Biblical Form
The Biblical Forum is a weekly gathering to openly discuss and question the Bible. The time is very intentional and anticipates people to come prepared to collaborate in seeking the Word of God; letting Scripture reveal Scripture removing our bias as much as possible in a way that invites questions and considerations that are often neglected or disgusted in other settings. Not a leader or teachers model.
Do not undermine what God is doing through you and His Body and Word by thinking you need a Biblical scholastic background to engage.
Purpose
Seek, Search, Find, Act, Observe, Change, Repeat
Proverbs 2:1-5, Proverbs 18:2, Matthew 7:7, Acts 17:11, Proverbs 4:7, Psalms 119:130, Psalm 119:67, Psalm 119:34, Proverbs 3:5, 1 Corinthians 2:12, Romans 12:1-3, Psalms 19, James 1
We seek God and His activity in His words, His faithfulness, His might, His depth through His written Word and His Spirit in His Body and our tangible response to it.
We gather to be challenged by His Word, align our thoughts with His, and learn from what He reveals as we gather to share questions and insights on His written Word
We desire to challenge and reform our thinking in Yahweh and align with Biblical Principles (Romans 12:1-3).
We look forward to solid ideas that challenge us to dig deeper and put the Word deeper in us. As such, we are certain God will provide His Spirit and will reveal to us (1 Corinthians 2:10, James 1)
Form
What Each Week Looks Like
We will gather weekly in person (or at least via conference call) to discuss what we’ve discovered or what questions we want to bring to the group. Between these times we use Slack Channel to raise questions and share findings.
While we won’t be following an outline or study guide from a single scholar or theologian, we do encourage each of us to find resources to help dive deep and share.
While this is the focus of the week feel free to study at the pace you want, the idea is to dig deep, connect to other passages, study culture and ideas of the day, ask challenging questions, and encourage one another to seek Biblical and Spiritual insights from scholars, mentors, and the One True Enabler Yahweh.
There are times where we’ll decide via Slack that a gathering may focus solely on a particular discovery or question.
Perhaps this is a similar form that the Bereans pursued
What is The Structure
We will not be following a “Here are principles and let’s find them in Romans.” Instead we will be doing an exegetical study with an open mind and spirit as we investigate the writings and teachings together.
Broken into Units but encouraged to read ahead and dissect.
Each week we will investigate the next Unit together and put questions and thoughts out on the channel
We will provide resources to dig into
- Word Studies
- Verse References
- Principles Repeated in other passages
Just to name a few
FAQ
Haven’t Studied Like This Before?
Awesome! The Holy Spirit is with you to reveal His Word to you and you have His Body. We can provide resources and even partner you with someone to walk through it with you on a more frequent basis than once a week. I am amazed by Yahweh in what He reveals to His people as they surrender and seek His Wisdom
How Do I Get Involved?
We have a Slack channel (#study-of-james) on our Slack Team. If you’re not already registered with our Slack Team, signup via the chatbox. Simply type your email and say signup!
Current Discussion
Starting January 2020 we will have an open forum with no exact topic or book and instead encourage each other to come prepared from their own pondering and studies
Open Questions
- Why do you think the Bible is true?
- Does God (the Bible) declare that Jesus is the Sabbath?
- Is 2 Corinthians 10 talking corporately? If so, why do people teach it at an individual level?
Previous Discussion: Survey of Biblical History
Ended December
Topic
Starting September 30 our round-table discussion begins on Jewish History as we chronicle and discussion the where God has taken His people and where they departed and rebelled at times.
Challenges
- Group Build a high level timeline through the different kingdoms
Questions Addressed
- What is the difference between the Law and Covenant
- What is Zoroastrianism
- What is the statement classification of God saying “You shall not eat of the tree ___”
- Who are the old gods that are specifically mentioned in the “Old Testament”?
- How did they discern the “voice of God”
- Who were the kings in comparison of the judges?
- Why did the Israelites go into slavery under Egyptian rule?
- What is Judah vs Israel?
- What ideologies were adopted by the people during interactions with non-Israel and non-Judah kingdoms?
- What practices were adopted by the people during interactions with non-Israel and non-Judah kingdoms?
Resources
Timelines
- http://www.odyeda.com/en/ (interactive)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdUYeShQtKc
- https://thebibleproject.com/explore/torah-series/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_ancient_Israel_and_Judah
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR9sWRzbdJw
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZybFYikBMLg
Zoroastrianism
- https://www.history.com/topics/religion/zoroastrianism
- http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170406-this-obscure-religion-shaped-the-west
“If you want to be in the Kingdom, then you better learn the King” - Christa
