This entry is going to attempt to give a brief update on what was studied over the past few weeks on Monday Nights.
Oct. 6: We began the study of Jesus’ parables today. The majority of the time was spend going over the handout about the parables. You can go to the Monday Night tab to see an example of this handout.
Oct. 13: The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven was the topic for this night. We first talked on how an understanding of the kingdom of heaven was important to understanding the parables. Most of Jesus’ parables deal with some aspect of the kingdom of heaven and God. Then we talked about whether there is a difference between the two phrases, ” The kingdom of God” and “The kingdom of heaven.” We came to the conclusion that there is no difference. To finish up the discussion we talked about what the kingdom of heaven is. The kingdom of heaven has a past, a present and a future aspect. The past aspect is that God created the universe, and that His right to rule His kingdom is based on His role as Creator and is not based on His power. The present aspect of the kingdom starts with Adam and Eve’s fall, the rebellion they introduced into the world, and will conclude with the second coming of Christ. The future aspect of the kingdom deals with when God is in control over all of His creation again. Check Eph. 1:10 and I Cor. 15:24-28.
Oct. 28: After two weeks of preparation, we started the “parable of the Sower.” Dan would like to report that this was a good discussion with no confusion, but that would not be the truth. It turned out to be exactly what a parble should be, something that generates a lot of discussion on just what Jesus meant when He taught the parables. It was also a good lesson on how we should not read too much or too little into a parable. It was also a good reminder as to why we should not read our own theological debates into the parables. (see parable study sheet on Monday night tab)
Oct. 27: We finished the parable of the sower this night. Last weeks confusion gave way to a wonderful study of the parable. We drew lots of comfort as we saw that there is nothing wrong with the seed (the Gospel), but there is something wrong with some of the soils (our hearts). We came to the conclusion that what this parable tells us about the kingdom of God is that not all will recieve the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus tells us why they don’t recieve. We then talked about ways to prepare the soil, so that it is ready to recieve the seed. We discussed the purpose of God’s law in the world (check I Tim 1:8-11, Gal. 3: 21-25). The law is a school master that leads us to Christ. Understanding our sinfullness and how much trouble we are in with God goes a long way in tilling up the soil. We finished the evening with beautiful testimonies of how God has planted His seed in us individually and how His plan has grown in our lives.
