Knowing God

Take Up And Read

Let us get back to the Bible reading. It is very important. As we read the Bible we find out what God wants to reveal to us.
We can't know everything. The secret things belong to God and the revealed things can be known by us.
And just who does the revealing?
For us Christians, we know the answer is God.
He does that through the Bible. He does it using the Jewish scriptures and the books of the New Testament.
Sorry, Roman Catholics, not the extra books stuffed in.
And until we are rightly related to God through Jesus Christ, we don't really get any good out of it.
The reason is simple. We, as Christians, have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. A gift, yes, in that God now dwells in us as He once dwelled in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. He is our teacher and lives in us revealing Scripture and sealing us.
And He carries with Him gifts to enable us to minister as His Body, The Church, down here on earth.
In my book blog I just finished reporting on a book called Open to the Spirit and you may want to go back and read it. So if you would just click on this link, you can go look at it.
It is very important we get our understanding correct. And I find books about the Bible help me understand better how to read the Bible. It is a book unlike any other book. But only the Christian knows what I am talking about. But that doesn't mean you are left out.
In earlier postings in this blog, and you can go back and do your own hunt, I discuss this subject. You can't miss it. Just keep going back until you find them.

A Whole New Year

Here it is. 2016. A new year. How are you doing in your Bile Study sessions? I have this past year of 2015 presented Bible Study methods which I have hoped you are following.
  By now you must have questions and comments to make. If so, I haven't seen any.
  I wish to have some of you readers out there responding to me and dialoguing. It  isn't too much to ask.
 So let me know how you are finding this. After all, if you don't respond I will surmise you don't need this.
 Still, I do wish to know how you are finding the ABC method, and the question and answer method, the inductive method and so on. Or do you need more depth? If so, just comment and let me know and I will be happy to flesh out the request.
  Anyway. Happy New Year every body reading this.
  May this year be one of growth for you all.

People...This Is A Bible

People. See this book I am holding up? It is a Bible.  This book is a lens, so to speak, from which we view the world.
  We all have view points we use as lens to interpret things around us and things happening to us.
  Only this one book gives us a view of the world and the activity around us that is pleasing to God.
    If you are a Christian you are obligated to study the Bible to understand God's will for your life. And we are all existing according to God's will but not all are doing the will.
    There are principles in this book  that must govern our lives. We don't have to fully undertstand or fully like what it teaches us.  
   When I write it is the exact words of God and tell us what HE wants to say to us I am not saying it is a book of suggestions. It claims to be the Word of God and invites you to let it rule and guide every aspect of your life. Since it is authoritative it possesses the right to direct our life.
   God's way is far above ours. You can only find out what god's ways are by reading and studying and allowing this book to mold you. This is why I write and post so much on Bible study techniques.
    Please feel free to respond to my posts. Let me hear from you. Let's dialog. 

Bible Study Methods Win Out

  I was looking back at my statistics and find that bible study method posts seem to be the ones people are looking at mostly. Readers of this blog don't seem to be so interested in discussions of theological issues.
  I would thus determine the readers of this blog want more help in the study of the Bible for themselves. They may be tired of having some other person tell them what they should believe or what the Bible says.
   And that is the reason for studying the Bible for yourself using a Bible, a notebook, a pen and common aids that are provided. Aids such as a Bible dictionary to find out some background on the area or concept you are looking at.
   And you are asking questions as you are reading. Questions such as: who is speaking? Where is this taking place? Who are the hearers? Is this addressed to me or others? What is it saying to me in a way I can apply it to my life?
     You are jotting these answers down in your notebook. Not all questions have to be answered. These will provide you with areas to pray about..To pray for more understanding. To pray for application. You should aim to do what you determine the book is telling you. After all, it is my view, that God is speaking. He has written all He wants us to know in the Bible. He expects us to study it and apply it.
    No doubt you are studying  in a group so you can discuss what you are finding . You can't hope to grow if you absent yourself from the congregation. Find a good Bible teaching church that expects you to be accountable to one another.

