We all have passages that are our favorites. Of course, we also have discovered passages of Scripture that make us uncomfortable. It’s not because these passages have anything wrong with them. Rather it’s because they often point out aspects of our lives and character that are out of alignment with the will of our Heavenly Father.
One of the passages that cause me more than a little discomfort is in Paul’s second letter to his young disciple, Timothy. In the third chapter, Paul makes a statement with such concise boldness and clarity that is difficult for me to swallow at times. In verse 12 of this chapter he writes, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Very few of us truly enjoy being disliked. Perhaps this is why many of the misconceptions in our culture regarding our faith cause some of us to be angered or upset by these seemingly unfair characterizations of Christ-followers as a whole. It would be great if people would simply accept us for who we are, rather than try to critique or harshly criticize those beliefs that we value in our lives.
While it would be wonderful if we could always communicate our faith without the possibility of rejection, we realize that in this fallen world, that is not a reality. As a pastor friend of mine used to say, it is not our task to worry about how people respond to the truth of God’s word, but it is our responsibility to proclaim it.
It should be our prayer that all that we say and do meets with the approval of the only One whose opinion truly matters. I guess it comes down to one of two options. We can allow our focus to be on simply trying to get along with and appease others, or we can live in a manner that pleases the One Who has saved our souls.
My prayer for you and myself is that we will not allow our desire to be liked to stand in the way of our being faithful to the calling that He has placed on our lives.
(Part 5 of Book Study: How to Study the Bible by Robert M. West). This week we’re still digging deeper into the ‘10 Reasons to Study the Bible’ - we’ll look at defend, teach, and counsel.
To defend ourselves against the devil - one of the first things that can happen to a new believer is to be attacked by the devil. Yes, spiritual warfare is real. Once a person is saved, satan has lost that person’s soul, but he doesn’t give up. He tempts us and tries to turn us away from God and to ruin our witness. The Bible can equip us to withstand the devil’s attacks. Perhaps it is best summed up in Ephesians 6, where Paul instructs believers: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
To effectively teach God’s truth to the next generation - did you know that we are commanded by God to teach our children about Him? “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
To be able to counsel others - have you ever needed or received wise Godly counsel from a friend? God wants us to be learn the Bible so that we are able to give counsel to others. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teach and admonishing one another” (Colossians 3:16). West notes that the word of Christ is “to dwell in you” which literally means to be at home in you. As such it should influence every part of our lives. Do you want to be a good friend who can provide wise counsel? You can be!
Up next week: speak to unbelievers about Christ, be able to verify teaching as truth, and present ourselves approved to God. Have a blessed week!
(Part 4 of Book Study: How to Study the Bible by Robert M. West) It’s time to dig deeper into the ‘10 Reasons to Study the Bible’.
To settle the issue of our own salvation - from scripture, we can learn how to be saved. In fact, it is God’s purpose for our lives. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3,4) Think back to your own salvation; do you recall Bible verses that someone shared with you to help lead you to Christ? Not only can the scriptures lead us to salvation, but they can help assure us of our salvation. A good place to begin reading the Bible is the Gospel of John; it was written to help people find salvation in Christ.
To grow spiritually - the Bible compares new Christians to babies. Babies need food to grow. The Bible is our spiritual food. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:2) I like the way West describes this; he said “This is a picture representing intense hunger for God’s Word so that we can grow in our understanding and spiritual strength.”
To receive personal blessing and encouragement - all believers will need encouragement to stay the course. When we read about God’s blessings and promises and the way He worked through the lives of people, we can be encouraged. God’s word offers hope for the hopeless, assurance for those who are fearful, peace for the troubled, rest for the weary. God’s faithfulness and mercy to His people gives us great encouragement.
To receive personal guidance - How many times have you wondered, “what should I do now?” The Bible can help guide us to find the answer to life’s many questions. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105) Living in a world in which the ‘gray line’ is growing ever wider makes it even more important to recognize God’s truth and to learn his standards for living.
