MensFellowship

Home

Schedule

Joys and Concerns

Meeting Map

Roster

Church

Photos

Topics

Feedback

Bible Study

Study Links

Roosey Roads Men's Fellowship

Welcome to the Grace's Men's Fellowship Information Site

Grace Men’s Bible Study Class November 2011

Men’s Fellowship will continue the study of Galatians on Saturday morning, November 12th, at Roy and Kathy Giese's house, 6427 Rotunda Court, Springfield, VA 22150. The breakfast starts at 8 AM. The discussion leader is Frederick Baedke, who will lead us in a discussion of Session 2 of Galatians. Please call Roy at (703) 971-7584 or email him at rkgiese@verizon.net by Thursday November 10th , if you plan on coming so that he has a count for food preparation. Look at thehttp://www.josephsmiller.com/GraceMensFellowship/map.htm for directions. Hope to see you there!

See http://www.jsmillerdesign.com/BibleStudy/BibleStudyGuides.html for bible study guides.

Brothers in Christ; This Saturday 12 November 8am at Roy Geise’s home.

REMINDER: We meet for the our continued study (session 2) of Galatians 1: 11-24 is required reading.

REFRESHER: The Saturday trip to the Gettysburg hill country was a 12 hour fellowship that was just terrific. During our Study of Galatians I noted that there were 11 of us participating and drew attention that we were also - men gathered just as the Apostles ( including Saul/Paul). Galatians early scripture is concerned in part with the controversy of the “law” in contrast to Christ’s distinction about FAITH. The Saducees/Pharisees were principally focused on the LAW … sacrifices, temple worship, circumcision, the observance of Jewish traditions.

After Christ’s resurrection and ascension… NOW the formation of the CHURCH (beginning a New Covenant) was being debated by the Apostles especially the inclusion of the gentiles as part of the Body Christ. Paul was pushing the envelope asserting the old traditions practiced by the Jewish nation should not be a condition of faith for gentiles. Emphasis should be on faith and not circumcision, ritual cleansing, prohibitions on meats/foods (unclean). Many of these practices were not original law of Moses (instructions from God) but actually man-made from the priests to form “fences” intended to protect or prevent violations of the original commandments issued by Moses. These additional man-made laws were challenged by Christ. Recall Christ’s anger in the temple when seeing the practices observed “You have turned the LORDS house into a Den of thieves” … and they were driven out. All practices in the Temple were advocated or permitted by the Priests. Peter and James were hard over on mandating that Gentiles adopt these old traditions under the law. Chief among the debate was the requirement to be circumcised.

Remember too that After Christ ascension after forty days the day of Pentecost fulfilled Christ’s prophecy that the Holy Spirit would come into the world

And enter them and reside with them from that day forward. They would speak in tounge’s and 3000 were converted that day from all tribes representing all peoples. Thereafter, the Apostles would work all manner of miracles to include some greater than those performed by Christ. Paul by the power of his convictions and the HOLY SPIRIT was able to persuade the others to relax the requirement for the gentiles and give greater focus on FAITH over LEAGALISM for “salvation”. It was a significant milestone to depart from the old ways. REMEMBER: These were people with hundreds of years of Jewish tradition and a national heritage that was strictly practiced. These same men likely continued to go the temple, make sacrifices, observe the bathing, holy days & celebrations just as they always had done and now as new members of the BODY of Christ – these changes were genuinely SPIRIT LED and leading the discussion was PAUL who never spent even an hour with the CHRIST while alive. His conversion and years of personal exile brought him to this point in time to these men chosen and trained by Christ… The level of tension must have been so electrically charged with emotion that blood could easily have been spilled – certainly it boiled over.

NOTE: Martin Luther has claimed that GALATIONS of all the books the bible was HIS most influential encounter with Christ – it spoke to him personally and prompted his own CONVICTION for the reformation and separation from the Catholic Religion. It makes sense when realizing that Galatians was equally a “reformation” from the old Jewish practices of the LAW, rituals & priestly dictates (legalism) salvation by acts. Martin Luther served notice that the BIBLE and the holy scriptures were open to reading and interpretation by the believers and the Catholic hierarchy was not the required conduit for access to GOD each believer had access to GOD’s WORD, the HOLY SPIRIT, and SALVATION by their personal (direct) confession, repentance and declared faith.

Another Retreat Experience: We also did a four station prayer walk into the woods. The 1^st station was a place just to contemplate the day and the bible study, its message and what we thought GOD intended for us personally. The 2^nd was an invitation to sit quietly and allow all of our senses to identify with the surroundings, to feel the wind and warmth of the sun, hear the rustling leaves and branches yielding to the forces of the environment, smell the moisture and decaying leaves mixed with soil, open a treasure chest and finding chocolate, taste the sweet pleasure of God’s provisioning, the 3^rd was another opportunity for reflection on our role as part of the body of Christ, under a rock was a list of each man attending the bible study “select name on the list and pray for that man and when finished draw a line thru his name.” This was done until each participant had been prayed for. At station 4 the instructions included scripture to reflect on and then asked us to imagine that Christ was sitting on this tree stump with us and have a conversation with him and ponder what Christ’s response might be for us… NOTE: each of us went one at a time to the first station and moved on thru all four and then quietly returned to the cabin for a meal of hot chili, warmed cider, apple pie and ice cream.

The Day concluded with a walk to the table rock where we took pictures and gazed at the huge open sky, the valley below and the expansive forest. We had a group prayer embraced and loaded back in the cars for the two hour return trip to the city. AMEN

Genuinely Excited about our time together again this Saturday,

Friends in Christ, Fred Baedke