A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

A Gentle Ramble Through the Bible - Chronologically

por Pastor Gayle Evers

181 The Other Apostles - Peter the Man

We take this time to trace the path of Simon Peter, a stable, successful businessman in partnership with another family as they manage boats and hired hands as commercial fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. We follow as his life is utterly upended by Jesus. We watch as Peter rises to leadership among the disciples and then has his faith shaken to the core. It is a remarkable journey. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

182 The Other Apostles - 1 Peter (Part 1)

We finish up the story of Peter’s life and begin our look at 1 Peter, a letter he wrote from Rome (“Babylon”) to believers in exile from Jerusalem who are undergoing persecution. Peter uses a lot of words like “elect” and “chosen” and talks about destiny. He encourages the believers to remember that God knows where they are and who they are. He reminds them of the salvation that is on the way and the healing that is now. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

183 The Other Apostles - 1 Peter (Part 2)

We finish 1 Peter today. About half of this part of the letter talks about how to act as a believer. It includes the typical household code of the time: slaves obey your masters, wives obey your husbands, and husbands treat your wives well. One really interesting part is where Peter brings in material from the pseudepigraphal letter of 1 Enoch. It was a very famous, pious treatise in which Enoch (the father of Methuselah, way back in Genesis) is taken on a grand tour of the universe. Of course, Enoch couldn’t possibly have written the book or done the things in it because he’d been taken from this life thousands of years before the book was written. We take a close look at how Peter incorporates this material and make a good stab at separating the cultural wrapping paper from the more enduring gift--Peter’s understanding of God’s mercy. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

184 The Other Apostles - Jude, 2 Peter, 1 John

2 Peter and Jude are pretty much carbon copies of each other so we cover them together. Then we move on to 1 John. 2 John is a repeat and 3 John is basically a personal letter with no new theology, so we don’t cover them. 1 John, however, is a letter of encouragement. It’s definitely written in the Johannine tradition and uses terms that are unique to John and his followers. It’s directed at believers who are feeling a little shook up by teachers who pull them this way and that. They don’t know who they should believe. The author of 1 John gives them tips for staying grounded and being confident as Christians and beloved children of God. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

185 Revelation - Intro

Revelation opens saying it is an apocalypsis of Jesus Christ. An apocalypse was a particular genre of writing in the time of Jesus. It’s like announcing something is a romance or a sci-fi or a documentary. It alerts the audience that it’s a particular type of story. And that’s important to keep in mind as the curtain rises on a sweeping story full of angels and demons, saints and monsters. The book first introduces Jesus Christ as we’ve known him thus far in Scripture, but then reveals him as we’ve never seen him before. We cover Revelation 1. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

186 Revelation - Letters to the Churches (Part 1)

I used to wonder why Revelation begins with these seven letters to the churches in Asia. The letters seemed like unnecessary appendages hanging off the beginning of the book before you got to the real story. I don't think that anymore. Now I understand that these letters are foundational for grasping John's message in Revelation. He defines terms here. He sets up the coded language and imagery he'll use later on. The part I missed is the part the Roman Empire missed. I was reading Revelation like a Roman would. The preface to the apocalypse is a set of letters, one for each of seven churches in Asia Minor where John ministered. The letters aren’t addressed to the churches, but to each of their angels. We’ll spend a little time pondering the significance of that. Each letter praises the churches, chastises them a bit, and then gives each one a promise. There’s a lot of war language used--victory and overcoming and laurels of reward. We’ll think about that a bit as well. We cover Revelation 2:1-11. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

187 Revelation - Letters to the Churches (Part 2)

John uses these letters to define several of the important metaphors he’ll use throughout the book. This is a Master Class in resistance under oppression. We cover the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira in this class. And while we’re at it we begin to get a feel for why John wrote Revelation as a “dream” in an apocalypse prefaced by a few seemingly innocuous letters. He uses imagery from the Hebrew Bible as code to talk about "morningstars" and a "Jezebel"--identifying Rome's power as being satanic and setting up a major villain in the story. Amazing. We cover Revelation 2:12-29. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

188 Revelation - Letters to the Churches (Part 3)

We finish the last three letters to the churches: Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. The imagery is tied very closely to the shortcomings and challenges facing these believers. John knows these churches intimately. But as difficult as the messages might be to hear, Jesus always offers hope. He reminds them of their call to be light in the word--lampstands for the Holy Spirit. We gather some more building blocks we’ll need for the study ahead, including insight into the significance of the Book of Life. We cover Revelation 3. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

189 Revelation - The First Six Seals

As John’s vision of heaven begins he sees God on the throne, four kerubim, and 24 elders on thrones. And in the midst of them is a Lamb looking as if it has been slaughtered. The Lamb alone is found worthy to open a scroll sealed with seven seals. As each of the first six seals is opened, a new terror is released upon the earth. What do we do with this? Is God good or not? We cover Revelation 4 thru 6. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

190 Revelation - The 7th Seal & 1st Six Trumpets

There is a pause in heaven before the seventh seal is broken. Terrible things are about to be set into motion. But before that happens, God places protective seals on the foreheads of all of Israel (or only 144,000?)--but not on the Gentiles who serve him. They have to go through the Great Tribulation. Afterwards, however, God wipes every tear from their eyes. We think about the implications of this in our breakout groups. Meanwhile, we take a whirlwind ride through the sounding of the first six trumpets, including trumpets 5 and 6 which are the first of particularly terrible events called “The Woes.” We cover Revelation 7 thru 9. A free Study Guide is available. A video version of the class is available on YouTube. Click here for an index of all classes. More info at PastorintheWild.org.

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