I am really excited to meet all the new students and get started in our new course. Hands-on Bible Study is the first module in our Stonger Foundations course--and it's a lot of fun! We'll set up teams and do Bible research and study, then report our findings to the class. I have lots of hands-on activities for us. And I'll even give a 100 Grand to the winners!
Let me know a little about yourselves and what you would like to get out of the class.
Your first assignment is to read through the book of Galatians several times before class starts. Really take some time to read and absorb it. We'll use a passage from the book for a study.
See you soon! - Randy
About Me
- rcolver
- Dr. Randy Colver, MDiv, ThD (Logos Graduate School)is a seasoned Five-fold teacher in the Body of Christ. Ordained in 1982, Dr. Colver has authored numerous Bible workbooks for class instruction and correspondence studies. He holds a membership in the Evangelical Theological Society.
Randy and his wife, Kim, have been married for thirty-two years. They have six children who serve God faithfully and six grandchildren. Visit his storefront to view published books.
52 comments:
Oh yeah! It's going to be great! Thanks for helping us see CCC become a "Stronghold of God"!
Let us know if we can help you in any way.
Pete
Sharon is having trouble leaving a comment....
This sounds great. I am really excited. I cant wait to get started.
We know this class will be great and are looking foward to the impartation God has for us.
Roger & Ann
Lisa and I are looking forward to the class. We really enjoyed Randy's study of Revelation a few months ago.
I'm interested in what everyone is studying--regarding the Bible, that is. If you are digging deaper in God's Word, tell us what you are learning!
I am looking forward to taking a deeper dive into the greatest book ever written. The beauty of this opportunity is having a professor who understands the subject and has the gift of teaching!
We are getting things ready on our end for this class. The library is ready! My prayer is that every student will "hang in there" and complete the class and that the Lord will anoint the teaching with a fresh and new infusion of grace. Release...Lord! May heaven and earth agree...release! May all God's people say, "Release"!
Hi, I am Robert and I retired from the Army in 1995. I am a graduate of the Naval Test Pilot School and have a PhD in Computer Science from Georgia Tech where I am a Lecturer.
Probably the biggest area of focused study I have done is on worship. I was reading Jeremiah before we got our homework, but now am reading Galations of course.
My name is Lisa and I retired from being an Army wife in 1995 when Robert got out of the Army. I'm a Registered Nurse and I work at Peidmont Newnan Hospital just a few days a month.
Our grandchildren continue to be such a joy in our lives. Travis is 9, Emma is 2 and Jackson is 10 months old. Emma is 2 going on 13, she already likes shoes and purses.
My latest study endeavor has been "The Lost Art of Practicing His Presence" by James Goll.I found this book on my shelf and now seemed the right time to read it. It's about abiding in Christ and everything about our relationship with God flows from that abiding.
Lisa
I am excited to join this class and learn more about the precious word of God. I like the idea of blogging but I see you at the house all of the time. So do you really think I am going to go online and ask these questions when I can scream over the sound of stargate atlantis and ask you in person? hahahahaha I doubt it but it could be a really great thing
I can see we have some real students of the Word! Lisa's book she's reading sounds great. I haven't seen that one. His presence is what its all about. Along these lines, you might want to check out a book by Mark Buchanan, called "The Holy Wild." It's about God--holy, yet not tame, like C.S. Lewis once said. May God's presence be with us in the class!
The Jim Goll book that Lisa is reading is based on an old classic by Madame Jeanne Guyon called "Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Chrsit." It's a very deep book - and one the French burned along with the Bible during the French Revolution. (You know that means it must be good!)
Just so everyone knows, Cathy is our oldest daughter and often attends CCC when in Atlanta. On spiritual disciplines, I like Dallas Willard's books.
Married 27 years, mother of 3 girls, grandmother of 2 boys, homeschooling for 22 years, God is on the throne and life is GOOD!
Just finished the book of Ezekiel yesterday. A number of the chapters declare God's prophecy concerning judgment on various nations. In those chapters God makes a repeated statement as often as every several verses: "Then shall they know that I am the Lord," or some other such revelation of Himself. This repeated statement confirms something Isaiah stated: "He brings forth judgment unto victory."
