How to Study the Bible (Part 3)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our with our series titled “How to Study the Bible” for our Christian walk with our Lord Jesus Christ…

How to Study the Bible (Part 3)

Interpreting the Bible

Once we read the Bible and know what it says, the next step is to find out what it means. Only when we've correctly interpreted a biblical passage can we then correctly apply it to our lives and bring glory to God through faithful obedience to His Word!

Interpreting the Bible

The Old Testament book of Nehemiah shows us the “science” of interpretation at work:

Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday… – Nehemiah 8:1-3a

Reading the Bible is where understanding begins:

…before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law – Nehemiah 8:1-3b

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God. Then all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground – Nehemiah 8:5-6

The people responded to the reading of Scripture as they “wor­shipped” the Lord. Verse 8 is the key:

So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading – Nehemiah 8:8

That's what's involved in interpreting the text. To “understand” our “reading” we must read “distinctly” from “the book” – the Word of God!

The Apostle Paul also admonished young Timothy:

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine – 1 Timothy 4:13

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth – 2 Timothy 2:15

This is what “rightly dividing the word of truth” is all about! Sound “reading” leads to sound “exhortation” which leads to sound “doctrine.” Anything less leads to misinterpretation – which is the mother of all kinds of mania. For example, some cults teach their followers that since the Old Testament patriarchs practiced polygamy, so must we. Others say that women should suffer in childbirth as a divine punishment and to not use anesthesia. Such foolish misinterpretations arise when one doesn't understand what the Bible is really saying in context of the specific situation at hand. We must be diligent students of the Word of God regarding “all things pertaining to life in godliness” in Jesus Christ...

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of How to Study the Bible…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

Unique Gifts

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of workas engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.  Exodus 35

Bezalel was given artistic gifts.  It seems there was nothing he couldn't do.  Metalworking, gem cutting, woodworking, and "all kinds of artistic crafts."

I am a mother and a member of a sorority - two groups that have a great love for all things Pinterest and crafty.  I must be doubly crafty then, right?  Nope!  I crochet patterns that I find online and that's about it.  I don't come up with designs on my own from looking at pictures online.  I hate anything that involves working with glitter and have only used it reluctantly on occasion.  I still draw stick figures.  I can't pick out colors to paint in the rooms of my house.  Some people can see colors in their head and know what will look good in a room, or know how to organize a room.  I wasn't born like that.  While I am sometimes jealous of the fabulous creations my friends come up with, I realize that God didn't make me like that.  And that's OK.

He gave me my own set of gifts that my friends may not have.  It is up to each of us to us to discover what those gifts are and find ways to use them to glorify God.  Did Bezalel and Oholiab initially think, "Wow, I love woodworking.  This is the perfect way to glorify God!"  I doubt it.  They probably enjoyed doing their crafts and were doing it for a living.  When the Israelites began to build the temple and furnishings, they were probably champing at the bit and shouting, "Pick me!  Pick me!" because they saw they had gifts and knew that this was what God gave them their gifts for.

We have a tendency to see other people using their gifts for God's glory and think, "I can't do that."  Stop comparing yourself to others.  Every one of you has unique gifts that come from God.  My church uses around a hundred volunteers each Sunday.  There are greeters, musicians, singers, sound technicians, lighting technicians, nursery workers, Sunday school teachers, parking lot attendants, coffee stand attendants, and I'm sure others that I can't think of.  The point is, everyone is doing something that uses their unique gifts.  God has given us a wide variety of gifts so that we may make up a complete body.  Look at your gifts differently and see if you can find new ways to use them for God.

Trumpet Calls

Do you know who first came up with the idea to use trumpet calls?

Numbers 10:1-2 & 7-10          The Lord said to Moses: ² “Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out… ⁷ To gather the assembly, blow the trumpets, but not with the signal for setting out. ⁸ “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. ⁹ When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. ¹⁰ Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.”

God told Moses to have the priests use trumpets to communicate with several million people! The trumpets were used to tell the people to set out, call the community together, initiate battle, and lead in celebration at their festivals.

