Do You Know What It Says?

"God helps those who help themselves." Where is that Bible verse? The answer--no where. It's not in the bible,and it's not true. Yet, so many people quote sayings that aren't even in the Bible.

A recent article on CNN is about that very issue.

This is a great article that highlights the need to actually know what the Bible says. You cannot know what the Bible actually says if you never read, or study it.

Bible Readig Plans

It's time again to renew our commitment to the word of God. A follower of Christ is led, taught, encouraged, rebuked, trained, and protected by God through His Word.

Far to few people who call themselves Christians have actually read the Bible. Don't let that be you. Read God's Word this year.

Here are some options:

1. Read through the New Testament.

2. Read through the entire Bible.

I began to develop my own plan, and realized I was about to reinvent the wheel.

Here is a great website that has a link to some downloadable reading plans.

http://www.navpress.com/dj/content.aspx?id=138


NavPress Reading Plans

Powerful Word

After Jesus' resurrection from the dead he appeared to two disciples who were traveling on the road to Emmaus.(found in Luke 24:13-35) The disciples were saddened by the events of the previous few days because they didn't understand. Jesus anonymously comes alongside them and listened to their contemplations about the events surrounding His crucifixion.

Then Jesus is going to teach them. He is going to show them the truths about what happened, about himself, about who He is and what really happened.

It is at this point that Jesus had a variety of powerful tools in his arsenal to explain and show. He is, afterall, the resurrected Lord. He has conquered the grave and sin and death. He is the God of creation. He could have shown them the power that He exhibited in creating the world. He could have explained what it felt like to be risen from the dead. He could have chosen so many different avenues. But what did He choose?

Look at verse 27, Luke 24:27 "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

Jesus chose to use scripture. Specifically, the Old Testament scripture. He makes an incredibly profound statement. The message of the Old Testament is about Jesus. And, that message, found in scripture, is fully sufficient for explanation and understanding into the person and work of Jesus Christ.

What is true of the Old Testament is also true of the New. And, this is where it comes to hit home for us. We have everything we need to facilitate our relationship with God in His Holy Word. The scriptures are not just a book. If Jesus uses the scriptures the way He did, we would be wise to follow His example.

Southwestern Gets Some Dead Sea Scrolls

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth recently acquired some pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

You can read an article in the Star-Telegram about the acquisition.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the late 1940's in some caves beside the Dead Sea. The writings found were well preserved and contained some of the oldest copies of the OT scriptures ever found.

What is so significant about the scrolls? By the late 1940s we had the Old Testament for a long, long time. But, the majority of copies of the OT text were not nearly as old as the scrolls found in Qumran. What is remarkable is that the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm that what we have is an amazingly accurate copy of the OT.

I can't wait to view them the next time I am down at the Seminary.

A Little Sound vs. A Powerful Voice

A man's word is a little sound, that flies into the air and soon vanishes; but the Word of God is greater than heaven and earth, yea, greater than death and hell, for it forms part of the power of God, and endures everlastingly; we should, therefore, diligently study God's Word, and know and assuredly believe that God himself speaks unto us.


quote from Martin Luther

Read The Bible

Today, I finished the last pages of my Bible reading plan for 2009. That puts me far above most statistically. Most people in the US have a Bible, and very few have actually read the entire thing. One stat I saw said that only %10 of "christians" have read the entire Bible. Whoa!

A few thoughts, in no particular order.

- Some days were hard, some were easy. It wasn't always like reading a comic book, and shouldn't be. There were times that I felt like I was just reading to just be reading. I did it anyway. I figure that to read and not be completely into it is better than not reading at all. I pray that the Lord will forgive me for those times and help me to have fewer of them this year.

- I learned, a lot. This wasn't my first time to read through the Bible. I have done it many times. I learned a lot about scripture and, consequently, God. That is a blessing beyond measure.