Oftentimes our view of judgment is negative, destructive. But God's purpose in judgment is to discipline and correct our course in hopes of our turning to Him, as we see in Jonah with Ninevah wherein the whole city repented and God stayed His judgment!
SEE YOU IN THE CLASSROOM!!! =))
bk
I'm Lynn. I am employed with Kaiser Permanente as a Medical Technologist/Clinical Laboratory Scientist. My hubby Craig, who is a Navy Commander and employed with Delta, is deployed with the 3rd Marine Airwing in Iraq. We are blessed with 2 children-Jonathan (JB) who plays drums at CCC and is a full-time college student. Lauren who serves in the nursery at CCC, and is a junior in high school.
I am studying the book of Acts. God shows me something fresh everyday.
Blessed to be in the Colvers' class! Known them for many years, and can't wait for the "meat" of Dr. Randy's teaching.
Hi. I'm Sandra. I've been married to the most amazing man on the planet, Jerry, for over 14 years. As of Nov. 22nd (unless my healing manifests first) I will have been a quadriplegic for 22 years. The short version of that is that I was a passenger in a car & the driver fell asleep. We ran off the road & when the car flipped & rolled my neck was broken causing a spinal cord injury. The good parts of the story - & there are MANY - have to be told in the long version. If anyone ever wants to hear that, just ask - I'm not AT ALL shy about answering questions.
As for my study, I usually study the Word prophetically, I guess you'd call it. I ask the Lord to tell me where to turn & He gives me a book, chapter & (usually) the verse(s). I don't always hit the mark, but it usually hits dead on with what's going on. I also meditate on revelations the Lord gives me. Right now that focus is on what I believe is THE most important phrase in the bible - "It is finished." I believe that everything else is wrapped up in those 3 words. I don't know of anyone today who has a full understanding of it because, if they did, then they would be like the first apostles - whether in the body or out they would not know, & their shadows would heal people. Still got a long way to go on this one, but I believe that having life-changing revelation of it is the ultimate key to the Kingdom.
Hi my name is Joel, I am afull time student at Clayton State and work part time as an IT tech analyst.
Luke 8:26-38
Mark 5:1-20
Jesus heals the Demon-possessed man in the region of the Garasenes. I have heard it preached that Jesus returned to that region. I have also been told that He did not go back there. I cant find anything in the Bibe that says he went back. Can anyone give me some insight?
Sandra, I was also in an automobile accident and broke my neck. In my case, I was spared any paralysis. Take a look at the Greek word "finished," it has some rich depth to it.
Joel, the issue centers on the account in Matthew 8:28-34 where Matthew records two demoniacs rather than one. Some commentators explain the descrepancy as two different visits by Jesus.
Let me remind everyone to start reading Galatians!
Hello, I'm Amber Beaty! I am finishing up my final year at Atlanta Christian College where I am majoring in Counseling and Human Services, and minoring in Biblical Studies. I also manage a coffeehouse on campus...needless to say I'm a busy woman :)
Lately, I've been doing a study through a book called "The Lamb's Heart." by Greg Violi. It's a study through the Word concerning heart matters. The study is all Word, and a lot to take in so I'm taking my time with it so that it can really sink into my Spirit.
I have a deep hunger for the Word, but find myself not knowing exactly how to dive in effectively. So I am excited about what the Lord is going to do! Also, I like the idea of this blog. It was easy for me since I already blog on here anyway!
See you all tomorrow!
Welcome, Amber! I also took a class at Atlanta Christian College--I studied Greek from Prof. Blackburn. It was a good class.
I'd love to see your book, maybe bring it Sunday. I will be introducing a book or two each week in class and encouraging everyone to develp their library.
Key verse: Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery
hi, my name is mike and i have never blogged before ,but will try.Not to good at typing..hurt wrist ,but glad for Bible study its needed badly.2 tim.3:16 scripture- good for doctrine ,reproof ,correction , instruction in right living.how to study, great subject!, and a teacher getting folks in it! wonderful!!@ i might even blog!
