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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”
The Book of Common Prayer says that by sharing Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side posing the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog will try to answer that.
It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As Luke 24:45 says: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.)
And this thought ties them together:
The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.
In the meantime:
June 12, 2025 – Last June 8 was Pentecost Sunday. The following Wednesday, June 11, was the Feast Day for St. Barnabas, who some call the “Apostle of Second Chances.” There’s more on St. Barnabas in a bit, but first a word or three about Pentecost. The word comes from the Greek for “50th day,” and it’s always celebrated 50 days after Easter Sunday. (Seven weeks and a day.) And it’s been around a long, long time. (Over 2,000 years?) See Pentecost – Wikipedia:
Pentecost is the Greek name for the Feast of Weeks, a prominent feast in the calendar of ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai. This feast is still celebrated in Judaism as Shavuot. Later, in the Christian liturgical year, it became a feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ … as described in the Acts of the Apostles [verses 1-13 et seq.].
Other notes: It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks. (Described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1–31.) It’s also called the Birthday of the Church.
Before the events of the first Pentecost … a few weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were followers of Jesus, but no movement that could be meaningfully called “the church.” Thus, from an historical point of view, Pentecost is the day on which the church was started. This is also true from a spiritual perspective, since the Spirit brings the church into existence and enlivens it. Thus Pentecost is the church’s birthday.
(What is Pentecost? (Patheos).) Another name for Pentecost is Tongue Sunday, partly because of the “tongues of fire,” as told in Acts 2:3. But another reason was the “speaking in tongues” – glossolalia – that occurred that day. Acts 2:4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” But those there weren’t just babbling, as some today seem to think. Instead they spoke in concrete, known languages. As a result, people from many different nations could understand them. See Acts 2, verses 8-11:
“How is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”
(See also 1st Corinthians 14:19, on the potential abuse of that “gift,” where the Apostle Paul said that while he was glad he could speak in tongues, in church “I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.”)
So as of Wednesday, June 11, “Happy Umpteenth Birthday, Church!”
Moving on to St. Barnabas, he wasn’t one of the original 12 apostles, but is regarded as one of the first 70 (or 72) Disciples. He was also one of the most respected men in the first-century Church, “after the Apostles themselves.” But his biggest contribution may have been welcoming Paul – originally called Saul – into the early church, despite Paul’s “baggage.”
“Saul” was a leading persecutor of the early church, as told in Acts 8:3: “Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” Then came Acts 9:1-2, where Saul, “still breathing out threats of murder … went to the high priest and requested letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he could bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.”
But on the way – to drag Christian prisoners back to Jerusalem – Saul-Paul had his Damascus Road Experience. The result? From being a hard-core enemy of the early Church, Paul became “second only to Jesus” in spreading the Gospel to the far corners of the known world. Which might never have happened if it hadn’t been for the intervention of Barnabas.
The Bible first mentions him in Acts 4:36: “Joseph, a Levite, born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (son of encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles.” And the site Barnabas the Apostle – Justus added that even after Paul’s Damascus Road experience, most Christians in Jerusalem “wanted nothing to do with him. They had known him as a persecutor and an enemy of the Church. But Barnabas was willing to give him a second chance.” (Which is pretty much what Jesus is all about.)
In short, if it hadn’t been for Barnabas willing to give Paul a second chance, he might never have become that Church’s most important early convert, if not the “Founder of Christianity.” But then came an ironic twist, after Barnabas gave that new “Apostle Paul” his Second Chance:
Paul and Barnabas went on a missionary journey together, taking Mark with them. Part way, Mark turned back and went home. When Paul and Barnabas were about to set out on another such journey, Barnabas proposed to take Mark along, and Paul was against it, saying that Mark had shown himself undependable. Barnabas wanted to give Mark a second chance [as he had with Paul] and so he and Mark went off on one journey, while Paul took Silas and went on another. Apparently Mark responded well to the trust given him by the “son of encouragement,” since we find that Paul later speaks of him as a valuable assistant (2 Tim 4:11; see also Col 4:10 and Phil 24) .
So again, we too might just call Barnabas “the Apostle of Second Chances.”
Then too Barnabas was known for a power to heal and to encourage others. See The Power of Encouragement: Lessons From the Life of Barnabas. As noted, the original Apostles called him “Son of Encouragement,” and that’s a trait we could use more of today. (Also a power to heal some of today’s wounds in the national discourse.) And we could use someone in power who would use that power to lift our spirits and encourage and support us to be our best.
Even it – for that to happen – it may take a Damascus Road experience. Therefore,
Keep on praying!
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The upper image was first courtesy of Pentecost Sunday Images – Image Results. But see also El Greco – Pentecost, 1610 at Prado Museum Madrid Spain. The caption – gleaned from past posts – is from Wikipedia, in turn gleaned from the following: “The Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost is celebrated on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) from Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31).”
