.

 

[tourist]

...................................Who is?

Turn that frown upside down. I'm talking about myself of course.

 

[Ego788]

So, it appears that I was a little overzealous in my ambition for what this would be. I appreciate those of you that had real questions and asked them and those that gave an answer. I look forward to contributing and working with you all in other discussions on this site. If you still want me to take a shot at answering your questions, please PM me and I will do my best to answer and work with you on it!

--Ego

 

[posthuman]

here's a question, that might be poignant -

does creation itself sing a song of praise to God?

the sound of the wind and the waves, what the birds and the whales say, the dance the insects do - is this all meaningless, or is it a psalm?

 

[posthuman]

and here's another, if that one is messy - Christ identified the bronze 'fiery' serpent as a type of Himself (John 3:14-15). from this perspective, what is the significance of the fact that the people were healed by looking toward an image of the very thing that afflicted them? that affliction being itself a righteous judgement from God?

When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, then he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. So Israel made a vow to the LORD and said,
​

“If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” ​

The LORD heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.

Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. The people spoke against God and Moses, ​

“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”​

The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said,
​

“We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.”
​

And Moses interceded for the people.

Then the LORD said to Moses,
​

“Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.”
​

And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
​

(Numbers 21:1-9)​

 

[so-jesus-e-deus]

The false gods the people of Samaria worshipped.

I'm sorry, but I disagree. After all, Jesus ordained her:

• "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither." (John 4.16)

This only have sense if husband is a man.

 

[Bladerunner]

I do appreciate the snide comments and arrogance, truly. Your internet boldness is truly a testament to your character. If you don't want to participate, feel free to move along and ignore. That's the beauty of freewill. Feel free to use yours! Like I said, this is to help me prepare a class structure AND to endeavor to study the Bible more both for personal enrichment and to be able to spread the Gospel.

@Sully haha, I didn't even catch that. My handle has nothing to do with a person's ego. I played paintball for several years when I was younger and the marker that I used was called an Ego. Just a good memory and I enjoy it for online handles.

@Desertsrose Hey! That is a good question. The Lord's Church refers to the one, and only one, church that Christ built on Earth while he was physically present on Earth. It is not a denomination. Denominations are a man made classification system and not a scriptural one. We in the Lord's Church are a New Testament church. We believe that we speak when the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent. We believe baptism for the remission of sins to be an essential part of the Gospel's plan of Salvation, we believe in the unity and oneness in God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we believe the Lord's Supper is observed on the first, and only first, day of the week, we don't believe in instrumental music in worship. Those would be the big ones, feel free to ask for clarification on anything else I didn't cover that you would like to know!

lets see the COC does not believe in the Harpozo, does not believe that God will come back for his Chosen people... they do not like to be called a denomination,..claim they came out of the original church of Jesus Christ yet the COC actually came out of the American Restoration movement in the early 1800s....... They are preterist or the replacement theology on steroids... They believe in Baptism is required to get saved in addition to faith in Jesus Christ (one can not get to heaven by his/her works.... I could go on but better stop here.

Now I ask you Ego788 where did I go wrong.

 

[Bladerunner]

I am a member of the Church or Christ and this rings true, for the most part.

We are taught that we are saved by baptism, but if you continue to listen you will realize that we do not really believe it. It's hard to say it clearly and adequately, but the teaching leans towards baptism-grace-works. Hear, believe, repent, confess, and be baptized - you are likely to hear this after attending for a short time, occasionally followed by "and live a Christian life. I don't really have a problem with "Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, and Be Baptized", but I am not comfortable with our "understanding" of baptism. I remember the "what ifs.." from my younger years. We would ask questions like "What if you died while you were on your way to be baptized?", as if God is not able to save because someone died while they were on their way to be baptized.

But, being a member of the CofC, I do not believe everything that I hear at the church building. So I try not to assume someone's beliefs because of the group they worship with (even though it tends to be a good indication).

Baptism by immersion is by Works! Sooooooooo.... they have Works before Grace or in addition to it. It is still not right.

You see the point where the COC goes wrong...... Here is the answer:

Romans 10:13 (KJV) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."


Notice ----no mention of Water Baptism here??????? I really think you need to get rid of your religion and find yourself a quite place and talk (pray) to God about your rebirth (salvation), recognize youself as a sinner (as we all are), ask Jesus Christ to forgive you for your sins and simply give your heart, mind and soul to him. He will take care of the rest.Now all you have to do is listen to the Holy Spirit within you fro those works to start happening..

 

[tourist]

My Question: Who are or what do the 5+1 husbands represent?; Jesus teaching the Samaria women at the well (John 4.

It appears to be a commitment issue of some sorts.

 

[oldethennew]

or a 'non-commitment of some sore-sort'...

 

[stillness]

Why wait till you move back home? Start a study group right where you are.

Here's a couple of good questions for you. How long was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? Where was the Garden of Eden located and where is it now?

The answer to both questions are covered in the scriptures. I'll leave it to you to find the answers.

The garden of Eden, or garden of God is the body of Christ,
Once rebelled in the will of the flesh, had only the mind of the flesh: the fruit a selfish existence`
The fruit of the tree of knowledge, of good and evil: the fruit of the mind of the flesh.
"What fruit had ye in those things where of you are now ashamed, idolatry witchcraft..."
Being cut of from the tree of Life, having no Living water: the Holy Spirit.
"Now we have the mind of Christ." "Wisdom is a tree of Life."
The same day they died, on the six day, not having entered into rest in God.
"To God a day is has a thousand years and a thousand years as one day." They lived a little short of a thousand years.

 

[OneFaith]

Hello all,

I would like to do my best to start the equivalent of a Wednesday night/Sunday morning class at church. I am basing the format off of something a church I attended as a kid where the subject material was based solely off questions that were submitted by the attendees of the class. I want to do this one, to help me study the Bible more, to have a good discussion about issues, and to work on my teaching skills as I would like to start a class like this when I move back home.

A little about me. I was born and raised in the Lord's Church and still follow the teachings of solely the Bible. I believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God and everything we need to know for our salvation is in its pages.

So without further ado, let's jump right in. Please ask any questions you want. It can be anything scriptural related, it can be anything about the Lord's Church and why we believe what we believe, do what we do, etc. Any question is a fair question. I will choose 1-2 a week, depending on depth and complexity of the question and post a new thread to keep the discussion going. I encourage everyone to ask whatever is on their minds.

Thanks and looking forward to this!
Ego788

Isn't that what we are already doing here in "Bible Disscussion"?

 

[stillness]

The mind of the flesh was created from nothing and is an illusion. In the flesh we are not for real, "A vapour that appears for a while."

There are some things that God cant do, He can't stop loving, and he can't save nothing, "without Love I am nothing. No wonder salvation was costly, Love does not insist on his own way: is not a dictator.

A skill testing question, a riddle if you please, riddled with holes already mentioned:

What is stronger than God, meaner than the devil, the poor man has, the rich man doesn't need, and if you eat it you'll die?
Answer next post.

 

[stillness]

Nothing: By rebelling we became a creature created from nothing, in love with it's self. quite fitting refereed as ego

 

[stillness]

A question arose about immersed in the Identity of God the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. The baptisem of repentance is a turning to God to experience this immersion in God as lifestyle. Just like you don't learn French as you get enrolled in the class but by communicating in the language. Many think of being saved by doing the right things as a formula, to figure, like: witch-craft is the one. It was the fruit of the mind of the flesh to desire to be as god in our life. And why we are slow in communion with God: to Learn of Him the language of Faith that works by Love, He is our Hope, Jesus. "We shall se Him as He is foe we shall be like Him.