BEMA Episode Link: 134: Session 4 Intro
Episode Length: 19:59
Published Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2019 01:15:00 -0700
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings begin to see how God’s people apply the reality of Christ into their first-century contexts.

Session 4 Intro Presentation (PDF)

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Transcript for BEMA 134

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 134: Session 4 Intro - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 134: Session 4 Intro
Hosts: Marty Solomon & Brent Billings
Focus: Introduction to Session 4 of the BEMA Podcast series, which begins exploring how God’s people apply the reality of Christ in their own contexts through the New Testament letters.

This episode serves as a comprehensive review of Sessions 1-3 and introduces the roadmap for Session 4, emphasizing the importance of following the sequential journey from the beginning and outlining the upcoming deep dive into Acts, Galatians, Romans, and other New Testament writings.

Key Takeaways

  • Sequential Learning is Essential: BEMA is designed as a linear journey where each session builds on previous knowledge - jumping into Session 4 without the foundation would be disorienting and ineffective
  • The Story Arc Continues: Session 4 represents the next phase where God’s people learn to apply Christ’s reality to their specific cultural contexts
  • Biblical Narrative Structure: The entire biblical story follows a clear progression from partnership (Torah) through history, wisdom, prophecy, remnant, silent years, and Gospels
  • Financial Support Enables Ministry: The podcast and associated ministries depend on listener support across three areas: general fund, personal support, and BEMA ministry specifically
  • Community Learning Matters: BEMA groups worldwide create spaces for people to process this material together, emphasizing partnership and community
  • Romans Requires Careful Handling: Due to its elevated status in evangelical theology, Romans will receive verse-by-verse treatment to prevent accusations of selective interpretation
  • Revelation is Critically Important: Understanding how the story ends profoundly impacts how believers live today, making Revelation one of the most significant but misunderstood portions of Scripture

Main Concepts & Theories

The BEMA Learning Framework

The podcast follows a carefully crafted pedagogical approach that introduces new material at a sustainable rate, meeting learners where they are rather than assuming prior knowledge. This mirrors ancient Jewish educational methods that built understanding progressively.

Biblical Story Structure (Sessions 1-3 Review)
  1. Torah (Partnership): Genesis introduces characters, Exodus shows mutual choosing, Leviticus defines partnership terms, Numbers shapes the partner, Deuteronomy calls for remembrance
  2. History (Redemption Cycle): Joshua places people for mission, Judges/Ruth show struggle with the path, Samuel/Kings reveal identity crises, Chronicles demonstrates anti-story tendencies
  3. Wisdom Literature (Tools for Journey): Psalms provide worship resources, Proverbs offer practical wisdom, Ecclesiastes addresses purpose, Song of Songs explores relationships
  4. Prophets (Warning/Woe/Hope): Pre-exile warnings, exile woe pronouncements, post-exile hope for restoration
  5. Remnant (Returning/Yearning/Learning): Physical return, nostalgic yearning, adaptive learning for new realities
  6. Silent Years: Synagogue development, educational systems, and responses to Hellenistic culture
  7. Gospels (Story in Flesh): Four distinct presentations of Jesus for different audiences
Five Responses to Hellenism

During the silent years, Jewish communities developed distinct approaches to Greek cultural influence:

  • Sadducees: Corrupt priesthood embracing Hellenism
  • Herodians: General populace accepting Greek culture
  • Essenes: Separatist priests preserving purity in the desert
  • Pharisees: Northern Galilean devotion to God’s way
  • Zealots: Militant resistance to foreign influence
Session 4 Methodology

The upcoming session will employ different approaches for different texts:

  • Acts: Selective episodes (8-9) as setup for understanding apostolic context
  • Galatians: Complete verse-by-verse analysis as potentially the earliest New Testament writing
  • Romans: Exhaustive verse-by-verse treatment due to its theological prominence
  • Other Letters: Comprehensive but not necessarily verse-by-verse approach
  • Revelation: Extensive treatment recognizing its profound impact on Christian practice

Examples & Applications

Marvel Cinematic Universe Analogy

Just as understanding “Avengers: Endgame” requires watching all preceding Marvel films due to interconnected references, BEMA Session 4 assumes knowledge from Sessions 1-3. This illustrates how narrative coherence depends on sequential engagement with the material.

