July 1: Creation

So how did this all happen? It's one of those cosmic questions that we try to answer. Lets take a look at scripture to see what God says.

Genesis 1 (New International Version)

The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.


1) Do you believe the earth was made in 6 literal days?

2) Do you think evolution played any part in any species or animal?

3) What is your opinion of the scientific theories that don't match-up with scripture?

June 24: Finishing Heaven and Hell

How would you like to die? If you got to decide how you would die, what would you choose? I would like something totally wild, nothing common. An explosion
could be cool, one where no one else dies. I don't want to be responsible for that!

For sure there are two ways I don't want to die. 1) Drowning, and 2) Burning to death. Nobody drowns or burn to death quickly.

After we die, our reward can be Heaven, or the opposite is Hell. Last week we discussed Heaven. We shared what heaven may be like, and why we're looking forward to what the Word calls our Home. (Heaven)

To truly understand why we want to go to heaven, we need to understand what the other option is. Hell is described often in the bible. I think a great description of hell is in Mark chapter 9. It is interesting to note that one of the Bible words used to describe Hell is Gehenna, referring to the garbage dump of the valley of Hen, where there was fire constantly burning and the worms and maggots never lacked something to eat. They were always alive, always in existence. That’s why I mentioned burning as, what I would consider, to be the worst way to die. So imagine burning to death but never dying. That’s what I think Hell might be like. What do you think Hell would be like?

June 10: Beginning Our Series on Heaven and Hell

Several of you commented in our survey that you'd like to see the bible verses we'll be discussing ahead of time. 10 hours ahead of time probably isn't a good gap :), but we'll post next week's verses earlier.

Here's what to read for tonight:
Matthew 5:12
Luke 6:23

We're going to be talking about heaven. For whatever reason I don't hear to many messages on heaven. Heaven is our eventual goal. In fact, the Bible tells us that heaven is our home, and that we're just strangers here in this earth. So what do you think our true home (heaven) is like? Are the streets made of gold? Do you have a mansion? Are the gates made of pearl, and is St. Peter standing there like a bouncer? (Why does he have an Irish accent)


See you at 7:30 p.m. tonight!

Next week we finish-up by talking about Hell

Cinco de Mayo: Tacos and Game Night!

Everyone LOVES Tacos and Game Night! ;)

This Thursday will be a chill night. Nicole will provide the ground beef, but we're taking volunteers for the rest of the taco making goodness.

If every couple can bring one or two items, we'll be good to go! Leave a comment here, e-mail, or text what you're bringing.

Hasta luego!

April 29: Speaking in Tongues

So TNL is a group of people that come from different religious backgrounds, and speaking in tongues can be a topic that we don't all agree about. Let take a look at scripture and see what the Word has to say about it.

—Acts 2:1-4 "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."

This verse is talking about the first time that the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is seen.

These are other verses in scripture that talk about Speaking in tongues.

—Mark 16:15-18
—Acts 10:44-47
—Acts 19:6
—1 Corinthians 12:27-31
—1 Corinthians 14:1-5
—1 Corinthians 14:14-19
—1 Corinthians 14:37-40
—Jude 20

These are not all of the scriptures about speaking in tongues, but they are a good place to start your study.

Let's take a look at One more verse.

-1 Corinthians 14:27-28 "If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God."

This passage gives the following restrictions for the use of tongues in the church:
1. No more than three may speak.
2. Only one at a time (by course).
3. Tongues must be interpreted or not spoken at all.

So what do you think of speaking in tongues?

April 15: The Body and the Blood

Luke 22:14-20 (New International Version)
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God." After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."

Let's talk about communion. I want to know what you think. There are three common theological ideas about communion:
1)Transubstantiation
2)Consubstantiation
3)Symbolism

The first idea is predominantly held by our Catholic brothers and sisters. Transubstantiation is a belief that the bread and the wine physically turn into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Consubstantiation is a belief that the power of the body and blood of Christ is in the bread and wine, while the elements still hold their physical characteristics.

Finally, the third idea is very simple. Taking communion is done for remembrance only. The bread and wine are just symbolic of the body and blood, and have no physical or spiritual significance.

What do you believe? Let’s see what the word has to say about it.

John 6:49-55 (New International Version)
"Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink."

Imagine if someone told you that you needed to eat him! I would think that gentleman was ten different kinds of crazy! That’s what the Jews who heard Jesus speaking thought, too. But, Jesus repeated himself in verse 55. "For my flesh is real food and my body is real drink."

These are not the only scriptures in the bible about communion. You should research this topic and leave a comment about what you believe.

