At Jackson Woods Presbyterian Church we are committed to reading our Bible regularly. Pastor Michael started God's Book Club right after his arrival as our pastor. Each month, we are encouraged in our newsletter to read a different book from the Bible all the way through. Sermons during that month usually are centered around the book we are reading so it is an easy way to interact with the sermons on Sunday morning at a deeper level and grow in our faith.
The Gospel of Matthew
The First Sunday of Advent marked a new church year and the bulk of the sermons this coming year will be from the Gospel of Matthew; so, I encourage you all to read this gospel in January.
This has always been my favorite Gospel.I am not sure why but pretty much without exception when there is a story about Jesus that is common to all of the first three gospels I prefer the way Matthew recounts the tale.It is also pretty easy to read.And, through sheer coincidence it is lined out well for reading in a month’s time having only 28 chapters.
FAQ Why should I read the gospel? I know what Jesus said and did; after all, I have been coming to church my whole life. When we only interact with a book of the Bible on Sunday mornings we miss out on a whole lot of the meaning in the book.It is great for us to read about Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness but we lose something if we do not read the account of his baptism that precedes it.Not only that but Jesus’ teachings about sheep and goats and wheat and chaff (they come toward the end of Matthew) make more sense when a person has read the middle of the gospel.So do yourself a favor and read this entire Gospel in order rather than in bits and pieces. I already read the Gospel of Luke is there a difference? Yes.Matthew was writing to a different group of Christian believers than Luke so his areas of emphasis and his picture of Jesus are different than any of the other gospel writers.There are also events in Jesus life and teachings of Jesus only found in Matthew. Was this the first gospel written? Probably not.Although the early tradition of the church was that Matthew was the first gospel, biblical scholars today mostly agree that of the gospels in our Bible, Mark was written first. Prior to any of the “gospels” being written there might have been collections of sayings of Jesus being distributed around the Mediterranean world.Most scholars date the Gospel of Matthew around 70 to 80 AD. What are the themes of Matthew? Jesus is also the Christ, the anointed one of God, the Son of the Living God, who is God with us. For Matthew, the church is founded on this confession.A large part of Matthew is designed to inform the church how to live in this knowledge in order to spread this truth to others. Jesus is shown as a great teacher. His arrival in the world marks a decisive change in history.
1 Timothy
Timothy were written by an associate of Paul either during Paul’s ministry or shortly after Paul’s death. It is possible that the letter was written as late as 90 A.D. by someone using Paul’s name.
Who was Timothy?
Timothy was a traveling companion and evangelist who became a Christian during Paul’s evangelism efforts in Asia Minor around 46 AD. Timothy traveled with Paul on several of his later missionary journeys. Timothy was instrumental in establishing churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Rome. Paul also sent Timothy back to church’s he had founded to deal with problems that arose after Paul’s departure.
Is 1 Timothy relevant to our lives?
Issues in 1 Timothy. Paul is writing advice to Timothy and suggests that holding fast to the confession of faith and sound doctrine will solve a multitude of problems. There are many problems addressed in 1 Timothy that are similar to issues in the Church today.
Timothy was dealing with leaders spreading false teachings about who Jesus was and that Jesus had not raised from the dead in a bodily fashion. You can find those same arguments today at the religion section of the local book store.
Timothy's church was also trying to figure out the role of women in a church built on a commitment to egalitarian principles in a society that did not value full equality for women. Even today many denominations in the USA struggle with the question of ordaining women to preach the gospel.
The church then was also trying to figure out how to discern between folks who were truly in need of a "hand up" and folks who were looking for a "hand-out."
In short, 1 Timothy couldn't be much more relevant to American society if it had been written yesterday.
Objections to reading Timothy
Objection #1 Michael, Hebrews was difficult so I don’t want to read another book from the Bible! Hebrews is a difficult book but 1 Timothy is easier to read. It is shorter and more straight forward than Hebrews (less dense theology and more life application) and includes some of the most famous verses in the New Testament.
Objection #2 I do not have time! 1 Timothy is 103 verses. You can read 4 verses a day and be done before the month ends.
An Icon of St. Timothy
A Brief look at Hebrews
The Letter to the Hebrews is not really a letter in the same sense as Galatians or Corinthians. In fact, it probably is the earliest example we have of a complete first century Christian sermon. It provides some of the most thought-provoking and earliest explanations of what the death and resurrection of Jesus meant.Its major theme is about how Christ’s perfect life and obedient death makes him the perfect High Priest who takes away our sin. For the writer of Hebrews, following Christ is superior to any other religious belief.
Did Paul write Hebrews?
Probably not.While there is some evidence for Paul’s authorship (the tradition of the Church from around 200 AD on) there is a lot of evidence that Paul did not write Hebrews.A good introductory text to the New Testament or a good Study Bible can explain some of those issues fully if you are interested.What we do know is that the author possessed a great theological mind, was an eloquent writer, and was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
When was Hebrews written?
Again, we do not know for certain but it was likely written between 65 AD and 90 AD to a group of Christians in a major city who were of a Jewish background.
How to go about reading Hebrews
Hebrews is a challengin book in the Bible. It is best read in short chunks with a study Bible or a Bible that has excellent cross-referencing, because each chapter of Hebrews is chock-full of references to the OT. There are lots of references to Genesis and the Mosaic law. Reading these will be time-consuming but they will help you understand what the writer of Hebrews is trying to convey.
Before you read one word of Hebrews, pray.Ask God to help you understand what you are reading through the eyes of the Holy Spirit.Then after you are done reading pray again.It only takes two easy words “help me.”Also do not be afraid to ask questions. Like any commitment that is worthwhile it requires you to make time for it. Read it during commercials (you don’t need to get a new cell phone plan anyway).Read it instead of forwarding emails to your friends.There are lots of people making use of your time for you: Oprah, Rush, the local Sports Talk guy, your friends on My Space.Give God a few minutes to “bend your ear.”It’s the least you can do for the One who created everything.
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Letter of Paul to the Philippians
In an effort to make your worship experience more fruitful, I urge you to take the time to read this book in the Bible. It is a very short book with some of the best loved verses in all of scripture.
Philippi was an ancient city in northeastern Greece. It was a cosmopolitan community from a religious standpoint with worshippers of the Roman gods, Egyptian gods, and Thracian gods mixing together.There was a Jewish synagogue and the Apostle Paul established his first church in Europe there around 50 AD. The letter in our Bible was likely delivered to that Christian community around 54 AD. In the Letter to the Philippians, Paul urges the church there to both greater unity and stronger reliance upon the power of Christ.Paul reveals how much the Holy Spirit has moved in his life to transform him and hopes that the believers there will open themselves up to that same power.“Be imitators of Christ,” is the way he describes it.More specifically, they are called to imitate the servant nature and self-surrender of Jesus.Rather than focusing on self, Paul reveals that a key to the Christian life (and life in Christian community) is focusing on the needs of others. The letter is only four short chapters.You can easily read it in a single setting or space it out over several days.You might even read it more than once between now and when the sermons begin. If you do read it I promise you will find God speaking to you more clearly than ever before in the context of Sunday morning worship.