- Did I stay on track with the plan? For the most part, yes. I was surprised at how the daily readings seemed so short. It took maybe 15 minutes, max. I did get behind a bit this summer. But, I used my vacation to do some catch up reading, and really enjoyed it. Staying on track is not as difficult as it seems.

- You can do it. Say it with me, "I can do it." You can read the Bible. If it is important enough to you, make it a priority and read the Word of God.

- Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for Your Word that leads me to You, that instructs, corrects, trains, reproves, encourages and so much more. Thank You for speaking to me through Your Word. I pray that you would continue to grow me in my knowledge and passion for You and Your Word.

The Bible Enemy

I read this quote by J.I. Packer in his forward of R.C. Sproul's book, Knowing Scripture.

"If I were the devil, one of my first aims would be to stop folk from digging into the Bible. Knowing that it is the Word of God, teaching men to know and love and serve the God of the Word, I should do all I ccould to surround it with the spiritual equivalent of pits, thorn hedges and man traps, to frighten people off...
How? Well, I should try to distract all clergy from preaching and teaching the Bible, and spread the feeling that to study this ancient book directly is a burdensome extra which modern Christians can forgo without loss. I should broadcast doubts about the truth and relevance and good sense and straightforwardness of the Bible, and if any still insisted on reading it I should lure them into assuming that the benefit of the practice lies in the noble and tranquil feelings evoked by it ratheer than in noting what Scripture actually says. At all costs I should want to keep them from using their minds in a disciplined way to get the measure of its message."

It's Greek To Me

Why is the New Testament written in Greek? Is it just by coincidence? I don’t think so.

I read something that was I thought was fascinating the other day. ( I know that many things I think are fascinating others think are boring or weird. That’s o.k. You can get your own blog:)) It was from a book by F.F. Bruce called “The Books and Parchments”.

Why was the NT written in Greek? During the era of Christ’s life on earth up and through the times of the apostles, most writing was done in Greek. There are many reasons for this that I find not only fascinating but evidence of the amazing, providential, hand of God.

Historically, this time period was dominated by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire ruled the world in that day and that rule extended all the way throughout Israel. The common language of the Roman empire was Greek. The military and some officials used Latin, but the language of the people was Greek. When the Romans ruled over another land, they brought to that area their language. The conquered people would be required to adopt the Romans language.

The conquered nations did not have to give up their language, and most nations spoke a variety of languages. They were multilingual. Much like a lot of Europe today. Most Europeans speak more than one language and can probably speak more than two. That is very similar to the case of the Israelite people in the times of the New Testament.

The common language for Jesus and the apostles was Aramaic. Aramaic is a cousin of ancient Hebrew. They still understood and occasionally spoke Hebrew as their scriptures were written in that language. But, the Israelites also spoke and new Greek. To conduct business, pay taxes, and not get in trouble with the Roman authorities required a knowledge of Greek.

As this was true for Israel, it was also true for the known world at that time. All the known world from the time of about 30 A.D. to 150 A.D. (which covers the life of Christ and the writing of the New Testament, give or take a few) knew the common Greek language.

Here is where it get’s providential. In Luke 24:45-47 Jesus says "Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to ALL NATIONS, beginning from Jerusalem."

F.F. Bruce writes this, “The language most appropriate for the propagation of this message would naturally be one that was most widely known throughout all the nations, and this language lay ready to hand. It was the Greek language, which at that time when the Gospel began to be proclaimed among all nations, was a thoroughly international language, spoken not only around the Aegean shores but all over the Eastern Mediterranean and in other areas too.” (p. 57)

The message of Christ was intended to go to all nations, and God, in his His supreme wisdom, arranged for the situation to be such that the language for the spread of that wonderful message was thoroughly international. It is not a coincidence that the New Testament scriptures are written in Greek

Bible Translations Part 2

So which bible translations are best?

