Book Review: @#!*% , Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway

I read Rob Bell's newest book, Love Wins, and blogged about it.  You can read that review here.  Then I ran across this book that counters Bell's philosophy by Dr. Bobby Conway.

First, I will say that Rob Bell makes a smooth argument.  You leave the book feeling very persuaded, and it all sounds very nice.  I can see that many will accept this philosophy just based on the feel-good factor.  But, I got to thinking--human nature craves justice.  We all want to see evil punished, things evened out in a fair manner, that is, until it comes to us.  So the "no-hell" theory sounds nice, and makes you feel very comfortable, until you start thinking about the worst offenders in our world--pedophiles, kidnappers, Nazi concentration camp officers, rapists, serial killers--admit it, you want to see them burn.  It's the truth.  That throws a wrench into the works, doesn't it?  This changes things a bit.  You could change your theory to a "bar set really low" theory, it becomes a "most get into heaven" theory, but I do not see how anyone can really have an "everyone gets into heaven" theory.  You say, "well, I'm not nearly as bad as those kind of people, surely God would let me into heaven."  But the fact is, sin is sin, and we all deserve hell.  I'm no better than a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterer.  It say so in James 2:10.

That is how Bobby Conway opens his book, and I like that approach.  With a very loving tone, his focus is on grace.  He does not come from the stance of attacking Bell, but rather goes to the Bible to show the truth.  It's the truth, you deserve hell, I deserve hell, we all do.  And if you follow Bell's thoughts through to their conclusion (which Bell did not do in his own book), you will start to question many, many things about the Bible.  The biggest question becomes, "why did Jesus have to die?"  Conway addresses this issue.  As he puts it, "Why did the Father allow His wrath to be poured out on His Son?"  Doesn't that make God out to be more cruel than the God Bell portrays?  If everyone gets into heaven, there was no point to God's wrath on Jesus.

This brings me to the heart of the matter.  Bell ultimately does not take the Word of God as inerrant, and inspired, he doesn't take it seriously.  Conway puts it this way, "One thing becomes clear when reading Bell’s writings: he is more comfortable casting doubt on the Bible than offering credible contextual interpretations."  He says that we must go to the Word with an attitude of "what does the Bible say?" rather than "what do I want the Bible to say?"  I completely agree.  Conway quotes Darrell Bock, saying, "Bell reads Revelation 21–22 as if Revelation 19–20 did not exist."  I thought the same thing when I read Love Wins.  We cannot pick and choose from the Bible as if it's a salad bar.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that has read Love Wins, or anyone that has questions about heaven, hell, death, or the afterlife.  As Conway puts it, "Jesus wins!"  I agree!

This book is only available in ebook format.  I have to say, I wasn't thrilled about that.  I thought my eyes would get too fatigued reading on my PC (I don't have a Kindle or Nook), but they didn't.  I do like the feel of a book in my hand, but this book is pretty short, so I didn't have to sit at the computer for very long.  It is only 58 pages, not counting end notes, table of contents, etc.  Perhaps it will be released in print at some point.  But don't let the ebook format stop you from checking it out now.

I agree with Conway that it does seem that Bell has the right heart, to see people come to Christ, but I'm telling you, when you start doubting parts of God's Word, you tread on thin ice.  You will open the door for the devil to tempt you with other deceptions--the ultimate being that Jesus is not really the Son of God, He was not really born of a virgin, and therefore cannot save.  If you will recall that is the same thing he did in the Garden of Eden--tempted Eve with doubting God's Word (Gen. 3).  I will be curious to watch the path that Bell follows in the coming years.  I really hope he doesn't end up like the Carlton Pearsons and Charles Templetons of the world, but I see him opening himself up to that.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Dispensations

I'm studying Ephesians right now and have come to verse 10.  In this verse we see the word dispensation.  What is a dispensation?  It is the Greek word is oikonomia.  It means the management of household affairs, or administration.  It's simply the rule of the house, the way things operate for this time.  It is used 4 times as dispensation (I Cor. 9:17, Eph. 1:10, 3:2, & Col. 1:25) and 3 times as stewardship (Luke 16:2-4).  Some translations will use the word stewardship rather than dispensation.  I use the NKJV, which is based on the Textus Receptus.  In Eph. 3:9 there appears a word for fellowship--koinonia.  But some translations are based on the Alexandrian text, which uses the word oikonomia in that verse instead  Just something to be aware of.  The NKJV reads, "fellowship of the mystery", the ESV reads, "plan of the mystery", and NASB reads, "dispensation of the mystery."

 

Heb. 1:1 – God works in different ways in different times. This does not mean that God tried one thing and it didn’t work so He tried something else. The reason for each of these periods is to lead man to the cross, until the final period where Christ will reign forever.

 

These dispensations help us understand the overall plan of scripture. They help us have a big picture perspective.  Understanding these dispensations particularly helps us understand how we are no longer under the law.

 

So, what are the different dispensations?  There are seven, here is a list.  I interpret them slightly differently than some.  You may ask, "who cares?"  Does this information really do us any good in our day-to-day life?  For one, I will use them to explain the Sheep and the Goats post.  And I see a very practical aspect applied to our parenting.  I will post about that soon.