Last week we read how the cloud over the tabernacle would lift up off the tabernacle to tell the people when to set out. It was a visible signal. Then, God added an audible signal with the trumpets!

Jesus said God will use clouds and trumpets as visible and audible signs at His second coming, too! Matthew 24:30-31 ³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

God is detailed and orderly and gives clear direction visibly and audibly. He has given us His Word to help us “see” His direction and He has given us His Holy Spirit to help us “hear” His call. 

Have you responded to God’s “trumpet call” on your life?

First, to draw you to Himself, and then to send you out?

Are you and I careful to listen to His signals each day?

Or do we allow TV, radio, work, the internet, news, sports, or anything else to drown out His call?

How will you and l listen today?

Alice

The Hard Way

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.  John 3:19-21

Back when I was younger, there were many things that I would learn the hard way.  For example, most of us had the experience of the flame on the stove (I have to realize that many of you grew up with electric stoves that have no flame whatsoever).  Mom would tell us not to put our hands near the flame so as not to burn our hands.  My mom would never tell me something to harm me, but again, I had to learn the hard way.  I put my hand out over the flame one time too many and . . . OUCH!  That’s the last time I put my hand over the fire.  I had learned a very simple truth.

This brought me to the question of our knowledge of God’s truth.  We study and read the Bible all the time, but many see God as this mysterious myth or nonexistent being.  Furthermore, they will question whether Jesus Christ existed and how many have used faith for wrongdoing.  How do we know that God is true?

We have been shown the light through our own experiences to know salvation through Jesus Christ.  Today’s verses talk about truth versus evil and light versus darkness.  To know the truth, the simple answer is Jesus tells us so.  However while we believe in God’s word, this is also dangerous because if we just go simply believing ‘because God said so,’ we could just as easily be led astray by someone who puts on a mask saying they are with God (some ‘prosperity’ preachers would fit under this umbrella).  Living in the light does not mean you will not experience struggle or that we will live a life devoid of trials.  What we learn is that God is there with us every step of the way, and when we have made our choices for Him, the experience always shows us light and not darkness.  We find joy and not sorrow.  In time, we welcome the trials where darkness comes because through God’s Holy Spirit, God’s light shines through us for all to see!

The key to unveiling God’s light has always been within us.  Our times of darkness did not oppress us in the bondage of sin.  He sent His Son to show us the light and free us from it.  God’s word is but a reminder of the light we have, and through our experiences, we have proof of its truth beyond a shadow of doubt.  What questions of God’s faithfulness can you answer through your past?  How can this assure you of your walk of faith?  My prayer is that we embrace the light of God given us even if we learn it the hard way.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Restore my roar, Part 5

Hello - This is the final installment from Daniel for now from me.

The latter part of the book is Daniel with many visions and dreams about the future. God used him to tell us a lot of what was to come. But what really struck me was in Daniel 9:2-6 (and past that – but this is the main part)

“in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.” (NASB)

Daniel saw the relationship gap – through sin. He took this seriously, very seriously. He didn’t blame – he referred to “we” and took ownership. He confessed this sin – but not quickly, in detail and with the seriousness that it deserved.

Do you want your roar restored? Take sin seriously, take the time to confess it to God and take ownership of your actions. These actions are not a disqualifier – but dealing with them as promptly as possible and with the gravity that they truly bring, puts you in the position to restore that fellowship with God where power and wisdom come from.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

How to Study the Bible (Part 2)

Hello Friends!

Welcome Back! Let’s continue our with our series titled “How to Study the Bible” for our Christian walk with our Lord Jesus Christ…

How to Study the Bible (Part 2)

Reading the Bible ~ The New Testament

Last week we considered the Old Testament and our approach to reading its content. As for our approach to reading the New Testament, it is here where we should invest the majority of our study time…

The New Testament

The Apostle Paul says to the church in Colosse:

…of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,  the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints – Colossians 1:25-26

That “mystery” is the New Testament revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul also describes himself as an apostle of that “mystery” from “other ages” revealed by the “Spirit” of God:

how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ),  which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets – Ephesians 3:3-5

The New Testament was the major thrust of Paul’s ministry. He constantly utilized the Old Testament – “as it is written” – to illustrate, elucidate and support the New Testament!