It depends on a couple of factors, but the best translation method/philosophy is the Essentially Literal method. The reason for this is important. I believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the inspired, infallible, inerrant, Holy Word of God in the originals. I believe that every word, not just every thought, was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. That means that any translation that leaves out words is leaving out something that God intended to be in there. I have a problem with that.
So let me give you a ranking in reverse order.

Avoid all paraphrases as your bible translation for your normal reading and studying. A paraphrase is not the Bible. Now, it is o.k. to have and use paraphrases as a supplement in your studying of scripture, but it shouldn’t be what you read on a daily basis. That means avoid the Living Bible, Message, Good News Bible and other paraphrases.

Next, I would caution against using Dynamic Equivalent bibles like the NIV (New International Version). This type of translation is not quite a paraphrase but it does leave out some of God’s inspired words and that is problem. I do have a caveat for the NIV.

NIV Caveat. People have different reading abilities. If I come across someone whose reading level is not that high, I might start them off with the NIV. The readability of the NIV makes it a good starting place for adults, and teens whose reading ability is not too strong. But, I would also have the goal of graduating them from the NIV to the NAS(New American Standard) or ESV (English Standard Version).

Best Category: Essentially Literal is the best choice of Bibles because they attempt to stick as closely to the originals in a word for word fashion. The versions I recommend the most are the New American Standard(NAS) and the English Standard Version (ESV). They are not perfect, but I think they are the best choices out there. I think overall, the ESV is slightly better.

What about the King James? This is a touchy subject. There are some people out there who think that it is the KJV or nothing at all. “If it was good enough for Paul, it is good enough for me?”(Paul did not speak King James English, by the way) Some people just prefer the KJV, that is fine. But, if you are a KJV only person, I will not post your comments.

I do not recommend the KJV, unless you have grown up with it and understand the language. There are several reasons why I do not recommend the KJV. One is simple. Most people do not speak, read, or understand the Shakespearean type language that the KJV is written in. There are also some translations issues that I won’t go into.

What do I use?
For my everyday Bible reading I generally use the ESV. I will occasionally use other translations and my Greek and Hebrew Bibles.
For preaching. I always start with the original languages. As I have been preaching through Mark I start with the Greek new testament. I take an ESV onto the stage with me, but as I read it I will modify it based upon my own study of the Greek original.

Conclusion:
Read your Bible. Study your Bible. Believe your Bible. Use a good translation and get into God’s Word!

Bible Translations Part 1

What’s The Deal With Bible Translations

I get asked about Bible translations frequently. People want to know which one I use, which one I preach from. People want to know which one they should use.

First of all, this is a big issue, but it’s not one to stress about. Read the Bible, whatever you’ve got. That is the starting place. Our society, and churches, are becoming more and more biblically illiterate. People don’t know the Bible. I want to encourage people to read the Bible. Start reading it, read it consistently, and then investigate translations.

Here is a primer on Biblical translations. It is not an exhaustive discussion, but a starting point.

Original Bible
The 66 books of the Bible were written in ancient Hebrew, koine Greek, and some Aramaic. So, unless you know those languages you need a translation. If you go to a bookstore in Mexico and buy a book that is written in Spanish, you will either need to learn Spanish or have a translation of that book.

The best option is to learn the original languages. I have studied Hebrew and Greek for the purpose of being able to study the scriptures in their original language. I am not as proficient in those languages as I would like to be, and need lots of help from good resources, but that is the place that I start all of my sermon preparation. I would encourage anyone to learn the original languages.

Until you ( and I) are fully proficient in the original languages we need a translation. There are a seeming plethora to choose from. So, how do you choose the right one?

Although there are so many, they can all be put in 3 basic categories. These categories are methods/philosophy of translation. The method or philosophy used to translate makes a big difference. And, there are no perfect translations. All of them have pros and cons. Some of them are better than others.
Here are the categories with a brief explanation and some examples.

Essentially Literal

This philosophy is to translate attempting to stick as close to the original wording as possible. It is a word for word translation. If there is a word in the original, then that word will be in the translation.

