How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible III

Heading into our first principle of reading and examining Spirit-breathed Scripture in such a way that we are assured of understanding the "spiritual words" that we read, it is essential that we embrace the following declaration from Apostle Paul...

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God...he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 1 Cor 2:14 NASU

It's absolutely a prerequisite for us to understand God's Word, that you and I are sold on this truth.  We must embrace wholeheartedly, without reservation, that God's Word is spiritual and the natural man doesn't have the first clue about it.  The natural man can read, reread, re-reread, and read again the Scriptures and still not gain any understanding of what he reads.  The natural man can meditate on the Word and be found just as dumbfounded about it as a 2 year old child.  The natural man can study the Word and still be as perplexed as a monkey about the intention of the Writer of the Scriptures.  The natural man can pray as he reads the Word and still be as confused as a lion paralyzed by the 3-legs of a lion-tamers stool.

Embracing this weakness of the natural man is called humility.  It cuts directly against the arrogance of the flesh, but agrees one hundred percent with the Spirit's position on understanding His Word.  The flesh is in opposition to the Spirit (Rom 8:7), disagreeing with the Spirit of God along every point of our journey.  But, humility is the position to receive grace (James 4:6).  You and I can't receive grace-given unless we are humble in our heart.  God gives grace, only to the humble, but, to the proud He does not give grace, but rather, He resists them (1 Peter 5:5).

So, now you might say, "Ok, I can't understand God's word, but God fully expects me to understand God's word (Mark 12:24)...where do I go from here?"  Where you go is...to depend completely on the Holy Spirit to give you understanding, to illuminate the Word to you, to teach you and give you understanding of His words.

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things... John 14:26 NASU

This Scripture leads us directly to Principle #1...

Listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit as You Read God's Word

Every other principle that I'll share in later posts about gaining understanding of God's word, has one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to put us in the best position to hear clearly the voice of the Holy Spirit teaching us about His own words.

If you want to understand God's thoughts, the Holy Spirit must teach them to you because He's the only One that knows God's thoughts...

"...the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God."  1 Cor 2:11 NASU

So, as you read the Bible, be sure to ask, believing for, the Holy Spirit to teach you.  Let me assure you, if you ask, believing and not doubting, for the Holy Spirit to teach you His word, He will do just that.  Just be sure to listen to His voice as you read.  He has never, never let me down...nor has the Holy Spirit disappointed any man throughout history regarding this principle.  Stay tuned for additional tips on understanding God's word!

How to Read, Examine and Understand the Bible II

I'm challenged in my own walk by the "in your face" words of Jesus and Apostle Paul as they "got up in the grill" of people who apparently didn't read (or listen to) the Scriptures, or didn't understand what they were reading/hearing.  Listen to these prodding questions...

Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?" Mark 12:24 NASU

"Have you not even read this Scripture:..." Mark 12:10 NASU

Rom 11:2 Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah... Rom 11:2 NASU

How important is it to you (1) to read God's word and (2) to understand what you are reading?  Both Jesus and Paul believed that people should take reading and understanding God's word, very seriously.  Why?  Why was this so important to Jesus and Paul, that they actually confronted people about their lackadaisical approach to handling the word?

One of many passages in the Bible that God has used to transform my life was the account of the Jesus and His disciples visiting Mary and Martha's house (Luke 10:38-42).  Martha is running around like a mad woman, trying to get a meal and the house ready for company while Mary is sitting down at Jesus' feet, just listening to every word that falls from His lips.  Martha gets quite irate with her sister...probably thinking that Mary is trying to get out of doing some housework.  So, Martha pleads with Jesus to get Mary off her duff, so that she can lighten the load.  But, Jesus tells Martha that she's not seeing things in the right perspective.  In fact, He describes what Mary's doing...sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to His voice...as the "one thing...necessary."  Imagine that!  There is "one thing...necessary" in our daily walk, and that "one thing" is to sit "at the Lord's feet and" listen "to His word."

In other passages in the New Testament, we are admonished to "walk by the Spirit," to be "led by the Spirit," and so on.  We are exhorted to "pray at all times."  These are passages that give us guidance on how to live our lives.  We are to live daily by listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and walking in His counsel, His leading. 