You Can Memorize Scripture

  Part of growth in the Christian life is to have some passages of scripture memorized. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. David penned in the psalms.
   Let me invite you to memorize scripture.. It is nice to have a passage ready when you are tempted.  
   Or if you have some time to just mediate. That is another diacipline you should learn. Meditation. Turning the verse around and around in your mind. Asking what is it saying? How can I apply it to my life?
  You are called to feed yourself. Read your Bible. Memorize some verses and passages. As you memorize passages you will find you feel better about world events and daily life. People won't get on your nerves as much.

Transgender Question

  I was reading this morning in our Santa Monica paper about a problem schools are having defining just what gender a person was. This has to do with what bathroom they will be using. What their acceptance will be by others. And so much more.
   Just what does the Bible have to say about transgender?
   That is a good question to ask. And it is both easy and hard to answer.
    Easy in that the Bible states God created them male and female in the beginning. God did not create transgender. He molded the person in his mother's womb. God makes no mistake in the forming.
    Hard in that society has thrown out the Bible as a book of authority.
    Instead society is looking toward science.. more exactly psychology, as the authority. And I understand psychology has thrown out the definition of transgender as abnormal. They have put the stamp of approval on the .. yes, let me state it plainly-- sinful behavior.
     I don't have to excuse myself. If you have read this blog for any time you know where I stand on the subject of sin. Sin is real. Sin is following short of the standard. And the standard is not what I say but what the God who has created me has said.
   So, no, transgender is not normal.
   So somewhere in that child's upbringing, it wasn't in the womb, he or she was told that it was not usual for them as the gender they were to do certain things or feel certain ways and be that gender.
   I know I may be sounding simplistic. Well, so be it..
    A child's brain is not able to  take in certain concepts. If in the education they receive they are presented with confusing signals and information, and they are approached by chicken hawks (I think that is what they are called) then in order to be accepted by the group they have fallen in, they adjust to the best of their limited ability.
   Okay, so look it up for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I have stated my opinion and now it is up to you to be brave enough to seek out your own answers.

Bible Reading Update

       I was rereading my seminary text books the other day and I was fascinated by the book that had to do with Old Testament Theology. In it was stated something I guess I knew yet was not actively applying.
       It was the idea that when the people before the incarnation were reading their scripture they had yet to have a complete expalination of God and what He was like. Even today, if you were to think about it, we still have pockets of mystery when it comes to understanding completely.
      Yet today we have more understanding and more revelation of what God is like than they had back then.
      Well, this Old Testament scholar, I think it was Claus Westermann and his book," Elements of Old Testament Theology," stated that they only had trust in what had been written down to that point and were finding that God revealed Himself through actions.
     The example I like to use is the one of Abraham and his son Isaac. Abraham was told by God to take his son and sacrifice him on the mount.
     The people around him would sacrifice their first born child as a form of worship. That was all Abraham knew. Would this God he was following be like those of the nations around him?
      Abraham was willing to follow what he knew about God. So he made ready to sacrifice Isaac, firmly believing that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if need be. After all, God had promised him that it was through Isaac that God was going to bring a great nation. And Isaac had to be alive to do so.
      Abraham found that God didn't want human sacrifice as a worship activity, as the nations around him, but He was different.
       You can explore more about this subject on your own.
      For help you can use this book on research tools using the search engine Google.. It is from the Dummy collection but I have found the series to be more than just written on a dummy level. It is written on a level that is understandable.

Family Devotions is a Good Idea

    Let me post about something very important. That is important if you want to grow as a family as well as a Christian.
    That is the subject of family devotions. It is also known as family altar. 

The family that does devotions together stays together

    But I very much prefer the term family devotions.
    You gather the family together. Start small. Read from God's word, the Bible. Or you can use a devotional.
      Start where you are.
       So we will use the devotional for this discussion. We will use it because it is easy to explain what to do for family devotions.
    Have one person read the scripture passage suggested. Then have the next person read the explanation. Then have the group discuss what is being said. How it applies to their daily existence.
    If there are needs expressed, have someone record these in a journal somewhere. This is so you can refer back to it as time goes on and see how the answer has been developing.
    Don't make it too literary. Just something like, "Mike was mean to me at school today. Guess I have to learn how to forgive him."
     You can pick up supplies to record these needs such as pens and paper from an office supply store such as OfficeDepot.
      Let me know how you are doing.

