Series 3 – The New Testament    The Lord Is My Shepherd

April 10, 2002

 Opening Prayer

Gracious God, our Good Shepherd, help us to remember that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from you.  Make us hungry to eat the bread of your word daily that our souls may be restored. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

1.  Make sure everyone knows everyone else’s name.

2. Recite Ps 23 together

3.  What are your favorite NT stories or passages?

4.  Review from Series one class

Remind them of the integrative activity of the types of literature or genres etc.

NT written over span of about 100 years, not 1000 like the OT.  Pass out the timeline.

Kingdom Material

What do you think of when you think of an earthly kingdom?

What are the pros and cons of a kingdom?

Having said all that, how is the Kingdom of God the same or different than an earthly kingdom?

Where do you see the Kingdom of God in your life?  (Home, church, nation, world?)

The Gospels:

Particular concepts: Synoptics plus John, using the parallels book;

Mt & Lk contain most of the teaching of Jesus;

Mk bare outline;

John does his own thing, stretching the stories out.

The openings of the gospels, comparing how they differ in scope, getting more theological as they go.  The four gospels differ, and that’s OK

These are not biographies in the modern sense of the word?

Gospels are the dawn of the kingdom – Mk 1:14-15.

History Acts of the Apostles: Beginnings of the church, Peter, Paul.

Acts is the spreading of the kingdom:  Acts 1:1-8.

Sample texts: 

Then go through your bible, noting the paragraph or page headings, indicating what events are described or narrated.

Paul’s conversion in Ch. 9;  one who hates the church becoming one who serves it.

Letters: Some named for recipients, others named for presumed writers or their disciples

The letters are application of the kingdom.

Important concepts here?  Applying the faith: Galatians 3:23-29

The Letters of the NT do the following, among other things:

Adapting the faith:  (I Peter 2:11-12,)

Explaining the faith:  (I Corinthians 13, Love, & 15, Resurrection)

Sample texts:  Romans 1:1-7 & Ch. 16, explaining the parts.

Revelation:  apocalyptic literature.

Revelation shows the conflict of God with the forces of evil and the fulfillment of the Kingdom.

Important concepts or approach:

Moral exhortations to churches; a summation of all churches/congregations

Perseverance in the face of trial: Rev. 13:10

Ultimate victory of God:  Rev 11:15

Sample texts.

Vision of New Heaven & New Earth – 21:1-4

 5. Homework 

A.  Lectio on one of the texts mentioned today.  Hand out the Lectio sheet to any who have either lost theirs or are new to the class.

B.  Take your favorite NT story and reread it now, looking for differences in understanding that you have as an adult.  Does anything strike you differently than it did when you heard it as a child.