 

1. Innocence (Gen. 1:28) – from creation to the fall. How long did it last? We don’t really know, but we do know it ended when they sinned. They were no longer innocent at that point.

 

2. Conscience/Moral Responsibility (Gen. 3:7) – from the fall onward. You now know good and evil, I will leave you to your conscience to choose between those. But man tends toward evil, so we get up to Gen. 6:5 and God says that ALL the purposes of man were evil continually.

 

3. Government (Gen. 8:15) – from the flood onward. After the flood there were consequences for evil. Man was still accountable to his conscience to choose between good and evil, but God added an incentive. He says that anyone that takes a human life will have his taken away. We see the value God is placing on human life here. If you can’t govern yourself, someone else will have to. See also Rom. 13.

 

4. Promise (Gen. 12:1) – from the call of Abram onward. This promise was not based on anything Abraham had done; it was unconditional. All Abraham had to do was believe. This promise is still available to us by faith, as well. So this dispensation, too, has not gone away. Gen. 12 & Gal. 3, 4. God is now teaching humans to trust in Him.

 

5. Law (Ex. 19:1) – from Mt. Sinai until Jesus (or specifically John the Baptist—Luke 16:16). Promise does not end and the Law did not bring justification. It brought a picture of the Savior. It brought many, many types and shadows to point us to the cross. You can study everything in the law, from the Sabbath, to the Feasts, to the elements of the Tabernacle, to the Dietary Laws, to the specific instructions to the priests on how to administer offerings, to the laws for declaring leprosy cleansed, and you will see Christ through and through. Beyond all the symbolism, the law was meant to frustrate man and show him he could never make it on his own, even with conscience and human government.

 

6. Church (Acts 2:1) – from Pentecost until the rapture. This is sometimes called the Age of Grace (I do not agree with this title) or the Dispensation of Faith (again, I don’t think this is entirely accurate), or the Dispensation of the Spirit. This is the mystery Paul is talking about, the secret that was hidden, not revealed in the OT, that Gentiles and Jews would be part of the same Body, and that the Spirit would indwell us. These were mind-blowing truths. This is one of the reasons Paul prayed for revelation for the people he was writing to. We need to pray this pray, too, that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes to these profound truths.

 

· Do we still have moral responsibility (#2)? Yes, but now we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, to give us the power to choose right and wrong, and our human spirits have been recreated in the image of Christ—it wants to follow after Him.


· Do we still have human government (#3)? Yes, we do, but if we walk according to the Spirit, we don’t have to be afraid of the government. If they put us to death for righteousness sake, the Bible says we’re supposed to be happy.


· What about the law? Does it still stand? I Tim. 1:8-10 says that the law is not for the righteous—we have been made the righteousness of Christ—but for the lawless, the ungodly, the sinners. The law still stands to point people to Christ, to show them their need. The law still stands as a standard in our world, that if people would follow it, our world would be a better place to live in. The law does not justify us, but it sets the standard and grace gives us the power to live it.

 

7. Kingdom (Rev. 20:4) – from Armageddon onward. The visible rule of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. We can see II Sam. 7:12-16, Is. 9:6-7, Luke 1:31-33, Rev. 3:21, and Matt. 25:31. He came once to die, the second to reign.

  

Now, the thread that is common throughout all these dispensations is grace. That is why I do not call the Church Age the Age of Grace. Every single age has been the age of grace. It was God’s grace that blocked Adam and Eve from the Tree of Life. He did not want them to live forever in their fallen state. It was grace that God had on Cain when He marked him and sent him away. It was grace that saved Noah and his family. Grace called Abram out of Ur. Grace redeemed Israel from their bondage to the Egyptians. Grace came and dwelt among us. Grace will rule on a literal throne forever and ever. The other side of this coin is faith. You can read about people of faith throughout all the past in Hebrews 11. Just like them, we are saved by grace, through faith, in whatever age we live.

The Sheep and the Goats

To finish my series on Matthew 25 I have to include the Sheep and the Goats. At first I would have called this the parable of the Sheep and Goats, but I don't know if this qualifies as a parable. It does use some symbolism, though. To read about the first parable in this chapter click here. To read about the second parable click here and here, for part two.

I'm trying to keep my tag list as clutter-free as I can and include mostly books of the Bible, to be more of a cross-reference system. But if I were tagging traditionally, I would tag this blog with words like law, grace, wrath, works, punishment, condemnation, justification, sanctification, heaven, and hell. So think of those things as you read through this.  After you read this, I have a few questions for you.  I will publish a Part 2 to this post to address those questions.

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?  When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?  Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’  And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’  Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’  And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Have you ever wondered about this story in the Bible?  Have you ever felt condemned reading it?  Does it make you squirm?  What does it tell us about law and grace?  What about unconditional love?  What about verses like Romans 8:1, I Thessalonians 1:10, I Thessalonians 5:9, II Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:4-6, or Ephesians 2:8-9?  Does this story illustrate verses like Revelation 22:12?
I would love to hear your thoughts and I will post a follow-up soon.  Thanks!

Parable of the Talents pt. 2

This is part two of two posts on the Parable of the Talents. You can read the first part here.

I asked some questions last time, and here I will lay out what I believe the answers are. But remember, do your own study, come to your own conclusions.

Who is the lord? God.

