Category Archives: Bible

Bible Study lessons and Theology

Hoosier Rabbi?

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I’m writing this post ahead of time.  Go figure.  I’m writing this while having been studying for a Bible study lesson I will have taught by the time you read this.  The thing I’m covering, as the title of this post suggests, involves rabbis.  Without going into the hefty religious connotations of Christ being a rabbi, I want to give you some quick summary information and then ask you a question or three.  Even if you’re not a Christian, this post has some relevance, so stick with me.

What’s a rabbi?  Here is a short bit of text I wrote for my handout (it is by no means thorough):

Rabbis would have been teachers of the Old Testament, but primarily the Law or Pentateuch. Typically a student would approach a rabbi and ask if he may follow the rabbi, if the rabbi rejected him, he would then go off to a trade. The student of the rabbi was called a talmidim. If you’ve ever heard of the talmud, it is the a Judaic book that outlines traditional rabbinical teachings. Christ operated contrary to this and sought out His disciples and told them to follow Him. Furthermore the disciples were at least in part already involved in trades – so they would have to walk away from their careers and lives as they had expected them to be and instead joined themselves to Christ.

A rabbi was expected to have a physically following disciple or disciples, and Elijah and Elisha were an important example of this concept in the Old Testament [I Kings 19:19-21]. Time was to be spent together and a lifestyle that represented the teacher was to be lived in front of the following disciple. Discipleship meant being seen with the rabbi so that others would begin to see what the rabbi taught as see the fruit of the teachings worked out in the lives of the disciples.

What I have been thinking about is this question: Who are today’s rabbis?  Who do people follow and identify themselves with?  Historically it was a life devoted to a teacher and their teachings.  In modern first world America, do we have time for this rabbi/disciple concept?  Today we follow people on twitter, television, the Internet, and of course in our cars to the store, but do we really follow teachers and devote ourselves to their teachings?

Are rabbis Richard Dawkins, Rush Limbaugh, or Barry Obama?  Of those three one is anti-religion but religious about his anti-religion, one is a right-wing-loud mouth, and one is a president with big words and many promises but single handedly incapable of delivering on what he wants to promise.  Do we follow them?  I personally wouldn’t follow them.  I wouldn’t follow Oral Roberts, Bill Gates, or Joel Osteen.

Who is your rabbi?

Why Your Love Language Doesn’t Matter

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Have you ever found something so revolutionary that it changed the way you did things? In my life I have found a number of things that made my head spin, my world clearer, or my world bigger. In the late 90’s one such idea came from a book that really got me churning that was called “The Five Love Languages.” It seemed to make relationships between a husband and wife simpler and easier to grasp than the odd complexity I had developed prior to reading it.  It made me want to explore love with my bride-to-be.  The problem with such concepts as the five love languages is that people hear them, learn them, or come into contact with them and them get set off in the wrong direction because they don’t understand them as merely principles.

If you’re not familiar with the five love languages let me give you this simple list of the five:

  1. Words of Affirmation
  2. Quality Time
  3. Receiving Gifts
  4. Acts of Service
  5. Physical Touch

The gist of the book is that each person has a primary way that they perceive  and express love with their spouse.  Furthermore each spouse is strongly encouraged to explore their partner’s love language and keep that in mind when expressing love for him or her.  I spent quite a bit of time liking the idea of focusing on exploring my bride’s love language and even figured out that this could be used, in a modified way, with my friends to express care for them.  Ta-da!  So did the book’s authors and other books in the series of love languages and their application were born and money was had through conferences, tests, merchandising and copyright infringement lawsuits from unlicensed tattoos [I made that last one up].  This is psychology stuff, so I’m sure that someone also discovered a sixth, seventh and eighth love language and has been trying to write papers proving the adequacy of those numbers of love languages for thesis papers and making a good practice out of helping marriages and relationships discover their tertiary love language.

