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By David Watson

Benchley, December 11, 2011

• Tongues were:
• Real languages
• Acts 2:1-11 – The apostles speak in tongues on the day of Pentecost. The tongues they were speaking in were real languages that people from other nations could understand immediately.
• Acts 10:44-48 – The Gentiles were given the ability to speak in tongues.
• Glossa (tongue) in Acts 2:4,11 and dialektos (language) in Acts 2:6,8 were used interchangeably.
• I Corinthians 13:1-3 – Are the gongues of angels necessarily unintelligible? Also, the main point of this scripture is the importance of love. All these examples are hypothetical exaggerations.
• To edify through understandable communication
• I Corinthians 14:1-26
• I Corinthians 14:5 – See Acts 9:36; I Corinthians 12:10.
• I Corinthians 14:6 – The emphasis was on understanding the tongue.
• Able to be controlled
• I Corinthians 14:27-33
• Limited to the first century
• I Corinthians 13:8-10 – Spirigual gifts would be done away with. What is the “perfect” that was coming? “Perfect” here is teleos, which means perfect in the sense of complete. Paul wrote this looking forward to the time when revelation would be complete – when the New Testament was complete. Spiritual gifts were present in the first century to show the authenticity of the word until revelation was complete.
• Compare Biblical teaching with modern-day practices.
• Is it a real language?
• Is it edifying others in the assembly because it is understandable communication?
• Is it controlled?
• No modern day tongue-speaking is in the first century.

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, November 27, 2011

• Hebrews 1:13 – See Psalms 110:1.
• Hebrews 1:14 – The writer is showing that angels (or prophets) under the Old Covenant rendered service for the sake of those who would be saved, in contrast to the work Jesus would accomplish for those who would be saved. This does not mean that angels have any duties under the New Covenant. There is no support here for the popular idea that we all have guardian angels.
• Hebrews 2:5-8 – See Psalms 8:3-9. “Son of man” here is simply referring to man, not Jesus. God originally put all things under man’s feet, but man sinned and was punished, thus the need for Jesus to come to earth.
• Hebrews 2:10 – Jesus was perfected in the sense of completing His sacrifice for us. He was already perfect and sinless.
• Hebrews 2:14 – Jesus rendered the devil powerless in that we can resist the devil and he will have no power over us.

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By David Watson

Benchley, October 12, 2011

• Mark 16:9-20 – Some argue that this section uses different words and phrases than are used elsewhere in Mark. Others criticize this as a very weak argument for the omission of these verses. Some also argue that the language does show that Mark wrote it. The majority of old manuscripts (with the exception of the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) include these verses.
• Mark 16:17 – This is specifically referring to the apostles, although it may also refer to those who believed and had been given spiritual gifts by the apostles. It certainly does not refer to all believers up to the present time, as we know from other passages.
• Conclusions: points to remember
• The Gospel of Action
• This was written to a people under persecution. It shows why people should risk persecution to follow Jesus. Mark concentrates on the miracles of Jesus to show His power.
• Less is more
• Mark gives a much shorter telling of the story than the other gospels. He is brief in his writing and skips details in order to get to the main point quickly.
• Jesus is Lord

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By Jesse Jenkins

Benchley, July 24, 2011

• II Timothy 1:5 – Timothy’s faith came from the teaching of his mother and grandmother and from his own study. Like him, we must study to build our own faith.
• II Timothy 1:6 – Timothy had a spiritual gift he had received from Paul.
• I Timothy 4:14 – The gift was through the agency of Paul with the approval of the elders. Some point to these two verses as a contradiction in the Bible, but a study of the original wording clarifies the issue.
• II Timothy 1:8 – We are to be joyful if we must suffer for the gospel.
• II Timothy 1:9 – See Titus 3:5. This is not teaching that obedience is unnecessary as some claim. We must still be obedient, but we can’t be obedient enough to merit our own salvation. We must still rely on God’s grace.
• I Peter 1:20 – Our salvation was planned before creation of the world.
• II Timothy 1:13 – See II Timothy 2:2. Timothy was to hold fast to what he was taught and teach it to others.