Examples: the most common types are King James, New King James, New American Standard, and the English Standard Version


Dynamic Equivalent

This philosophy translates in a thought for thought process. The translation might leave out a word or two in order to keep a more dynamic flow to the English. This translation is more concerned with making the English translation more readable based on common English grammar.

Examples: The New International Version


Paraphrase

This philosophy does not concern itself with the original wording. It is more interested in producing a bible that reflects the common vernacular. This translation is not a real Bible. It is purely someone’s interpretation of the Bible.

Examples: The Living Bible, The Message



Coming Up In The Next Blog: The answer to the question, “which is best?”

Enjoy - The Word

I was reflecting recently on my career as a student of the Bible. My reflection reminded me how much I truly enjoy God’s Word. This does not mean that there have not been dry times. There have been many times when reading the scriptures was a chore. Have you ever been reading something and thinking about something else? There have been numerous times like that. But even those seemingly fruitless attempts have not been in vain.

I can remember starting to read the Bible before I was even saved. At the age of 15 or 16 (I can’t remember exactly it was so long ago), I remember having this longing in my heart and turning to the Bible for answers. My first attempts at reading scripture weren’t that great. I tried to read straight through. Genesis wasn’t too difficult, but at 15/16 years old, I bogged down rather rapidly.

I know for a fact that my salvation was initiated and fostered by the Holy Spirit using the Word of God in my life. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Romans 10:17

The moment the Lord redeemed me I poured myself into His Word. I desired God and the things of God, so I gave my life to Him and the study of His Word.

When I first went to college I was voracious in learning all I could about God’s Word. I went to many different Christian organizations that had Bible Studies. I went to Bible studies with the following; Bapist Student Union, Campus Crusade For Christ, Navigators, Central Baptist Church, Intervarsity, independent groups studying the bible, even my own bible study in my dorm room. In fact, I went to so many of these things, that I neglected my classes and class work and my grades suffered. That is not the way that I should have done it.

Now don’t think that I am puffing myself up in telling you all of this. In fact, it demonstrates a great failure in my life. It is to my shame that I have spent so much time in the scriptures and don’t know it better than I do. If anything, this recollection convicts me of my need to step up my dedication to the study of God’s Word.

Back to my title, in all of that time in the scriptures, I have greatly enjoyed the Word. I don’t just mean that it has been fun. There have been moments of fun and even hilarity that I can recall in the study of God’s Word. But, what I mean by enjoy is something deeper than just a “funny-ha-ha” moment. It has enriched my life beyond measure. It has filled me up in a way nothing else has or can. And do you know why? Because God uses His Word to fellowship with us. His Word has led me to encounters with Him. That is what you and I are created for. That is true enjoyment.

My prayer is that enjoyment will increase and that I will have an ever growing desire to study the Holy Scriptures that I may know Him more and more.

Sex Challenge

Relevant Church in Florida is doing a sermon series called the Sex Challenge. They are challenging singles to abstain from sex for 30 days and they are challenging married couples to have sex everyday for 30 days.

Read the story from foxnews, here.

Are they serious? The answer is, yes they are.

First of all, I do not have a problem teaching or preaching on sex. The Bible has much to say about the subject and it has been so perverted by our society that more churches need to address the issue from a biblical perspective.
I think that is what this church is attempting to do. I think?

There are several problems with the approach:

My biggest objection is the salacious manner that this church is advertising their series on sex. If you go to the actual church website they have a picture on the homepage about this series on sex. It has clothed people, in provocative positions with members of the opposite sex. It is so salacious that it has gained national attention. If the church merely posted a notice that they were doing a biblical series on sex they would not have gotten this attention. So, their methodology is merely to gain attention. That is a problem. They are using sex to sell their church.

There is another problem. The pastor is going to tell single members of the church to abstain from sex. That is good and right. But, by promoting it this way he is thrusting images that are going to do nothing but tempt the very ones he is trying to help avoid these temptations.