The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.
Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days: Celebrating the Church’s Calendar.
For this post – as to Pentecost Sunday – I borrowed from 2015’s On Pentecost – “Happy Birthday, Church,” from Pentecost 2020 – “Learn what is pleasing to the Lord,” On Pink Floyd – and Pentecost Sunday, 2021, and On Pentecost Sunday – 2024. As to St. Barnabas I borrowed from 2014’s On St. Barnabas, On D-Day and St. Barnabas – 2021, and June ’24, St. Barnabas and second chances. See also Barnabas – Wikipedia. The Lectionary site St Barnabas, Apostle adds this Collect:
Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the wellbeing of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
“70 or 72.” See Who were the 70 (or 72) disciples in Luke 10? – GotQuestions, and Seventy disciples – Wikipedia: “The number of those disciples varies between either 70 or 72 depending on the manuscript.”
Re: Paul as “second only to Jesus.” See articles including How Much Did Paul Influence Christianity? | Cold Case Christianity: “Few individuals have had as much impact on Christianity as the Apostle Paul. Traditionally credited with authoring thirteen or fourteen books in the New Testament,” he was a man of immense influence, “second only, perhaps, to Jesus.” And some have gone so far as to describe him as the “founder of Christianity.”
On Barnabas and encouragement, see also The Power of Encouragement: St. Barnabas – eicatholic.org.
Re: “Therefore.” According to the Britannica Dictionary the word is “somewhat formal” and means “for that reason : because of that.” Examples: “The cell phone is thin and light and therefore very convenient to carry around.” Or “Payment was received two weeks after it was due; therefore, you will be charged a late fee.”
The lower image is courtesy of Barnabas – Wikipedia. The caption: “‘Barnabas curing the sick‘ by Paolo Veronese, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, c. 1566.”
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As noted in the opening blurb, this blog has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37, with the added, “Anyone who comes to Him.”) This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. From the Old Testament, Psalm 9:10, “You never forsake those who seek you, O Lord.” (In the Version in the Book of Common Prayer.) The second is that God wants us to live abundantly. (John 10:10.) The third is that we should do greater miracles than Jesus. (John 14:12). A fourth theme: The only way to do all that is read the Bible with an open mind:
…closed-mindedness, or an unwillingness to consider new ideas, can result from the brain’s natural dislike for ambiguity. According to this view, the brain has a “search and destroy” relationship with ambiguity and evidence contradictory to people’s current beliefs tends to make them uncomfortable… Research confirms that belief-discrepant-closed-minded persons have less tolerance for cognitive inconsistency…
So in plain words, I take issue with what I came to call “Christian first graders.” Those who stay in a kind of elementary school, and maybe even never go beyond first grade. See John the Baptist, ’24 – and “Christian First Graders,” for more detail. But the key point: “The Bible was designed to expand your mind,” not keep it narrow. Also, the idea that “Jesus was anything but negative. His goal was for you to grow and develop into all that you can be.” (For more on that see ABOUT THE BLOG, above.)
literalists who never go “beyond the fundamentals.” But the Bible can offer so much more than their narrow reading can offer… (Unless you want to stay a Bible buck private all your life…) Now, about “Boot-camp Christians.” See for example, Conservative Christian – “Career buck private?” The gist of that post is that starting the Bible is like Army Basic Training. You begin by“learning the fundamentals.” But after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training.”

However, after boot camp, you move on to Advanced Individual Training. And as noted in “Buck private,” one of this blog’s themes is that if you want to be all that you can be, you need to go on and explore the “mystical side of Bible reading.*” In other words, exploring the mystical side of the Bible helps you “be all that you can be.” See Slogans of the U.S. Army – Wikipedia, re: the recruiting slogan from 1980 to 2001. The related image at left is courtesy of: “toywonders.com/productcart/pc/catalog/aw30.jpg.”
Re: “mystical.” Originally, mysticism “referred to the Biblical liturgical, spiritual, and contemplative dimensions of early and medieval Christianity.” See Mysticism – Wikipedia, and the post On originalism. (“That’s what the Bible was originally about!”) See also Christian mysticism – Wikipedia, “In early Christianity the term ‘mystikos’ referred to three dimensions, which soon became intertwined, namely the biblical, the liturgical and the spiritual or contemplative… The third dimension is the contemplative or experiential knowledge of God.” As to that “experiential” aspect, see also Wesleyan Quadrilateral – Wikipedia, on the theological reflection method using four sources of spiritual development: scripture, tradition, reason, and “Christian experience.”
For an explanation of the Daily Office – where “Dorscribe” came from – see What’s a DOR?
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