Who are the servants? Christians. Not all believe this. I have heard it preached that the foolish servant was not a believer. I don't agree because in verse 14 you see the lord called his own servants. This reminds me of Romans 8:28. These are the called. These are the lord's servants, the unsaved are not serving God. And God is not lord of the unsaved.

What is a talent? A talent was a measure of weight used back in Bible times. This was a weight of gold or silver given to these servants. This is why I have always heard this passage taught in the context of financial stewardship, but I believe this has a broader application. I believe that the word talent means just that--a talent or a gift. There are many, many passages that refer to gifts God has given us. Some that come to my mind are Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 7:7, I Corinthians 12, Ephesians 3:7, Ephesians 6:7-8, I Timothy 4:14, II Timothy 1:6, I Peter 4:10, Proverbs 18:16. God has given you a gift, or gifts. What have you done with them?

What does this parable mean? This parable illustrates the Bema Seat of Christ. The Bema Seat in Roman times was the seat of judgment. Jesus was brought before the Bema Seat to see Pilate (Matthew 27 & John 19), and Paul was brought before the Bema Seat to see Gallio, in Achaia, and Festus, in Caesarea. We will all stand before the Judgment (Bema) Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10 & II Corinthians 5:10). I believe this is what I Corinthians 3:9-15 is referring to. Our works will be judged, but our spirit's will not. That was done when Christ hung on the cross. All sin was judged when He took the penalty. This is about rewards.


What is the outer darkness? I have always heard this referred to as hell. Some will teach that the servant that buried the talent wasn't really saved and is sent to hell. Others will teach that all were saved, but the servant that buried his talent lost his salvation, and thus was sent to hell. But I present a third option to you.

Outer darkness in Greek is exoteros skotos and it means simply the darkness outside. Charles Stanley, Kenneth Wuest, Erwin Lutzer, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, and Warren Wiersbe all agree this is not hell. Thayer's Greek/English Lexicon says that the outer darkness is "the darkness outside the limits of the lighted palace." Kenneth Wuest in his Expanded Translation of the Greek New Testament said, "The outer darkness is the darkness that is outside of the King's banqueting house." That is very interesting to me, in light of what I presented about the Parable of the Virgins and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. You can read about that in this post.

What does weeping and gnashing of teeth mean? This phrase has always sounded so strange to me. Obviously the weeping part is simple--it is weeping. And gnashing of teeth means profound regret.

So, is the outer darkness a place apart from God's light and joy, where we will weep and feel profound regret? IF...we do not steward the gifts and talents that God has given us? Remember that Revelation 21:4 says that God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. Why are they crying?

Whatever it is, it is not a place of punishment. Remember Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus." Are you in Christ? If so, you have nothing to fear. All sin was judged at the cross. If you have accepted the work that Christ did on your behalf, God has forgiven you of your sin, and therefore you cannot be punished.

The Wise and Foolish Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

¹ “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

I have been pondering this topic of the race for many months now and I see how many things in the Bible tie into it. If you want to read my post on The Race, click the link. Paul compared our Christian life to a race. He said he was pressing on to win the race and receive the prize. Later in his life, he said he had fought the good fight, he had finished the race, and he knew the prize was awaiting him. He told us in Hebrews 12 how to run that race, how not to get tripped up.

This is important because I know that a lot of Christians don't view their lives as a race. Rather they view Christianity as a ticket to heaven, a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, and that is the extent of their relationship with God. They hear about God's saving grace and sit back and don't ever find out anything else about Him and His plan. They sit around and don't ever do anything, telling themselves and others that they aren't saved by works (which is true). They don't ever take the time to enter into relationship with God, they don't even know him. They are like a bride that had a wedding, but doesn't want to live with the groom.

I heard something recently that was great -

"Between conversion and resurrection is discipleship."

Salvation is not the end, it is the beginning. How is your race going? Are you a disciple or a convert? Are you moving forward or regressing? I don't believe you can remain stationary in this race.

That is why I want to bring up this parable of the virgins. This story tells us of the consequences of running the race well, or not running well.

The general belief is that the wise virgins are Christians, but the foolish are not. I don't agree. Another view is that they are all Christians, but the wise virgins are the ones that get raptured, the foolish ones do not. Again, I don't agree. There are just too many things in the Bible that indicate that the WHOLE church is raptured. And that is a topic for another post.

I believe that all 10 are Christians. First, because they are virgins, they are pure. When we get saved, we are made new, pure, clean. We are made the righteousness of Christ (II Corinthians 5:21). We didn't deserve or earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8).

Next, notice that all 10 virgins have oil in their lamps. Oil in the Bible represents the Holy Spirit. They would not have the Holy Spirit if they were not saved. Now most who read this (and I did before, too) assume that the foolish virgins didn't have any oil (because of verse 3), but notice in verse 4 that the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. The vessel was apparently a separate container, so that they could keep their lamp full. And this is confirmed in verse 8 when the foolish say their lamps are going out. This tells me they did have oil at one time, but no reserves. Their lamps were lit, but they were going out. So they all started out with oil. They are all Christians that started out filled with the Holy Spirit.

Why did 5 of them get into the wedding and 5 did not? And what is the wedding? Revelation 19 tells of the marriage supper of the Lamb and the wife that has made herself ready. Verse 9 says, "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!" I take this to mean there is really a literal wedding and marriage feast. And so only those that have made themselves ready get to enter. How do we make ourselves ready?

