This past Wednesday, we had a discussion group regarding Volume 6 of Ray Vanderlaan’s That The World May Know Series, In The Dust of the Rabbi.
In The Dust of the Rabbi
Volume 6 Study Session
Session 1 – When the Rabbi Says “Come”
- Compares life in Scynophilus with life in Bethsaida & Chorazin (big developed city life versus small simple, religious villages)
- Matthew 4:18-20; John 15:16; Luke 6:40; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 11:28-30
- “How badly do you want to be like Jesus?” – Ray Vanderlaan
- “I believe in you” – what we say ton God, what God says to us
- “You can take the people out of Chorazin and send them to Scynophilus, but you better not take the Chorazin out of them”. – Ray Vanderlaan
- Psalm 1; 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Notes:
Session 2 – When the Rabbi Says, “Go”
- Herod build 3 temples to Caesar
- Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 14:22-33
- How do we render to God what is God’s? Passion/completely devoted?
- Hebrews 13:15-18 – “sacrifice of praise”
- Peter got out of the boat because he wanted to be like the Rabbi, be like the Rabbi!
Notes:
Session 3 – The Presence of God
- Priene, Turkey; The Agora – cultural meeting spot
- The call to be counter-cultural, especially in areas of worship
- Your prayers are incense to God (cf. Revelation 8:4; Psalm 141:2)
- Galatians 6:1-16 (v. 10 – “household of faith”
- Just as the hearth in Priene kept the fire of the gods, we, the community of God serve as His hearth.
- Counter-cultural – not to be overly difficult or religious, but lovers.
“And I think that’s what our world is desperately in need of – lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about.” – Shane Claiborne
Notes:
Session. 4 – Living Stones
- The Temple of Athena, Priene Turkey
– Running Water – refreshment
– Gates – entrance, protection
– Altars – exultation, worship, acknowledgement - “A temple is an ancient way of declaring how important something is”. – Ray Vanderlaan
- Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:4-5 (cf. Isaiah 51:1-2); Acts 7:48
- Purposeful Stones – Genesis 35:1-3, 15-15; Exodus 20:25; Exodus 24:1-5; Exodus 28:6-12; Exodus 34:1, 27-28; Joshua 3:14-4:9, 20-24; Joshua 24:19-27; 1 Kings 5:15-18; 1 Kings 7:9-12; 1 Kings 18:30-38
- A lesson from Temple Stones on on pg. 142 of the study manual
Notes:
Session 5 – The Very Words of God
- Didyma, wherein there was a road from Miletus encouraging worship of Apollo; 2nd largest Temple in the world
- Avoid false oracles – Leviticus 19:31
- Deuteronomy 4:29-31; 1 Chronicles 16:10-11; Psalm 9:10; Jeremiah 29:12-13; Zechariah 8:21-22; Matthew 7:7-8; 2 Peter 1:19-21
- Jesus sends out us to teach others to obey, Ray Vanderlaan says, “How can you teach anyone to obey, if you don’t know what was taught?”
Notes: