“Lies” of the Bible (Both the chief priests and Joseph’s brothers making stuff up):

“When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’” (Matt 28:12). Commentary: (Here, “a scene of great irony occurs when the priests in their frustration are forced to bribe the guards to propound the very lie that they had begged Pilate to prevent” (See Matt 27:64) Grant Osborne, Hermeneutical Spiral, 217).

Grant R. Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral : A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Rev. and expanded, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 217.

“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.” (Gen 50:15-17).

Posture of prayer:

Prayer: on knees (Ezra 9.5, Eph 3.14, etc), lying prostrate (Num 16.45, etc); head between knees (1 Kgs 18.42); standing ( (1 Sam 1.26; Luke 18.11, 13, etc).

Is the Church the New Israel?:

“Care must be taken not to make Gentiles a part of Israel. There is a delicate balance between what applies specifically to the nation Israel and what applies to the church…Acts 3:19-21 clearly indicates that there will be a time future to our day when the covenants will be fulfilled literally. Furthermore…(we cannot make) the church the “new Israel,” (since)… this is contrary to the whole point of Eph 2:11-22 where the “new person” is distinct from the nation Israel. Gentiles do not become Jews but rather Jews and Gentiles become “one new person.” The church is not the new Israel but a distinct body of believers made up of believing Jews and Gentiles….some take the covenants of promise literally. In this case however, only those promises restated in the NT apply to the church and those that are not mentioned apply to the nation Israel and are yet to be fulfilled. There is no indication in the NT that the land primses made to Israel are for the chruch’s possession…This…seems to fit best with the facts presented in the NT” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 447-448).

The Christian and the OT Law?:

“…by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace” (Eph 2:15). (Referring to Eph. 2:15) “Since the whole Mosaic law has been rendered inoperative for Jewish and Gentile believers in Christ, it is a false dichotomy to distinguish between the moral and ceremonial laws, making only the ceremonial laws inoperative…Christ is the end of the whole law for believers (Rom 10:4) and we as believers are no longer under that pedagogue (Gal 3:25)…In fact, we have died to the law (Rom 7:1-6). Does this mean that there are no laws in the Mosaic law that the believer of today is obligated to obey? Only those that have been reiterated in the NT. We are under the new covenant, and the old covenant has been done away. It is no longer our modus operandi” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 376-377).

Jesus’ Spiritual Kingdom:

“The Jews had expected God to bring in his physical kingdom, but the disciples learned that this kingdom would first appear in a spiritual form beginning with Jesus’ ministry and last until his return to set up that expected apocalyptic physical kingdom, which will include the judgment of the wicked and the vindication of the righteous” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 430).

Apparent Contradiction (needs study to resolve…)

Paul: 23,000 died (1 Cor. 10:8). Yet, 24,000 died (Num. 25.9, and all known Jewish sources). Round number maybe?…

Lack of “in Christ” in Acts:

“What we find notably lacking in Acts is the Pauline idea of being “in Christ” or being participants in his body or the notion or Christ’s preexistence…” Why? “A variety of texts stress that Jesus is in heaven” (though appears in visions, like Stephen or Paul (2.33, 3.21, 9.3, 22.6, 26.13)… “This is why the sending of the Spirit is so crucial in Acts…If Jesus is absent, the church must have some source of power and direction, and this they receive from the Spirit. God now acts by means of the Spirit or an angel on earth…” Ben Witherington III, The Acts of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, 151-152.

Being Sent:

Holy Spirit: twice “sent,” or “given,” by the Father (Jn 14:16, 26) and twice by the Son (Jn 15:26; 16:7)…The final stage is seen when the disciples/believers themselves are described as “sent ones” (Jn 17:18; 20:21) (Grant Osborne, Hermeneutical Spiral, 437).

Humility of Paul:

Apparently over time, Paul becomes more and more humble. In 1 Cor 15:9 he states that he is the “least of the apostles.” In a later letter he stated that he was the “very least of all the saints” (Eph 3:8). And finally, in a still later letter, he stated that he was the “worst of sinners.” (1 Tim 1:16).   

Last night…

And this morning…

No school, and lots of work shoveling, and lots of fun…

In the book of Proverbs there are plenty of disturbing or convicting proverbs. Yet, we rarely see these on bookmarks.

