Category Archives: Bible

-Read the Bible: An Excellent Idea for 2024

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A new year has come and many are looking to change their life for the positive in 2024. I believe that one of the best things one can do if not the best is read the Bible daily. It is life changing.

Several polls taken during the last year have unfortunately demonstrated that American Christians are somewhat illiterate when it comes to the Bible and particularly Biblical teachings. One good way to reverse the trend is to set aside time to read the good book everyday. An excellent idea is to read through the whole Bible or at least the New Testament during 2024. There are a number of good programs to help you in the process.

One of the easiest ways to get it done is to get a ‘One Year Bible’ where the whole year is divided up into daily readings usually with a selection from the New Testament, the Old Testament, and from Psalms. You can even get it in your favorite version at the book store or at Amazon.

If you find that reading all of it in one year is maybe too much, then you could read just the New Testament and Psalm offerings for each day and then maybe save the Old Testament or the following year (or visa versa).

There are also a number of good plans available that allow you to use your regular Bible for the reading. Here’s a few online: The One year Bible Online, Bible Gateway

You could also get the Bible on CD or tape and listen to it on the way to work this year or download it into your iPod, iPhone or MP3.

There are lots more Bible helps available just search online.

May God Bless you and yours during 2024.

-The World Turns Toward Jerusalem

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Last week the whole world turned towards Jerusalem. Some in praise and hope, others in condemnation. The opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem along with the 70 year celebration of the modern founding of Israel had ‘end-time’ prophecy buffs in overload. It also left Muslim leaders perplexed and angry.

Here’s an interesting article on this topic I found in the Charisma News:  “5 Reasons Last Week Was Incredibly Prophetic for Israel” by Asher Intrater

The conclusion of the article was particularly poignant:

These events represent a tectonic-plate shift in the spiritual realm. I believe we are crossing into a new period of prophetic fulfillment, whereby Jerusalem becomes both the center of international conflict (Zechariah 12:3clip_image002), and at the same time there is the beginning of a new outpouring of the spirit of grace and supplication (Zechariah 12:10clip_image002[1]).

As all these events take place, let’s make sure we repent and turn our hearts anew to the Lord; so that on an individual level, we ourselves will be submitted to God’s perfect will and aligned to His righteous order.

-A Hopeful Scripture to Consider

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Here some hopeful verses from Isaiah to consider for this year:

Isa 54:2-3, 10 :

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes.

3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;

10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
-NIV

-You Will be Mighty in the Land

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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. –Jer 29:11-14  (NIV)

His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.  …
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
–Ps 112:2-4  (NIV)

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.  –Zech 4:6  (NIV)

For Young Christians (Also for parents, grandparents, pastors and youth leaders):

There is popular message being disseminated to the youth in America today that you will not have a future as great as your parents but must be prepared to settle for less. This thought comes from the pit of hell and should be cast off since it is the intention of the enemy.

But your Father in Heaven has plans for you to proper you and give you hope and a supernatural destiny in the future.  It is the intention of the Lord that you become even closer to Him than your parents and miracles and the ‘supernatural’ become a natural part of your daily life. In the past, work and occupations were considered as separate from ones spiritual life and ministry but no more. They are to be lived as one and the same.

You will not be limited by the might of the US economy nor by the power of the US military but through the Spirit you will receive vision, direction, blessing and an open door for the future. You are destined to be mighty in the land and your light will shine forth in the darkness.              

-J.P. Moreland Shakes Up Evangelical Conference Talking About ‘Bibliolatry"

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Talbot Seminary professor J.P. Moreland shook up the recent Evangelical Theological Society conference in San Diego by telling attendees that evangelicals were ‘over-committed’ to the Bible and disregarded other ‘extra-Biblical’ forms of guidance from God. During his address, Dr. Moreland pointed out that evangelical scholars and the movement, as a whole, many times reject:

…guidance, revelation, and so forth from God through impressions, dreams, visions, prophetic words, words of knowledge and wisdom. …

We shut that down because of charismatic excesses, because of abuses, we fear teaching people how to use it. We think its all going to be Benny Hinn or something like that.

Comments: As you can well imagine, his address sparked considerable controversy and response from those who were there and hundreds of comments on the Internet.

What is really shocking, this comes from a major professor from Biola University’s Talbot Seminary. A school which started out and remains squarely in the dispensational camp. Many of its ‘big guns’ in the past have been especially critical of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements.