The New Testament embodies and engulfs all that was in the Old Testament. It also summarizes the content of the Old Testament and leads us into the fullness of God's revelation to mankind. Therefore, we must invest more time studying the New Testament because it explains the Old Testament. Also, the New Testament was written in Greek – a particularly complex language that emphasizes abstract concepts and subtle meanings. Therefore, studying the New Testament demands greater diligence. So, where does one begin? The following thoughts may be of some assistance…

The little book of 1 John is a good place to start. To begin with, simply read all five chapters. It will take you only twenty to thirty minutes. Do the same thing the next day and the next… After one month, you'll have a tremendous comprehension of 1 John! Once you have finished reading this excellent epistle, go on to a large book in the New Testament. Since you've already become familiar with the Apostle John's writing style, the Gospel of John is a good choice! Here is a helpful approach you may want to consider:

Divide the twenty-one chapters of the Gospel of John into three sections:

Read the first seven for thirty days

Read the second seven for thirty days

Read the third seven for thirty days

At the end of those ninety days you will also have mastered the content of John's Gospel!

After finishing the Gospel of John, you might want to go back to reading a short book such as the epistle to the Philippians. Then perhaps consider the Gospel of Matthew. Then move on to the epistle to the Colossians. Then maybe to the book of Acts... And so on… By alternating your reading like this for thirty days at a time, you will complete the entire New Testament in two to three years. If you're going to read the New Testament anyway, you might as well read it so you can remember it! Scripture will stick with you for life if you keep up this practice of refreshing your mind with the text…

By reading the Bible repetitiously, you will find that your total comprehension increases dramatically. That's because the Bible explains the Bible! God didn't write it to trip us up. He wants us to understand His Word!

Yet invariably you'll hear people say silly things like: "Whatever you do, don't read the book of Revelation; it's so confus­ing." However, the first chapter of Revelation promises its readers:

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy – Revelation 1:3

Ob­viously, God intends for us to “read” this excellent book of the “End Times” events too! However, you'll never fully understand the book of Revelation unless you also have a good “working knowledge” of the Old Testament books of Daniel, Isaiah and Ezekiel. It all begins to come together when you read the Word of God in its entirety… Herein lies the life-long and life-changing challenge in our study of God’s Word…

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation of How to Study the Bible…

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

The Chicken or the Egg

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them. Genesis 1

I'm back!  For those of you wondering, I had a 7 lb, 7 oz daughter and she turned three months old yesterday.  I've still been doing my own continuation through Exodus, but wanted to deviate from that for this week and I'll get back to it next Friday (I'm sure everyone's been really missing out on Exodus and what Moses is up to while I've been on leave).

My daughter sleeps much better at night than my son ever did, however she totally hates taking naps, which I think is the only way he got his sleep.  I'm still up occasionally at night, but I'm pretty well rested most mornings.  Anyways, while up in the middle of the night, there isn't much to do besides quietly read on my smart phone and/or think.  A few nights ago, the eternal question popped into my mind.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Which quickly evolved into...

Which came first, the baby or the adult?

My thoughts change rapidly in my head, and within a few additional jumps, I started to think about evolutionists. Evolutionists believe that all life on our planet started with protein chains that banded together to make small organisms, which evolved into more complex organisms, further evolving into mammals, apes, and humans.  If you look at drawings and diagrams of the early humans, what is missing?  Babies.  The drawings showing evolution show those early humans as full grown adults.  There's no transition.

Ok, so an adult can forage and hunt for food, carry a club to protect itself, and whatever else is shown in the picture.  But that adult had to have started as a baby.  The protein chains didn't produce an adult male at random.  There had to have been a baby first.  At some point, there would have been ONE baby. 

My thoughts continued to try to think like an evolutionist (no, I'm not converting).  Well, the baby would have been taken care of by an ape.  Let's go further back up the chain - that means, ONE baby ape at some point.  Which would have been taken care of by... some other mammal.  Further up the chain - that means, ONE baby mammal... so how would that baby mammal eat without a mother to nurse from?