John 13:27 says: “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. ‘What you are about to do, do quickly,’ Jesus told him.” …Could Jesus have (previously) given a job for Judas to do, unbeknownst to the other disciples, especially since Judas was in charge of the money pouch (John 12:6)? Maybe arranging for his security detail for that night? (See vv. 28-29 and the confusion on the part of the disciples at Jesus’ question). Then, since he didn’t do it, but went to the chief priests instead, it was all the more a poignant and brutal betrayal. Though this is probably not correct, given the preceding conversation in chapter 13, and the bread being handed to Judas after Jesus’ pointed words.

There is an amazing contrast in John 18 between Peter’s cowardice and Jesus’ courage. In this chapter, Jesus was not silent, but answered with forthrightness and fearlessness.

The Pharisees, while at times are rightfully criticized, do not deserve the complete, 100%  bad rap: They warned Jesus: “At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’” (Luke 13:31). They invited him to meals (Luke 7:36-50: 14:1). One came to him for teaching: Nicodemus (John 3). One defended him (John 7:50-51): “Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ‘Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing?’” Other Pharisees also defended Jesus: “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.” (John 9:16). Another protected the early church (Gamaliel): Acts 5:34-39. Others defended Paul (Acts 23:9): “There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. ‘We find nothing wrong with this man,’ they said. ‘What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’”

In the book of Isaiah we see a challenging paradox in regards to the Gentiles. Twice there will be “a light for the Gentiles.” (42:6; 49:6). Yet, we also see Gentiles licking the dust of the feet of Israel (49:23). There is ambiguity, just like in 2^nd Temple times, between the Old and New Testaments.

Why were there so many ossuarries in 1^st Century Judaism? (Small boxes where the bones of the dead were collected and stored). Many say it was because of the pervading influence of the Pharisees, who believed in the resurrection of the body. They put the bones together, so it would be “easier” in the resurrection to get the body together again.

The Gospel of Luke, like all other Gospels, is pseudonymous, the titles “According to Matthew,” “…Mark,” etc.) being added by the early church years later. So, the author of Luke-Acts regards his own identity as insignificant to his message (contrast the apostle Paul, especially in a letter like Galatians). Luke, who we believe wrote the Gospel that bears his name, nonetheless did not want to focus on himself—he must have thought the message of Christ, and his church were much more important.

Why did Jewish authorities have the power to kill Stephen (Acts 7:57-58), when they didn’t for Jesus? Also, didn’t Paul, in his former life, have that authority? (Acts 22:4)?

What they tried so hard to get at Babel (a “name for ourselves”: Gen. 11:4), God freely gave to Abraham (Gen. 12:2).

Many times Hellenistic philosophers would never even address women, children and slaves. But Paul does (Eph. 5:22-6:8; Col. 3:18-25). This was radical in his day.

Only one time in all his letters, Paul thanks a person (Romans 16:4). He constantly thanks God, however (Rom. 1:8; 6:17; 1 Cor. 1:4; Phil. 1:3).

Why is God never mentioned in the book of Esther? The events of Esther happened during the time of the Diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews during the exile) when there was, in some sense, an absence of God. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians (586 B.C.), and the presence of God above the mercy seat (Ex 25:22; Lev. 16:2) was no longer. So also, something similar in the actual contents of Esther. God was not immediately present, but was working behind the scenes. He was working through the events and coincidences of the story. Surely the author of Esther was trying to get this across. Even in the terrible event of the exile, with the horrible loss of the beloved temple, and the city of Jerusalem, God was still “present”, working behind the scenes. In our lives, at times it feels like God is absent. Yet, as in Esther, He is there—He has always been there.

Why was the 7th day of creation not  reported as ending (Gen. 2:2-3)? Every other day it was said: “And there was evening–and there was morning…” There has been lots of rabbinic speculation on that. (Jewish scholarship starting in 200 AD).

The serious story of Achan in Joshua 7 has obvious parallels to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. During the former, the Israelites were surrounded by hostile nations. However, God was saying to them: the threat is not from the outside, but from the inside. This is very similar to Acts 5. The early church was surrounded by persecution, with God saying: the real threat is not from the outside, but inside. Conclusion: God is deathly serious about the holiness of his people.