Here’s the rub: this is overly complex despite the simplicity and it gets used as a poor excuse for husbands and wives to not love one another.  At least not to their fullest.  I want to explain that moving forward from here I’m going to be focused on a few Bible verses that I think make the five love languages childs play, and probably unnecessary.  The first place we should take a look is Ephesians 5:22-27:

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

What I see as I meditate on the above passage is something beyond the five love languages and something that should drive a wife absolutely coo-coo-bananas in love with her husband.  A self-sacrificing husband.  A guy who takes the five love languages in, sees their inadequacy, and says, “I’m going to love you in a million ways, and these five are merely a tiny, tiny tip of the iceberg.”  I recently saw on Twitter a guy who said that he was sorry to his wife (publicly on Twitter?) that his primary love language was acts of service.  Lameness.  If her love language is knitting pot holders it doesn’t matter.  If his language was bringing stray cats home to be fed, bathed, and neutered it doesn’t matter.  Sacrificial love trumps all of the given concepts of love languages because it looks for opportunities to love in every aspect, every place, and it is not strapped to a single, primary concept of perceived or expressed love.

As a secondary point against not stopping with this love language concept is that one of the joys of my marriage with my wife has been exploring each of the facets of expression of love and trying to see how they can be expressed in deeper, more meaningful ways.  Just as humans mature (or at least should mature) we look for ways to express love in a sacrificial, yet exploratory way.  To make a food analogy just because I like vanilla ice cream doesn’t mean I don’t explore toppings, other flavors and other combinations within the world of ice cream (or frozen desserts).  The same analogy applied to music means I don’t stop at the Beatles just because I like rock and roll quartets.  Bring on trios [Cream], duos [Simon & Garfunkel], classical, dance, beat boxing, and opera*.

I’ve discovered that my wife pretty much likes all five love languages [in different quantities at different times] because she knows that they’re expressing love to her.  I would probably not be wrong in saying that 99.999% of guys love physical touch [which often gets interpreted as physical intimacy, and for the sake of argument I’m going there now], but if let us face the facts: not all gals are wired for 24/7 physical touching and there may come a time when they’re bleeding, PMS-ing, medically unavailable, or holding a kitchen knife.  It might be a good time, Mr. physical touch, to explore the finer nuances of quality time, words of affirmation, gifts [read: chocolate], or acupressure to relieve headaches.  Sacrificially speaking get a grip, turn off your hormones for a moment and love your wife some other way so she doesn’t feel the need to lock herself in the bathroom, wear chain armor, or buy a slice-wire-bikini from Victoria’s Secret Weapon.

I want to close by saying I don’t hate the general principles behind the five love languages.  They were a good starting point for me and helped me grasp why I might be miss-communicating with my bride-to-be.  They’re not an excuse to be short sighted, justify weaknesses, or get in a rut.  Make it a point to look for ways to create a richer, more complex relationship with your spouse by abandoning your love language and loving with your exploratory, revolutionary hats on.

*Stay away from country music which is an infectious disease [Just kidding (Not really)]

This Last Weekend I Had A First

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This last weekend I had a first.  I don’t have a lot of firsts in my life any more because of my age, though last September I had a thirty-first.  Sunday I taught on my dad’s behalf as he was in California looking after things there with his family.  I have taught adult Sunday School many times, but its the first time I’ve ever taught in front of my brothers and sisters in Christ in the main service.  I taught on the passage and some possible applications of Titus 2:2-8.  Since that’s not a commonly taught passage I’ll post the text here:

Tts 2:2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.
Tts 2:3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,
Tts 2:4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tts 2:5 {to be} sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
Tts 2:6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;
Tts 2:7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, {with} purity in doctrine, dignified,
Tts 2:8 sound {in} speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.

I have put a lot of time into thinking about that passage and I hope you find it edifying on its surface.  Further it is a great passage to use for looking into how we can grow together as a body.  Who has God put into your life for you to grow and have as an example?

Check out the recording of the lesson here.  And the handout that is referenced here.  Feel free to post any questions or comments below in the comments section and I’ll get back to you with answers (assuming I have them).