The Seed
When I was a young girl, my mother received monthly women’s magazines. One spring, a packet of tomato seeds was glued within the pages. My mother tore the packet out, threw it in a kitchen drawer & promptly forgot about it. I, however, never forgot it. I would pull it out, look it over, read the instructions & dream of growing tomatoes from those seeds. The following spring I asked my father if I might plant those seeds. My mother didn’t have much hope of their producing, being a year old & coming from the pages of Women’s Day, but I believed in the promise on the packet. So my father prepared a small section of earth for me in his rose garden – his much fertilized rose garden. There in that rich, fertile “good soil” I carefully planted my seeds. I then watered them, watched & waited. Soon, a miracle began as tiny sprouts broke free from the soil. Over time those sprouts grew into strong vines, so strong in fact that my father staked them & by the end of the summer they were as tall as I – nearly 5 feet. But the miracle wasn’t just that of strong vines, for on the vines tiny yellow flowers appeared. And soon those flowers became tiny green balls. Those tiny green balls grew & grew & grew & ripened into some of the biggest, reddest, juiciest Beefsteak tomatoes I’ve ever seen. But the miracle didn’t stop there, for hidden within each tomato were dozens of new seeds just waiting for their chance to be sown & continue the cycle of life.
If you were to dissect one of those seeds under a microscope, you would see the makings of one plant, but you would never see the exponential multitudes of future life that seed would produce. The future lives are hidden deep within where only God can see. They are hidden within a promise – a promise that, if this seed is sown into fertile soil, it will produce fruit that will produce seeds that when sown will produce fruit, etc.
In Galatians 3, Paul talks of the promise spoken to Abraham & his seed, Christ. Just as with my tomatoes of long ago, Jesus, God’s seed, was sown into the Earth & He became the True Vine. To look at Him he was one man, but He contained THE PROMISE of eternal life just as any one seed does. The seed producing – life producing – fruit of His vine is us. We are that hidden promise. Just as my tomatoes contained seeds HIDDEN INSIDE OF THEM that would never have existed apart from them, we can only be partakers of the promise if we are IN CHRIST. Dozens of tomatoes & hundreds of future plants & thousands of future tomatoes & millions of future tomato-lives were hidden in just one seed. Apart from that seed, however, was nothing. So it is with Christ. We are partakers of the promise if we are IN HIM & apart from Him is nothing. IN HIM is everything.
Key verse (at the moment anyway) is therefore Galatians 3:29 - “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” because everything else in life (& in Galatians) is wrapped up in the promise.
Key verse(s)...
GAL 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
I am so proud of all of you!
Sandra! What an excellent blog! I assume you've been writing and publishing Christian books. If not, then you should start.
Thanks for hanging tough with us, Mike! I appreciate the effort.
Great insight into Galatians so far. I'll reserve my opinion until a few more have a chance to enter their comments.
:-) Thanks, Randy. No, I've never written anything to be published. I just wake up sometimes with these things in my head (that's what happened with "The Seed"). I've thought of writing a few times, but I've never known where to start.
I guess you could take the assignment two ways - the key verse of Galations in terms of understanding and knowing God in the general context of our Christian walk or alternatively the key verse in terms of stating what Galations is all about. I will assume the latter (summarize Galations in 1 verse or less).
I would have to pick Gal 3:24. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
END OF ASSIGNMENT- BEGINNING OF LONG PHILOSOPHICAL MUSING :-)
To me the whole book revolves around Paul refuting the contention that following laws or rules was a necessary condition to salvation. He spends a lot of time and various arguments to make the case that following the law does not "earn" us anything from God.
We see aspects of this same thought process (that of the Judaizers) even today. To be saved in some churches, you must not only accept Christ, but must be baptized a certain way and do other things. Faith in Christ is not enough.
For some reason, we as humans love rules and laws. The problem is that in the general case, laws tell us what we shouldn't do, not how we should actually live. The old saying "You can't legislate morality" I think is really appropos. Just look at our current financial crisis. No one is going to jail because none of the gazillion laws already around were broken. What is our immediate response? Not that we should do the right thing, but rather that we need even more laws and this wouldn't have happened.