That Blessed Hope

   The Christan has that blessed Hope that one day soon. no matter what happens in the world, that Jesus is coming back and that when he does all will be set right.
     Another hope is that the body he is living in will be changed. No more sickness. No more aches and pains. No more nutritional problems. He will have a new body that will be patterned after that of His Lord Jesus Christ.
    Just think about that. There will be no need to take vitamins to keep the body in balance. No more exercising until the body says "Enough".

    But as for now we need the nutrients. We need to have a balance. We need to shop on line   for the best deals on vitamins at a good price.

     And we need to know what God is saying to us. That is why we spend time in morning devotions. We start out with a notebook and a good pen . We read a portion of the Bible. After all, this is what God has caused to be written and it is all He wants us to know. It is HIs communication with us. God has spoken and it is found in His Word.

   We communcicate back through prayer. It is a relationship we have.

    We record in the notebook what God is saying to us that day through that portion of Scripture.

     Man and woman is both physical and spiritual. For the health of our body we exercise and shop on line   for our supplements, those vitamins that our body needs.

      For our spiritual needs we have the Bible.

Morning Thoughts

   Am back to doing my morning devotions. I told you about them. I even instructed you how to do one.
    At least I think  I did. It was many months ago and I am sure you can look it up. May take some hunting but I am sure you will find it.
    I am presently in the book of Joshua. I read three chapters a day and a psalm of the day. Then I jot down my observations of the day's reading. I also include a scripture passage from that day's reading. That is just something I do. Add the scripture verse. I like to have something to memortize each day.
  David has said, In Psalm 119:11b, " Your word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against God."
   This week I have been impressed in my reading that God has mapped out areas for each tribe to conquer and possess. But they had to put some effort into it. There was no entitlement mentality allowed. They were to actively take their blessing and possess it.

   So it is with my blessing. I have been given a blessing but I must go and claim it and take possession of the blessing actively. I am not entitled to it. It is all a gift of God not as a result of works that I might not boast.

Be Thankful

Tomorrow in the United States is Thanksgiving Day. We have a lot to be thankful for. God is still blessing our nation. He has so far restraned mass evil from overtaking us. Sure, we have attacks from terrorists now, but that just tells me Jesus is coming back soon. The world is not going to get better. When people turn away from God and even go so far as to say He doesn't matter anymore, God leaves that people and nation alone and lets them distroy themselves and their nation.
   Don't let anyone tell you otherwise..America was founded by peple who acknowledged God and His soviegty over people and nations. They acknowledged that if we forget God we are doomed.
    But individual people, they can be thankful they are still alive. God can stop you breathing at any moment. You are reading this so He hasn't done that to you.
   

 So Have a nice Thanksgiving. Remember who gave it to you and acknowledge your Creator.

God will Meet Your Needs

There is a Bible verse that God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus. But when it comes to a business start-up I am not too sure that applies.
  Again the Bible says casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you. That may apply somewhat when you are starting up a business. The daily care of cash flow and traffic enough to pay the bills you are accumulating are cares.
   It helps if you are a prayer. You can talk it out with the Lord. Not that He will all of a sudden pour money out. Even if the Bible does say give and it will be given to you, pressed down and overflowing, that may not be talking about finances. More like it is talking about needs being met.

   Tithing , bring all into the store house and I will pour out is talking more about blessings than it is finances.
   Even if I were to want to force financal provision into those verses and make God a bank, I just can't seem to.
    In the long run you will just have to trust that all will work out. Also that God knows and has allowed you to be where you are. And that together you and He will be alright.

