One More Last Thing

This is the Bible study page for the Thursday Night Group meeting November 13 to study the last chapter of 1 Corinthians, sixteen.  This chapter is a typical concluding chapter of Paul's letters.  It's full of lots of housekeeping and last minute challenges, greetings, soft words, and hard words.

Read through it a few times, perhaps, if you're ambitious, read through the whole letter, and then through this chapter a few times.  Try and get a sense of what Paul is trying to make sure is not lost, what he is attempting to shore up or emphasize, and perhaps a view of his heart.  Jot down notes, observations, and questions to bring Thursday.

After reading through a few times, made notes, and questions, read through again with the questions below.

• The 'collection' is a new topic for the letter, but do you think it is new to the church in Corinth?
• What is the purpose of verse 2, why do you think he's giving this instruction?  Do you think it is a slight to the church in Corinth or a general suggestion/rule?
• The collection is for believers in Jerusalem.  Why would the church in Corinth be all that interested in the church in Jerusalem?  What would be their motivation for sending money?
• Paul's travel arrangements are simply details, but do you see a pattern of his travel?  What route is he following to get to them?  (see Acts 16 and 17)
• Why do you think Paul would want to spend so much time with a group with whom he seems to have so many problems?  What does his tone sound like to you?
• Timothy may come before he gets there.  Why do you think Timothy may have cause to 'fear' from the Corinthians?
• So, do you sense Apollos does or does not want to go see them?  What do you think about Paul encouraging him to go?  What do you thing that might mean for other comments made by Paul in the beginning of the letter (see chapter 3)?
• Verse 13 begins a 'staccato' stream of commands, what do you think of these?  Why do you think they would be necessary for the believers in Corinth?
• In verse 15, is a charge to submit to leaders, and Paul names one specifically.  Considering the problems he has sited throughout may have been with 'leaders' or household 'church hosts', what do you think of his 'short list'?  Why do you think naming this one is important?
• Now the named leader is also the one who, with some others delivered help from them to him.  So, what does that tell you about 'collections' in the church?  What does that tell you about Stephanas?
• Review Aquila and Prisca (Acts 18). What do you think of these two?  How does this greeting fit their depiction in Acts 18?
• Greetings like this seem odd to us in our culture, but aside from that, what do you think of the differences between the greetings from 'Asia' and how Paul says to greet each other?  Why do you think he may have used that term?
• Why do you think it is important for Paul to write something in his own hand?  Why the additional 'love' charge?  This term for 'love' isn't the normal 'agape' love normally used, it's more a 'friendship' sort, more emotional.  Why do you think that might be important here?
• In his own hand he says that his love is with them all.  Why do you think that is important for the church in Corinth to know?

 That should keep us busy for a few minutes anyway.  Remember to bring any notes and questions you've made in your own study!

Good Boy, Bad Boys

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Study Group meeting May 23 to study 1 Samuel 2.  This chapter has a lot in it; lofty praise, debased worship, a faithful servant, and unfaithful ones.  In it is the foreshadowing of much what happens in this book, and the prophecy at the end is seen fulfilled in stages throughout.

Read through the chapter several times.  It's good to read ahead a bit as well.  There are interesting descriptions, strange happenings, and harsh judgments.  After reading through a few times, read through again with the questions below:

• What is a "horn" refer to here?
• Hannah didn't go into battle, so to what is she referring here?
• In verse 8 what is God doing to everyone?
• What king?
• What is immediately strange about Eli's sons?
• Read Leviticus 3 and 7 about offerings.  Does this sound like the "custom" described here?
• On the other hand, read Number 6.  Now why does this sound so familiar?
• How did the sons of Eli deviate from the custom?  What was it they weren't waiting for?
• What is the reason they chose to get raw meat instead of cooked?
• What about not waiting was "despising" the offering of Yahweh?
• How often did Samuel see his mother?
• What did Eli think of this arrangement?
• What happens to Hannah after dropping off Samuel?
• What else were Eli's sons up to?
• What sounds odd about what Eli says about sin?
• Why didn't his sons listen?
• What does verse 26 sound like?
• Who comes to visit Eli?  What is he?  Keep this in mind as we get into the next chapter (or read ahead), it's peculiar.
• What is the charge of Yahweh against Eli?
• If you have an NASB version, what does all the italics in verse 32 mean?  Read the verse leaving those words out, what does that do to the meaning?
• Why won't Yahweh cut off every man of Eli from the altar?
• What sign does Yahweh give that these things will begin happening?
• Who is this "faithful priest"?

That should be enough for now.  Be sure to be reading and jotting down your own questions as well.