Fascinating: the author of Hebrews and his use of the “word of God”… For him, he NEVER uses “word” with a sense of “written verbs.” It was always in the sense of “spoken words.”  (For Paul, on the other hand, it was almost always as “what is written”: the Greek word being grapho).

So, when the author of Hebrews says, “For somewhere he has spoken…” the point is NOT that he doesn’t know where in the OT it says that. The emphasis is that the human author is not important! It is God’s word! (“spoken words”). God is speaking! How we often need to be reminded that what we actually hold in our hands is the very words of God.

(Commenting on James 4:13-5:6, and its focus on wealth): “…the problem is not that we’ve tried faith and found it wanting, but that we’ve tried mammon and found it addictive” (Arthur Simon in Craig Blomberg and Miriam Kamell, James: Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008, 211-212).

       Why did it seem to be “no big deal” that Esther married a pagan foreigner, when during the same time period, Ezra and Nehemiah were actually sending away the foreign wives and children? When Ezra heard of intermarriage with the pagans, he even said, “I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles” (Ezra 9:3-4; see also Nehemiah 10:30).

      The large crowds called “Hosanna!” to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem–hoping he would battle the evil invaders. Probable background in the minds of the whole crowd was the Maccabeans, with Simon Maccabeus 200 years earlier coming into Jerusalem, and defeating the pagan invaders. Yet then what did Jesus do–instead of attacking the hated foreigners, he “cleansed” fellow Jews by his actions in the temple. Thus, the crowds quickly turned against him.

       We learn in Acts 6 that the Hellenistic Jews were to serve tables. Then why, right after this, do we see 2 of them preaching! (Stephen–chp. 7; Phillip–chp. 8). What does it mean then, “to serve tables”?

       Why does Hebrews 11.30 switch from “by faith…(name of person)” to say “by faith…the walls of Jericho fell”? Why does it not say that Joshua had faith? Or that the people marching had faith?

        In Acts 3:6 Peter boldly proclaims: “Silver and gold I have none.” According to many, he was not talking about money, but about idols. What is the OT context?: idols were made out of gold and silver. So what was Peter saying: “I don’t have idols, but I do have the Messiah!” (Thus: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!” Acts 3:6).

Here’s some pictures of some Chicago adventures:

Jonathon getting some reading done on the train to downtown Chicago…

The kids looking out the “Skydeck” at the 103 floor at the Sears tower! (er, Willis tower)….

Some interesting short videos:

First one is called “Muslim Demographics.” Some say it is alarmist, exaggerates the statistics, and embellishes the facts. Others disagree:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU

The second one is very interesting. It is called “Three Things about Islam (that you should know)“:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9rofXQl6w&feature=player_embedded

If above link doesn’t work, see http://www.inquiryintoislam.com/2010/07/three-things-about-islam.htm

Not every video out there is precise, honest and accurate. So as always, we are called to investigate, research and discern. Hopefully these videos are part of that process. 

Also, here are a couple links to two sermons I have preached in the last few months:

http://www.gracepoint-church.org/resources/sermon/?sermon_id=131

http://www.gracepoint-church.org/resources/sermon/?sermon_id=104

After a whopping, 24,000 miles in 6 months (equivalent to around the world at the equator…), we turned in our trusty van. Again, a huge thanks to Grace Corporation of Max, ND for helping us out with such a great vehicle! One of our trips was to Port Huron, Michigan, where we had a fantastic weekend with Cornerstone Church. Can’t wait to visit them again! It was a beautiful drive through the UP on our way home…

Then, we packed up two cars, 6 bikes and 4 kids, and arrived in Wheaton. I will be studying at Trinity this school year in Deerfield. It will be a bit of a commute, but it is worth it since we have a GREAT place to stay. (Provided by Wheaton Furlough Homes Foundation). And we left such a GREAT place to stay– my parent’s house in New Brighton, Minnesota. We have been tremendously blessed.

Lots of studying ahead, but I was thankful to finish 5 books this summer:

What Jesus Demands from the World, by John Piper. As was to be expected, an excellent, challenging book.

Various quotes: “Their minds and hearts are shaped (or stuffed) in such a way that when (Jesus) speaks, what he says won’t fit in their hearts” (p. 59: comment on John 8:37: “You seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you”).

We live in a world “gone flat with an excess of superficial titillation” (p. 357).

