Well, week nine is finished.  Things are still progressing fairly nicely - this week folks had to read portions of the Sermon on the Mount and ask some questions of non-churchy folks based on their readings.  Just about everyone did it, and since the work outs are really the point of this movement that encourages me.

I think the schedule is starting to catch up with me though.  This past Sunday's sermon was by far the worst in the series, it was one of those times where the outline you wrote down can't get back into your head and you find yourself thinking while you preach.  Not good.  BE's got two more weeks left, and then we'll go through the Easter cycle - after that, I need some time off.  Let me tell you though, it's been worth it.  There's nothing like seeing some folks slowly wake up as your progress though a movement like this.

A video corresponding to week nine's work out can be downloaded here . 

The study for this week dealt with "Insurmountable Perseverance" from a New Testament perspective.  We read out of Acts 4 (Peter and John before the council) and 1 Peter 4:12 - 19 (fiery trials) - and had some good discussion on it.

The Acts passage was neat because it has such a clear resonance with the tale of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  In both those instances between what we'd call "security" and continued faithfulness to God.  This helps to reinforce the idea that the same story is going on in the Tanakh and the New Testament - a notion that is always worth reinforcing.

The 1 Peter passage was the eye-opener.  We tend to think that "fiery trials" have to do with outright persecution, but in this part of 1 Peter that seems to only be of a glancing concern.  Rather, at this point "fiery trials" seem to be more linked to our internal wrestling with putting down the values of this world, and picking up the values of Jesus Kingdom.  Insults are mentioned, but in this passage perservance has more to do with our remaining faithful in the face of continual temptation, more than anything else.  What's more, Peter links the blessing of being joined to Jesus' passion with judgment - as though judgment were a present reality.  As we persevere through it, we become "refined" and folks should start seeing Jesus in/through us (which is where the insults come from).  If only this were obvious in our lives!

To Evangelicals, the idea that judgment is going on now is a bit of a novel idea, Theologians call it "sanctification" - it's the process of being cleansed and transformed.  Folks seemed to take to the concept (no, I didn't use the word in the study) - as it gave them something to do with their wrestling match, other than feel guilty that they wrestle with sin at all.  That's a good thing.

I'm starting to see holes in attendance, though, that's not so good.  I need to keep my eyes opened to see who's really being changed by the process of BE -  that's where "The Ten" will come from.  Some folks are sliding, others are irratic in their participation (more than most), a few just have trouble consistently participating in anything (too scattered to really take charge), a couple are terrified by it but come anyway, and some are largely "getting it."  Of the folks who are "getting it," some are fighting it's implications - but the Spirit's working so the light-bulb keeps coming on almost in spite of themselves (which is fun for me to watch).  So, we'll see.  Hey, you scatter seed - right?  I wonder
 what an Internet Era version of that parable would look like...

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