Prologue: An Introduction
'I thank thee, O Lord, that Thou hast given me the ability
to quickly read this copy of The Message, and easily discern
what it really means, unlike that jerk Flanders.'
The apostle Paul knew what he was talking about when he said:
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
God-breathed, eh? And since we, as Christians, profess that the Bible is God-inspired and that God is the ultimate author, IT'S NO WONDER why we've had so much trouble in the past understanding and discerning His Word! "Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?" (Isaiah 40:13)
If you too, my friend, confess to being BIBLE ILLITERATE at times …
FEAR NOT. Pastor Henry is here.
Join TYF as we embark on a three week journey of questions, revelation, growth, laughter and lots of love. Led by Pastor Henry, we will investigate the meaning and importance of Bible study, past (mis)interpretations of the Bible, study Aramaic and Greek culture and language, learn and refine methods of personal study, and MUCH MORE.
Let the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth.
This is God's Word, and we believe it.
Part I: The Do's and Don'ts and Oh Dear's …
As Christians, we should be wary of falling into the trap of the following thought process:
“Me and my group say that passage X means Y. God foreknew and foreordained that me and my group should think this, so he always intended that we should read passage X as meaning Y. Thus, Y is what X means.”
But, how can we REALLY know, then, what God's authorial intent was? And while we don't have all the answers, we DO know what God's authorial intent WASN'T. Learn about these common misconceptions and misinterpretations of the Bible, how you can avoid them, and how they have led to HUGE mistakes in history. You may think these blunders are so ridiculous and funny now, in retrospect, but BEWARE. You might be next.
SO, if you are looking for an AWESOME time of worship, BONDfire sharing, and fellowship with people who care, please join us for TYF's Bible Study Workshop (Part I).
Date: 30 January 2009
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Location: ECAC Basement
What to bring: a pen/pencil, a Bible, an open mind and heart
Hope to see you there.
Hermeneutics is the fancy word for the process by which interpretive techniques are applied to Scripture. And just like the name implies (incredibly convoluted and hard to decipher), it is by no means an easy task?
So, how DO you know whether a passage is meant to be taken literally, or as a metaphor or allegory, or changes in relevance depending on the times, or has a double meaning, or is a consequence of the writer's style? How can we sift through all the English and technicalities to flush out the REAL truth that is Jesus Christ?
Throw in a little Greek and Aramaic and we are on our way to Part II of our Bible Workshop journey. So, if you are asking those questions as well, or if English is NOT one of your strong points, join us for an AWESOME time of fellowship, worship, questions, sharing and old-fashioned fun.
Date: 6 February 2009
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Location: ECAC Basement
What to bring: a pen/pencil, a Bible, an open mind and heart
Remember: CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING.
Keep coming back for more.
As a fitting ending to TYF's Bible Study Workshops with Pastor Henry, more biases and myths of the Bible will be detoxed from our system, and replaced with new insights of how we can discern what the Bible is REALLY saying to us (and no, not the way that Homer Simpson thinks).
So, if you haven't been completely offended by the TRUTH that angels do not play harps and sing (at least there is no Biblical basis for that assumption), please join TYF for the GRAND FINALE of our Bible Study Workshop series, where we will delve into further heated discussion of the context, themes, metaphors, language and style employed in the Bible, as well as a closer study of controversial passages such as those recorded in Revelation.
If quality time with the Word of God and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ is YOUR idea of a Friday night, thrown in with an AWESOME time of worship, BONDfire sharing, laughs and lots of love, don't miss us this Friday!
Date: 20 February 2009
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Location: ECAC Basement
What to bring: a pen/pencil, a Bible, an open mind and heart
TYF would love to have you.