The newbie to the faith might ask, "How can I tell what the Holy Spirit's voice sounds like?  Or, which voice is the Holy Spirit?"  Well, that's what makes reading and understanding God's word so significant to our lives.  See, the Holy Spirit will never give counsel that is contrary to the word of God, because "all Scripture is God-breathed" and God isn't confused or schizophrenic.  The Bible says that He is "the same yesterday, today and forever."  What the Holy Spirit said to the authors of the Bible, He is still saying today!

So, reading and understanding the Bible help us to discern the voice of God in our hearts.  Can you see now, just how important reading and understanding God's word is to your life?  Can you see why Jesus and Paul put such a serious tone to the necessity of spending time in the word?  Can you see why it could be so very important for you to learn how to read, examine and understand God's word?  Good, stay tuned!

How to Read, Examine, and Understand the Bible

In a 2008 Barna survey of 1,871 adults who described themselves as Christian, these troubling worldviews were uncovered:

"Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.”

"Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of Christians do not accept that teaching."

"Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is 'a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.'”

This is frustrating because it proves that a significant percentage of those who describe themselves as Christians (1) are not reading their Bible, and/or (2) do not know how to read the Bible in a way that results in them understanding God's Word.

How can a nation live their lives as God's Word directs, if many in the body of Christ do not read the Bible, or do not understand what they are reading?

I've met a significant number of Christians that are convinced that having their own personal interpretation of God's Word is permissible, even endorsed.  This dangerous position has been the result of a significant number of those not grounded in God's Word, yet claiming to be Christians, having yielded to the forceful, postmodern voices demanding that truth is relative, and not absolute.

Centuries ago, in Egypt, Pharaoh had two dreams.  The dreams were from God.  God had chosen to speak to Pharaoh through these dreams, but Pharaoh didn't know the Lord and he didn't have the interpretation of the dreams.  Joseph was brought before Pharaoh to hear an account of the dreams, that they might be interpreted correctly.  Joseph made it rather clear that it wasn't for him to interpret the dreams.  Listen to Joseph's sage counsel...

'Do not interpretations belong to God?'  Gen 40:8  NASU

Joseph understood something that we should all understand.  He understood that God's word was not to be interpreted by man.  Joseph understand that God was the only One qualified to interpret His own word.  Man's responsibility is not to interpret the Word of God, but rather to discover God's interpretation of His own Word.

In some upcoming posts to this blog, I'll be sharing some principles and tips on how to discover God's interpretation of His Word.  Stay tuned!

Selling All That You Possess

This morning I was reading the passage about the rich young ruler and saw something in this passage that I had never seen before.  It was one of those moments, encounters really, with the Holy Spirit that you remember for a long, long time.  It was like the Holy Spirit opened a box that somehow had been either left unopened or slightly ajar and when it was fully opened, and light allowed to come in, it caused all the other previously opened boxes to somehow be illuminated to a greater measure, and thus, fit better in my understanding.  It also may be one of those moments that is far better experienced than shared, but I'll give a whack at it anyway.  Here's the passage...

Luke 18:18-23  18  A ruler questioned Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  19  And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good except God alone.  20  You know the commandments, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'"  21  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  22  When Jesus heard this, He said to him, "One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.  NASU

I think we've all read this passage a thousand times or more.  And many of you probably have had the Holy Spirit illuminate what I'll be sharing about in this post, already, what I saw for the first time today.  The Bible instructs us as to Who possesses what...

Ps 24:1
The earth is the Lord's, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.  NASU

The Lord owns everything.  It is all His.  The earth, the entire earth belongs to Him.  Not only does the earth belong to Him, but everything that is in and on the earth, belongs to Him...this includes man.  Every man, woman and child belong to God.  Every human being, every one of them, without exception belongs to God.  Every penny, every ruble, every peso, every yen, every single expression of material and wealth on this earth, belong to the Lord.

Now, since everything belongs to the Lord...how much of what is on the earth belongs to man, or any single man, woman or child?  Nothing!  There is nothing that belongs to any of us.  It all belongs to God.  This is the stewardship principle/concept that the Bible clearly instructs us all to apply to our lives.  This much I had laid hold of already, long before this morning.  What grabbed me this morning in the rich young ruler passage was how Jesus addressed the idolatry and stewardship and prosperity issues with one proposal.  In one offer, "give everything to the poor and I'll give you eternal life"...Jesus brings the rich young ruler face-to-face with what has captivated his heart, more than God.  Now, had the rich young ruler embraced this truth...that all that he possessed already belonged to God...that he wasn't a possessor of anything, rather a steward of God's possessions, the offer would've been responded to differently by the rich man.