What if I were to have an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting and while we are meeting there are beer ads, banners, and pictures of alcohol all over the room? That is just not wise or helpful.

Other issues.
Why is he challenging singles for only 30 days? I get his point, but let’s emphasize the clear biblical teaching to abstain until marriage.

He is also encouraging married couples to have sex everyday for 30 days. While every husband is saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you”, every wife is having different thoughts. Again, I don’t think the pastor’s intention is wrong, but his methodology is very poor.

Mandatory sex seems from the pastor seems to take this most intimate of times out of the privacy of the marriage. It is making it too public. It also just doesn’t work that way. If one spouse has the flu, or out of town for business, or something else --- it makes sex seem forced, contrived, and possibly devoid of the joy that is described in scripture.

It is fine and good to encourage couples to understand what scripture teaches about sex and to encourage sex in the marriage. The bible does that. But, you just can’t make it that mandatory.

Another issue. The name of this church is Relevant Church. I do not know this church or pastor personally, but based on what they have made public I want to address this issue of relevance.

The objective of a church is not relevance. A church should strive to be biblical. Many modern church growth proponents push the issue of relevance. They say, ‘we must be relevant in our culture.’ It is that drive that might inspire someone to actually name their church ‘Relevant Church’. Some of these proponents despise things like expository, biblical, text oriented preaching because that is not relevant. So, they do things like use sex to sell their church, or all kinds of carnival type programs to be relevant in their culture.

What the lost world thinks is relevant, and what the Bible says is relevant is two different things. Something is truly relevant if it is focused on our deepest needs, not our wants. What the lost world need is the biblical truth that they have sinned against a holy God. They need people who live and speak the Word of God into their lives that they might repent and trust in Jesus Christ. They don’t need Christians to coddle them in their proclivities, wants, desires, and sin. That might seem ‘relevant’ and might attract a large crowd, but it muddles the message with a faulty method.

Bible Reading

Do you have a Bible reading plan?

Someone once made this statement, "You plan to fail, when you fail to plan?"

I know that every person is different. Some people are much more disciplined than others. Some things that come easy for one individual is extremely difficult for others. This is not an excuse to neglect important things it is just a reminder that you have to find whatever works best for you.

That being said, what is it that works best for you to keep yourself consistently in God's Word? If you have no plan in place at all, then you probably aren't in God's Word.

Here is what I do. I try and read through the New Testament twice a year and the Old Testament once. This is separate from my personal study of the word, and my sermon preparation study. This is a time that I just immerse myself in the Bible.

You can find all kinds of systematic Bible reading plans. They will generally have you reading through a NT and an OT passage each day. Just google "bible reading plan" and you will find a myriad.

My reading is not that regimented. What works best for me is if I just break down my reading into monthly blocks. I need to read about 3 NT books and 2 OT a month(give or take). Then I just pick something that I want to dive into, or something that I feel God wants me to read.

Sometimes as I do my reading this will lead to a deeper study. I will be reading a passage and feel like I want to spend more time studying it for myself. Other times I will find a verse or two that I want to put into memory. I will make that a memory verse. Other times it leads to just a time of worship or prayer, or conviction.

It also helps if you make a time and place to do your reading. It does seem to work well while watching t.v. or when the kids are vying for your attention. I like to read in the morning, and in the evening. It doesn't always work out that way, and on those occasions I will try and find some time in the middle of the day.


That seems to be what works for me. What works for you? Find out, so you won't be missing out.

Famine

Amos 8:11-12

“ Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God,
“ when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Am 8:11).


This text out of Amos is a passage of judgment. The Israelites had developed a pattern of rejecting God and His Word. They were given, by the gracious hand of God, a covenant. They were privileged to have the voice of God’s Word. And instead of heeding and listening to this gift, they rejected it.

