We got through the first part this week and will get to the real questions next time.
6 In this you rejoice,[a] though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen[b] him you[c] love him; though you do not now see him you[d] believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.
10 The prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired about this salvation; 11 they inquired what person or time was indicated by the Spirit of Christ within them when predicting the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things which have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
Study Questions
1: Read the three verses. What is your first impression?
Responses from the class (so to speak) were focused on the angels’ roles and the relationship of the theme to that in James. I denoted how both the prophets and the angels wanted to study the topic.
2: Any questions about what the terms mean to you?
Rejoice – Rejoice is like the angels singing at Christmas, an outward expression of the inner joy.
Grieved – This word relates to the suffering of trials and was described as that angst in the pit of your stomach when you do not really want to be doing what you are being called to do as it is difficult and/or unpleasant. Especially when you look back later and realized you failed that trial and will have to remember the angst without the joy of overcoming.
Trials – Those things God calls you to experience to ready you for what comes later.
Genuineness – Like integrity, this is the outcome of real faith or real character. What happens when you cannot fake it.
Praise, Honor, Glory – This is not what you get, but what comes out of you when you complete the trail. Praise is the words that come out of your mouth. Glory is the deed(s) that you do (or have done). Honor is that feeling of accomplishment you get when you have followed the call of God. These things are all for God and what he has done to and for you through the process.
Having Not Seen/Do Not See – In Peter’s time, there were still people like him who saw Jesus and believed and others like Paul who never saw the pre-crucifixion Christ and yet believed. We believe not because we can see it with our eyes, but because we know it anyway.
Love/Believe (Faith) – We skipped this. Maybe another time
Soul – James Brown became the topic and the type of music that comes to mind. I wondered if that was the basis for the Disney movie of the same name (Soul). Our soul is what makes us not an animal and able to go to heaven or to not and go to the other place.
Inquired/Searched – We spoke about Saul, who was the most learned Jew we can imagine and was out killing Christians who were “perverting” his religion. Then after Saul experienced Christ on the road to Damascus, he spent years aligning his knowledge of the Old Testament with what Christ old him during their encounter. Only then did he start to share the gospel. My daily reading referenced Van Gough and his early attempts to be a preacher. The reference made it seem that he missed his calling and either did not study enough or never got right in his relationship to God. Makes me want to read more about him to see if his art was inspired by God or just the search for Him.
Spirit of Christ – the differentiation here is between the Spirit of Christ who worked through the prophets before Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to live in Christians. Both are God, but one is “working through” and one is “living in”.
Angels – Created, Heavenly, limited, not man, but the question became whether the order of angels was above, below, or beside men. We did not discuss how some angels became demons and what or when they had some freedom of choice. We did discuss how people can become so engrossed in the study of angels that it breaks their usefulness in relating to God and other people. We also discussed their role in protecting us from evil and demons and the like.
Someone recently mentioned the rock band Judas Priest and their famous song. I did not have a firm opinion of Judas Priest as I knew that had one good song, but nothing else. I looked them up on google and found a list of their 50 best songs. I was impressed such a list existed. Then I read the titles and I understood why I knew very little about them. Their song titles gave a strong impression of evil and ended all interest I had in listening to them. Their one “good” song does not fit into the wretchedness of the others, but none of the others seem fit for human consumption.
I listened to music from bands who might have been identified by others as similar to the impression I now have of Judas Priest. For the most part, I picked my music based on the sound and less on the names or words. But I know I shied away from some due to names or words without ever really consciously considering the deeper implications of evil in them as a gateway.
Shoot for all I know Judas Priest could have been a group of Christians trying to reach into the hearts of the lost for Christ using what I think of as poor music and negative word choices. I have heard of Christians in other bands the did this on the down low. Maybe this was the point of Van Gough’s art.
I for one want the world to know clearly that I am a Christian working for His good. But God calls us all to do things our own way.