Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Monday, December 3, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
1 John Study Guide Week Three
Follow this link to download a copy of week three of the 1 John Study Guide.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Week One Study Guide
For those who want to follow along with the series in 1 John, follow this link to download the study guide for week one.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Does Your Life Resonate with the Word of God?
I recently received an email from one of our member's, Jennifer Whitmer, and she wrote something that I think would be an encouragement for you to get "in tune" with the Bible. Here's what she wrote:
When I teach music, I wear a tuning fork around my neck. This tuning fork always sounds A440 (the musical note A above middle C). It never changes the note it sounds. Before I start a song, I sound the tuning fork to get my note.
Another great thing about the tuning fork is that is will make other objects sound A440 if they touch. If you place the tuning fork on a chalkboard or desk or guitar, the object will vibrate with the tuning fork and produce an A. This is called resonating. Each object has a different timbre (own unique sound quality), but it is still resonating the note A. Every instrument has a uniquely designed resonating cavity to sound all the same notes, but with its own timbre. A violin will resonate the A in different way than a trumpet, but they play in tune together.
God’s word is like the tuning fork. It is the “pure milk”, the unchanging way to life with God. We should live life with a passion to be in tune with God’s word, constantly going back the word and allowing the spirit to show us how to be in tune with the Word in every situation. Like finding the different keys and starting notes, our life is based on the one true note of God’s word and His character displayed through His word. Checking our pitch against His truth is “looking intently at the perfect law.”
When the true word is touching our lives, we resonate His truth in the unique way he designed for us to display His glory. Our lives are uniquely designed “resonating cavities” that vibrate with the word of God in the timbre He designed for us. The church is composed of all different timbres, but all in tune with God and His word.
We should long to be in tune with Him. Walking closely with him, vibrating what He vibrates, resonating His truth and grace and love.
James 1:22-25
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.
When I teach music, I wear a tuning fork around my neck. This tuning fork always sounds A440 (the musical note A above middle C). It never changes the note it sounds. Before I start a song, I sound the tuning fork to get my note.
Another great thing about the tuning fork is that is will make other objects sound A440 if they touch. If you place the tuning fork on a chalkboard or desk or guitar, the object will vibrate with the tuning fork and produce an A. This is called resonating. Each object has a different timbre (own unique sound quality), but it is still resonating the note A. Every instrument has a uniquely designed resonating cavity to sound all the same notes, but with its own timbre. A violin will resonate the A in different way than a trumpet, but they play in tune together.
God’s word is like the tuning fork. It is the “pure milk”, the unchanging way to life with God. We should live life with a passion to be in tune with God’s word, constantly going back the word and allowing the spirit to show us how to be in tune with the Word in every situation. Like finding the different keys and starting notes, our life is based on the one true note of God’s word and His character displayed through His word. Checking our pitch against His truth is “looking intently at the perfect law.”
When the true word is touching our lives, we resonate His truth in the unique way he designed for us to display His glory. Our lives are uniquely designed “resonating cavities” that vibrate with the word of God in the timbre He designed for us. The church is composed of all different timbres, but all in tune with God and His word.
We should long to be in tune with Him. Walking closely with him, vibrating what He vibrates, resonating His truth and grace and love.
James 1:22-25
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Bible Reading Plan
If you're looking for a Bible reading plan, you can download a free sample at this Link.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Why Reading the Bible Doesn't Work For You
For years pastors have pounded on people to read their Bible and pray, which is great advice - perhaps the best advice you'll ever get. But it always comes off like "eat your vegetables and floss your teeth." Both are things you know you should do, but few actually look forward to it.
In the future, I'll address prayer, but for now let's talk about why the Bible isn't working for you.
You Don't Do What it Says
When I talk to some Christians, I am amazed sometimes how little thought they give to what the Bible says. I'm not talking about the little nuances of Scripture, but the big, obvious stuff like forgiveness. I don't have the time to recount all the places in scripture that directly point to both the benefits and the need for us to forgive other people. Jesus preached about it in the sermon on the Mount, he told parables on forgiveness, and instructed a disciple to forgive someone not just seven times in one day, but 7 times 70. Here's the point, if Scripture is coming at you at all angles telling you to forgive, but yet you don't forgive, reading more Scripture doesn't seem to help because your heart is hard to its truth. What you have done is built up a "resistance" to scripture. Months and years of not doing what it says leads to layers and layers of pessimism, skepticism, guilt, shame, anger, pain, and legalistic attitudes toward scripture that encases your heart. Outside a work of the Spirit, truth has a hard time making it where it needs to go - not the head, but the heart. If you want Scripture to work for you, you have to do what it says. Who hires a high priced lawyer and ignores the counsel? Who goes to the doctor and throws away the prescription? Friends, we have a gift from God that is a "lamp unto our feet". It is priceless advice, yet even more a love letter from the throne of grace, the lover of our soul and the creator of the universe.
