Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

So here's Jesus, sending his friends out to preach, wandering the countryside--maybe not alone, but without so many beside him. And there's John, in jail. And there's the "evil king" and the "conspiring queen," together with the "innocent daughter"... We know the story don't we? And her name? Who was the girl who danced? But, just maybe, some of the things we know aren't so sure. Maybe some of the details we remember aren't so relevant, and some of the assumptions we make aren't so helpful... in the present as well as in history. This week, our Bible study group's going to read the Biblical story of the death of John the Baptist. Join us! (40) Paying the Ultimate Price Mark—“nothing but the facts”—recounts John’s death straight after the sending out of the twelve. With Luke, he adds the rumors of Jesus being “the resurrected John” (fitting, if John has just died). But Matthew inserts the story of John asking if Jes...

According to Luke, Jesus raises the widow's son in Nain and is then challenged by John's disciples with the question, "Are you the one?" So that's what our study group will look at this week. What convinces us that Jesus is the one? And... what makes us doubt if our fellow believers are really following him? (26) Tell John What? Jesus traveled north when John was arrested (John 3:22, Mathew 4:12 ). Now John, in jail, hears news of Jesus’ continuing ministry— Read Matthew 11:2. 1.        Why was John jailed? ( Read Matthew 14:3-5 )? 2.        Why wasn’t Jesus jailed for the same crime? (Read John 2:17 – who is more zealous?) 3.        How might John have felt about Jesus not speaking out against Herod? Might this be part of why he sends the messengers? 4.        How do we feel about Christians not speaking out against things we consider important? ...

Last week our Coffee Break group looked at stories of Jesus' childhood. This week we move onto more familiar territory with the beginning of his adult ministry, by which time Jesus is... how old? I'm quite enjoying the shorter studies we're doing now. I hope you are too. (7) Baptism The first thing we know about the adult Jesus is that John the Baptist baptizes him. All four Gospels tell (at least part of) the story, and all four set the scene by describing the ministry of John. Read Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1;1-3, Luke 3:1-6, Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1 1.        How famous was Isaiah? 2.        How old was Jesus when John began his ministry? ( Read Luke 3: 23. Tiberius reigned for two years together with Augustus, so this could be AD 26 or 28. Pilate was procurator from AD 26 to 36, Caiaphas was high priest from AD 18 to 36.) 3.        How old was John? 4.    ...

We're up to the final study in Daniel now, with prophecies that might be apocalyptic - end of days - or might just herald a new world order - the New Testament world. What do you think? Enjoy. (53) The End of Days and the Start of a New World Order Critics believe Daniel’s vision moves toward end-times prophecy at Daniel 11:35. Many Jews believe the king in verse 36 is the Antichrist. Many Christians agree, viewing this as prophecy of Christ’s return, matching the destruction of the image in chapter 2 and the destruction of the horn in chapter 7 ( Daniel 2:44-45, Daniel 7:11-14 ). 1.        Read Daniel 11:36-39 a.        Who or what do you imagine as you read this? b.       What might be a god of fortresses? c.        What is the king’s attitude to God or gods? d.       What is his attitude to women (The one desired of women is someti...

Out of the Desert 1. How was John the Baptist related to Jesus? 2. What’s special about the birth of John the Baptist? 3. What’s special about John’s father? And his mother? 4. What’s the significance of John’s diet and clothing? 5. What sort of ministry did John have when he baptized Jesus? 6. What did baptizing Jesus do to John’s ministry? 7. What did Jesus do after his baptism? 8. How did John end up in jail? 9. Was John always convinced that Jesus was the Messiah? 10. How did John die? Does his death sound plausible? Jesus began his public ministry by receiving the sacrament of Baptism from his cousin John. John is the son of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah. Zechariah was a priest, therefore a Levite. The fact that Elizabeth is also a Levite means Zechariah is particularly honored, but the fact that they have no children would be looked on as a curse. They lived in the hill country of Judea, south of Jerusalem, except when Zechariah had to serve in the Temple. The...