A Little Back-Story

This forms an additional study page for the Thursday Study Group meeting March 14.  In addition to Acts 20, the study page for which has already been posted.  Read over three chapters in Corinthians.

The first chapter is 1 Corinthians 16.  This chapter finishes out the first letter from Paul to the church in Corinth.  It might be good to read the whole letter (it's not a bad read actually), but the questions below will pertain to this chapter of the letter.

The next two chapters are 2 Corinthians 8 & 9.  These elaborate on the topic of 1 Cor 16.  Read through these three chapters, and be sure to look through Acts 20, possibly 19, to help get the context provided by Luke.  These chapters in Corinthians are written during Paul's stay in Ephesus in Acts 19, but setup and are carried out in chapter 20.

The reason I want you to have some idea of the content of these pieces to the Corinthian letters is that Luke makes no mention of this part of the story.  There are a variety of reason for this, and we can discuss these possibilities on March 14.  But these chapters (along with many others in Corinthians) form an interesting backdrop to the briefly touched events in Acts 20.  Chapter 20 happens so fast that there is little time to get a sense of the relational elements of the various visits of Paul to churches.  These letters help us gain some insight into those relationships.

So, as usual, read through the chapters several times, note elements that seem interesting or raise questions.  Note things that seem to be at odds with the account in Acts, and see if you can come up with some explanations (there will be several, but also obvious favorites of commentators).

1 Corinthians 16 (vv. 1-12)

• What does Paul want the church in Corinth to know about the instructions he's about to give?
• What are these instructions about?
• What assumptions is Paul making about the collection and the Corinthian church? (I found 3 before verse 5)
• From where is Paul writing this letter?
• How long will he be there?
• What route will he take to get to Corinth?
• How long does Paul intend to stay in Corinth?
• Who is Paul sending ahead?
• Where is Timothy headed?
• Who is with Paul and not coming to Corinth at the time of writing?

2 Corinthians 8

•  About whom is Paul writing to the church in Corinth?
• What is remarkable about these churches in Macedonia?
• Who is coming to Corinth to help them?
• What does Paul hope he finds in the church in Corinth?
• What is the purpose in starting with the churches in Macedonia?
• What is Paul urging the church to do?
• How does Paul describe giving for others, how does it work in the Kingdom of God?
• Why is Titus headed to Corinth?  What inspired Him?
• What does Paul want the church in Corinth to do for Titus?

2 Corinthians 9

• What does Paul say to the churches in Macedonia about the church in Corinth?  What does this do to the argument in chapter 8?
• What is Paul concerned about when he arrives?
• What does Paul think might "derail" the collection among the Corinthians?
• Again, how does Paul view this sort of collection and sharing within the context of the Kingdom of God?
• In this view, what is the eventual outcome?  Who ultimately benefits?
• How and why is God glorified through such service/ministry?
• What does this tell you about Paul's trip through Europe?
• What of this does Luke relate?
• Why the difference?

These questions should give us a lot to discuss on March 14.  Keep in mind that we may not get all the way through the chapter with this extra element.  That's okay because I think looking at this element to the travels of Paul will be very beneficial for our group.

Blessings upon you until I see you on the eve of the ides of March!

On The Road Again (Or Sea As It Were)

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Study Group meeting on February 28.  We will be studying Acts chapter 20.  The chapter is about half travelogue and half dialogue.  The route is not what was intended, but to avoid trouble the travelers took the long way.

There are lots of odd elements to the trip, and most of them are left unexplained.  In essence, this chapter forms a connection to the trip to Jerusalem, or would if it weren't for the long monologue of Paul.  Be thinking about why Luke included the elements he did, and consider what is missing that you would have liked to have known.  Some things may have been assumed to be common knowledge of the day, but a lot wouldn't.

Read the chapter through several times.  It may be helpful to read ahead just to get a sense of how this chapter fits into the story Luke is relating.  Remember to look for things that seem out of place or incomplete.  Ask questions about what Luke wrote.  It would be nice to be able to ask him personally, but we'll just have to put ourselves in his shoes and see what we can figure out that way (not a great method really, but it's what we have).  Look stuff up in commentaries you may have or other sources you find online.

After reading it through a few times, consider the questions below:

• Where was the uproar that ceased?
• How long was he in Greece?
• Why did he return back through Macedonia?
• Which names of his companions did we run across in chapter 19?
• Where was this guy from?  Who else was from there?
• From verse 5, who is now another of the companions of Paul?
• What was taking all night in Troas?
• What has Luke, the "physician", left out of the story in verse 11?
• If Paul is in such a hurry to reach Jerusalem, why travel by foot instead of boat?
• Find Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, and Miletus on a map.  How far are they traveling?  Why would this take them a while to navigate?
• How far did the Ephesian elders need to travel to see Paul?
• What is Paul doing in the first part of his speech?
• What does he expect in Jerusalem?
• Since he doesn't think he will see them again, what does he begin to do?
• What warnings does he give them?
• From verse 31, how did Paul work with people?
• In 33, what is he doing?  Isn't this the third time he does this in some fashion?
• When did Jesus say the quote Paul claims for Him?
• Where would Paul have gotten this quote?
• What, after all that, really bothered the elders?

That should do.  There are lots of other stuff.  Read up and bring your thoughts and questions to group.  I look forward to seeing you all then!