The Inductive Method

The Bible is awesome and true. In its pages we learn about God and may also encounter God. The Bible is not magic - we should not use scriptures like a magic spell. The Bible is not perfect - its primary function is not to present an accurate history or scientific revelation. 

In this series, we have focused on the human element of the Bible; but, the Holy Spirit's role is of primary importance. While God's voice is a voice in the Bible, there are other voices as well. 

The pastor likes to read and put into his own words the scriptures he has read. You can also use inductive reasoning - you look at a passage and ask yourself a series of questions about it. 

Today we read Philemon and use inductive reasoning as a group exercise. That said, I will end these notes here. 

The New Testament

Jesus came to fulfill the promises God made. He's the fulfillment of the grand story of the Old Testament. The message of Jesus was grounded in this story. 

The New Testament was slowly put together after it became clear that Jesus was not returning soon. Took about 400 years to come together. 

It is not perfect in every detail. A lot of archeological detective work has helped figure out what was in the original documents, but everything is not settled. 

Mark is first Gospel and very straightforward story. Matthew, written for Jews, casts Jesus as the new Moses. Luke and Acts is the story of the Spirit. John sets out to show that Jesus is God. The Gospels are Scene One of the New Testament. 

Jesus fulfills both God's part and humanity's part of the Covenant. 

Scene Two is the rest of the New Testament - the story of the Church, the community of Christ, a community of the Spirit. There isn't an end to the story - the Story isn't over and YOU are in it. 

The Spirit leads us into the promises of God. The Spirit leads the Body of Christ. 

The equivalent of the widow and orphan today is the mentally ill homeless person. 

The Bible's Big Story

Appreciating the timebound nature of the Bible enables us to understand the timeless nature of the Bible. 

Begin with Jesus. Look at God (and the Bible) through the lens of Jesus. 

We always have the opportunity to meet God when we're reading. 

The primary theme of Jesus' life, ministry, and message is the Kingdom of God. It is also the major theme of the Bible. 

What is the Kingdom of God? It's not Heaven. It's not the Church. Colonialism was motivated by greed by justified by the view that the Church was the Kingom. 

In Eden the Tree of Life speaks to God's gift of Life. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil speaks to God's right alone to judge. Jews believe that if Adam and Eve had obeyed, they would have eventually been ready to eat of this tree too. 

When we give up our knowledge of God, we become less than we're meant to be. 

The Kingdom of God is God's righteous rule over Creation. 

The bookends of the Bible - The beginning of Genesis and the end of Revelation - show the Kingdom of God on Earth. 

We no longer live in the Kingdom of Darkness, under the authority of Sin - we now live in freedom under the authority of Christ. 

Our Father means that we are adopted in the Kingdom. Hallowed be thy name means may my life bring honor to your name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done is a prayer that God's will might be done in your life. 

Reflect on Matthew 13:10-17.