Today was the most difficult
for me personally since my fatigue seemed to catch up to me and I was not
feeling well most of the day. Yet, the classes seemed to evidence more good
today than in the previous days. My hope is to get my “second wind” by tomorrow
and catch up to the class. Their assigned outlines and their comments show that
they are growing well and showing the evidence of that growth.
The morning session started
in 1 Peter 4:1 and covered through 1 Peter 5:5. We spent a great deal of time
in 4:1-6 talking about the words used in condemnation of the sins of a sexual
nature and those involving the use of intoxicants. We noted that the Bible
condemns, not only the end effect of these evils, but also the start or initial
step into that path. We also gave emphasis to 5:1-5 in identifying what the
Bible says about elders, shepherds or overseers as well as showing their work.
We also noted the contrast between the Bible teaching about their function and
that practiced by our institutional friends in their practice of the
“sponsoring church” or an eldership’s oversight of a separate “mission church”
in an entirely different place (sometimes a different continent).
The afternoon session on
Premillennialism focused on answering three main questions:
· Was the rejection of Christ unexpected or prophesied
before Christ’s coming?
· Was the church an afterthought or part of the eternal
plan of God?
· Are the church & kingdom different
groups or the same group of people?
We answered each question by
noting that the Scripture teaches the opposite of what Premillennialism claims.
In answering the last question, we observed that Jesus placed the Lord’s Supper
in the kingdom (Luke 22:15-20,
28-30). But the Scripture records that the Lord’s Supper was partaken in
the church (1 Cor. 11:17-34; Acts 20:7).
How can that be explained unless we understand that the church and the kingdom
are comprised of the same people?
Jonathan, Rody and Lordy
again did an excellent job of conducting both morning and afternoon sessions to
clarify points in the dialects of the participants. On the first day, the
students were a little hesitant to ask questions and seek clarification, but
that is no longer the case. They have good discussion periods with much
participation and they have to be stopped after running some over the allotted
time of each session. We all believe that is the best change we have made for
the classes this time and it is turning out better than I had even hoped!