“We are not neutral like a metronome wand poised straight up between truth and error—waiting dispassionately to be inclined to one side or the other. No, we are heavily tilted toward selfishness and all the errors that support it” (p. 60).

“…no one decides to get angry…It’s spontaneous…What makes it rise when it does…is a combination of the evil we observe and the condition of our mind and heart (pp. 138-139).

“There is no doubt that Jesus saw some measure of real, lived-out obedience to the will of God as necessary for final salvation” (p. 160).

“No one…was as blunt as Jesus…(this) makes me so aware of how emotionally fragile and brittle we are today” (p. 218).

Finally, great insight on the parable of the Good Samaritan: “(Jesus) changes the question from What kind of person is my neighbor? to What kind of person am I?” (p. 265).

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown. An INCREDIBLY disturbing book. I have to admit that I feel much shame in those of my European heritage. What occurred in this country merely 150 years ago was truly a Holocaust. A cold, systematic, calculated attempt at the eradication of a people group.

How do we honor the many military personnel who today are fighting for our freedom, or who fought for our freedom during the World Wars and other conflicts? Yet how do we honor those Dakota, and Cherokee, and Cheyenne, and Arapahoe, and Iroquois, and many others, who were slaughtered by other US military personnel (with much blame on the commanders and leaders)? This is not our land! We stole it! We were stronger, so we took it. Again, a very sobering book.  

The Search for the Twelve Apostles, by William Steuart McBirnie. Good stuff! Lots of info on what happened to the disciples in their final years/decades. Lots of legends cropped up, but nonetheless, there is some great evidence on where they went, and how they died.

The New Age of Adventure, a compilation of National Geographic adventure writing. Reading of the finding of the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest is such a fascinating read. Will Sandy Irvine, Mallory’s climbing buddy, ever be found? Did Mallory summit? Lots of other fascinating, challenging adventure feats. 

Good Book, by David Plotz. A book I loved—written by a skeptical, mocking atheist talking about the Bible! (Though he said he would never call himself an atheist—that would give too much importance to his unbelief. He says: “It’s more that God doesn’t matter to me anymore.” p. 9 in the Afterword). He is a secular Jew who decided to read the Hebrew Scriptures from beginning to end (having never really read it before), and try and objectively evaluate it. He did have interesting insights from an outsider’s perspective. At the very least, his writing should challenge us to give pause to some of the difficulties in our own Scriptures. Israel, God’s own people, “playing the whore with many lovers” (Jer. 3:3)? Judah, “carrying on her whoring so openly” (Eze. 16)? The entire book of Judges (violent Samson, impetuous Jephthah, immature, doubting Gideon, horrendous act by the Levite in ch. 19, etc.)? God telling Hosea to go and marry a whore? Solomon with his “brilliant mind” but “weak soul” (p. 158)?

He accuses “Sunday school teachers and popular culture” of feeding him a “vanilla-pudding version” of Scripture. He goes on: “The Bible’s gatekeepers have attempted to dupe us into adopting a Bible with straightforward morality and delightful heroes” (p. 304). Yet he continues on: “The real book is messier, nastier, and infinitely more complex. In other words, it’s much more like life” (p. 304).  How true! The Bible is filled with many miserable failures (save one).

One of his conclusions: “…the God of the Hebrew Bible, if He existed, was awful, cruel and capricious. He gives us moments of beauty—sublime beauty and grace!—but taken as a whole, He is no God I want to obey, and no God I can love” (p. 302).

In the end, it ought to give us serious pause as we contemplate how we proclaim the whole counsel of God, and not white-wash its contents. There are challenges to our Scriptures! We need to be upfront about them…

When we left Abancay last year, I promised the pastors that we would continue sponsoring the annual Pastor’s Conference. I was overjoyed that they did all the planning and organizing this year in my absence. After sending them some funds (Western Union works great!), they got to work. Not as many showed up as hoped for, but it was great to see them get together for a quick weekend. And thanks to modern technology, I was able to record a sermon here, and then email it to them. All in all, it was great to stay connected with them. Next year, Lord willing, I will be there to host it again. Can’t wait!

Hello All!