Safe People

        Are you a safe person?  In relationships with others are we safe? Or  is there some resistance to growth?
     We show resistance when we refuse to allow others to get in to our life and interact with us? Pastor Joe calls it his Sybil. Sybil was a woman who had multiple personalities.
    We all have a form or resistance within ourselves. It is something we developed in childhood to protect ourselves. Now it has become a game to deny everything. Every time  we deny we reinforce the resistance.to change and allow the unreal you to show up.
      Now talking about the Christian person within the fellowship who is immoral, I mean, a sexual immoral person who won't change ever though you approach him or her and confront him or her, they just won't change, the best thing you can do, according to what God has said, is to separate yourself from him or her. Sure, it will feel like abandonment, but if they show resistance and it becomes a habit, then the only thing you can do is leave.
   Stop the cycle and become a safe person. Be real. Admit you don't understand all about yourself. Ask for feedback. Ask questions such as what do I do that pushes you away from me? And what do I do that draws you toward me?
   These are two good questions to ask your loved one if married, or to that person you are dating.

Four Kinds Of Soil

      I am sitting here realizing that I am instructing people by way of this blog on the subject of  Bible Study. I must realize, if I am to believe what Jesus said, that not everyone who is reading this is able to receive the teaching.
      That is the reason Jesus spoke in parables according to what He said as recorded in Matthew 13:13.
      Jesus taught in a strange way. You would think that if a person wanted to pass along truth he would talk plainly.
      Yet this parable in Matthew 13:3-9 , the sower, Jesus points out why. Remember now, He is speaking in parable to cause the people to think.
       The sower, explained in Matthew 13: 28-23, is anyone who handles the word of God. The seed is the word. The first soil is beside the road and the birds come and eat it up. Jesus states the birds are the evil one, whom I take to be Satan.
       The second soil is a rocky place. The seed does go down , this soil has the word of God, which has some effect. But not enough to settle in and grow. It dies having nothing to  grasp on to. This soil must still be someone who has not set up a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
          So we move on to the third soil. Many reading this blog in fact all reading this blog are a form of soil. That is why I am sharing. I am trying to scatter seed. So the third soil sees to be people who have heard the word and in this case read this blog and decided that if they had enough money they could deal with any worries. They don't need what they call a crutch. They have heard that God can meet their needs. But they have the wealth. they feel they don't need this God. They can do it themselves.
     Needless to say this is not good soil.
     Now on to the fourth type of person who reads these blogs. The ones who are reading and saying, that sounds like the truth. I want to produce for God. I know worries and trouble and hardship will come. They come to all people who are living on this earth. But I also know a God who can meet my needs no matter how bad and intense the circumstances.
  So this person starts to produce fruit. The soil is good. this soil has a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
    And that is one way to do a Bible Study.

God Speaks and Man Responds

  We need to be doing our own Bible study. Those of us who have a relatiuonship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ (I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me, Is what Jessu said.) need to stay in contact with Him. Since God is spirit and those who are going to worship Him must approach Him in that realm, just how do you expect to do it?
   God has spoken. He is not silent. He communicates. He, I believe, communicates in he Bible. In fact, ever since Adam and Eve He has been communicating. He has selected special people to overshadow and by the Holy Spirit communicate and have them record what He wants said.
    No, this is not dictation. If it was, then, the individual style of each book of the Bible would be uniform. They are not. Each book has the style of the person God overshadowed. David is David. Salomon is Solomon. Moses is Moses. And so on.

    So we take our Bible and we pray to God that we will have understanding.
   We have a notebook and pen with us. We want to record what we discover there.

1.   What is the passage about?
2.   To whom is the passage addressed?
3.   Is there an example for me to follow?
4.   Is there a sin for me to avoid?
5.   How do I apply what I am reading?

    That is what I mean. You don't have to be a scholar. No one but you is going to see this.

Bible Study

   Let us get back to basics. I have told you time and again that the source of truth and trustworthiness is the Bible.

   Since that is so we need to study it more. I admit I approach the Bible with a big bias. God has spoken and He has caused what He has spoken to be written down. All accounts of historical places, names, and events are assumed to be accurate and true.

    So when we hear it being preached from the pulpit we are hearing God's word being spoken. True, it is being heard by us in the voice of a man but the words he is reading are God's word.

    It is then our job to read it for ourselves and not just by ourselves. We need small groups. We need to discuss what God has said. We must realize that  the words are as important as the thoughts. We can have confidence in its message.

