Reading together?

You could've had an altar call at the end too...

"Every head bowed, every eye closed..."

ishmael81 wrote:

You could've had an altar call at the end too...

"Every head bowed, every eye closed..."

  Good old modern Western church ! "We speak Christianeze" LOL

...singing verse 1, 3, 5 and 6 of "Just As I Am"

Going to keep my mouth shut about chapter 4.  I seem to have killed this thread.

I'm so behind.  Still need to read chapter 3.  I stink at this.

Staybrite wrote:

I'm so behind.  Still need to read chapter 3.  I stink at this.

You think that you're bad?  I still have to read chapter 2!!!  Life's been crazy lately with all the stuff at church going on.

We can take a break to give you the time to read the chapters you still have to read.
We do this together and when some are behind I think we have to give them time to read the other chapters.
Are you ok with this?

Let's shoot for Chapter 4 next week. My wife is at a conference all weekend and I've been swamped.

What shall we do this week?
Wait till the others have all chapters read so we all can start at a new chapter in John?

I'm open to whatever everyone wants to do but I may have to bow out from time to time. Currently, my son is playing fall ball, we have a Bible study on Wednesdays, Worship practice on Thursday (which I also teach a brief devotional for) and of course my wife and I both have full time jobs. I'll try to keep up but please allow me some grace if I miss a week.

ishmael81 wrote:

I'm open to whatever everyone wants to do but I may have to bow out from time to time. Currently, my son is playing fall ball, we have a Bible study on Wednesdays, Worship practice on Thursday (which I also teach a brief devotional for) and of course my wife and I both have full time jobs. I'll try to keep up but please allow me some grace if I miss a week.

Sorry, this is a Bible reading group.  There is no room for grace here.

messiaen77 wrote:

ishmael81 wrote:

I'm open to whatever everyone wants to do but I may have to bow out from time to time. Currently, my son is playing fall ball, we have a Bible study on Wednesdays, Worship practice on Thursday (which I also teach a brief devotional for) and of course my wife and I both have full time jobs. I'll try to keep up but please allow me some grace if I miss a week.

Sorry, this is a Bible reading group.  There is no room for grace here.

Lol.... Sad but I've been in a few studies where that was the attitude...

Yeah, me too.

I know I said I was gonna keep my mouth shut on this one, but I'll just go ahead and say that the Samaritan woman story has always been one that troubled me.  I have a hard time separating what I was taught it meant from what I think the text is actually saying.

Do tell. What were you taught that conflicts with what it says?

To be fair, I've wondered about this story as well. Is this a foundation for Jesus to save Gentiles?

You know, I think it is.  I think it is showing that he was serious about "whosoever believes".

The big thing I learned, and still read in some sources, is there starting in verse 16 when we get into her marital history.  I was always taught that this was Jesus showing her the sin in her life and her need for repentance.  But I don't see it that clearly in the passage.  It seems to me when I read it that there is no condemnation in what Jesus says and there's no call for repentance.  When I read it, it seems that Jesus was demonstrating that he knew these intimate details of her life even though he just her as a means for her to recognize that he was more than just a thirsty traveler.

I dunno, maybe I'm moving into the heretical, but I just don't see Jesus being all that concerned with holding people accountable for their sins.  it was John shouting "Repent!"  Jesus just seems to say "Come."

Yep, definitely heretical.  BURN HIM!!!! 

messiaen77 wrote:

You know, I think it is.  I think it is showing that he was serious about "whosoever believes".

The big thing I learned, and still read in some sources, is there starting in verse 16 when we get into her marital history.  I was always taught that this was Jesus showing her the sin in her life and her need for repentance.  But I don't see it that clearly in the passage.  It seems to me when I read it that there is no condemnation in what Jesus says and there's no call for repentance.  When I read it, it seems that Jesus was demonstrating that he knew these intimate details of her life even though he just her as a means for her to recognize that he was more than just a thirsty traveler.

I dunno, maybe I'm moving into the heretical, but I just don't see Jesus being all that concerned with holding people accountable for their sins.  it was John shouting "Repent!"  Jesus just seems to say "Come."

I was always taught that as well - and growing up Baptist it usually turned into a tirade about divorce as well.

But I always thought based on verse 23, it was more about Jesus opening the door for, as you said, whosoever:
But a time is coming and is already here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit [from the heart, the inner self] and in truth; for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.

I'm absolutely loving this thread !  I believe way too many years have been spent making passages such as this a "plea for holiness" - a DOs and DON'Ts lesson... but there seems to be a bit of, dare I say, an awakening on these topics that align much better with the Person Nature and Work of Jesus.

One of the biggest things I've struggled with my Christian walk was "if it's FREE, why am I working so hard to feel worthy of it ?" It was when I realized I'd never be worthy of His Grace, and that He's got me and loves me whether I'm "doing good" or not.... 

Good stuff people. Keep it up 

I'm so far behind in this thread that I'm still in Luke!

Fundy wrote:

I'm so far behind in this thread that I'm still in Luke!

Wow, and here I thought I was horribly behind at John chapter 3. 

Shall we start to read again next week?

I'd say so. One thing for those who already read.... can't hurt to read it thru again 

So apparently this is no longer a thing?

It seems so.

Why don't we start again next week?

Anybody interested?