johnmdemarco posted on February 04, 2011 20:30
I’m excited to be launching a new chapter-by-chapter Bible study of the Letters of Paul, starting on Wednesday evenings at Franklin First United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tenn. The first session will be Feb. 16, and we’ll dive right into Romans, Chapter 1 and see where the Spirit takes us.
Off and on throughout the years, I’ve been blessed to lead this type of study. I love going deep into scripture, peeling back the layers and exploring the roots and various usages of certain words. It’s a sheer joy to experience the fresh insights and ideas for application that emerge in the midst of the group discussion.
Glancing through Romans 1 several times during the past day or so, I’m in awe at how much power and message is packed in just the first few verses alone. Paul is a servant. A servant of Christ Jesus. He is called to be an apostle. He was set apart for Christ. What does it mean for us to serve, to be called, to be set apart…not for our own agendas, but for Christ to be further and further revealed in us? How does that impact our relationships, our jobs, our involvement in the community, our grasp of material possessions?
It might take a while to get through Chapter 1, let alone all 15 chapters of Romans—let alone the full body of Paul’s epistles.
But what a great journey it will be, for however many months or years it takes. I pray that a few of you might come along with me.