   I do not recommend a paraphrase.  A paraphrase acts as a commentary not a direct word. I recommend the New American Standard or the New King James. Be careful using the New International version. It is good, but in places it leans toward nonliteral in word choice. I will discuss translations later so I will not, in this posting, venture there.

   What translation do you use? Maybe that is soemthing I can post about if there is interest.

  

In The Beginnng

     When we look out at things around us we may wonder, how did it all come about? How did I come about?

    For a Christian that is easy to answer. The Bible tells us, "In the beginning God created."
    Yes. What is creation?, you ask. The best way to define it is to say Creation is  the beginning of the universe and human life.
   When was this beginning? We don't really know. But the Bible says there was a beginning. Not of God. But of time as we know it.So we ask, what did God create?
     God did not create an extension of Himself. He is complete. But the Bible does tell us He created Angels. That is found in psalm 148:2,5. The book of Job refers to the angels in Job 38:4-7.
     Humanity, male and female, was created to exist on a higher level above all other thiongs created. Humanity, in the beginning, was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26)  and was given domination over the rest of the creation on Earth (Genesis 1:28) That image is still there but in a fallen broken state. Jesus came to restore that state.
     That will be another subject.
      This image is not physical. But since God is spirit we can figure it is a spirit image.
     How did God create? He created from nothing ex nihilo. He spoke and it came into existence.
     Why did God create? That is a good question. He wasn't lonely. He didn't need other creatures to complete Himself. He must have done it because He is Love and it is to His glory to create objects to love.

Actions Speak your Salvation

   This morning Pastor Joe preached from 1John 5:1-15. He said that your belief  is  not seen if you  do nothjing but sit around and act as if what you believe is a  privayte affair between you and God. Your actions are. And John points out that your behavior towards others and toward Jesus, who did come in the flesh, shows your salvation.
     But basicly, Jesus did come in a body. The body is the package that carries the real man. Jesus had a real body. Only a real body can be hungry. Only a real body can bleed. Only a real body can eat food. Only a real body can ascend into heaven. And only a real body can come back again.

     If Jesus were not in a body He wouldn't be anyone to follow. We must be Christ like, John calls us sons of God, if we are Christians. As sons we represent all others are going to see of God. All we do we should do knowing that fact.
      Not too many of us are called to stand on street corners and preach. No,  But we all are called to act daily in the awareness that we may be the only link between God and man when it comes to the decision he will have to make.
     When we get to heaven God is going to ask, "What did you do with  my Son, Jesus?"  "Why should I let you into my heaven?"
  

Bible Study = Growth

Looking for Wisdom

      One of my favorite subjects to talk about. Bible study. How can you know what God has said unless you are reading what He wrote? I am firm here. "Study to show yourself approved  to God a workman who does not need to be ashamed..." 
    How can your faith grow if you don't know what to base it on? "Faith comes by hearing (And reading and study) and hearing by the word of God."
    When you do that Bible study have a pen or pencil handy. Also have a note book ready to jot down what you are discovering. Treat your Bible study time as a treasure hunt. There are little nuggets of wisdom. Some are on the surface and others have to be dug for.
   Ask yourself- what is the subject of this passage? Who is speaking? To whom is the passsge being transmitted? What does this passge tell  me about God?  What does it say about me?What am I to do with what the passage is saying?
    All may not be in that one passge. But as you study.. and that means re-reading it over and over, maybe coming back to it another time

        Also be in a Bible teaching church and fellowship with others. Ask them questions. Find a Bible Study group. Join. Add your two cents. Grow.

There are blessings in forgiveness

  To continue on the subject of forgiveness. You can forgive a person and still not forget what he has done. It will take time for that person to work back in your trust. That is normal. But the main blessing in forgiveness is that it frees you up. You no longer have to carry that heavy burden. You can wave that flag and go on with your life.
   Let the offending party go. God will handle him.
   If you want a good series on forgiveness and the blessing in forgiveness you can no doubt listen to the pod casts of that time period when Pastor Joe allowed his sermon series to be recorded and mad einto a pod caast. For the podcasts you just go over to http://acts1.libsyn.com/webpage. It is there.
   Also a good series around mothers day about Ruth and Naomi. A whole different way of looking at it.

   A great lesson on mentorship and direction.