By keeping our lamps full of oil. This is walking in the Spirit (Romans 8:6, Galatians 5:16-26). Obeying the voice of the Spirit. Yielding in everything to the Spirit. Less of me, more of Him. This is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment decision. We don't just decide one day and then every day after that we are set. Again, it's not about starting, it's about finishing. There are many, many examples in the Bible of people that didn't finish well--Samson, Gideon, King Saul, Solomon, to name a few. These are to show us how NOT to live. (Romans 15:4)

Revelation 19:8 tells us that the bride is dressed in fine linen, clean and bright, and that linen is the righteous acts of the saints. So, you can't just sit still, you have to act! That is the only way you move forward in this race.

But...

You cannot just make up your own acts. This is what got Abraham in trouble. He had a son of his own will, Ishmael. That was not God's plan. Romans 14:23--whatever is not from faith is sin. What is faith? Faith is responding to God's grace. Is your action a response to God's grace, or is it an action to gain something from God, to get God to move? This is how you determine if it is of the flesh or of the Spirit. If it's in response, it's of the Spirit. If it is to gain, to make God pity you and do something for you, it is of the flesh. These works of the flesh will be burned up (I Corinthians 3:5-17). To obey is better than sacrifice (I Samuel. 15:22). You must be filling up with God's Word in order to know what His Spirit is asking of you. Remember my post on fruit? It fits perfectly with this post, click here to read.

Now, this does not mean that some of us attain perfection. Remember what Paul said in Philippians 3:12, "I have not achieved perfection." This is THE apostle Paul talking here. He wrote two-thirds of the New Testament, but he said he had not achieved perfection?!? None of us ever will. But notice his next statement, "I press on to possess that perfection." None of us will be complete and perfect until Christ comes back (Philippians 1:6). But we press on. This includes repenting when we fail (I John 1:9).

This is where it is helpful to know the difference between spirit, soul, and body. Our spirits are complete, they are made perfect. It is our soul that takes a lifetime to be regenerated, transformed, and sanctified. Our bodies on the other hand will be made perfect, in an instant, when Christ returns.

So those that sit around and say you're not saved by works, you are right. But that is justification and that is your ticket to heaven. However, your sanctification takes an effort on your part. It is the Holy Spirit that does the work, but you have to yield to it. This seems to determine whether you get in to that wedding feast or not.

Now is your chance. It's never too late. You can start moving forward in this race. You can fill up with oil. You can be ready for when the bridegroom comes!

So then, is this wedding one of the prizes that Paul referred to? Could it be one of the rewards? I don't know. This brings up an interesting question that may rattle you a bit. If you are like me, you have been taught your whole life that if you are a Christian you are part of the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. But Revelation 19 and this Parable of the Virgins seems to indicate otherwise. But don't listen to me, dig in and be like a Berean--search the scriptures daily to see if these things are so (Acts 17:11).

Why Did God Save You?

Why did God save you? Or rather, what did He save you for? Have you ever thought about it? There are general answers and specific answers, and this is beyond the basic answer of, "God is love, God saved me because He loved me."

Let's think about this a different way.

Why did you marry your husband? Why did he marry you? Was it so you could keep his house clean? Was it so that he could keep your car running right? Or move heavy objects around the house? How about opening those tough jars? Why did you have kids? Was it so there would be extra hands to help around the house? NO.

Relationship is primary. We married our spouses because we enjoyed spending time with them. We had kids to have more people in our family, to spend time with.

Marriage is the picture of our relationship with God, the church is called the Bride of Christ. See Ephesians 5. God wanted a family, that is why He saved you. See Galatians 4. He wants to spend time with you. He knows all about you, He wants you to know all about Him.

Let's flip this around--what if I never have time for my husband or kids because I’m too busy serving them. I'm doing the laundry, the dishes, the cooking, but never stop to spend any time with them. There’s not much relationship, is there? Many in the church are doing just that. They are in up to their eyeballs with service, but never make time for relationship with God. God wants Marys and Marthas, but Mary comes first. Read about Mary & Martha in Luke 10.

God wants to be your all in all. He wants to be the most important thing in your life. He will not take second place.

So, how do we spend time developing that relationship? Will it grow with a once a week meeting? (i.e. church) How would your marriage do, if you sat down to spend time together just once a week? How well would you know your children, and they get to know you, if you only saw them once a week?

Spend time with God in conversation. That can be prayer, He talks back through His Word and sometimes a still small voice. That voice needs confirming, most often through His Word, sometimes through experiences. I have a friend that wanted to bless a practical stranger, at the gym where she works out. She asked God to show her what flavor of ice cream to buy this girl, so that she would know God's love. She distinctly heard the word strawberry. She would never have thought of that on her own, my friend is a big-time chocolate lover. She bought the ice cream and sure enough, strawberry was this girl's favorite flavor. This opened the door for my friend to tell this girl how much God loves her, He loves even the little things about us, He cares about what flavor ice cream we like. This is an example of hearing from God that could not be confirmed directly in His Word, but was confirmed in a sure way.