Consider this...Jesus only asked the rich young ruler to give up what the rich young ruler possessed.  Had the rich young ruler come to Jesus already embracing in his heart that he was no more than a steward of all the wealth in his hands, he could've truthfully responded to Jesus offer to "give all that you possess" with, "but I don't possess anything, it all belongs to the Father."

Jesus could've very well responded to this by saying, "You are correct, the earth and all it contains belongs to the Father, and since it belongs to Him, He is requiring of you, this very moment, to give all that you manage for Him, to be given to the poor."  The rich young ruler would've then been able to, without fear, without anxiety, without stress, to simply let it all go, because it never belonged to him in the first place...it wasn't his to keep...he was just a steward.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, until this morning, I never saw Jesus emphasizing, "give all that you possess...".  Had the rich young ruler somehow felt that God owned 80% of the wealth that he oversaw, and that he owned 20% of the wealth...in this encounter, by requesting, "give all that you possess," Jesus was only asking for the 20% that had somehow come to possess the rich young ruler's heart.  Jesus was only asking for that part of the wealth that the rich young ruler managed, that he would struggle giving up because he "believed" it was his, and not God's.

If we will manage God's money rather than possess it for ourselves, it sure will be a lot easier when He comes to us asking for a redistribution of it.  After all, can't He do with His wealth what He wants to do?

Great Day Off with My Family

Today was a great day!

My wife, 3 kids and I went to the YMCA this morning.  Lynn and I played racquetball while the 3 kids were playing in childcare.  Afterwards, all 5 of us went into the swimming pool and had a blast.  Sadly, I made little Hannah (4 months) cry by dunking her twice in the pool.  She calmed down and relaxed as long as she sat on Daddy's shoulder, her face next to mine.  David had a blast showing me how he could jump from the side into the pool.  He really, really had a great time doing that.  Later, Lynn took Hannah into the observation room and fed Hannah while I played in the pool with the boys.  We had a blast playing with rubber duckies, learning how to use a noodle, and throwing rings (that sank) across the pool.  David especially enjoyed having me throw him high in the air and landing in the water.  It won't be long before he can take off his floating device and really swim on his own.  He's learning how to doggie paddle and is getting better at kicking.

After we got out of the pool, took showers, and got dressed, we started to head out of the facility and I peeked into the basketball gym and saw a few friends playing 3-on-3.  I asked Lynn if she wouldn't mind taking the kids home and coming back in about an hour to pick me up.  I hadn't played hoops in at least 2 1/2 months and thought I was going to be rusty out there.  Actually, I had a hot hand and everything seemed to work well...passing, dribbling, shooting and defense.

Lynn came and picked me up and we headed home.  I was dead tired!  Eventually, Lynn wanted to go to the store, so David, Joshua and I went up stairs, jumped in Mom and Dad's bed and took naps...ooooohhhh, did that feel great!

Lynn made tacos for dinner while I played with Hannah.  Just before bed, the boys and I played follow the leader and we sat on the floor and played with blocks.  Afterwards, I took the boys upstairs and put them to bed, telling them another thriller of a story about 2 young boys named Prince David and Prince Joshua who rode through a jungle on elephants and came upon a dinosaur and a lion (their choice for the animals) who had been terrorizing a tribe in the jungle.  The dinosaur and lion came after Prince David and Prince Joshua, who had gotten off of their elephants, but because of their faith that Jesus was with them, they stood their ground.  Then, they pulled out their swords and killed these ferocious creatures, saving an entire tribe from any more terror!

Being a Dad is great!  I think I'm starting to catch on how Father God looks at me (us).  Last Sunday night, the "Experiencing the Father's Embrace" DVD challenged our small group to move from a relationship with the Father that was primarily "gimme, gimme, gimme" to "change me, change me, change me."  Jack Frost challenged us with this question, "When you pray, is most of your prayer time consisting of, 'God, give me this or give me that.'"  Or is it simply "being with the Father" and experiencing intimacy with Him?

Jack used the parable of the Prodigal Father (the religious church has focused on the sin of the younger son, and entitled it "The Prodigal Son") to teach us how easy it is to move adrift of the Father and His love by only coming to the Father for the "gimme, gimme, gimme".  We were challenged to move from valuing the Father for what He can give us, to valuing Him for who He is and intimacy with Him.