And there, I was stuck.  

I don't propose to have all the answers.  What I do have, is faith.  Faith that the Bible is the Word of God.  Faith that if God created man in his own image out of nothing, that he would be able to make man and not make a baby that grew up into man.  Faith that if he can make animals out of nothing, he made an adult chicken as well.

He is all powerful.  Nothing is impossible for our God. 

God Directs His People

How would you like to be directed by a cloud? What if it only gave you a short amount of time to pack up all your belongings to move? What if you didn’t know whether you would be moving tomorrow or a year from tomorrow?

Numbers 9:15-23        ¹⁵ On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. ¹⁶ That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. ¹⁷ Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. ¹⁸ At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. ¹⁹ When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out. ²⁰ Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. ²¹ Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. ²² Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. ²³ At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

God directs his people. He gave the Israelites the notice He knew they needed in order to pack up and prepare for each move. The Israelites were quick to complain about food and water, but there is no record they complained about God’s timing in directing them for each move.

As we seek God’s direction today, we can trust His timing to let us know what we need to know when He determines it’s best for us know. Sometimes I think I need to know “now” about this and that, but I’m not sovereign. I don’t see the big picture.

In what area of your and my life are we seeking God’s direction?

Will you and I trust God’s timing to provide the direction He knows is needed?

Alice

The Two Sides of Grace

Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:6-10

There are times in life where you gain something more than you initially though.  Watching my daughter graduate was a moment where she had triumphed over some incredible odds.  Yet in that moment, my wife and I realized that we too had made it through our own hardship to watch her achieve this moment in her life.  Finding God was a moment where I felt like I won something.  However, I did not just win grace from God.  I finally was able to fight back against someone who I lost to continually each and every day.  That was my own guilt.

God’s grace is needed not only for us but also from us.  There is a seemingly limitless amount of benefits that come with being a child of God.  While God’s love is amazing, His grace is incredibly transformative.  When I was given grace, my life as a Christian began.  However, one of the greatest changes that occurred since then was not my acceptance of God’s grace.  It was forgiveness of me.  You see, I felt so guilty from sin that the person who least believed I deserved grace was me.  In fact, I still at times feel that I let God down.  Then, I learned about how guilt was an instrument of Satan.  You see, we should feel bad about sin.  However, Christ died on the cross for all sin.  This did not include only our past sins.  It included present and future sins as well.  Our heartfelt repentance is what is necessary for forgiveness not only from God but also us.

We already have victory when we chose Christ as Lord of our lives.  We must remember that God extends His grace to us not only to remove our separation from Him but also the guilt that would say you are not worthy of it.  Do not give in!  God’s love for you is as great as it always has been, and even in your weakness, God grace is sufficient for you.  What do you need to forgive yourself for?  How can you allow God’s grace to be enough for you?  My prayer is that we embrace both sides of grace; from God and for ourselves.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Restore my Roar, Part 4

Daniel 6:16 “Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions den. The king spoke and said to Daniel ‘Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” (NASB)

Hello,

Ah, the story of Daniel and the lions den…how to pick a verse or two, but not include all of Daniel 6? I picked this one because of King Darius’ perspective is the reflection I want us to have on Daniel – his consistency and constancy. As those around Daniel began to get jealous of his ascent in the kingdom, they hatched the plan to Darius. Daniel knew of the plan – but didn’t alter his behavior. So, as prayer was outlawed, Daniel just kept doing his same thing. Even though he was favored by the King, Darius knew he couldn’t change the law. I almost wonder if Darius had a “duh” moment here where he thought, man I should have remembered Daniel and the fact that he would just keep doing what he normally does – and never sign the law. But, he didn’t think of that, he signed the law.

Daniel didn’t base his relationship with God on circumstance – it was a real and deep relationship. He acted with both consistency and constancy in that relationship, even when circumstances changed. God was able to use that consistency and constancy to show His power.

When we are consistent and constant, others notice as Darius did. Be consistent – be constant….don’t stop serving and loving God.

Have a blessed day

Will Hill