Now on the topic of prayer--what is it? Again, back to the easily understood picture of the family. Do you get together to spend quality time with your husband and then run down a list of things you want from him? Things you want him to do? Does he take you out on a date night and then proceed to tell you he has a big meeting in the morning and needs his shirt ironed, and lunch packed? Or do you sit and complain to him of your miseries? "I’m not paid enough, I can’t ever catch up on the laundry, the kids are wearing me out!" Do you sit down with your kids and go through a list of what is to be expected of them? NO! You spend time with your spouse and kids getting to know them, talking about your dreams, ambitions, goals, sharing fun experiences together. There are times for requests, but this isn’t our primary communication! It should be the same with God. We spend time in His Word, getting to know Him. Not out of our sense of obligation to Him, not to be worthy, but to be in relationship. Not to complain, not to run down our list of wants, but to get to know Him more. And the more we know, the more we trust.

What other ways can we communicate with God? Through worship. We were created for His pleasure. Rev. 4:11 KJV Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. This is not a forte of mine, I am not a gushy person. When I want to worship, I open the Psalms. I do sometimes listen to worship music, but I am very, very picky that the lyrics be scriptural—and a lot aren’t.

Study of His Word The Bible is God's Word, it is God speaking to us. You want God to talk to you more? Read more. He's given us 66 books that reveal Himself to us. All we have to do is open it up and we can hear from Him anytime. The Jews believe that study is the highest form of worship. Us Westerners think of learning and study as a chore, and we think it ends when we finish school. In the Jewish Talmud, the term education was synonymous with "heavenly work." Yes, it is work. You have to work at your marriage. You have to work at being a good parent. If we don't put in any effort, then we don't really love.

Action We cannot simply think in our hearts that we love God and we cannot simply say with out mouths that we love God. There must be some proof. It costs us nothing to say it. Notice Revelation 2:5 says to get back to the first work. Relationship is work. Our marriage’s won’t work if we just tell our spouse’s we love them, but never show them. Our kid’s will not feel our love if it is never backed up with action.

God proved His love to us, by His action. We prove our love to Him, by our action.

And this is where the motives of our heart are very important. Are we sitting down to pray and read our Bibles to check religion off of our “To Do” list? Are we trying to earn God’s favor? We must have pure hearts when we come before Him, for He knows our thoughts afterall. See Hebrews 4:12 and John 4:24.

What about service? Aren't we supposed to be doing a job for the Lord? I'm glad you asked. The answer is yes, but it must be in proper priority, and with the proper motivation of heart. If all God wanted was servants, He didn't need to create mankind, He could have stopped with the angels. Remember the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10. We are to be Marys first (sitting at the feet of Jesus, learning and worshipping), then Marthas (serving). Again, I bring up the comparison of the family. Husbands, wives, and children all have duties in the home, but we discussed previously how if service was all they did, the relationships in the family would break down. Service is a form of worship, but if we don’t have these other things in place—prayer and study time, service doesn’t mean anything. I Samuel 15:22 – to obey is better than sacrifice. We cannot just make up things to do that are in service to God. We must be doing things out of obedience. Romans 14:23b—whatever is not from faith is sin. So, if God didn’t tell us to do it, it is not from faith, it is not out of obedience, EVEN if it is a good thing, then it is sin. Did we hear God tell us to do such and such? Are we sure that is God’s will for us? How do we know? We only hear from God if we are spending time with Him, regularly. We can sacrifice all day long, all year long, all our lives, but when we stand before the Lord, He says, “I never asked you to do any of those things.” See I Corinthians 3—those works will be burned up in the fire. See also the Parable of the Virgins in Matthew 25. The virgins (Christians) that didn’t keep their lamps continually full of oil (the Holy Spirit) did not get to go in to the wedding (see Revelation 19:7-9). Revelation 19:8 tells us that the wedding garment is the righteous acts of the saints, but are these acts we just come up with on our own? I don’t believe so. Back to I Samuel 15:22—obedience is supreme, how are we to obey if we never take the time to listen to what God is telling us? Therefore time for prayer and study is key.

Revelation 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’

Let's get back to our first love. Let's repent and do the first works.

Christmas Prophecy 10

The Messiah was to be a King and would enter Jerusalem on a donkey.

Prophecy -

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.

Fulfillment -

Matthew 21:6-11

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’

^{Hosanna in the highest!”}

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Luke 19:35-39

Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:

“‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”

See also Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-40, and John 12:12-15.

This is called the triumphal entry. Jesus is entering as the King, He is allowing the people to worship Him as King. The Pharisees were not happy and asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples--why?--because to worship anyone as the King and Messiah, IF he was not the real deal, was blasphemy. Jesus was not just a good man, a teacher, a moralist, a prophet, He is the King of Kings, and IS the Messiah of Israel.

How can this be, you say? He did not become King, He died on the cross! You are right, and this is what confused the Jewish leadership. He has been anointed King, but He has yet to rule as that King. That part of this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. He will rule and reign on a literal throne in the near future, forever and ever. (Luke 1:31-33)

He humbled Himself and rode into the city on a donkey, a symbol of humility. He will return on a white horse. (Revelation 19:11-16)

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:
Christmas Prophecy 1
Christmas Prophecy 2
Christmas Prophecy 3
Christmas Prophecy 4

Christmas Prophecy 5

Christmas Prophecy 6

Christmas Prophecy 7

Christmas Prophecy 8

Christmas Prophecy 9

Christmas Prophecy 4

The Messiah had to be of the house (descendant) of David.