(Part 3: Book Study: How to Study the Bible, by Robert M. West) Last week we examined how to prepare our hearts to study by depending on the Holy Spirit and mature believers. It is encouraging to know that we can depend on the aid of the Holy Spirit when we need help understanding and applying God’s precepts to our lives.
Next, we review how to study with a purpose. Why study the Bible? West outlines 10 ways we should prepare purposefully.
To settle the issue of our own salvation
To grow spiritually
To receive personal blessing and encouragement
To receive personal guidance
To defend ourselves against the devil
To effectively teach God’s truth to the next generation
To be able to counsel others
To be ready to speak with unbelievers about Christ
To verify that the teaching of others is the truth of God
To present ourselves approved to God
This is a great list! Each reason listed here is worthy and deserves a little more discussion. Stay tuned next week as these ideas are further developed. For this week, consider this list and think about your own spiritual walk. Do you need to ‘add’ any of these reasons to your study preparation? Many on this list can also be our personal prayer as we approach the study of God’s word. I believe that if we pray and prepare our hearts, God will not only honor our requests He will bless us with wisdom and understanding and equip us with knowledge.
(Part 2: Book Study: How to Study the Bible by Robert M. West.) Today we’ll look at how we can prepare our hearts to study the Bible. The author suggests we should prepare dependently and purposefully. What does it mean to prepare ‘dependently’?
Depend on the Holy Spirit
Depend on mature believers
At some point when you study the Bible, you will no doubt be thinking, “I need help!”. Never fear, you are not alone. In fact, you are in very good company. Even the apostles needed help understanding the scriptures. Luke recorded how Jesus assisted the apostles, “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures”. What Jesus did for the apostles, He will do for you.
When we accept Christ into our hearts, the Holy Spirit comes in to dwell with us. His continual presence is there to guide us and give us understanding. Biblical concepts such as guilt, sin, forgiveness, grace, and salvation really don’t mean much to an unsaved person, but the Holy Spirit gives understanding to believers. We should regularly pray for His help, just as the psalmist did, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law”, Psalm 119:18.
We can also depend on mature believers who have strong knowledge and understanding of the scriptures. Some believers have been specially gifted to teach. It is part of God’s design. Get involved in a Bible study class so that you can benefit from the knowledge of mature believers.
Up next week: Preparing purposefully - 10 Reasons to Study the Bible
If the Bible is our ‘Owners Manual’, then we need to study it! This is the first installment in a series of posts about how to study the Bible. Introduced last week, this series of posts will take us through a short work by Robert M. West, entitled How to Study the Bible.
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4. Bible study is not optional, it’s needful! Clearly, the Bible is as the bread of life to us; we need to study and learn from God’s word. But how? Where do we begin? A little preparation is in order.
Tools required: a good study Bible, a highlighter, notebook and pen, perhaps a good commentary, a quiet place to study, and, perhaps most importantly, a heart ready to be changed. West relates that Bible study is not just an intellectual exercise like studying math, science, or history, where only our mind is engaged. He also compares this type of study to the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. The scribes and pharisees had a lot of head knowledge of the scriptures, but little heart knowledge. Don’t make the same mistake.
To effectively study the Bible, our hearts must be engaged as well. West states, “God wants us to increase our knowledge of His Word with our minds, but He also intends for the power of His Word to affect our hearts and that our lives will be changed to become more like Christ’s.” Check out this verse about scripture: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
Indeed, we read in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Man looks at the ourward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” So examine your heart and pray. Study with an openness and willingness to grow spiritually, and you will be blessed by the truths you learn as God changes your heart.
Next week we will examine two specific ways to prepare your heart to study the Bible, dependently and purposefully.
Do you remember learning this in Vacation Bible School?
I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.