However, God's law I don't believe is bad. The curse of law, I don't think means that the law itself is evil in any way, but rather that it is impossible to follow the law to the degree God would expect if that was our criteria for salvation. Jesus pointed this out in a simple example using one of the 10 commandments to show that just not killing anyone today was not sufficient to meet this one law. I believe in total there are 613 mitzvoh or laws that would have to kept not only to the letter but also in the spirit - a truly impossible task for a normal human (save one).
Our homegroup went through a study of the Fear of the Lord, and I thought the speaker had a great analogy:
Our walk is like a road with a deep ditch on each side. One ditch is legalism. We keep out of that ditch by grace. The other ditch is lawlessness. We keep out of that ditch with a fear of the Lord.
People who keep the law (or try to) I don't believe are inherently bad or doing anything wrong. I would ask, "What's your motivation?" If your purpose is to earn favor, or work your way into heaven, then you are wasting your time. On the other hand, if you are setting yourself apart for God and trusting in Him alone for your salvation, I don't see anything wrong with that.
I could probably ramble on and on forever, but I will give someone else a chance to write something. Sorry for the long post.
One thing that stands out to me about Galations is how easy it is to go back to what you've known before and make rules to make everyone else believe it too. With being in the Army and traveling, we've been in lots of churches. There is such a propensity to "go back". We went to one church whose leadership were Presbyterians before they got filled with the Spirit and they brought their Calvanist theology along with them. No one could be a Home Group Leader or any kind of leadership unless you pledged allegiance to this theology.
Another place we lived we found an enclave of Spirit-filled people in a Methodist church. They were great folks, but the Mama and the Papa of the group were old time Methodist holiness and there were unwritten rules. The person who invited me to their Sunday School class was an experienced sinner and she didn't even think she was saved because she still smoked and sometimes drank. These folks had "rules".
All of this was great for us because we did a huge Bible study on election and predestination and we had never been exposed to any teaching on those subjects.
I got to share with the lady in the Methodist church sciptures about being saved and she had had a genuine salvation experience. Jesus appeared to her in her kitchen. She eventually let those vices go.
I just wonder what kind of "rules" I have that seem like Christian living, but are like the Galations, appealing to the flesh and not according to the Spirit.
Food for thought,
Lisa
Sandra - Start with your life and testimony, then weave the Word around that--life lessons.
Robert and Lisa - Great insights! I like the ditch analogy and the story of the different types of churches.
Both legalism and sin are works of the flesh. The Law was added 430 years after the faith-promise to Abraham, so it can't annul it. The Law was our tutor to lead us to Christ.
But Paul is also saying that you don't have to become a Jew first in order to become a Christian. This was what the Judaizer's were demanding.
I began reading a book today, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God...in it, the author, Gordon Fee that to Paul, the admonition to "get saved" would translate, "receive the Spirit". Wow! Not a status but a Person. Galations reminds us who and whose we are rather that what we are. We are the "Spirit's", not ourselves or others. I now understand more Paul's passion to become Jesus.
WOW!!! Many "key verses" Gal.2:16,
2:20, 3:11, 4:5-6,5:1 and 6:7.The result of justification by grace through faith is spiritual freedom. Paul appealed to the Galatians to stand fast in their freedom, and not get "entangled again with a yoke of bondage(that is, the Mosaic law)"(Gal. 5:1). Christian freedom is not an excuse to gratify one's lower nature, rather, it is an opportunity to love one another(Gal. 5:13, 6:7-10). Such freedom does not insulate one from life's struggles. But, it may intensify the battle between Spirit and flesh. The flesh(lower nature) has been cruified with Christ (Gal.2:20) and, as a consequence, the Spirit will bear its fruit such as love, joy and peace in the life of the believer. For Paul, the issue was not whether a person was circumcised, but whether he had become "a new creation".
Petros - In chapter 5 of Gordon Fee's book, "Paul, the Spirit and the People of God," Fee recounts a moment when a student asked him if he were to return to pastoral ministry, what would be the one thing he would emphasize. Fee's answer: "No matter how long it might take, I would set about with a single passion to help a local body of believers recapture the New Testament church's understanding of itself as an eschatological community."