Prophecy -

Jeremiah 23:5

“ Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“ That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

Fulfillment -

Luke 3:31

...the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David...

[Partial genealogy of Christ. You can read the full genealogy from Luke 3:23-38.]

Matthew 1:1

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham...

[Again, part of a genealogy. To read this one in full, read Matthew 1:1-17.]

Matthew 22:41-42
While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”

They said to Him, “ The Son of David.”

[The Pharisees, who were the scholars of the day, fully understood that the scriptures clearly spelled out that the Messiah must be of the family of David.]

Acts 13:22-23

[Paul speaking.] And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will. From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus.

Revelation 22:16

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Matthew 9:27, Matthew 15:22, Matthew 20:30-31, Matthew 21:9, 15, Mark 10:47-48, and Luke 18:38-39 all show that the people called Jesus by the title of, "Son of David."

This is a continuation of our Christmas Prophecy series. To read part one and two, click here:

Christmas Prophecy 1

Christmas Prophecy 2

Christmas Prophecy 3

Work

My husband pointed this out to me the other day. In reference to II Thessalonians 3:10, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." We always think of this in context of labor and that is the context in which it was written, but perhaps it could also apply to our study of God's Word. Jesus said He is the Bread of Life (John 6) and He is the Word made flesh (John 1), so we are to eat His Word (see Ezekiel 3 & Revelation 10). But it takes work (diligence - see II Peter 1:5-11 & Hebrews 11:6) to get the food to eat. It takes study to dig out the truths of God and digest them. I'm not saying they are so hidden and obscure, but it takes more than a surface, cursory read to reveal them and get the nourishment from them.

This leads me to something a friend said the other day. She was pointing out that we each need to get revelation for ourselves. We can't rely on our pastor's revelation (although that is helpful, I'm not discounting that), or our friend's, but the truth of God's Word has to come alive to each and every one of us, in order to be effective in our lives. She compared it to eating someone else's food, after they had already eaten it--you don't get any nourishment from it, they already did! That is gross, but really good. Think about the baby bird sitting there with it's mouth open wide, waiting for the mommy bird to chew up the worm and spit it into it's mouth. Many of us go to church that way, saying, "feed me, feed me, chew on it for me, half digest it, and then give it to me." Sermons at church should be a springboard for your own study, NOT your sole nourishment. If so, you are eating someone else's food. They got the full nourishment from it, you are getting a by-product.

Homeschooling has taught me this well, the person doing the research is the person doing the learning. Many times we homeschool moms do a lot of research to teach our kids a lesson and we learn a lot, but the kids don't really. I have learned that it is much better to lead my kids through research, so that they themselves are the ones learning. This is the same with us and church. The pastor is doing the study, getting the revelation, and then passing it on to us. It is easily forgotten if we do not apply it, use it, study it further.

It's time to get to work.

I Don't Know How to Study

Need some study ideas? Do you feel like you just won't understand what you're reading? I know how you feel. I was in that same place not too many years ago. Finding the right tools and methods will make your study much more fruitful.

Write It Down - The more ways you get information into your brain, the better it stays. You can read it, say it aloud, write it down, the more ways the better. Copying down any scripture will help you slow down and really focus on the words and let it sink in. I copy a Psalm a day, or sometimes just a part of a Psalm if it's long. You can go through a book of the Bible, or just write down some favorite verses.

Understanding - Understanding what you're reading is key. Matthew 13:19 - When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. A good study Bible is very useful. I like my New King James Spirit-Filled Life Bible, many people like the ESV Study Bible. A study Bible will give you commentary (comments on passages), and other helpful things, like maps. My study Bible has little boxes here and there that explain certain concepts, or certain words. And it has articles on popular topics.

Commentary - Another way to gain understanding is to read various commentaries. You can download e-Sword for free, and download various commentaries they have available. My favorite commentaries are Dr. Chuck Missler's audio commentaries. I believe he has one on every single book of the Bible, many of them are streaming free on his website. If you pay, you actually get college credit for these. They are in-depth. Click here to see. Sometimes I listen and take notes, and if I'm short on time, I will listen while I do housework.

Teaching - Another useful tool is to listen to sermons by seasoned, mature Bible teachers and preachers. My favorite is Andrew Wommack (click on Extras at the top and then browse the left bar). He offers a large selection of free content. I also warn not to just go around listening to anyone and everyone. I listen on the recommendation of close, spiritually like-minded friends, or my pastor. And above all, check your Bible, to see that what they're teaching is truth.

Reading Schedules - There are many reading schedules out there that take you through the Bible. I tried the One Year Schedule for a while. I completed the Bible in 90 Days schedule. Biblegateway has many schedules to choose from, some short, others long, some on Bible highlights, other on Bible characters. I think these are useful because they keep us reading the whole counsel of God. Also, there is a time for shallow and a time for deep. And we need balance of both. When you dig into a topic so deep that you ignore all else, you can fall into error. But if you only ever skim the surface, shallowly, you also won't get the wisdom and insight that you need. So, some of both is wise.