You Only Listen to Part of It
Many people find that Scripture doesn't work for them because they only listen to part of it. This is closely related to the first reason. This happens when you bend Scripture around your worldview. If you are from an Eastern culture or you're a conservative Western, you embrace verses that support the family and speak out against moral failure like sexual immoratlity. However, the idea of "turning the other cheek" can almost sound preposterous. "Eye for an eye" you say. If you are liberal in your worldview, you love the "turn the other cheek" stuff and tolerance, but "no sex out of marriage? How regressive!" When you listen to all of what scripture says, you find that it attacks all worldviews that are counter to the Kingdom of God. And when you realize that, you find that Scripture provides a source of wisdom like none other and you begin to crave what it says.
Your Flesh Resists It
Galatians 5 says that what is flesh is opposed to what is spirit. Your flesh resists the reading of Scripture, but your spirit cries out for it. Your flesh would rather watch TV, mess around in the yard or play golf. It is important, therefore, to strengthen your spirit and not your flesh. Don't starve the spirit in your life. Feed what your spirit craves. But know that you are in a battle with your flesh who will fight you on reading scripture. Don't give in!
Terry Virgo has some great Bible insight on his website. Link.
In the future, I'll address prayer, but for now let's talk about why the Bible isn't working for you.
You Don't Do What it Says
When I talk to some Christians, I am amazed sometimes how little thought they give to what the Bible says. I'm not talking about the little nuances of Scripture, but the big, obvious stuff like forgiveness. I don't have the time to recount all the places in scripture that directly point to both the benefits and the need for us to forgive other people. Jesus preached about it in the sermon on the Mount, he told parables on forgiveness, and instructed a disciple to forgive someone not just seven times in one day, but 7 times 70. Here's the point, if Scripture is coming at you at all angles telling you to forgive, but yet you don't forgive, reading more Scripture doesn't seem to help because your heart is hard to its truth. What you have done is built up a "resistance" to scripture. Months and years of not doing what it says leads to layers and layers of pessimism, skepticism, guilt, shame, anger, pain, and legalistic attitudes toward scripture that encases your heart. Outside a work of the Spirit, truth has a hard time making it where it needs to go - not the head, but the heart. If you want Scripture to work for you, you have to do what it says. Who hires a high priced lawyer and ignores the counsel? Who goes to the doctor and throws away the prescription? Friends, we have a gift from God that is a "lamp unto our feet". It is priceless advice, yet even more a love letter from the throne of grace, the lover of our soul and the creator of the universe.
You Only Listen to Part of It
Many people find that Scripture doesn't work for them because they only listen to part of it. This is closely related to the first reason. This happens when you bend Scripture around your worldview. If you are from an Eastern culture or you're a conservative Western, you embrace verses that support the family and speak out against moral failure like sexual immoratlity. However, the idea of "turning the other cheek" can almost sound preposterous. "Eye for an eye" you say. If you are liberal in your worldview, you love the "turn the other cheek" stuff and tolerance, but "no sex out of marriage? How regressive!" When you listen to all of what scripture says, you find that it attacks all worldviews that are counter to the Kingdom of God. And when you realize that, you find that Scripture provides a source of wisdom like none other and you begin to crave what it says.
Your Flesh Resists It
Galatians 5 says that what is flesh is opposed to what is spirit. Your flesh resists the reading of Scripture, but your spirit cries out for it. Your flesh would rather watch TV, mess around in the yard or play golf. It is important, therefore, to strengthen your spirit and not your flesh. Don't starve the spirit in your life. Feed what your spirit craves. But know that you are in a battle with your flesh who will fight you on reading scripture. Don't give in!
Terry Virgo has some great Bible insight on his website. Link.
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