Intro: Most of us, when reading Bible, will get lost on occasion
When that happens, we can stop and ask two questions:
- “Where am I?” and “What is going on here?”
• “Where am I?” is the big picture question – it takes us to the central theme of book
◦ you look at the whole map, then locate a general area on it
• “What is going on here?” is the here and now question
◦ if book were a wheel, "where" is the hub and "what" is a specific point on the rim
◦ this is sometimes called the “hermeneutical circle”
(and we keep moving back and forth on it, hub to rim and rim to hub; general theme to specific points and specific points back to the general theme)
- so where are we? In chapter 11, Paul moves to the next issue he needs to address
• the overall topic in next four chapters is their Christian meetings
◦ Paul writes "when you come together" repeatedly – vv. 17, 18, 20, 33; 14:26
• in this chapter, he gives his approval and disapproval
◦ v. 2, "Now I commend you," and in v. 17, "I do not commend you"
◦ I read from the second section – the disapproval section