Amos was announcing the judgment of God. It would be a famine. A famine is when there is a scarcity of resources. Generally brought on by a drought, nothing grows. There is no grain or grasses. So the crops and the herds die out, and food is scarce.

This is not knew. There are many times in scripture when God sends a famine on the land in judgment on the sins of the people. He would judge His own people and even other nations by means of a famine. No food.

In Amos, this famine is different. It is not a lack of food, it is a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.

Every where I go I have access to a Bible. They are so abundant. Everyone has at least one, probably more. In fact, it is so accessible that I am afraid that there are times that I take it for granted. In doing so, I am no better than those being chastised in Amos 8.

I was thinking about this famine of the word of the Lord. It sounds absolutely dreadful. When I truly meditate on how God has used His word so profoundly in my life, it humbles me. It makes me grateful for the Bible. In the pages of that book I have met one-on-one with God! He has fed my soul, encouraged me, corrected me, instructed me, lifted me, and shown me Himself. What a tremendous blessing! How foolish I am to ever, for even a moment, neglect the precious gift of God’s Word. A famine of His word would be devastating!

Sharp Edged Sword

Hebrews 4:11

"For the Word of God is living, and active, sharper than any two-edged sword."

Psalm 1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

Psalm 119:97

“Oh how I love Your law.”

I just finished up my Bible reading plan for the year 2006 and I am ready and looking forward to 2007. I am not sure how many times I have read through the Bible, but every time is different and good. It is not different because the scriptures are different. It is different because the Word has changed me. That is reason enough to discipline myself to faithful Bible reading and study.

I read a biography of George Mueller that really challenged me to be more consistent and faithful in my reading and study of God’s Word. George Mueller was a mighty man of faith. He is known for the orphanages he established in England and how he used those to minister, witness, and glorify God. But that wasn’t his only job. He was also a preacher, a missionary, an evangelist, a businessman, and a faithful prayer warrior.

What struck me about George Mueller’s life was his devotion to God’s Word. Here is a man who was extremely busy. In one of his journal entries he noted how often he would read the Bible. Each year George Mueller would read through the entire Bible, the full 66 books, 5 times. This does not include his study or sermon preparation.

I often think that I am busy, and I am. But George Mueller was also a busy man, even more so. And yet he made the time to delight in the law of the Lord. If he can do that 5 times surely I can do it more.

It amazes me how so few people have read and are reading the Bible. Statistics have been pretty consistent. Most people have a Bible and most people don’t read it. I am not sure why this is, but they are losing out.

I know that it does take some discipline and effort to plan out and read the entire Bible. But is there any other better, more beneficial pursuit than seeking God in His Word? I guess for many there is.

I follow my own Bible reading plan. This year I tried something a little different. I read through the New Testament twice and the Old Testament once. My Bible reading is separate from passages I study, and separate from my preparation from my sermons(sometimes there is some overlap).

You can find yearly Bible reading plans all over the place(just google it), but here is what I do. I take the table of contents at the front of my Bible and use that as a guide. I break it down into months. I need to read 3.5 books out of the OT and 4.5 books out of the NT. Then I start reading a NT book and an OT book. I don’t really have a set pattern. I do try to keep the Pentateuch together and read that in order.

So how much do I read daily? It varies. I do occasionally miss a day or two. But if I try and read for at least 15 minutes a day then that keeps me on schedule. I try and discipline myself to stay on schedule monthly because catching up at the end of the year can be too difficult and you will miss too much.

I generally do in depth Bible study different from Bible reading. Sometimes what I am reading will lead me to study that passage more in depth. Other times I am studying something completely different. In addition, I keep those things separate from my sermon study and preparation. I don’t want to substitute my sermon preparation for devotional time with the Lord. Even though all my study is somewhat devotional in nature.

I hope that you find a plan that works best for you. It has been a rich and rewarding exercise that has led to some great times of prayer, conviction, encouragement, and time spent with the Lord.