Penn Jillette Wants Me to Talk To You

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Penn Jillette wants me to share the gospel with you.  He is an atheist, but he reminded me that you, even if you are not a Christian, still have a soul, and that should matter to me.  It does.  I know that you’re probably tired of hearing religious people cram religion down your throat.  I’m sorry that other Christians, or myself, may have gotten it wrong and tried to present anything but what matters most toward you.  So, in an attempt to clear things up here’s the gospel in simple terms and with some simple definitions to help clarify things.

The Gospel

The gospel is simple.  So simple a child could understand and believe it:  Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, rose the third day (read it in the Bible – I Corinthians 15:3-4).  In doing so He satisfied God’s requirement of justice for sin.  Sin that you and I have committed and that separates us from God (read it in the Bible – Romans 3:23-24).  In doing so God extended His love and grace to the whole world!

What is Grace?

Grace is the unlimited, unmerited blessing of God due to the totally adequate work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  Lets break that down because that sentence is like a t-bone steak, and it needs some dissecting to get to the good stuff.  Grace is unlimited: that means that even Adolph Hitler, had he believed the gospel before death could be saved.  It means I don’t have to worry about out-sinning God.  It means that I don’t have to worry about losing my salvation.  It means I can rest in God’s grace.  It means having knowledge of eternal peace with God.  Grace is unmerited: it means that I can’t earn it, I can only believe the gospel and receive it.  It is like a birthday present from a total stranger that is a check for a million dollars.  I didn’t earn it, it is a gift!  Since I didn’t earn it, I don’t have to work to keep it – its a gift.  Blessings of God is a bit tougher to describe because it has to do with relationship with God.  Blessings is not just stuff, it is the reception of God Himself into our lives (God isn’t against stuff, its just that He doesn’t only operate on the earth – Ephesians 1:3 tells us we’ve been blessed with every heavenly or spiritual blessing – read it in the Bible).  The totally adequate work of Christ on the Cross: this means that Christ’s death on our behalf was satisfactory to God so that when God looked at Christ and those who believe the gospel and are therefore identified with Christ he was satisfied and could have awesomely intimate relationship with them.  This is why Ephesians 1:4 can tell us that we’re holy & blameless (read it in the Bible).  Christians are not perfect on the earth, but before God they have been declared holy and blameless as He is holy and blameless.

God wants a relationship with you.  Belief is a simple act, but you know it comes with consequences.  Once you have responded to the gospel – in either belief or unbelief – you know that that decision will come with ramifications.  I encourage you to ponder the gospel message.  Eternity is a long time to be wrong.  I have personally spent hours and hours of my life studying to make sure I’m not putting my trust in absolutely insane, highly improbable truths.  Instead I have found the Bible, God’s book of love, to be True and the source of truth.  Hell is not described as a great place to be, it is described as a place with weeping and gnashing of teeth.  It is described as a lake of fire.  I don’t want to pass up this opportunity to ask you to read the verses quoted and ask yourself where you will spend eternity.

Think About It

I don’t agree with Penn’s reflection on God, that He doesn’t exist.  But I ask you to consider this: I’m not trying to con you, I don’t want a notch in my Bible cover, I don’t expect to get “Jesus Points” [instead of brownie points or merit badges], but I really care about you.  If you’re reading this it means something to me, you mean something to me.  Ask questions in the comments, email me (randy@randypeterman.com), or IM me (if you need that information I’ll email it to you) and we’ll discuss this.  I’m not looking for fights, so if you think you’re going to find that here, you’re at the wrong URL, but I am being genuine because I want you to be there with me in heaven in awe as God reveals more of Himself to us for eternity (read it in the Bible).

Consider putting your trust in Christ to make you right with God rather than trying on your own.  To do so just pray and be really honest with God about your failure to meet His standards of perfection, trust Him for His work through Christ on the cross, and rest in the assurance that you’re adopted into His family.  Then consider finding other Christians who can help you learn about the Bible – I’ll be the first volunteer.

