When the Apostle Paul was talking to the intellectual VIP’s in Athens, he told them that “...in Him (speaking of God) we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28)” What a super-profound statement. Everything we do, everything we say, everything we think is in Him......
Can you imagine talking to a guy who has a sword coming out of his mouth? You'd constantly be stepping back, putting some distance between you and him just so you didn't get cut up! When the Apostle John saw Jesus – with a sword coming out of His mouth......
Three of the topics I listed in my last post – the connection between Bible study, worship, spiritual warfare, and the question of why we study the Bible – are related in such a way that I’m finding I need to deal with them all at once. So, I’m leaving them until last......for this post, we’re going to discuss how to manage and sort through all the different versions/translations of the Bible......
So, how did your Bible-speed-read time go? Is it pulling you deeper into the word and is the Spirit using it to speak truth to your soul? Honestly, it probably is too soon for me to ask that question as that method needs to be used long-term for quite a while before it really becomes effective. It’s okay to save the speed-read technique for later, but if you’ve tried it, share some of your thoughts in the comments below. I’d like to know how it has been working for you.
Today’s post covers two topics. First, is an informative lesson on how Bible grammar works. I’m keeping it short. After all, no one likes boring grammar lessons, right? Actually, I think you’ll find it interesting and it will change, in small ways, the way you read the Bible. Second, I introduce a new method/technique you can use as you go deeper into the word of God.
Bible Grammar Explained
Here’s the Christian timeline: Jesus died on the cross, was resurrected, spent some time building up the disciples, and then ascended into heaven. At Pentecost Jesus baptized the apostles (and a bunch of other people) in the Holy Spirit, filled them with His power, and gave them the gift of tongues – and the Christian church was born. Those power-filled people then went out and started telling people about Jesus, leading them into salvation and...Jesus now has a problem.............
A few posts back I suggested that you simply read the Bible without worrying about fully understanding everything about the passages you are going through. The idea is to go for quantity. Keep doing that! For those of you who are new to Bible Study that should remain your major method for quite a while. A few things will happen. First, you will find yourself becoming familiar with how the Lord thinks and talks. Then, as you find yourself moving through several books of the Bible, you will begin to see how the different books each have a different emphasis
When it comes to Bible study it helps to look at the Bible from God’s perspective. Put yourself in His shoes and think about how you would help your children get to know you. Probably the best way to go about it would be to write down your thoughts explaining to them, maybe in a series of letters, why you do things the way you do. You might even want to share some of the deeper things of your heart. If your kids are to get to know you, they need to know both your hurts and your joys. You may even need to address some of the ways they are the ones who hurt you.&
Well, we’re back from our latest trip so I thought I’d add a quick post to get us going again. I have two items I want to talk to you about......First comes a quickie......Second, and I’ve touched on this a little bit already, remember that God is your teacher and......
...that is why our third principle of Bible study goes like this:
Principle of Bible Study #3: The most straightforward interpretation is usually closer to the truth than a complicated and involved explanation.
Way back in the 14th century......