Think about these questions as well:

• Should communion only be given in church by a priest or pastor?


• Do we have to use wine and unleavened bread?


• Should we be concerned about how the elements were stored?


• Is there a time when people should not take or be allowed to take communion?

April 8: Re-Crucify Christ?

I like to challenge our group with problems or ideas that I'm currently dealing with. I gave a message to the Fuel Youth in Springboro last week. It was about sin that we continually deal with.

Do you ever feel like you have a sin that is harder to stay away from? The example I gave to the youth was me driving. I am a very aggressive driver. If you're "parked" in the fast lane going 15 mph under the speed limit, I'm going to get ticked off and ride your bumper until you move over. After I road rage a bit, I calm down and feel bad about my behavior. At this point I usually, and very casually, ask God to forgive me.

OK, so I'm not out killing people. But, I know I shouldn't act like this. Besides, that's just an example in my life that I'm not too shameful to admit.

After casually asking for forgiveness the other day, a song shuffles onto my iPod. It’s an old punk rock song that starts with this lyric:
"No more speeches, no more words, no more talking, no more noise. I've heard your speech, you didn't tell me anything, I hadn't heard before. You gotta give me something more, something more."

That's when I realized I just continually ask for forgiveness without even trying to change my behavior!

Later, I read Hebrews 6:4-6:
"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."

Now, we'll talk about the possibility of losing salvation at a later time. But the second half of that passage, starting with verse 6 is where I want to focus. That hit me like a brick! I keep re-crucifying Christ! I keep subjecting Him to public disgrace!

Rob Bell: Resurrection

February 25: Tithing

People get pretty uncomfortable when you start talking about tithing. Well, that’s just the kind of topics we like to discuss at Thursday Night Life! Let me just start this by letting you know that we do not collect a tithe. We do accept donations. Especially in the form of food! If you have been to one of our meetings, you know that we always have awesome food. With that out of the way…

Here are the questions:
Why do we tithe?
Do we have to tithe?

The New Testament doesn’t mention tithing as much as the Old Testament does. But, Jesus does mention tithing here...

Matthew 23:23 (New International Version)
23"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Clearly Jesus is giving a lesson in mercy kindness and faithfulness. He is also letting us know that these traits are not interchangeable with tithing. It’s safe to say that Jesus is promoting tithing in this passage.

The next verse is from the Old Testament. It is a personal favorite of mine because God says that we can test Him:

Malachi 3:8-12 (New International Version)
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.

First, let me say that calling people God robbers is not something I would advise doing. This is from the Old Testament and as Christians we are no longer under that Law. However we can still have faith in this promise from God. If we tithe He will give it back to us “press down shaken together and running over.” (Luke 6:38)

While I think it is safe to say that tithing is not going to affect our salvation, it is an important part of the Christian life. God promises us great things if we give. I understand that times are financially tough for many families. But, I can tell you from experience that if you decide that you’re going to be obedient to God and give that he WILL bless you beyond what you think is possible. You might consider what blessing you’re missing out on by not giving back to God.

February 11: Should Christians be Drinking?

Should Christians drink alcohol? This is the question that Pastor Tyler brought to our group. This touchy subject is one that every college student needs to think about. As college students, we are surrounded by an alcohol-induced party atmosphere. The bible clearly says over and over that Christians are not to get drunk. This still leaves us with questions about drinking in moderation.

Here is a list of verses that reference drinking:

1) Genesis 9:20-26 - Noah became drunk; the result was immorality and family trouble.

2) Genesis 19:30-38 - Lot was so drunk he did not know what he was doing; this led to immorality

3) Leviticus 10:9-11 - God commanded priests not to drink so that they could tell the difference between the holy and the unholy.

4) Numbers 6:3 - The Nazarites were told to eat or drink nothing from the grape vine.

5) Deuteronomy 21:20 - A drunken son was stubborn and rebellious.

6) Deuteronomy 29:5-6 - God gave no grape juice to Israel nor did they have intoxicating drink in the wilderness.

7) Deuteronomy 32:33 - Intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.

8) Judges 13:4, 7, 14 - Samson was to be a Nazarite for life. His mother was told not to drink wine or strong drink.

9) 1 Samuel 1:14-15 - Accused, Hannah said she drank no wine.

10) 1 Samuel 25:32-38 - Nabal died after a drunken spree.

11) 2 Samuel 11:13 - By getting Uriah drunk, David hoped to cover his sin.

12) 2 Samuel 13:28-29 - Amnon was drunk when he was killed.