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By Brent Hairston

Benchley, June 26, 2011

• Ephesians 4:1 – walking in a manner worthy of our calling
• Ephesians 4:4-6 – unity in Christ
• Ephesians 4:7 – grace given according to the measure of Christ’s gift
  • This could be talking about spiritual gifts.
  • This could also be talking about various non-miraculous talents we each have.

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By Jesse Jenkins

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By Caleb Westbrook

Benchley, December 12, 2010

• The context of miraculous spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 13; Acts 8; Ephesians 4)
  • Spiritual gifts would cease (I Corinthians 13:8)
  • Spiritual gifts were provided as a temporary solution to confirm God’s Word until revelation was completed.  Once revelation was complete, these spiritual gifts would be unnecessary, so they would cease with the death of the apostles and those they had transferred gifts to.
    • Spiritual gifts could be transferred only by the apostles when they laid their hands on them (Acts 8:17-18).  Others besides the apostles could not transfer gifts.

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By Caleb Westbrook

Benchley, December 5, 2010

• Miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit
  • These gifts were prophesied about in Joel 2:28-29.
  • Miracles are acts that break or are outside the laws of nature, which shows divine intervention by God.  Spiritual gifts are therefore miracles.
  • Different gifts:
    • Wisdom (I Corinthians 1:18-31)
    • Knowledge
    • Faith
    • Healing
    • Working of miracles
    • Prophecy
    • Discerning of spirits
    • Speaking in unknown tongues (Acts 2:8-11; I Corinthians 14:4,28)
    • Interpretation of tongues
  • Speaking in tongues was not an uncontrollable ecstatic utterance.  It was a language that could be interpreted and understood.
  • The gifts of the Holy Spirit were unified in source and purpose.

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By Caleb Westbrook

Benchley, November 7, 2010

• The mission of the Holy Spirit, continued:
  • The promises in John 14-16 were specifically for the apostles.  We cannot expect miraculous revelation today.
• The promise and gift of the Holy Spirit
  • Galatians 3:14 – The promise is salvation to all men, as promised to Abraham in Genesis 22:18.
  • Acts 2:39 – The promise is to both Jews and Gentiles, as well as all mankind.  The promise itself is the same as what is in Acts 2:21 – salvation to whoever calls on the name of the Lord.
  • Acts 2:38 – Grammatically speaking, the “gift of the Holy Spirit” could mean either the Holy Spirit is the gift or that He gives the gift.  From the context, we can see that the gift is salvation, which the Holy Spirit had helped make possible.
  • Acts 2:33 – The “gift of the Holy Spirit” here is not the same as in Acts 2:39.  It is referring to the exaltation of Jesus to the right hand of God, as described in Acts 2:34-35.

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By David Watson

Benchley, July 11, 2010

• James 5:14-16
  • Miraculous physical healing?
    • I Corinthians 12:9 – “gifts of healing”
    • Miracle + oil (Mark 6:13)
    • Miracle + prayer (Matthew 17:21; Acts 9:40)
    • Questions:
      • Why this explanation (miracles are not mentioned)?
      • Why are elders specified?
  • Non-miraculous physical healing?
    • Elders are specified simply because they would certainly be faithful men who would be on ‘praying terms’ with God.
    • Olive oil was often used as a basic medicine in those days.
  • Spiritual healing?
    • Perhaps:  whole passage is talking about one overtaken in sin.
    • sick [astheneo, 770]: same root word in I Corinthians 11:30
    • Elders help with spiritual sickness (Hebrews 13:17).
    • Christians praying for one another’s forgiveness harmonizes with I John 5:16 (does not excuse personal responsibility – Acts 8:22).
    • Perhaps the same theme runs through James 5:14-20.
    • Questions:
      • What positive reason do we have for taking this figuratively?
      • What about the oil?