Tag: Bible reading

  • The Bible is a library bound in a book

    Library of Congress

    The university library was massive.  It had shelves of books on virtually every imaginable topic (and many that I had never conceived of) from every possible perspective. A person could read there for their entire lifetime and never even make a dent in the total number of books.

    Fortunately, I was interested in reading only some of the topics. Some areas held no interest for me whatsoever, and I don’t even have the expertise to decipher or understand others. For example, I’ve never been able to grasp the fundamental concepts behind simple differential/integral calculus, so any book on that topic or any topic that uses that knowledge as a foundation would be beyond me. 

    The foreign language section would be beyond my grasp. I took some French in high school and university, but to be generous, it’s rusty. I can make out the occasional phrase in Latin, German, Italian, Spanish, and a handful of other languages. Still, I am not fluent in any of them. I can say I don’t “speak the language” in French, German, Italian,  and Spanish.

    I headed towards the seminary section of the library, looking for the topics I was interested in researching. Again, there was a bewildering array of books. For example, there were hundreds of biographies on Jesus (and I know they only have a sampling), some of which start with the belief that the Bible is true (as do I) and others that believe that there is no truth in the Bible at all. Theological perspectives from the extreme liberal to the middle of the road and onto the ultra-conservative were available on many topics.

    The topic of God, the claims of Jesus, and the path to salvation are some of the most vital issues of all. It’s no wonder so many books have been written on these subjects.

    Some people look at all those books and think, “Why should I read the Bible?” If the “experts” can’t agree, why should I even try? Some denominations or congregations even try to maintain control by encouraging this point of view.

    The Bible is an incredible book. It contains truths that are so simple that a young child can understand them. It contains truths so vast that theologians have been arguing for thousands of years over the interpretations. If you are a believer, you have a built-in guide to help you understand the truth (Holy Spirit). No matter how much you read, you will never truly understand Scripture if you’re not a believer. 

    Yet, I know of many cases where people who weren’t believers but had open, honest, searching hearts asked God to reveal Himself to them when they read the Word, and He did.

    I have thousands of hours of Bible reading and study under my belt. I have thousands of hours of readings commentaries, dictionaries and other books about the Bible. I still have only begun to tap into the wealth of knowledge the Bible contains. There is more wisdom and truth in the Bible than in all the books in the university library for the person who will earnestly seek it.

    I’ll never know it all, but with a bit of reading, anyone can sit down and learn through the Bible that Jesus loves them and will save them if they only ask. The Bible will teach you what God is like and what He wants from us. It will teach you, rebuke you, correct you, and embrace you if you only open the covers and begin reading it.

    The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7 NIV

    All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

    Not sure where to begin reading your Bible? There are many plans available for daily Bible reading. Here’s one I recommend to people

    Read Genesis – it will help you understand creation, sin and God’s lan for the world.

    Read the Gospel of John through two or three times

    Read the four gospels through twice. By this point you’ll have a good idea of who Jesus is.

    Read the New Testament through twice. You’ll have a good basic knowledge.

    Follow this by reading all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.

    Repeat…Repeat… Repeat

    Reading twenty minutes daily will enable you to read through the Bible in a year. Reading a book a day will get you through cover to cover in 66 days.

    Don’t worry that you don’t understand it all at once—no one does. You will find, though, that you gain new wisdom and insights every time you do. 

    The more time you spend in the Word, the more you will realize its importance and the more you will want to do it. Don’t be discouraged; it’s often hard to form new habits. If you slip, just pick yourself up again and keep on going.

    Until next time, don’t be intimidated. Read the Bible. God had written a wonderful love letter to you within the pages of that book. He’s waiting for you to read it.

    Kevin

    Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

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  • The World Changed on Reformation Day

    Happy Reformation Day. 

    On this day, five hundred and seven years ago, one of the most transformational events in history occurred. A then obscure, devout Roman Catholic monk, Martin Luther, Attached what would come to be known as the “Ninety-Five Theses” to the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany.

    At that time, the Roman Catholic church was in the practice of selling indulgences.

    The church believed that a believer ascended into heaven only after an appropriate amount of time was spent in Purgatory, facing cleansing and punishment for sin. To reduce this suffering, the church sold indulgences, reducing the time spent there. A living person could also purchase reduced time or skip Purgatory through a guaranteed mass performed at their future funeral.

    These indulgences were a huge money-raiser for the church, and Luther was concerned that such practices did not match up with what the Scriptures taught. He compiled a list of 95 theological issues for debate and attached them to the church’s door. That was the equivalent of posting the challenge on social media today.

    This act would eventually lead to him being declared a heretic, sentenced to death, and eventually to the formation of the “Lutheran” church. The Reformation was underway.

    Around the same time, other believers also questioned various doctrines taught by the church, and a move was made to reform the church’s teachings. Not all 

    The Reformers did not agree on every issue; in fact, there was great diversity and even animosity between them.

    This clumsy, diverse movement led to the establishment of what would be called the protesting or Protestant Church in all of its diversity. Although numerous “pre-reformers” were working to recover the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the work of Jesus Christ, this October date is generally considered the start of the Reformation.

    Many of the reformers were martyred  or spent their lives hiding as “heretics.”

    Why should we care?

    As Protestants, we trace our lineage not to the reformers but to the teachings of Christ himself. The true doctrine of “by faith alone” was recovered by not invented by the reformers. It was always foundational to the bible but has become lost in church bureaucracy and tradition. Still, these men and women paid a high price for the truth. Their sacrifice is worth remembering.

    The truth is, as the Scriptures declare,

    But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

    For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20

    Are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ. Jesus Romans 3:24

    Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrew 11:1

    For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God   Ephesians 2:8

    Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Psalm 3:8

    Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6

    We don’t merit redemption. We can’t earn it, and we can’t buy it. It is a gift of love and mercy. 

    Praise God for the salvation he freely offers.

    Hallelu Yah / Praise God 

    Kevin

    Gleanings From The Word

    Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life. 

    Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)

    Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.

    Halloween and Reformation Day
    Read the Word. Read the Word. Read the Word.