My Favorite - A schedule I have found that I like a lot is different from the others. Dr. Chuck Missler's wife, Nancy, came up with it. You divide your Bible into eight sections and ideally read one chapter from each per day. Eight chapters a day were too much for me, so I cut it back to four. More recently I added sermon time to my study, so I have cut it back to one chapter a day, but I still go through the eight sections.

The eight sections I am referring to are as follows:
*Pentateuch/Torah - Five Books of Moses - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
*Historical - Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther
*Poetic - Job & Psalms
*Wisdom - Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
*Prophetic - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekial, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
*Gospels + Acts - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
*Epistles - Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I & II Thessalonians, I & II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, Jude
*Revelation - this one is in its own group, it is prophetic, but references so many other books of the Bible. This book promises that the reader will be blessed. Rev. 1:3

Word Studies - Sometimes digging into the original language helps clarify meaning. You can go to BlueLetterBible.org or use a concordance to lookup the Hebrew and Greek. Greek especially is much more descriptive than English. For example, there are ten Hebrew and Greek words in Scripture translated by our one English word "world." All these words have a different shade of meaning. Even looking up the tense of verbs is very helpful. Greek has more tenses than English.

Dictionary - Would you like to know the difference between training and admonition, as described in Ephesians 6:4? It might be helpful, since this verse is about a topic that most of us are involved in every day--parenting. I wanted to know, so I looked them up in Vine's Expository Dictionary. I don't own one, so I used the online version, you can too, click here!

I hope these have been helpful. The important thing is to just dig in. Even if you only have 10 minutes a day, start now, and you will see a change in your life. And don't be afraid to change up your routine if it starts to feel stale.

Pray Ephesians 1:17 - 23, that God would open your eyes to His wisdom and He will!

Bible in 90 Days

I'm excited at the reality of actually finishing a "read through the entire Bible" schedule.  I have 12 more "days" to go.  It will probably take me a little more than 12 days.  I can't seem to find as much time on the weekends.  As I mentioned earlier, I didn't want to have the attitude that I'm just reading to check off a list.  I've been relaxed with it.  Some days I read more than the day's selection, some days less and some days none at all.  I didn't want this to be a race to get through the Bible, I wanted to enjoy the reading, and I am.

I have experienced many benefits on this reading program.  I think the biggest benefit is the discipline it has brought.  I realize now that I have more time in my day to read the Bible than I thought.  I find myself sitting down to read for 5 minutes instead of checking facebook.  I find that I can read in more situations than I previously thought--with noisy kids, for example.  :)

When I finish with this reading schedule, I will start back at the beginning of the Bible, this time on a different schedule.  It is a schedule consisting of 8 chapters a day, one chapter from each of the following sections--Torah, historical, poetic, wisdom (Proverbs), prophetic, gospels, epistles, and Revelation (why Revelation?  Because it all ties together here.).  When I heard of this schedule in the past, I thought I didn't have time for it, but now I realize I do.  

Naturally we gravitate to our favorite parts of the Bible.  The parts that are uplifting and make us feel good, perhaps a Psalm or Proverb each day.  That is all good, but II Timothy 3:16 tells us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine (the basics of what we believe to be truth), reproof (examples of what not to do), correction (things we need to fix), and instruction in righteousness (how to live right).  But if all we are ever reading are just the "feel good" passages, we won't be learning doctrine (essential if you are ever going to mentor another or pass on your belief system to your children) or experiencing growth in our faith and character.  We need the well-rounded diet of the whole Bible.  It's like at mealtime you eat your meat,  veggies, bread, and some dessert.  Hopefully you're not eating dessert for every meal, and this is the attitude we need to take with our Bible reading.  No doubt reading the whole Bible will bring up lots of questions and then these are the areas you can do further study in.  Find a good commentary, dig further into the individual Hebrew and Greek words, their roots, other scripture references that contain the same word, etc.  Start a journal of your questions, like mentioned here.

Not sure what Bible in 90 Days is?  Click here.

Click here to read my post after 6 days on this schedule.

Why Am I Here?

Do you ever get that feeling?  Do you know what your purpose is?  Unfortunately, most people don't have a sense of purpose and without it, we flounder through life.  You will find true joy when you find your purpose.

You will remember that I did a study with my son on what the Bible says about who we are, this spring.  After we finished that study we jumped into a study of what the Bible says about WHY we are here, why we were created.  This is what I came up with.

Why Am I Here?

First we realize that it's not all about us!

::We were created for God's glory.

Isaiah 43:7, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, Proverbs 16:4

::To love God

Mark 12:28-30

::For God's pleasure

Psalm 149:4, Psalm 147:11

::To worship God

John 4:23, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 113:3, Psalm 34:1

::To understand and know God

Jeremiah 9:24

Now, God wants to work in us and through us...

::To make us like Christ

Romans 8:29, Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 13:14, I John 3:2, II Peter 3:14 (NIV), Hebrews 4:11

::To develop character in us

Romans 5:3-4, II Peter 1:5-8, Colossians 3:12-17, Galatians 5:22-23

BUT, we must never forget that it is God developing that character in us and changing us into the image of His Son!

Philippians 2:13

Why is character so important?

So we can fulfill the next part of purpose...