TRIP:

A couple of weeks ago, we returned from our massive, cross-country trip visiting supporters (more or less the route: Minnesota-New York-Florida-Tennessee-Texas-California-Colorado-Wyoming-Minnesota). A whopping 11,698 miles. 2 months. 28 states. 3 oil changes (in FL, TX and WY), 5 National Parks. 21 different beds (besides 5 different nights of rest area “sleep”). Lots of “are we there yet?” Way too many fast-food, burger-slime establishments. Overall, however, the kids did great! We didn’t see all of our supporters—but many of them! It was very encouraging. Thanks to a generous gift to our Ministry Account years ago, we were able to pay for the gas. And thanks to many generous friends and supporters, we rarely had to stay in a hotel. Also, thanks to a great organization that helps furloughing missionaries (Grace Corporation, out of Max, ND), we were able to lease a mini-van dirt cheap, for $90/month! See http://perukrohns.blogspot.com for other pictures of the trip.

PLANS:

This fall, Lord willing, we will be heading to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for a one-year ThM degree (a pre-doctoral, advanced Masters degree). It was a disappointment, at first, not to be accepted into any PhD program. However, upon further reflection, it is a huge blessing in disguise, as it gets us back to the mission field much sooner. WE WILL BE HEADING BACK TO PERU in July of 2011 (SIM Peru even has an apartment reserved for us). Depending on how the ThM goes, there is a chance for doctoral studies from Peru in a distance-education format. Thankfully, I received a couple scholarships from Trinity that will help with tuition. SIM has given us their blessing to pursue further studies, and we are allowed to stay on support during these coming months of study. The summer months will be spent visiting more supporters, as well as some serious study in preparation for the ThM. I (Jeff) aim to study the biblical languages 30+ hours/week. A ThM degree in Biblical Studies with a focus in New Testament will enable me to dig deeper into the Word, and help me to serve more effectively in Peru. 

NEEDS:

        Because our support has fallen, we would not be able to go back to Peru right now. Speaking bluntly, we are in need of monthly support (about $1,500 more a month), as well as special gifts, (somewhere in the neighborhood of $15,000) as we think of returning in a year. These special gifts will be used for set-up costs as we will be moving to a new location, Lima, the capital of Peru. Also, though we have some savings, we are in need of some more help for tuition and rent for the coming school year. Gifts specifically designated to our Ministry Account can be used to help pay for tuition. We also are in need of a smaller vehicle for commuting, since we will not be living on campus, but in Wheaton (a 35 miles commute). Giving to our ministry is possible at www.sim.org/giveusa.

SUPPORT-RAISING:

We view support-raising as an encouraging process to simply be honest, and then to trust our Creator. We know that there are many great ministries in need of funds, and so we are simply letting our needs be known. People who believe in who we are, and what we are doing, AND have funds available, will give as the Lord provides. We recognize that there are many who believe in what we are doing, but extra funds are not there. To those that have had to stop their consistent giving, we are grateful that they have had a part in allowing us to get this far, though of course, we would highly value and appreciate any gifts in the future (whether next month or next year), if opportunity and prompting arises.

PERU:

I have been in frequent contact with the pastors of Abancay (calling them through Skype). They are holding a pastor’s conference in my absence. Pray for them during their conference on June 25-27! Starting next year, I will head up these conferences again (along with possibly another one that includes their wives also). Thanks to years of generous support, we have been able to sponsor these events. Thank you!

Again, when we return to Peru, we will live in a different location, but I (Jeff) will continue working in three areas: theological education (teaching in Bible institutes), local church ministry (weekly preaching), and the building up of pastors (in Abancay and its surrounding province).

SCRIPTURE:

In my recent, devotional reading-the-Bible-through-in-more-than-a-year, I was impacted by Ex. 35. The Israelites were called to voluntarily give to the building of the Tabernacle. Those whose hearts were moved (v. 21, literally: “carried or lifted”) gave to the building process. They gave so much that they actually had to be told to stop giving (Ex. 36:6). Hopefully this generosity did not come as a result of a guilty conscience, as they previously had brought gold to give for the golden calf! (Ex. 32). Carried and lifted hearts—the backbone of all ministries, and the reason we have been able to minister in Peru since January of 2002.

DATABASE:

We just recently went through all of our addresses and emails. We hope we got it all correct! Please let us know if something needs to be updated, whether it be an email, cell #, zip code, etc.

Thanks!       Jeff, Stacey, Brandon, Jonathon, Nathan, Sophia             jeff.krohn@sim.org