A Bible Study: for those Christian based faiths NOT included in the other thread. (Jesus, ritual)

[Scuba Pete]

Hey all,

I figured that just because we are not Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, we can have a Bible study as well. A sort of seperate but equal kind of thing! We can refer to ourselves as "NotCOPs" I guess! I'm going to start this one, but then someone else can start the next one, etc.

For our first study, I refer you to a little studied book in the Old Testament: Haggai.

Haggai 1:2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the LORD's house to be built.' " 3 Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai: 4 "Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?"
5 Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9 "You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and on the labor of your hands." NIV

Thoughts?

[joeboonda]

What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.

I am out of context here, as this is to the Jews, but if one examined the Church, which we are all the Church who have trusted Christ, one could say that instead of building the Church, many are building only 'their' version of the Church. I believe there are essential, core beliefs we must have to be a Christian, we must believe the Gospel, that Christ died, was buried and rose again. There must be unity even if we worship differently, come from a different place, or history/background, or have differences over non-essentials. There are essentials, but I speak of the non-essential.

Having said that, I don't think its all that bad (nor good) for folks to have their own 'Bible-study', and don't think it is good to blow it out of proportion, although I understand why. No need to make too much out of it, I don't think it would help anything. Too much division as there is, lol.

[Scuba Pete]

I am not sure that God was even concerned here with the structure of the temple. Just that they did SOMETHING.

I see that these people were self absorbed. They were worried about building their lives and businesses and could care less about doing anything for God.

[Scuba Pete]

As for the additional Bible study: I just hate to see people excluded. I always side with the undercat!

[joeboonda]

Originally Posted by NetDoc

I am not sure that God was even concerned here with the structure of the temple. Just that they did SOMETHING.

I see that these people were self absorbed. They were worried about building their lives and businesses and could care less about doing anything for God.

Sounds like most of us. It is hard to be a good Christian, to actively be involved in the things God would have us to do. It takes really loving Jesus with all our heart, so we can love others, which to me can only stem out of our overwhelming gratitude and assurance we have from what He did for us, saving us 'to the uttermost'. Even then, still having that sinful nature to crucify each day, we slip and do not what we ought. Sometimes it seems that no one around you cares about souls or spiritual things, and those are the saved ppl! But then, sometimes I see wonderful things too, and I know we have a great crowd of witnesses cheering us on, and the Holy Spirit is alive and well and working among those who love and obey the Lord.

[joeboonda]

Originally Posted by NetDoc

As for the additional Bible study: I just hate to see people excluded. I always side with the undercat!

Roger that.

[jonny]

I had to check to see if Haggai was in my bible.

The phrase "Consider your ways" or "Give careful thought to your ways" (depends on the version you're reading) appears twice in these 10 verses. My bible cross references those phrases with Haggai 2:18 (Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid, consider it.) and 2 Peter 2:15 (Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness).

I think that the prophet was trying to teach the people that if they work towards building up God's kingdom that he will bless them in other ways - not just spiritual blessing but also temporal blessings. This is quite applicable to each of us. We should all give careful thought to our ways and work towards noble causes.

[Scuba Pete]

There ya go, reading ahead!

I have to admit that this is my FAVORITE OT scripture. Yeah... Give careful thought to your ways.

[Scuba Pete]

So we are pretty much in agreement then? Too cool!

Let's move on to the next few verses...

Hagai 1:12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. 13 Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. 14 So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius. NIV

Your thoughts?

Especially, I would like to hear your thoughts on "the remnant". There is a whole line of thought called "remnant theology", and I would love to get your take on that.