::To be the light of the world

John 8:12, Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8-10

::To love one another

John 13:34-35, I John 4:7, I Corinthians 13

::To serve one another

Mark 10:35-45

::To bear good fruit

Genesis 1:28, John 15:16. Galatians 5:22-23

::To spread the gospel

Mark 16:15

::To do good works

Ephesians 2:10

::To do a job in the Body of Christ

I Corinthians 3:5-15, Romans 12:6, I Corinthians 12

Now, you may have noticed that the first portion  of this list related to God and the second portion is in relation to others.  We cannot love others and minister to others until we understand God's love for us and let him start to change us from the inside out.

Now, in relation to this earth...

::We are to have dominion over the earth (this is partially realized now and fully realized in the age to come)

Genesis 1:26

And finally, in the future...

::To rule and reign with Christ as kings and priests.

Revelation 5:10 & II Timothy 2:12

Now, equally important as our purpose is, is also what NOT to do.  We are NOT to seek after man's approval, our motives are just as important, sometimes more so, than our actions.  God looks at the heart.  

II Corinthians 10:12, 17-18

As I stated in our study of who we are, you can find more in the Bible to add to this list, but this is what I chose to study with my children.  Start a study to find out what your purpose is.  Need some help?  Check out The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren.

This article is also a follow-up of my challenge, to write down a list of my beliefs.  This list answers some of those questions.

Talents

I have felt for a while that the parable of the talents is speaking of much more than stewardship of our finances.

I'm sure you all know the story--the master gives three of his servants talents (a measure of money, by weight).  He gives one 5 talents, one 2 talents and the third 1 talent.  He goes away and comes back and asks what they did with their talents.  The first and second servants doubled their money, but the third was afraid and buried his.  The master was not happy about this and took his 1 talent and gave it to the servant that had 10. (Found in Matthew 25)

Well, last night we were reading in Luke at the dinner table and came across a very similar parable, but this one mentioned minas as the monetary unit. Also, there was an interesting clause added at the end.

This parable confirms it for me. These parable are not talking about stewardship of our finances, although that is a good lesson that everyone should learn. No, they are talking about stewardship of the TALENTS, gifts, and abilities that God has placed in each and every one of us!

The story of the minas is a little different from the one about the talents.  There are ten servants, each given 1 mina.  The master goes away.  Notice there is a mention of citizens that are refusing to submit to his authority, they are a separate group from the servants.  When the master comes back he wants an account of the business of the servants.  One servant multiplied his mina by 10, so the master rewards him with rulership over 10 cities.  The next servant multiplied his mina by 5, so, again, the master rewards him with rulership over 5 cities.  Then a third servant enters the scene and we find that he was afraid of his master and hid his mina away in a handkerchief.  The master was not pleased with this, so he took his mina and gave it to the one that had 10.  And then notice in verse 27, that other group of citizens.  The master has them all executed because they refused to submit to his authority.  (Read in Luke 19)

The minas are talents (gifts and abilities), the work that we are doing.  (This is not working for salvation, that is a gift.)

God has given all of us talents--what are yours?  Are you using your talents for God's glory?  To multiply His kingdom?  Or are you hiding your talents away?  The master will want an account when He comes back.  We will either be rewarded or have our work taken away.

The citizens who refuse His authority?  Who are they?  Read Psalm 2.  Do we know anyone in this world that is refusing to recognize God's authority?  Now read Revelation 19:11-21.  The Master will slay them all.  Click here to read my article on that topic.

The Character of God

We got back to our study of the character of God this week.  To see our past study of this, click here.  This week the focus was on how God hates sin.  Since the wrath of God can be a bit much for a child, I decided that we would only stay on this topic for one week.

I started out the week reading Nahum 1:2-3 to my son and having him copy it down into his notebook.

On the second day, I read him the story of Achan, starting in Joshua 6:18-19 and then skipping ahead to read all of chapter 7.  The background is that Jericho was the first city the Israelites would conquer.  They were to consecrate the entire city to God, they were not to take any spoils, this city was the first fruits of all the cities they would destroy.  But Achan couldn't resist!

On the next day we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, the background is given in Acts 4:32-37.

On the day after that we read the description of the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19:11-21.  This was exciting to my son as we had read it before and he really enjoys battle scenes.

After all this talk about wrath, I wanted to end the week on a positive note.  So on the final day we had a little discussion.  It went like this...

Why does God hate sin?  It separates man from Him.  He created us to be in fellowship with Him.  Adam and Eve walked and talked with God daily, but once they allowed sin into this world, they were separated from God.  This had to be a horrible feeling!  We really can't even fathom it.  Remember when Jesus was up on the cross and He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"  At that moment He was separated from God because He became sin for us.  God cannot accept sin in His presence.  Thankfully, for you and I, He provided a way for us to come back into fellowship with Him--He sent His Son to take our place and take our sins upon Himself and take our punishment.

We talked about how Jesus is fighting His enemies in the Battle of Armageddon.  I asked my son if he was an enemy of God?  No!  I read him Galatians 3:26, "you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" and I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

I then asked him how we are to feel about sin?  We are to hate sin!  Does that mean that we tell sinners that we hate them?  Certainly not, we hate the actions, but LOVE the person.

Why should we love someone that is doing bad things?  John 13:34-35 gives us our answer, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."--because God loves them.