13) 1 Kings 16:8-10 - The king was drinking himself into drunkenness when he was assassinated

14) 1 Kings 20:12-21 - Ben-Hadad and 32 other kings were drinking when they were attacked
and defeated by the Israelites.

15) Esther 1:5-12 - The king gave each one all the drink he wanted. The king was intoxicated when he commanded the queen to come.

16) Psalm 75:8 - The Lord’s anger is pictured as mixed wine poured out and drunk by the wicked.

17) Proverbs 4:17 - Alcoholic drink is called the wine of violence.

18) Proverbs 20:1 - Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging.

19) Proverbs 23:19-20 - A wise person will not be among the drinkers of alcoholic beverages.

20) Proverbs 23:21 - Drunkenness causes poverty.

21) Proverbs 23:29-30 - Drinking causes woe, sorrow, fighting, babbling, wounds without cause and red eyes.

22) Proverbs 23:31 - God instructs not to look at intoxicating drinks.

23) Proverbs 23:32 - Alcoholic drinks bite like a serpent, sting like an adder.

24) Proverbs 23:33 - Alcohol causes the drinker to have strange and adulterous thoughts, produces willfulness, and prevents reformation.

25) Proverbs 23:34 - Alcohol makes the drinker unstable

26) Proverbs 23:35 - Alcohol makes the drinker insensitive to pain so he does not perceive it as a warning. Alcohol is habit forming.

27) Proverb 31:4-5 - Kings, Princes, and others who rule and judge must not drink alcohol. Alcohol perverts good judgment.

28) Proverbs 31:6-7 - Strong drink could be given to those about to perish or those in pain. Better anesthetics are available today.

29) Ecclesiastes 2:3 - The king tried everything, including intoxicating drink, to see if it satisfied. It did not. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

30) Ecclesiastes 10:17 - A land is blessed when its leaders do not drink.

31) Isaiah 5:11-12 - Woe to those who get up early to drink and stay up late at night to get drunk.

32) Isaiah 5:22 - Woe to "champion" drinkers and "experts" at mixing drinks.

33) Isaiah 19:14 - Drunken men stagger in their vomit.

34) Isaiah 22:12-13 - The Israelites choose to drink; their future looks hopeless to them.

35) Isaiah 24:9 - Drinkers cannot escape the consequences when God judges.

36) Isaiah 28:1 - God pronounces woe on the drunkards of Ephraim.

37) Isaiah 28:3 - Proud drunkards shall be trodden down.

38) Isaiah 28:7 - Priests and prophets stagger and reel from beer and wine, err in vision, and stumble in judgment.

39) Isaiah 28:8 - Drinkers’ tables are covered with vomit and filth.

40) Isaiah 56:9-12 - Drinkers seek their own gain and expect tomorrow to be just like today.

41) Jeremiah 35:2-14 - The Rechabites drank no grape juice or intoxicating wine and were blessed.

42) Ezekiel 44:21 - Again God instructed the priests not to drink wine.

43) Daniel 1:5-17 - Daniel refused the king’s intoxicating wine and was blessed for it along with his abstaining friends.

44) Daniel 5:1 - Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon; led his people in drinking.

45) Daniel 5:2-3 - The king, along with his nobles, wives, and concubines, drank from the goblets which had been taken from God’s temple.

46) Daniel 5:4 - Drinking wine was combined with praising false gods.

47) Daniel 5:23 - God sent word to Belshazzar that punishment would be swift for the evil he had committed.

48) Hosea 4:11 - Intoxicating wine takes away intelligence.

49) Hosea 7:5 - God reproves princes for drinking.

50) Joel 1:5 - Drunkards awake to see God’s judgment.

51) Joel 3:3 - The enemy is judged for selling girls for wine.

52) Amos 2:8 - Unrighteous acts of Israel included the drinking of wine which had been taken for the payment of fines.

53) Amos 2:12 - Israel is condemned for forcing Nazarites to drink wine.

54) Micah 2:11 - Israelites are eager to follow false teachers who prophesy plenty of intoxicating drinks.

55) Nahum 1:10 - The drunkards of Nineveh will be destroyed by God.

56) Habakkuk 2:5 - A man is betrayed by wine.

57) Habakkuk 2:15 - Woe to him that gives his neighbor drink.

58) Habakkuk 2:16 - Drinking leads to shame.

59) Matthew 24:48-51 - A drinking servant is unprepared for his Lord’s return.

60) Luke 1:15 - John the Baptist drank neither grape juice nor wine.

61) Luke 12:45 - Christ warned against drunkenness.

62) Luke 21:34 - Drunkenness will cause a person not to be ready for the Lord’s return.

