Expedition 44

The Image of God is a vocation to rule as God’s ambassadors through His wisdom. Gen 1:26-29, Psalm 8:4-8 We are cracked images and have tried to rule to world and live by our own wisdom (idolatry). Romans 3:23 Jesus is truly human one who faithfully and correctly images God. 2 Cor 3:18, 2 Cor 4:4, Rom 8:29 The Holy Spirit is at work within us to conform us to the image of Christ To image God in community (with God and others) on this earth in resurrected bodies for eternity The Bible begins with Eden and ends with Eden God’s plan has not changed from beginning to end The image of God is the royal office or calling of human beings as God’s representatives and agents in the world. Image of God means that humans have been given power to share in God’s rule or administration of the earth’s resources and creatures. - J Richard Middleton (The Liberating Image) The notion of the “image” doesn’t refer to a particular spiritual endowment, a secret “property” that humans possess somewhere in their genetic makeup, something that might be found by a scientific observation of humans as opposed to chimps. The image is a vocation, a calling. It is the call to be an angled mirror, reflecting God’s wise order into the world and reflecting the praises of all creation back to the Creator. That is what it means to be the royal priesthood: looking after God’s world is the royal bit, summing up creation’s praise is the priestly bit. – NT Wright (The Lost World of Adam and Eve)

What is Baptism?    o Method: Infant or believer?  o Mode: Sprinkling, pouring, Immersion?   o An action or the results? Dying or tinging    Paul connects the signs circumcision and baptism. Colossians 2:11-12  Circumcision did not produce salvation. Romans 4:9-12  Circumcision and baptism are signs representing membership in a community of truth. Romans 3:1-2  Baptism is spiritual warfare! 1 Peter 3:18-22  Baptism is a pledge of allegiance to King Jesus and Kingdom of God.   What is Communion? Our understanding communion should be framed by the last supper.   The last supper was a Passover meal. Luke 22:7-23   Communion celebrates the New Covenant told of by Jeremiah and initiated through Jesus’ blood.   Paul’s theology of communion revolves around fellowship and remembrance. 1 Corinthians 8-11   CONTEXT IS KEY!!!!   • 1 Corinthians chapters 8-11 are one unit. Understanding the context will help us understand communion and what it means for the church.    Recap: • 1 Corinthians 8 and 11:17-34 connect the importance unity in relationships when taking communion.  • 1 Corinthians 9 and 11:17-34 connect communion to the fellowship meal of the priesthood in the OT. The church (all believers) is the new priesthood and communion is our fellowship meal.  • 1 Corinthians 10 and 11:17-34 connect the concept of fellowship in this ritual and how we actually connect with God during communion.  • 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 and 11:17-34 connect the necessity for equality within the Church and the importance of meeting needs in the body. We come to the table as equals.    Communion is:  • To Remember: The purpose of the Lord’s supper is the “remember the Lord’s death until he comes” and proclaim his death (and resurrection) to onlookers.   • To Fellowship: Don’t turn it into a spectacle or an occasion where fellow believers are humiliated or dis-fellowshipped by something we do in our local bodies. Use the opportunity to meet needs. *Shout out to The Naked Bible Podcast and Dr. Michael Heiser. Check out his episodes on Communion and Baptism for more on this. much of our material is a summary of his teachings on these topics. 

The Old Testament ends with Israel in exile because of their sin.  To a Jew, forgiveness of sin would mean the release from exile.  - Zechariah's Song The end of exile and the forgiveness of sins would be marked by God’s presence returning to His people.  The Gospel of the Kingdom connects the Old and New Testament.   The 5 parts of a kingdom are: a king, a rule, a people, a law, and a land.  A King   King Jesus leads a new exodus and ends exile.  The simple Gospel is that “Jesus is the resurrected saving king”.  McNight - Wright Conclusion: • Good news about the end of exile(forgiveness of sin) and return of the Jewish king (presence of God) and the Kingdom of God (King, rule, people, law and land) • We tend to break the gospel down to just it’s benefits for us (me centered- western presentation) where in reality the Gospel is simply Jesus is king (It’s about Him) and he is inviting you to participate in his kingdom.     We can’t unhitch the Old Testament and the story of Israel from the Gospel. Acts 2:14-39; 3:12-26; 4:8-12; 7:2-53; 10:34-43; 13:16-41; 14:15-17; 17:22-31.  The purpose of the Gospel is allegiance to Jesus the king in all the nations. • Read the book of Acts the gospel presentations there are all about Jesus being king We are invited to be part of the Kingdom story through faith!

Dr. Will Ryan and Pastor Matt with Expedition 44 take a look at worship in the Bible.

