Day 18: John 20-Acts 4

Sorry this is so late getting up! Anyway, here are today's questions:

1. What is the purpose of the book of John?
2. What are Jesus' instructions to Peter?
3. The beginning of Acts refers to a first book. It has the same name as the author of Acts. What is it?
4. Who replaced Judas and how was he chosen?
5. What happened on Pentecost?

Feel free to share your questions or insights by leaving a comment.

Day 17: John 15-19

Here are some questions to consider as you listen to today's text.

1. Why is it to the disciples' advantage for Jesus to "go away"?
2. What is Jesus' parting gift to the disciples?
3. What does Jesus ask the Father for the disciples?
4. Who sliced the ear off of the slave of the high priest?
5. What words does Jesus say from the cross in John's gospel?

Feel free to share you questions and insights by leaving a comment.

Day 16: John 10-14

Here are some questions to consider as you listen to today's text.

1. What are the characteristics of the good shepherd?
2. Why does Jesus wait so long to go to Lazarus?
3. Why did the raising of Lazarus pose a problem?
4. What sign of servanthood does Jesus demonstrate?
5. What are some of the names or analogies Jesus gives himself in chapters 11-15?

Feel free to share you insights or questions by leaving a comment.

Day 15: John 6-9

Here are some questions to consider as you listen to today's text.

1. What did the boy offer the 5,000?
2. How does Jesus describe himself in relation to bread?
3. What flows out of the believer's heart?
4. How does Jesus respond to the woman caught in adultery?
5. Jesus says that his disciples know the truth. How and what will it do for them?

Feel free to share your questions and insights by leaving a comment.

Day 14: John 1-5

Here are some questions to consider as you listen to today's text.

1. John's gospel begins with creation. Yet the same chapter includes the incarnation. What words does John use to describe the birth of Jesus?
2. What does John the Baptist call Jesus?
3. What is the first miracle that Jesus performs in the gospel of John?
4. The most famous verse of the Bible is found in John 3. Who and how much does God love?
5. What did Jesus ask the woman of Samaria? What did he offer?

Feel free to share your questions and insights by leaving a comment.

Chapter 19: Love - How to Really Love Yourself

Mark here. With David teaching the Great Light Seminar right now, I will facilitate the rest of the discussions on "Blue Like Jazz". With only 1 chapter left to go, some may wonder, "What next?" Well, let me tell you! We will next move into a discussion centered around Leonard Sweet's new book 11. In this book, Sweet uses Biblical figures to identify 11 relationships we need to have in our life in order to be who God intends us to be. This book should provide a wonderful opportunity for Biblical principles to intersect daily life. It will hopefully also generate a lot of discussion.

In starting with 11, David and I have decided to cast a wider net. We have always said that the discussion on this blog was open to anyone. We are going to be much more intentional about promoting that over the course of the next few weeks.

If you are in the Young Adult Sunday School class at First Baptist Elon, David and I will be getting books to you shortly. Otherwise, anyone can pick up a copy of the book at any Family Christian bookstore. As always, we will try to facilitate the discussion in a way that anyone can participate, even if they do not have the book.

Now, on to a discussion based around chapter 19 of Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz.

Miller tells a story about Nathan, a genius who talks like Elmer Fudd. Miller fears that if Nathan was to come to his church, people would label Nathan and make fun of him because of the way he talks and never learn that he was a genius. Have you ever labeled someone and then learned something about them that totally blew up your label? Why do you think we sometimes make judgments about someone without really knowing them?

Miller writes, "I pray often that God would give me the strength and dignity to receive [my friends'] love. My friend Julie from Seattle says the key to everything rests in the ability to receive love ...". Why does it take strength to receive love? Why does it take dignity to receive love? Why is the ability to receive love so important?

There are 2 passages of Scripture that Miller either directly quotes or, I believe, lie underneath his writings in this chapter.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

"One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, 'Which commandment is the first of all?' Jesus answered, 'The first is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.'" - Mark 12:28-31

It occurs to me that one of the first songs the church teaches children is "Jesus Loves Me". Most children learns that God loves them before they learn that they are to love God. Is it possible to love God without first coming to the realization that God loves us?
If we are struggling with the fact that God loves us, how does this affect our faith and our relationship to God?

Are our relationships to others affected by our understanding that God loves us? How?

Chapter 3: Magic

Mark here. Well, this is kind of an interesting week for me to do the initial post, since I have been preaching for the last month on the idea of new life in Christ, which is a key idea in chapter 3 of Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz. So I thought I would start by giving you some Scripture passages you may want to take a look at when you get time. They might provide some good insight or additional questions for us to talk about.

John 15:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5; Colossians 2:6-3:17

Miller quotes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet:

Romeo: Call me but love, and I'll be new baptiz'd; Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Miller, speaking of seeing this play as a teen, remembers thinking about this sentiment, "People really should put a limit on how much they give to emotion."
What role does emotion play in our relationship with God? Is it possible that we can give too much to emotion in our faith?

Miller writes, "I think the devil has tricked us into thinking so much of biblical theology is story fit for kids." His primary example: the story of Noah's ark. If you get a chance, read Genesis 6-9:17, the story of Noah. What does this story say to you as an adult? Do you agree with Miller's observation?

Miller observes that what helped him accept Christianity was when he learned the four elements of story: setting, conflict, climax, and resolution. Setting is where you are. Every story needs conflict, either internal, external or both. Climax is the point of decision that determines how the story ends. Resolution is the ending based on the decision made.
Can you see your own faith journey in these terms? What other models have you seen or heard? Were these helpful or harmful to your understanding of Christianity?

This chapter of Miller's book centers on tracing how he moved from viewing Christianity's promise of new life as a trick or illusion to viewing the reality of new life in Christ as a reality that he desperately wanted. Why do we as people sometimes view new life in Christ as an illusion? Are there times when we don't even want new life? What moves us to an understanding of new life in Christ as a reality that we want?

Week 1: Beginnings

Feel free to respond to any of the questions or comments in this post. Hopefully, good discussion will be generated!

In his first chapter of “Blue Like Jazz”, Donald Miller shares quite a bit of the images of God he had as a child and teenager. His concepts of God included a “stiff, oily man”, a rich man who drove a big car and had popular kids, and an idea of God as a “… slot machine, a set of spinning images that doled out rewards based on behavior and, perhaps, chance”.

What are some of the concepts of God you have had at various points in your life?

How did these concepts of God affect how you related to God?

In John 10:7-39, Jesus makes several statements in the hearing of the Jewish leadership regarding his identity. He tells them that he has come so that the sheep (God's people) may have life, and have it abundantly. His statements cause much unrest within the Jewish leadership. See this excerpt from John 10:24-30:

So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

In his book, Miller writes, "Today I wonder why it is God refers to Himself as 'Father' at all. This, to me, in light of the earthly representation of the role, seems a marketing mistake. Why would God want to call Himself Father when so many fathers abandon their children?"

How would you respond to this question?

How do you relate to God today?