Today, as you consider these words, I pray that you will renew your allegiance to the truth of God’s Holy Word. It provides us with a guide for living that will allow us to be set free from sin and to bring glory to God in all that we do. It gives encouragement to the downhearted, strength to the weary, hope for the hopeless. It is full of wisdom, truth, and love.
Tomorrow, we begin a series of posts that examines how to study the Bible. Won’t you join me on this journey?
Can you fathom the depth of God’s love for us? Many of us can relate to the deep love between a parent and child. Most parents would do anything for their child. Can you imagine giving up your child to take punishment for someone else’s crimes? Would you allow your child to die for someone?
God loves us so much that He gave up his only son, Jesus Christ. He gave up His son to take our punishment for sin. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. Jesus, who was sinless, died in my place; He died in your place. All because of God’s love for us.
This video posted on YouTube is amazing. Focus on the lyrics while you watch this video. I hope it blesses you and touches your heart the way it did mine.
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, lyrics by Stuart Townsend
Have you ever wished for an owner’s manual when you’re trying to take care of your children? As God’s children, you might say that the Bible is our owner’s manual. The Bible is God’s Holy word and it tells us how to live. In fact, Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. Studying our Bible is not optional, it’s essential!
Although penned by man, the Bible states that God himself was it’s ultimate source. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” 2 Timothy 3:16. I’ve never been much of a history buff, and there’s an awful lot of history in the Old Testament. But someone once said to break history into two parts: His-Story (and use the s twice); the point is that the Bible is His Story…the story of Jesus Christ’s redemption of our sins. And it’s woven into scripture from the beginning to the end. Jesus said He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, from Genesis to Revelation. Cover to Cover. It’s His Story.
Consider this - during a span of 1500 years, 40 men of God, living on three continents penned the holy words of God…66 books combined into the single volume we know as the Bible. When you consider all of the prophecies that were recorded in the O.T. and became reality in the N.T., you have to believe that the words were inspired by God. How could it be anything else?
Join me over the next several weeks as I work through a short book by Robert M. West, entitled How to Study the Bible. There are many spiritual blessings to be found by studying God’s word. If you’re a new Bible student, there should be some great insights for you. If you’ve fallen away from regular Bible study, hopefully you will be encouraged to get back into the word. For those of you who are seasoned in the reading/study of God’s word, I pray that you will use your knowledge to share with others the power and blessings found in the Bible and can be a help to new believers as they study.
Are you dead or alive? Funny question, you say? You’re probably thinking, if I’m dead I wouldn’t be reading this post. Or would you? Is it even possible? Let’s examine Ephesians 2: 1-10.
The apostle Paul, when writing to the saints (believers in Jesus Christ) at Ephesus, told them that they were dead in their sins. He goes on to explain it was the way they used to live when they followed the ways of this world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, meaning satan. The verb ‘were’ is past tense, meaning that something has changed…they were dead in their sins, but not any longer. That’s good news because it means we have a chance to change our condition. Did you catch that, our condition? It’s referring to our sinful condition, a problem that is common to man. Every person, with the exception of Jesus, is born with a sinful nature. (Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”)
But how can you tell if a person is spiritually dead or alive? Look at how they walk (or live). Are they walking as a disobedient child? How about the way they talk? Dr. Larry Lewis says, “When you lose control of your emotions, satan takes control of your mouth.”
Let’s get back to the good news – God’s provision. Look at verse 4. “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Amazing isn’t it? God loves us in spite of our sins and wicked ways. He loves us the way we are, but He doesn’t want us to stay the way we are. He lifts us up and frees us from the bondage of sin. Why? Look at verse 7. “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Let that sink in! He wants to use our changed lives to demonstrate His amazing grace.
What then, is our responsibility? Faith. We can only be saved by faith through grace offered freely to us. It is a gift, and there are only two things you can do with a gift – accept it or reject it. But it’s your choice. To accept it means to believe in God’s saving grace for your life. Read John 3:16-19. So what will you do with God’s gift? Are you dead or alive?