That answer is the same as Paul saying, "What counts is a new creation (Gal 6:15)." Being in Christ means we can, through the Spirit, live the life of the future "New Creation"--the age of the Spirit--now.
Hi, I am Jerry Wilson, I have avoided getting a Google account for, well, the entire Google history. But, it'll be worth it, right Randy?
I am 48y/o, 20 year Delta Airlines Aircraft Technician, and 11 year GM Parts clerk before that. My wonderful wife is Sandra, whom you know, and I have a 17 almost 18 y/o daughter named Kimberly. Anything else I will be glad to fill you in on. I really enjoyed the class today with Randy's insight to the problems between the Jews and Gentiles I guess I never thought about it. But knowing a little more of the puzzle now, I seem to pick out a feeling of almost desperation in Paul as he writes this letter to the Galations. Frustrations, yes, but it's almost as if he's pleading (in a masculine way) of them to understand what's at stake.
I like the class !!!!!!!!
Don't forget to tell us what you think the tone of the epistle to the Galatians is--just like Jerry's post. Thanks Jerry! I'm sure Paul's desperation comes from his intense love for them.
Paul's Tone:
My first reaction is-- He's ticked off! HEY you foolish Galations, who bewitched you?
From reading Randy's paper, I get the feeling that the Judaizers were a constant thorn in Paul's side (no pun intended). A second look at other contexts and verses, and you could read that sentence, not with anger but with kind of a sorrowful, exasperated tone. Paul poured his life into these folks, and as soon as he's out of sight, they latch onto the next heresy to come along. I think it's easy for us today to marvel that anyone fail to heed Paul's words, but back then the pull of Judaism had to have been really strong. It was a combination of your faith, ethnicity and culture. Yeshua and all the disciples were Jews who were faithful to Torah, so logically (especially being greek influenced) why would we think that all that would not be binding on us? The sympathy and pull of the Judaizers must have been incredibally strong and hard to resist.
I realize I'm behind in this class. However, to answer one of the questions-the key verse of Gal.-I would have to say Gal. 5:1. " It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Powerful, don't you think? We have that promise from God. We need to stand firm and persist in our God given grace and liberty. If we don't diligently seek this, legalism/the law and bondage to it will work overwhelmingly in our lives. Bondage to the law is distracting from what God wants to do in our lives.
This verse speaks to me because of my heritage which was steeped in the law and doing good works.
Hey!!! I guess I'm really late in adding to the blog, but I'm Stefani Watson (just call me Stef). I am a full time student at the University of West Ga, with a dual major in English and Marketing. I'm really excited about the stuff that we will be doing in the class, because I like researching stuff anyhow (guess I'm not a English major for nothing), and this will help to keep me focused on specific topics in Scripture.
One of the things about the tones of Galatians that I found interesting was the slight tone of annoyance that Paul carried across, especially in dealing with the Judaizers. It was like "look. I just taught these ppl a good concept and you have to come in here and mess with their heads. NO!!" I might be way off, but that was what I'm getting out of it.
Don't forget to tell me why Galatians has been called the "Magna Carta of Christian Liberty?"
"Magna Carta of Christian Liberty"
I get the feeling that Paul in his letter to the Galatians seems to be shouting to the believers in Jesus Christ, You're free! You're free! You're free from the bondage of the law. You're free from trying to earn God's favor. You're free by grace through faith in Christ alone. You're free to live a life based on grace and not on works. You're free! You're free! You're free! That's why I have felt that Gal 5:1 is the "Key" verse. It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to slavery.
Ok, so I have slacked during the off week and not answered the questions Randy posed.
First, the North/South Galation theory. I looked in 3 sources, a nice overview in the preface to Galations in my NIV study bible, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) in e-sword and everyones favorite, typing the phrase "North galation theory" in to google. The whole significance of these theories is trying to determine when the book was actually written and to whom exactly. Apparently, there were two definitions of Galatia, the Roman Province (a smaller area) and a loose confederation of territories (which was the greek view and covered a much larger area). For example, in the 1800's it would have been very different to say I walked across Britian, or I walked across British territory. There was a nice website at: http://www.theologywebsite.com/nt/galatians.shtml which covers three theories of the time and audience of galations. It seems to match up with the NIV study bible and the ISBE.