Campus Ministry Integration

Marty’s role as president of Impact Campus Ministries demonstrates how biblical scholarship integrates with practical ministry. The organization plants ministries across ten locations, showing how ancient wisdom applies to contemporary educational contexts.

Group Formation Principles

BEMA groups worldwide operate on grassroots principles rather than programmatic structures. Each group develops organically according to local needs and personalities, reflecting the decentralized nature of early Christian communities.

Romans as “Bible of Bibles”

Contemporary evangelical culture often interprets all Scripture, including the Gospels, through Romans. This phenomenon demonstrates how certain texts can become interpretive lenses that potentially distort understanding of other biblical materials.

Turkey Trip Connection

The ministry’s Turkey trips focus partly on Revelation, demonstrating how geographical context enhances understanding of biblical texts. Physical locations help illuminate the original audiences and circumstances of New Testament writings.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Pedagogical Theory in Religious Education

Investigate how BEMA’s progressive learning model compares to other educational philosophies, particularly in religious or transformative education contexts. How do sequential learning principles apply to spiritual formation?

Second Temple Judaism and Cultural Response

Examine how the five responses to Hellenism during the silent years parallel contemporary religious communities’ responses to cultural change. What patterns emerge across historical periods?

Canon Formation and Interpretive Hierarchy

Research how certain biblical books (like Romans) achieve elevated interpretive status and influence the reading of other texts. What are the historical and theological factors that create these hierarchies?

Community Formation in Religious Movements

Study how decentralized, grassroots religious communities develop compared to programmatic or institutional approaches. What are the advantages and challenges of each model?

Eschatology and Ethics

Explore the connection between understanding “how the story ends” (eschatology) and practical Christian living (orthopraxy). How do different interpretations of Revelation impact contemporary Christian behavior?

Ministry Funding Models

Analyze different approaches to supporting religious education and ministry, particularly the balance between institutional support, personal support, and project-specific funding in non-profit contexts.

Comprehension Questions

  1. Sequential Learning: Why do Marty and Brent insist that listeners start from Session 1 rather than jumping into Session 4? What educational principles does this reflect, and how might this approach differ from other Bible study methods?

  2. Biblical Structure: Explain the progression from Torah through the Gospels using the BEMA framework. How does each section build on the previous one, and what would be lost by studying these sections in isolation?

  3. Cultural Response: Compare and contrast the five Jewish responses to Hellenism during the silent years. Which response do you think was most effective for preserving Jewish identity while engaging the broader culture, and why?

  4. Interpretive Method: What concerns does Marty express about how Romans is typically used in biblical interpretation? How might studying Romans verse-by-verse address these concerns while maintaining respect for the text’s importance?

  5. Ministry Philosophy: How does BEMA’s grassroots approach to group formation reflect broader theological principles about community and partnership? What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of this decentralized model?

Brief Personalized Summary

BEMA Episode 134 serves as a crucial bridge between the foundational work of Sessions 1-3 and the practical application focus of Session 4. The episode demonstrates the importance of systematic, sequential learning in biblical studies while acknowledging the complexity of applying ancient texts to contemporary contexts.

The comprehensive review reveals how the entire biblical narrative builds toward the question Session 4 will address: How do God’s people live out Christ’s reality in their specific cultural situations? This mirrors the challenge every generation of believers faces in remaining faithful to their calling while engaging their particular historical moment.

The episode’s emphasis on community support and grassroots group formation reflects a deeper theological conviction about partnership and shared journey in spiritual growth. Rather than creating a programmatic empire, BEMA seeks to provide tools that communities can adapt to their unique circumstances, echoing the decentralized nature of early Christian expansion.

Most significantly, the planned intensive study of Romans addresses a critical issue in contemporary biblical interpretation - the tendency to use certain texts as interpretive masters over others. By committing to verse-by-verse analysis, the series promises to engage Romans fully while maintaining the broader narrative context established in previous sessions.

The anticipation around Revelation study highlights how eschatological understanding shapes present ethics, suggesting that our vision of the story’s end profoundly impacts how we live within the ongoing story today.

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