Dr. Will Ryan and Pastor Matt use the Socio Rhetorical Method to break down Romans 8:28-30   This method contains 5 textures of the text are: 1) inner texture, 2) intertexture, 3) social and cultural texture, 4) ideological texture, and 5) sacred texture. A 6th was added at SBL by William Brodson which is the homiletical texture (for preaching).     -Inner texture -Intertexture -Socio-Cultural Texture   -Ideological Texture -Sacred Texture   -Foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified -Firstborn language -past tenses

Dr. Will Ryan and Pastor Matt  interview Dr. Matthew Bates on Gospel Faith and Allegiance   Gospel • We’ve often heard of the Romans Road, 4 spiritual laws, and justification by faith as the Gospel in the western church. Are these correct? What is problematic about letting the benefits of the gospel run the narrative?   • Many focus just on the cross alone when talking about the gospel, though this is very important, it is not the whole gospel. Could you describe the Biblical gospel to us as you describe in your book Gospel Allegiance and how the cross is just a part of the whole gospel?   • In your book you talk about the gospel as a royal announcement vs. persuasive rhetoric. Most modern Christians make the gospel a sales pitch, is this a correct way to present the gospel?   • What would ring in the original audience’s hears when they heard this king Jesus gospel in the first century (Jesus is Lord, Caesar is not)? What are the implications today?   • As we’ve talked about, most people see the gospel as salvation.  How are the gospel and salvation linked if the gospel is primarily a royal announcement of Jesus as king?   Faith/Allegiance    • The gospel requires a response of faith. You write about the concept of faith as allegiance in both Gospel Allegiance and Salvation by Allegiance Alone. Could you explain this concept vs. the usual western view of simple belief?   • In your book you talk about how we get grace wrong in the west. You mention 6 dimensions of grace (Jon Barclay) could you talk about how these tie into the first century view of grace and allegiance.    • Many conflate faith and works (especially in Paul). Could you speak to how faith and works are not at odds in context?   • You state that you wrote Gospel Allegiance for the church. What are you hoping the results of this view of the gospel and faith will have on congregations and discipleship (You talk a lot about disciple making in chapter 7 of Gospel Allegiance)?

Doc Ryan and Pastor Steve Cassell - the the goal of translation is to carry over the meaning of the original text  -No translation explicitly translates every word   -The interlinear Bible   -it is not possible to translate Greek words with only one English word  -the doctrine of inspiration extends only to the autographs   -The essentially literal   - meaning-based, not word-based

TOPICS:  -equivalent translation or a functional more dynamic translation      -•  rules or laws of interpretation   • Honor, Patronage, kinship, and purity  • socio-rhetorical interpretation  • Methods of interpretation (literal vs. metaphorical vs. other)  • Original languages and translation choices  •  rhetorical books and practices that influence interpretation      Recommended reads:  to Read the Bible for all its worth by Gordon Fee Honor, Partonage,  Kinship & Purity by David Desilva  Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament by. John Walton     Trinity Radio (Apologetics): https://www.youtube.com/user/braxhunt  Trinity Radio Extra (Biblical Studies and Theology): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoKB...  Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary: https://www.trinitysem.edu

Dr. Will Ryan and pastor Matt  with Expedition 44 take a final look at the book of Revelation from a partial preterist foundation and conlcude the series giving an overview of the journey.      -Prediction after prediction has failed to materialize, and false hope after false hope has been teased upon the Christian community. Many Christians have been disillusioned, and are already looking for more reasonable explanations. The escapist ideas of futurism just don't see to stack of with Scripture. What is the better view?   Why a partial preterist view? If you watch this station much you will find that we always seek to interpret the context of scripture to find out what the best interpretation is. Unfortunately America has become dependent on the left behind thinking so much that they have a hard time understanding anything else. Yet our goal in this series has been to show that when you break down all the verses about the prophetic scripture it seems like a vast stretch to be a futurist.      One of the basic rules of Hermeneutics is to put everything together and say what makes the most sense. When you do this the futurist view almost seems like a fairy tale. The orthodox preterist view simply just seems to align with the complete lens of scripture much better. You don’t have to continually twist and hammer things in interpreting them unusually or differently than you do throughout the rest of the Bible to have them fit and make sense.      Join us on this final conclusion of the 11 part series.

Already or not yet?  • Ez 38-39 is about a true rescue of Israel • Many nations come up against Israel and are defeated    Many futurists look at the events of Ezekiel 38-39 and conclude that it must be future since we have a similar name in Revelation 19/20.   Gog and Magog are referenced together twice in Scripture by name, first in Ezekial 38-39 and very briefly in Revelation 20. A third related passage is Revelation 19:17-18, where Gog and Magog are not mentioned by name but the language there appears to be borrowed from Ezekiel’s prophecy. How are Gog and Magog to be identified?   Most Partial Preterists believe this is one past battle, some believe that it is possibly 2 battles. A futurist would typically just put this as more of a “last battle”: Armageddon thing.     This film explores what scripture says step by step from a basis of preterism.