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Archive for the ‘Bible’ Category

Appreciation of Truth is Not Application of Truth

Posted in Bible, tagged on February 9, 2012 | 11 Comments »

Think about it. Endless translations and editions of the Bible, conferences, blogs, mp3 downloads, live streams, video sermons, books, Christian music, CD’s, podcasts, radio shows, social media, and the weekly classes and sermons we take in…

Never has there been a generation with more access to biblical truth.

But is the church any better for it? Are believer’s more holy, more content, more committed to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) because of these accesses?

Here is the challenge that my own heart faces daily. With so much truth available, it is easier to appreciate the truth than apply the truth. It’s too easy to think that if we have appreciated, or just plain liked, a quote, a book, a sermon, a blog post, etc., that we have accomplished the intended effect of that truth. Appreciation and application are two very different things.

Don’t misunderstand. We should have a deep and abiding appreciation and attraction to biblical truth. Saying something like, “I loved that book,” or “I really enjoyed that sermon,” those are good things. Would we really want to say the opposite?

However, what a difference there is in being able to point to measurable and evident changes made in our thinking or behavior because of something we have learned. Appreciation of the truth should lead to application of the truth. Otherwise it is like putting a great Christian classic on the bookshelf for eye candy rather than actually reading it. I once heard a sad anecdote that the definition of a Christian classic is a book that everyone has, but no one has read. This illustrates the point.

So what steps can we take to move from appreciators to appliers? Here are some suggestions.

  1. Write it down. Get a notebook or journal and put into writing your responses to the biblical truth you are accumulating. Write out prayers pleading for the Spirit to apply the truth to your life. When taking notes from a sermon, don’t just write the outline, but note the things that you discern the Holy Spirit doing in your heart in response to the sermon.
  2. Talk about it. This is another way of saying become accountable. Foster relationships in which you can discuss not only the truth you are learning, but also the appropriate responses you should have to those truths.
  3. Review. Because truth is flying at us at light speed, take the time to read through that notebook or journal often to refresh your applications.
  4. Pray. Yeah, you knew that was coming. But I would encourage you to speak to God about the things you are learning. Go over your notes with Him in your prayer time and request specific grace for specific application of His truth.
  5. Slow down. I have found that I get more out of a book read slowly or a blog read repeatedly than trying to keep up with everything that comes out at an almost hourly rate.

Don’t let your mind become a museum for truth.

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Reading the Bible in a Month: My Wife’s Experience

Posted in Bible, tagged , on January 31, 2012 | 14 Comments »

Every believer knows the value of Bible reading. The most popular approach is to read through the Scriptures in a year. It seems reasonable that our eyes should read every verse in God’s Word annually. But if that is valuable, what about reading the whole Bible in a month?

In December my wife, Kim, and I were discussing our Bible reading plans for 2012. I had (and have) ambitions to read it through twice this year. I must admit that I felt pretty good about that plan. But imagine my response when Kim said, “I think I want to try to read the Bible through in January.”

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical, but encouraged her to go for it.

Well, she did it.

As we talked about the things she learned, I thought those lessons to be too valuable to keep to myself. So I asked her to write her thoughts out so I could post them. She was reluctant to do so for fear of drawing attention to herself. However, at my urging, she did put together her response to reading the Bible in a month. Here it is…

It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?” But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it (Dt. 30:12-14).

I’m not really sure what made me want to read the entire Bible in the month of January. I think some of it may have been guilt because it had been a while since I read all of God’s Word. I was also convicted that I am not as familiar with this precious book as I need and want to be. Whatever the reasons, I am so glad I did. It both confirmed my ignorance and whetted my appetite to dive deeper into its riches.

The following are some observations that the Lord showed me as I read:

1.     The unchanging character of God is always in the foreground (His holiness, compassion, faithfulness and grace) and shines against the backdrop of man’s continual failures. His focus on the heart stood out this time as well, especially in the Old Testament amidst all the detailed instructions on conduct.

2.     God’s message, plan, and sovereign orchestration of all events to accomplish this plan are consistent on every page. I am convinced that anyone who says the Bible is inconsistent has not spent much time in it.

3.     My reading included about 8 chapters in each of 5 sections daily (Law, History, Poetry, Prophecy and New Testament). I love seeing the Bible’s commentary on itself as well as themes and events being enhanced in different passages. For example, in Acts Peter is called to evangelize Gentiles and in Psalm 67 we see, “Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You… God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” In the same day I would read of the faithlessness of the kings and people of Israel, of God’s faithfulness to Israel in the Psalms, and from the prophets who were speaking truth into their lives. On another day I read about David’s desire for God to have a dwelling place in Psalm 132 and Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple in 2 Chronicles 9.

4.     It wasn’t that hard! Yes it took discipline and a good amount of time each day (1 ½ – 2 hrs), but it was very doable. From this point on, reading through God’s Word 3 or 4 times a year does not seem a bit daunting.

5.     I found myself growing in familiarity – the sense in which I am well acquainted with portions of Scripture because I just read them a few days ago. Several times they came to mind readily when dealing with issues in my own heart or in giving counsel to others. Some of these passages were close friends at one time and I’ve missed them. Others were mere acquaintances, but are pulling at me to get to know them better.

6.     After being so immersed in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan and His repeated warnings and patience with mankind, the final chapters in Revelation carried new meaning. I was overcome with worship for my Sovereign King and Lamb as well as deep sorrow for those who are perishing.

God has lovingly and graciously made it possible for me to know Him through the sacrifice of His Son and the revelation of Himself in His Word. It is not in heaven or across the sea, but it is right beside me on my nightstand. And I pray that it would be ever nearer in my heart and in my mouth.