Luke 15:11  And He said, "A man had two sons.  12 "The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me...'"  NASU

Any thoughts on this?

Who's Feet You Sittin' At?

I've noticed that when I sit at the feet of certain talk radio guys, I begin to see the world from an unbiblical perspective.  Let me explain.  I begin to see people from a certain party or a certain political perspective, as the enemy, as my enemy.  My "blood boils" when I think of them, and soon that turns to rage.  My issue is this...the Bible clearly tells us that "flesh and blood" are not our enemies.  Is sitting at the feet of someone for any length of time, that has an unbiblical worldview, a wise thing?  If, while sitting at their feet, I sense a shift within my heart to see people as the enemy, rather than a mission field to be reached...is it a wise thing to sit at their feet?  Consider this passage...

Eph 6:12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  NASU

Are these very popular talk radio guys viewing the world through accurate lens?  I've found myself having struggles with reaching out to people of vastly different political perspectives.  And I believe it's because I'm putting up contentious walls when I sit at the feet of certain talk radio guys.  Shouldn't I be viewing the devil and his minions as who I wrestle with, who I war against?

How much better it is when I sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to what He has to say about the world, about government, about everything!  When I do sit at His feet, I begin to see the world in the way that He sees the world.  Jesus told us it is the one thing necessary for us...to sit at His feet and listen to Him.  He didn't tell us that listening to talk radio was the one thing necessary, or that serving was the one thing necessary...no, He said sitting at His feet and listening is the one thing necessary!

Luke 10:38-42  38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  39  She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.  40  But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."  41  But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  NASU

I wonder if the Lord would say to me when I'm listening to talk radio..."Kevin, Kevin, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary...choose the better part, sit at My feet and listen to My voice."

I find it interesting, compelling, convincing and inspiring that history is replete with an abundance of people that do this and are fruitful, successful and world changers....Joseph (son of Jacob), Mary, George Washington Carver, Yonggi Cho, and so on and so on. 

May we be those who sit at Jesus' feet and listen to His voice!

Faithing Puts On

Eph 6:13-18  13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit,  NASU

Tonight during our cell group, we concluded our study of the personal benefits of the blood, body and Cross of Jesus Christ, by reviewing this passage.  I've typically examined this passage with a magnifying glass-type of perspective, but tonight was a good opportunity to take a few steps back and look at it with a broader view in mind.  A broader view helped me to view this passage from the "battle" perspective.  The terms "armor" and "stand firm" and "sword" and "breastplate," all make it clear that this passage is about battle!  Battle is a hostile engagement by two or more foes.  And our foe is the Devil!  It was encouraging to not only review the personal benefits of the blood, body and Cross of Christ, but to take a stand on that which is promised to us, the inheritance of the saints.

The enemy, the Devil, has come to steal...and, if possible, to steal our inheritance.  Jesus came to give us an inheritance and the Devil has come to take it away.  We receive the inheritance by faith and the enemy tries to take it away by tempting us to doubt what God has accomplished for us on the Cross.  This is the fight that Paul urged his spiritual son, Timothy, to wage...the fight of faith!  I was reminded afresh tonight that we need to contend for these benefits, to "stand firm" against Satan, the one who would desire to steal away our inheritance by deceiving us into doubting the benefits of the Cross.  Paul encouraged Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith."  Who was Timothy to wage this fight against?  The Devil is our foe!  He desires to use our past experiences, or even most recent experiences against us in his scheme to get us to believing amiss.

But the Word of God says we are to embrace the truth only, and not to fall for Satan's deceptive trickery!  And as we stand on the truth, and appropriate the inheritance through faith in Christ and what He successfully accomplished through the Cross, we will defeat Satan!

Let us not be ignorant of the blessings Christ so painfully worked to deliver to us!  He went to great extremes to provide an inheritance to us, how apathetic it would be to not delve into the Word of God and discover the great treasures He has paid for us to possess by faith!

Be encouraged!  Father loves you with an everlasting love, and He desires that you discover every bit of the inheritance that He has purchased for you.  It is not greedy or self-centered to diligently discover what He longs for you to possess!  Will you search the Word of God thoroughly to discover how rich an inheritance you have through Christ?  It's definitely worth the effort!