63) Romans 13:13 - Do not walk in drunkenness or immorality.

64) Romans 14:21 - Do not do anything that will hurt your testimony as a believer.

65) 1 Corinthians 5:11 - If a Christian brother is a drinker, do not associate with him.

66) 1 Corinthians 6:10 - Drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God

67) Galatians 5:21 - Acts of the sinful nature, such as drunkenness, will prohibit a person from inheriting the kingdom of God.

68) Ephesians 5:18 - In contrast to being drunk with wine, the believer is to be filled with the Spirit.

69) 1 Thessalonians 5:6-7 - Christians are to be alert and self-controlled, belonging to the day. Drunkards belong to the night and darkness.

70) 1 Timothy 3:2-3 - Bishops (elders) are to be temperate, sober, and not near any wine.

71) 1 Timothy 3:8 - Deacons are to be worthy of respect and not drinkers.

72) 1 Timothy 3:11 - Deacons’ wives are to be temperate and sober.

73) Titus 1:7-8 - An overseer is to be disciplined.

74) Titus 2:2-3 - The older men and older women of the church are to be temperate and not addicted to wine.

75) 1 Peter 4:3-4 - The past life of drunkenness and carousing has no place in the Christian’s life.

Many of these verses speak only to being drunk. We all know that the bible talks about Jesus drinking and even making wine. Some theologians claim that Jesus actually only drank “new wine” or grape juice. The best way to know exactly what the Bible is saying is to go to the Greek version. The Greek word used in John 2:1-11 for "wine" and in Paul's command to Timothy to drink wine (1 Timothy 5:23) is the term oinos. This same word appears in Ephesians 5:18 ("be not drunk with wine") and Luke 10:34 ("and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine"). Can you get drunk on grape juice? Would you pour grape juice on a wound? Also, If we look at some time lines we can get a clear picture. At the "Last Supper" Jesus passed around wine to His disciples. Since this was six to seven months after the grape harvest and since there was no way to preserve grape juice, this also had to be fermented wine.

I want to conclude this post from our Thursday night meeting by letting you know that our goal at Thursday Night Life is to provide a time that people can get together and discuss social issues in a non-judgmental environment. Life, faith, and religion are touchy subjects. We grow together in faith by looking to the Word of God for guidance.

What's Happening?!

This week we have the Pastor Tyler Adams speaking to us. Tyler is the Youth Pastor at Clear Creek Christian Assembly in Springboro Ohio. Next week his message will be posted up here so you can continue to see what we've been talking about and comment on it.

Thursday February 18th we're all going to meet and eat at PF Changs. If you have been to PF Changs before then you know how good this is going to be! We will met at the normal time 7:30pm. Let Chuck or Nicole Scrivner know if you are planning to be there. They will be making the reservations. You won't want to miss this!

February 4: Why is there so much suffering?

The title of this message may sound like the beginnings of the Buddhist religion, keep in mind at TNL we try to use a biblical view when looking at our world. So, think about suffering. We see a lot of it in our world. Every person has had loss and times of hardship. Look at Haiti and the devastation that has occurred there. Here are some questions I want you to ponder as we talk about suffering.

1) What is the origin of suffering?
2) Does God cause our suffering?
3) If God does not cause our suffering, why doesn't He stop it?

Let's take a look at the word:

Romans 5:12 (NIV)
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

So, that says to me that death and suffering entered the world when Adam and Eve first sinned, and suffering is the product of that sin and every sin since. I need to make one thing clear... I do not believe that natural disasters are directly related to the sins of the people who have to endure them. Likewise, terrorist attacks and other horrific events are not directly related to any sin other than the sin of those perpetrating the acts.

John 10:10 (Amplified Bible)
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

In this passage Christ is speak about Satan and about Himself. He refers to Satan as the thief. Christ gives his intentions for coming to earth. Because if this passage I think we must conclude that God is not the cause of suffering. In fact, evil and sin are the cause to suffering.

So if God doesn't cause suffering why doesn't He at least stop it. There are a couple of reasons for this. God created man to have free will. Free will is not limited to actions that can only affect the person committing the act. The effects of our decisions will be felt by us, our loved ones, complete strangers, and our environment. All of this is not to say that God refuses to step in on our behalf. God can and does protect, heal, and save those who give God permission to step in. Remember, Psalms 37:23, "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." And, Romans 10:13, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Please not that the last passage did NOT say might be, could be, or should be saved; it said "will be saved!"

Revelations 21:4 (NIV)
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

This passage refers to what God will do for us. In fact, this is the return to God's original plan. Death and suffering and pain were never part of what God wanted for us.