I am not sure I fully grasp the "Who cares" factor beyond scholarship interests. I am not sure it affects my understanding of Galations to choose any of the 3 theories.......
Again, catching up on my slacking for the second question, "Why would this be the Magna Charta?"
My source (all the hard-core academics will groan) was wiki-pedia for looking up the Magna Charta and refreshing my memory about details. Apparently it was also known as Magna Charta Libertatum which was latin for "Great Charter of Freedoms". It took away some of the absolute power of the king of England, and granted rights to the people like trial by jury, habeus corpus, etc.
I approached it first by trying to apply some of the details of the Magna Charta to Galations. That didn't work out too well. We certainly cannot cast God as the king of England and make any claims that we are limiting His power or even desiring any freedom apart from Him. That leaves us I guess with casting legalism as the King. (We can't cast the law itself as the King, because the law was just and served a righteous purpose.) Instead, the slavish aspect of following the law, and using our failures as a condemnation of us would be like the king. So Galations proclaims, we are free from slavish obedience and trying to please God under our own efforts. The law cannot bind us without a trial and hold us without making charges. Anytime those charges are then made, we have a advocate--the greatest trial lawyer in the history of the universe--on our side to intercede and argue for us in the courts of heaven. So Galations is like the magna charta, our document of freedom, proclaiming our inheritance and freedom in God.
Robert, thanks for digging into the issues about the N/S Galatian theories. Basically, identifying one or the other helps us date the epistle. This in turn helps us piece together the background of the epistle and how it fits into the larger picture of Paul's life. For example, was this written before or after the Jer. council? Most likely we can link the trip in Gal. 2:1-10 with Acts 11:25-30, and that Galatians was written just before the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. If the council is rightly dated A.D. 48, then this is probably the date of Galatians.
Randy, 4 of the people in our group met Sunday morn to work on our project. It was really great. We talked, we threw out our ideas, we read from our resources. Sandra had printed out the verses in 4 different versions side by side and we drew word pictures with the different words, entangeled, burdened, loaded down, yoked.
I really enjoyed the journey. Our presentation is ready. I have to work this Sunday and we're going to Ky to visit Grandma over the Thanksgiving weekend.
We're looking forward to the next assignment.
Lisa
I'm really proud of everyone and look forward to the presentations next Sunday.
Out of curiosity, has anyone used PC Bible on the computers in the CCC library?
Here's the next blog question for discussion: “False doctrine must always be preceded by deprecation of genuine authority. How is this demonstrated in Galatians?”
Our next discussion question is from Galatians 3:28: What does Galatians 3:28 mean for us today?
I think Gal. 3:28 means exactly what it says. First, it can't be separated from 26 & 27. It is written to those who have chosen to accept & follow Christ. I think that what Paul is saying is that when we choose Christ, we bury our identity in Him. In fact, we willingly choose to give up our identity to take on His...to allow Him to transform us into His image. If we are transformed into His image we are not Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, female, or any other one thing BUT Him. And He simply IS...God called Himself "I AM". That is all encompassing. As for what it means for us today, I don't think the message has changed with the times because God is the same always. He WAS. He IS. He WILL BE. And we are dead in ourselves & live only in Him...yesterday, today & forever. Until we truly have this revelation - that He is all there is - we will not walk in the fullness of His authority or His love.
I agree with Sandra, Galatians 3:28
tells me we are one with Christ. We are not Gentile, slave, male or female because faith in Christ transcends all these differences. (Rom 3:22)We have to be careful not to make distinctions that Christ has removed because as believers we are all heirs and no one is more superior than another. If we begin to allow our differences to seperate us from other believers we are ignoring what the word teaches. (Col. 3:11)
As believers (male and female) we are all "kings and priests unto God" But under the law the male sex alone had great privileges and they were the kings and priests. This is what Gal. 3:28 means for us today.
Good feedback. The phrase "in Christ" was so important to Paul--and it means so much to us today! Christ has broken down the gender, racial, and economic barriers, leveling the ground through His redemption.
Galatians has so many rich truths to discover!
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