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The Preaching Moment

Posted in Bible, Preaching, Rick Holland on November 2, 2011 | 7 Comments »

Another week means two more sermons for me to prepare. And that means the weekly ritual of opening my Bible, clicking on the Logos program on the Mac, and grabbing my favorite fountain pen and the familiar canary legal pad.

It’s amazing that after doing this thousands of times, the first thought that comes into my mind as I start is, “Now what am really doing and how am I actually going to do it?”

Word studies, diagrammatical analysis, Greek and Hebrew, homiletical outlines, illustrations, introductions and conclusions, applications, implications, transitions, titles… sermon prep is not for that faint of heart or the lazy of spirit. But I have to admit that I love it. Really, it is my favorite part of my “job.”

But it is far easier to forget what the design of preaching is than I would like to admit. In the book The Salvation of Souls, George Marsden provides this insightful context and quote from the preaching Jonathan Edwards:

In the midst of debates over the Great Awakening, Edwards, made a revealing comment about the effects of preaching. During intense periods of awakenings, evangelists often preached to the same audience daily, or even more frequently. Opponents of the awakening argued that people could not possibly remember what they heard in all these sermons. [Jonathan] Edwards, responded that ‘The main benefit that is obtained by preaching is by impression made upon the mind in the time of it, and not by the effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered.’  Preaching, in other words, should be designed primarily to awaken, to shake people out of their blind slumbers in the addictive comforts of their sins. Though only God can give them new eyes to see, preaching should be designed to jolt the unconverted or the converted who doze back into their sins (as all do) into recognizing their true estate.”

George M. Marsden, The Salvation of Souls (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2002), 11-12.

I think I understand what Mr. Edwards is saying. The moment of preaching that involves a holy and prepared man with a well-studied and clear message is special. It is live dynamic in which the Spirit of God connects His inspired Word with the listening heart through the preacher’s sermon. Remembering the content of the sermon at a later time is important. But not so much as the gravity of the living God and authority of His Truth in the moment of the sermon.

I don’t think Edwards’ words mitigate against listening to recorded sermons or reading them in print. I praise God for these opportunities. But don’t underestimate the power of sitting in church and hearing a sermon. And if you preach, don’t fail to tremble at the awesome privilege of making an impact on the minds of the congregants with the greatness of God, the sufficiency of His Son, and the preciousness of the Word of God. How we listen to and prepare sermons is of the greatest importance.

With these things in mind, sermon prep is scary, amazing, and a thrill.   Now, back to preparation…

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The Unity of the Bible

Posted in Bible on August 12, 2010 | 3 Comments »

While studying this week for my sermon I was once again moved by the unity of the message of the Bible. How could Isaiah and Hosea’s understanding of idolatry be identical to the Apostle Paul’s? Considering the uniqueness of their contexts and the distance from one another, there should be little chance their theological worldviews would match. However, their assessments and warnings sound like they’ve been reading each other’s mail.

This got me to thinking about the Bible’s unity. And reconsidering the Bible’s unity reminded me of a section from W.A. Criswell’s book, Why I Preach the Bible is Literally True. I read it again and thought it is worth passing along. I trust it will bolster confidence in Scripture and fuel worship for our God who has left us a Book. Here is the quote from Criswell:

The Bible was written on two continents, in countries hundreds of miles apart. One man wrote one part of the Bible in Syria; another man wrote another part in Arabia; a third man wrote another portion in Italy and in Greece. They wrote in the desert of Sinai, in the wilderness of Judea, in the cave of Adullam, in the public prison of Rome, on the Isle of Patmos, in the palaces of Mount Zion and Shushan, by the rivers of Babylon and on the banks of the Chebar. Such a variety of places and circumstances were the various bits of this strange mosaic created! No literary phenomenon in the world can be compared with it.

The Bible was written in three different languages: namely, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Some writers wrote hundreds of years after or before the others. The first part was written about fifteen hundred years before the man who wrote the last part was born. The authorship of the books of the Bible extends through the slow progress of nearly 16 centuries. When we think that the nation of America is not 200 years old, it is almost unbelievable that the authorship of the Bible covered nearly 16 centuries.

The Bible was written by men upon every level of political and social life, from the king upon his throne, down to the herdsmen, shepherds, fishermen, and petty politicians. Here are words written     by princes, by poets, by philosophers, by fishermen, by statesmen, by prophets, by priests, by publicans, by physicians, by men learned in the wisdom of Egypt, by men educated in the school of Babylon, by men trained at the feet of rabbis like Gamaliel. Men of every grade and class are represented in this miraculous Volume. The circumstances under which the Book was written were sometimes most difficult and always most varying. Parts of it were written in tents, deserts, cities, palaces, and dungeons. Some of it was written in times of imminent danger and other portions of it were written in seasons of ecstatic joy.

Not only in background and in circumstances do the authors differ who wrote the word of God, but they also display in their writings every form of literary structure. In the Bible we will find all kinds of poetry such as epic poetry, lyric poetry, didactic poetry, elegiac and rhapsodic poetry. Also we find every kind of prose. There is historic prose, didactic prose, and theological prose. The Bible will be partly in the form of letters, in the form of proverbs, in the form of parable, in the form of allegory, in the form of oration. Every kind of style and type of literature we will find the Word of God.

Is it thinkable that any book written in different places, languages, and literary genre by authors out of varying cultural levels and circumstances could ever come to be one volume, an organic whole: What would we naturally expect from such a background? We would expect whole areas of discord and all of it utterly lacking any basic or organic unity. In point of fact, what do we find? We find the most heavenly and marvelous unity of any book on the earth. Every part of the Bible fits every other part of the Bible. There is one ever-increasing, ever-growing-ever-developing plan pervading the whole (pp. 93-95).

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