One Half Hour

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This last Saturday morning on the way home from Indiana we stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Effingham, IL.  Shortly after we were seated an older couple sat down diagonally from us.  We didn’t think anything of it as the girls were chatty and wiggling.  Shortly after that a group of gals was about to be seated next to us and one of them said, “Ma’am, can we please be seated somewhere else in the restaurant?  We’re going to cuss and we don’t want to do it next to the children.”  They were seated elsewhere.

Our food came, we prayed and began to eat.  Suddenly I felt an arm around my shoulder and I looked up to see the man who had been seated with his wife diagonally from us looking down at me and he said, “I’m glad to see you praying in public.  It does my old heart good.”  I thanked him and he departed with a smile.

About 10 minutes later one of the gals who was going to be seated next to us but asked to be moved came by and said, “We didn’t mean any disrespect when we asked to be moved but we have been drinking and smoking marijuana all night long and we were going to be cussing while we ate.”  Huh?!  Why would you tell people this?  Why would you tell a total stranger that you were doing those things?

It is funny to me that in that short stretch of time two polarized events could take place like that.  We got on the road shortly after that hoping to avoid the drinking, smoking gals with their potty mouths.  Unfortunately there was a college game going on between Mizzou and Kansas University later on so we had to put up with crazy college drivers and birds being flipped all over the place as the drivers cursed each other for driving worse than the last crazy driver.

We made it past Kansas City and survived the day with great success arriving home at 11:05 PM.  Safe, sound, and really tired.

Trials & Suffering

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I don’t know how to respond to this article about suffering other than to say that the people involved seem to be enamored with themselves.  Christianity doesn’t have simple answers for all things, but the things the people in this article are saying make me want to hurl.  Their attitude towards pain and suffering indicates that they have not read their Bibles, they haven’t evaluated the afterlife, and that they don’t understand the full potential of pain and suffering that could take place.  I once heard a teacher discussing this very issue bring up a good point: what if God was halving suffering from what it could be?  What if we, on this earth, were only suffering one one-hundredth of what we could be suffering?  Would we care?  Would we be thankful towards God for preserving us and letting us suffer so little?

I have written before about a former elder at our church who simply taught about trials and suffering and went over the need for the Christian to understand God’s use of trials and suffering in their life.  Hal actually suffered a lot as he died of cancer, but that cancer was not a trial he couldn’t fathom, he spent much time rejoicing that the Lord used it to bring people into his life that he could share the gospel of Jesus Christ with.  Hal saw that the trials and suffering were a beautiful gift that was only temporary.  He saw eternity with God as a clear and powerful goal that made the suffering less of a distraction.  Yes, he hurt.  Yes, his family and our whole church cried when he died, but we all know where he’s going and we all wept with joy as we came together to share stories of love, compassion and awesome counseling that were all part of Hal’s life.

The article linked to above doesn’t offer answers and hope, it offers hopelessness and really nothing worth keeping track of.

Pardon Me Whilst I Hurl in Public

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I was just reading a new article on CNN and have to disagree with one of the statements that a relative of the shooter at the Amish School.  The relative says, “…that Charles Roberts was not an evil person. That he was a deeply troubled man…” Yack!  Barf!  Hurl!  You don’t admit that you’ve molested children [see bottom of article], then kill some, and get called ‘troubled.’  The Biblical position is that man is ensnared and drawn towards Evil (see Genesis 6:5, 8:21;Romans 1 and 6), thus making man’s desires pulled towards evil at the start, but then to have someone act out evil thoughts in a real and violent way and then call them troubled?

Sure, some people dont’ believe what the Bible says about various things, and I’ll grant each person the right of having an opinion, but this moral scenario steps into each of our homes and demands of us deep, personal relationships with all of our family members. Know your spouse so well that when they’re wrestling with things you know it, and seek counseling so that when these sorts of urges, problems and confessions of past sins (molestation is absolutely wrong, 100% of the time) come up they can be delt with in a redirected manner towards resolution.  Then, after you know your family, get to know your neighbors.  Be a friend to them.

This event has challenged me to want to be a better dad, a better husband, and a better neighbor.  By being someones friend and helpful, trustworthy confidant you and I may just help prevent the next school shooting.