Greetings to you all. Well I am finally all unpack and organized in my new room. It is weird though because as I started putting things away in drawers, I realized how much more free space I have every where. Not only is my room actually bigger in size, but I have a second book shelf and a huge storage space under my bed. I cannot believe how many free drawers I have and just open space I have for a dorm room. Now some might walk into my room and say this is the small room you are bragging about. However, I would then proceed to show them the TINY room I lived in last year and let them see how big this one is relatively speaking. It just feels good to know where everything is and to be able to call it home for the year.
I also played in our first intramural flag football game today. We lost on the very last play of the game but it was still fun. Last year I did not get to play football because I worked every Tuesday, plus my team was not very good. It felt good to hear I went decently high in the draft this year from the other captains. One of my friends was going to draft me, but he said I went before he was ready to pick me. Now I am just hoping to help support my team so they feel I was worthy of that pick. Other than that I am just trying to get into school work and classes again. I am fighting a cold that at first I thought was a sinus infection, but now is just the sniffles and a slight cough. However, it seems to be getting better each day. I have also been spending quite a bit of time just reading the Bible. I am realizing how unfamiliar I am with the themes of the individual books, and where important themes and verses are. So, my goal is to spend some part of every day in the Word, just reading, studying, and reflecting. We are still doing our morning Bible study, but I also am making a point to do more on my own too. This some times comes in the way of other reading, but I figure the professors cannot really be mad at me for putting the Word of God ahead of a textbook written by man.
I also still have to hammer out exactly what I plan to teach this Sunday as my adult Bible study begins, but I will get the questions finalized, my key to my answers finished, and just a general lesson plan to keep us on topic. Please keep my teaching abilities in your prayers as I will need the Lord's help to get the truth of His Word to these people.
I think my favorite class this quarter is most likely going to be Pastor as Educator. Dr. Bacon is an amazing man and has me excited to be back in the classroom. If your asking why I said again, it is because I was in the education program at Seward for awhile and did forty hours of classroom experience through those classes. I always did enjoy spending time in the classroom with the kids. The other class I really enjoy is my Hebrew exegetical. I am not so sure I will like the work for the class, because my Hebrew is not as sharp as it used to be, but I enjoy Dr. Lessing's insights. We were looking at key New Testament verses the other day that point back to the "wisdom literature" of the Old Testament. The class is Psalms and Writings so the "wisdom literature" of Proverbs, Job, Jonah, etc. is what we will be looking at besides the Psalms obviously. One key set of verses we looked at is Ephesians 5:15-21. This points us to living not in foolishness like getting drunk, but to live in the wise life, that is Christ's example. However, verse 18 in particular is what we looked at. It states in the ESV, "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." Now when you look at the last half of this verse, "...be filled with the spirit," it is best to look at it in the Greek. The Greek verb for "to be filled" is parsed as present, passive, imperative, second person plural from the verb stem meaning "to fill". Each part of that parsing is important, and this is one of the times the original language makes a huge theological importance. The fact that it is an imperative means that it is a command. This is not something we are suggested or hinted at to do, but commanded to do. It's important we do this because God's Word commands us to. The fact that it is present tense is important, because in Greek the present tense does not have the same meaning the present tense does in English. In Greek the present tense means that the action is happening right now, but has an ongoing result. It doesn't just happen and is done, but is continued to be done and keeps going. The fact that it is passive means that it is not something we do but something that is done to us. So we are not the ones who fills us, but we are filled by God with the Spirit. The second person plural shows that it is for "you" but plural meaning everyone. So this one verb by its parsing shows us that this phrase is a command that is for everyone, done by God, and done continuously. This is where Dr. Lessing in his very loud voice said, "See Christians leak!" We are not filled with the Spirit once, but CONTINUOUSLY keep being filled with the Spirit. It is an ongoing process that the Lord commands us to do, even though He is the one who does it to us. So next time your thinking your feeling pretty holy and doing a good job of being a faithful Christian, just remember that you leak! You need to be continuously filled with the Spirit, by spending time in the Word, faithfully praying, and always asking God to keep filling you with the Spirit. All praise Him who is the one who fills us with His Spirit, not abandoning us after raising His Son who redeemed us to His right hand, but continuously filling us with His Spirit to guide us, strengthen us, and keep us in the one true faith.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for the many blessings you so daily and abundantly enrich our lives with. Please fill us with Your Spirit, not just once, but continuously as You so command us to be. Thank you for giving us Your Spirit, and we ask the He may guide us, strengthen us, and keep us in the protection of Your hand until You call us home to live with You, Your Son, and Your Spirit, our One True God. In Your name we pray, Amen.
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