I have read a number of articles and books by J. P. Moreland in the past and have always found his works to be particularly good in the area of apologetics. We should not look for him to become a Charismatic or a Pentecostal anytime soon, but neither is he a card carrying cessasionalist. He seems to be far more open to the ‘gifts’ than I had ever supposed.

J.P Moreland is a very careful Biblical apologist and philosopher. What’s important here, while his address was about how evangelicals treat the Bible, it is tantamount to admitting that there is really no Biblical basis for the cessasionalist tendencies that have dominated so much of the American evangelical community.

Now what we need is a Charismatic or Pentecostal leader of similar influence reminding Charismatics and Pentecostals to balance out our spiritual gift with balanced Bible study.

I believe we will see a balance when revival comes.

Re: “My Conversation with God”-John Piper Responds and I Respond to John Piper

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John Piper today posted a response to the anonymous “My Conversation with God” article that appeared in the March 2007 issue of Christianity Today and was posted on-line. I also responded to the article in a rather different way than Dr. Piper.

John Piper starts out his article telling us that he too has heard the voice of God speaking personally to him and gives a detailed account of the experience. However, the article turns in a different direction at the conclusion. Please read his post: “The Morning I Heard God’s Voice” before going on to my comments.
Comments:

John Piper is an incredibly gifted and anointed Bible scholar/teacher and his books and articles have blessed and enriched an entire generation of Christians. Some of his books are among my favorites. However, his article made me sad today. Particularly since I always look forward to his writing with a certain expectancy and today I was disappointed.

In the later part of his posting he responds to the earlier article -“My Conversation with God” and he says this about it:

What makes me sad about the article is not that it isn’t true or didn’t happen. What’s sad is that it really does give the impression that extra-biblical communication with God is surpassingly wonderful and faith-deepening. All the while, the supremely glorious communication of the living God that personally and powerfully and transformingly explodes in the receptive heart through the Bible everyday is passed over in silence.

And then:

I grieve at what is being communicated here. The great need of our time is for people to experience the living reality of God by hearing his Word personally and transformingly in Scripture. Something is incredibly wrong when the words we hear outside Scripture are more powerful and more affecting to us than the inspired Word of God.

My Response:

For me, it is wonderful and essential to experience the word of God in a variety of ways. While I am praying and meditating the Holy Spirit reminds me of things to pray about and changes that need to be made. When I am reading the Bible, the words leap out to me and become the word of God for me personally. On a number of occasions I have experienced the ‘voice of God’ speaking literally to me. For me all these experiences of God are Biblical and all are “surpassingly wonderful and faith-deepening”.

What does “extra-biblical” mean? Does it mean that God is now limited to only speak to us through the scriptures? Only the printed and translated words are to be trusted? I have studied under some of the top Bible scholars in the world and yet they were not believers. They knew the words far better than I ever will, and in the original languages. But it wasn’t the Word of God for them.

The words of the Bible become the Word of God for Christians because believers can experience the same Holy Spirit, who inspired the words in the first place. When believers read the words of the Bible today they are inspired by the Holy Spirit all over again.

The same Holy Spirit counsels us in our prayer and meditation. The same Holy Spirit teaches us and may even speak words of prophecy to us or through others. The same Holy Spirit inspires and anoints teachers and writers like John Piper. The same Holy Spirit enlivens the words printed on the pages in our Bibles.

It is his use of the words ‘extra-biblical’ that bothers me the most. It is way too close to ‘un-biblical’ and many will read that meaning into the words. According to the Webster’s Dictionary ‘extra’ used as a prefix means: outside, beyond, or besides (e.g.: the Mormon scriptures and theology are ‘extra-biblical’- outside, beyond, and besides the Bible). Can anything that the Holy Spirit does be characterized as ‘outside’, ‘beyond’ or ‘besides’ the Bible?

The Bible is the Word of God in a special unique way. The scriptures are the foundation of our faith and all other experiences must be tested and understood through His infallible Word. None of the other experiences or ‘words’ that we may receive should ever replace or contradict the Bible.

I believe that this is John Piper’s major concern; that some may see their own experiences and personally received ‘words’ as more important and as a substitute for the Bible. The scriptures should always be the primary source for Christians along with the Holy Spirit which enlivens the Word.

However, as important as the Bible is, the really great need of our time is for people to experience the living reality of God that enlivens the Word, the Holy Spirit who comes into the lives of all those who respond to the call of God, to come and have faith in his Son Jesus.