Engaging Gospel Doctrine (Episode 155)

Lesson 29

“The Number of the Disciples Was Multiplied”

Hook / We know we are commanded to help each other, but what if we are prompted to help or receive help from someone we don’t trust, or consider an outsider, even an enemy?
Manual Goal / To help class members recognize that the work of the Church is done by many people, all of whom contribute their talents and testimonies to strengthen the Church.
EGD Goal / To help class members put aside prejudice and be open to both how they themselves and others can help each other and come together as the “body of Christ”

Podcast news!!

(Really talk about how exciting this is, thank Jim again) Go through the options connected to iTunes!! Click on the picture, look at the metadata, lesson notes, and new donate buttons!! Plus pitch the Amazon link… just bookmark that and use it for all your amazon purchases, help the podcast at no extra expense

Changes

1)All files are half the size

2)Changed and updated our hosting so downloads will be faster

3)Metadata info on iTunes, including reading and lesson notes!

4)Easier to donate… links can be accessed via mobile devices

Questions

1)Would an audio of the readings be worthwhile? (least effort, robot voice which is not very appealing, medium effort, the KJV audio that the Church already has)

2)Or I will just read the entire reading rather than about half of it as I do now? Could also have others read it.

3)What other changes would people like to see?

Also working to get 501 c 3 status, will be taken care of this year.

All of these are intended to improve the quality of the podcast, and hopefully will result in increased support so we can keep making it better! (admit that I am currently feeling somewhat burnt out) Would need to look more closely, but donations seem lower than they have been.

Sunday School
Framing: Serving each other is very familiar, callings, lay leadership, expected to say yes, learning and growing opportunities, some surprising or even undesired! The potential here is amazing.
Review the reading: Note who does what, how the gospel grows
Lessons from the conversion of Paul (“Lord, what would you have me do?” “Kicking against the pricks”, Paul the unlikely, feared convert)
Differing gifts and the body of Christ (How do we discover our gifts? Learn the gifts of others? Nurture them? Work together) When is it time to nurture the strengths we know and be open to discovering new strengths? The power of doing more than we would choose to
Callings (accepting, turning down, etc)
How we grow through working together
Conclusion (Take home message: (appreciating differing gifts, remaining open to what we and others can do/potentially do, how we can build the kingdom of God by serving in different ways)
Scripture Study
Addition from Lesson 28: Anonymity, misattribution, pseudepigraphy (we don’t have any writings of apostles. Read my summary of New Testament authorship)
Paul in context
The conversion of Paul
Paul as (2nd) founder of Christianity
Would Jesus have joined Paul’s churches?
Unity and diversity in early Christianity (Eusebius vs. Bauer)
Study Notes
Boundaries and service
Self-care
When a person or organization asks too much/saying no
Freeloader problems
Toxic individuals

NT authorship comes in four flavors:

Genuine. Actually written by who it says it was.

Anonymous. Makes no authorial claims; attribution comes later.

Forged. Claims but be written by someone famous but it probably isn’t so.

Homonymous. Has the same name as someone famous. So written by who it claims to be, but not who we think it is.

Matthew: Anonymous, Jewish Christian, almost certainly not Matthew though perhaps Matthew wrote a source used by the evangelist.

Mark: Anonymous, but likely written by someone named Mark because later Christians tried to link it to Peter. If people didn’t already know Mark wrote it, they would have succeeded.

Luke: Anonymous. Same author as Acts. Not an eyewitness but used eyewitness sources. Likely not Luke, though has the highest chance of being correctly attributed, though that chance still remains low (besides Mark, but we don’t know which Mark)

John: Anonymous. Almost certainly not written by John. Appeals to the eyewitness of the “Beloved Disciple” but largely legendary. Not written by the same person who wrote the letters of John or Revelation.

Acts. Anonymous, same author as the gospel of Luke.

Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon. All scholars agree Paul wrote these as they claim to be written.

Ephesians: Forged, claims to be by Paul. Dependent on Colossians.

Colossians: Forged, claims to be by Paul.

2 Thessalonians. Most likely forged. Claims to be by Paul. (see 2 Thess. 3:17, designed to seem legitimate but demonstrably false)

1 Timothy, Titus. Forged in the name of Paul. Titus is dependent on 1 Tim.

2 Timothy. Probably forged, but either by someone close to Paul with some historical knowledge, or possibly written by Paul.

Hebrews. Anonymous, not written by Paul. Written by someone with better Greek, different beliefs, and a closer relationship to Jewish Christianity.

James. Most likely forged, or possibly Homonymous--written by a James who was not Jesus’ brother (he never claims to be) Does seem linked to Jewish Christianity and familiar with traditions about Jesus, so the attribution is not as far out as some.

1 Peter. Most likely forged in the name of Peter.

2 Peter. Almost certaintly forged in the name of Peter, our latest book of the NT composed around 130. Dependent on Jude.

1 John. Anonymous, written by someone in the same community as but different from the author of the fourth gospel.

2-3 John. Anonymous. Written by the “Presbyter” (Title, not a name, like “Bishop”). Possibly the author of 1 John as well.

Jude. Mostly likely forged.

Revelation. Homonymous. Written by someone named John, but not the apostle.

England, Church is as true as the gospel

episode on spiritual gifts