One of our observations through the years is that when people profess Christ as Lord and Savior, and experience the desire to tell God that they want to go wherever He wants them to go, they have no clue what it would be like to simply trust God wherever and through whatever. So they pursue after knowledge of the Bible and how the Christian life should be lived. This sometimes leads them to Bible College, a Bible study, or a ‘fellowship’ group. This often then creates doubts whether God in their life is real as they interact with mature Christians who seem to have a good grasp of the Bible, or Bible teachers who understand Greek and Hebrew. Then they become snared in the ‘people-pleasing’ trap so that the beauty of God’s presence is stolen. They begin reading their Bible in ways that no longer focus on what God is trying to say to them; instead they try to gain knowledge in order to compete with those around them. They imagine that this will earn the respect of others, and if people approved of them, God would do the same. It isn’t really the fault of the study or group they attend, but their own distrust in what God is doing and has done in their life. Let me expand on this from Rick McKinley’s book entitled ‘Jesus in the Margins’, chapter 11: I left the oasis of grace that had saved me to seek after a mirage – the acceptance of those who would be impressed by my knowledge of the Bible. And I did learn the Bible. Soon I could regurgitate all kinds of stuff about the Word and even developed theories on difficult passages. I learned all about ministry and developed a philosophy of ministry that I believed was flawless and would lead to success. And all the while my soul was shrinking.
Now that I was no longer listening for the Spirit, it was up to me to figure out for myself what the Bible meant and how to apply it to my life. As I walked through my day I did not anticipate the presence of the Holy Spirit by my side reminding me of the truth and teaching me how to walk in the way of Jesus… God had taken the form of an academic institution for me and was waiting to see how I would perform and how much I could know about him before he handed out my grade.
This kind of thinking is all too common in the church today. We attend various conferences, trying to learn all we can, thinking that achieving a certain level of Bible knowledge will persuade God to show up in our life. We put our spiritual leaders on a pedestal, thinking they have it all figured out, but knowing that until we can be like them we’re on our own. The tragedy is, we’ve simply forgotten how to experience the daily presence of Jesus. We long for our first days of faith when his Spirit seemed so near, and yet we’ve written off those early experiences as merely the enthusiasm of a new believer. Now that we’re more “mature” in our faith we know to expect less of our God.
That lie cost my heart a lot.
If you haven’t already bought into it, don’t!
Renounce it or simply declare it is a lie. God has promised that he has sent his Spirit to be with us as Counselor-Helper living inside us. He wants you to experience all the power of the gospel.
‘Thinking through the Bible’ provides you with the opportunity to read and think about God’s Story in a way that teaches and reminds you how God is at work, as He always has been from the beginning. And for many it has led to a realization that God’s Spirit is equally as present in their life as in those mature Christians around them!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
'Thinking through the Bible' beginnings on Bainbridge Island...
Some of you may be interested to know how we came to the point of ‘Thinking through the Bible’ on this island…
In our 31st year of ministry in South Africa we began to realize that our mission in the Indian Ocean coastal city of Durban was coming to an end. We knew that those the Lord brought into our lives to become ‘equipped with the Word for the work of ministry’ would not grow under our shadow – they needed full ‘Son-shine’!
And then in our 32nd year we were invited by our commending church here on the island to consider the possibility of returning to America, and specifically Bainbridge Island, to ‘do what we did in ministry in Africa’. We dared not ignore the timing because of the realization we came to a year earlier – we see this as God making us aware of some changes! After our visit and after consulting with those we were in partnership with in the Durban area, we agreed to make the move in April, 2007. There was a time of feeling quite surprised that our move would be back to America, because we always thought it would be to another location in southern Africa.
After settling into our present home on Bainbridge Island in June, 2007, and becoming involved as a ‘teaching elder’ in Bainbridge Bible Chapel, we knew that there would be a transition time while we became accustomed to the American culture we had left behind 33 years earlier (especially with its changes), and while we gave ourselves to those the Lord once again brought into our lives. We also knew time was necessary to develop loving relationships built on trust, no matter how fast the pace was in our new environment! It reminded us of the title of a book by C. Peter Wagner many years ago: ‘Stop The World And Let Me Get On’.
Finally, in January, 2010 we began to sense that we were beginning to ‘do what we did in ministry in Africa’ when a group gathered in our home on Sunday afternoons to begin ‘Thinking through the Bible’ together in a similar way we did it in South Africa. We gathered to get to know the Bible as ‘One Book’ that gives God’s Story. And then this summer an interest developed for us to consider taking this approach in our Sunday morning meetings. It was received well.
The Sunday afternoon sessions will continue, so pray that those who have gone before others will be a living example of what it means to truly ‘think’ about what they read, and share it in a non-threatening way by listening without interrupting, which will be the topic of my next blog, so stay tuned…
In our 31st year of ministry in South Africa we began to realize that our mission in the Indian Ocean coastal city of Durban was coming to an end. We knew that those the Lord brought into our lives to become ‘equipped with the Word for the work of ministry’ would not grow under our shadow – they needed full ‘Son-shine’!
And then in our 32nd year we were invited by our commending church here on the island to consider the possibility of returning to America, and specifically Bainbridge Island, to ‘do what we did in ministry in Africa’. We dared not ignore the timing because of the realization we came to a year earlier – we see this as God making us aware of some changes! After our visit and after consulting with those we were in partnership with in the Durban area, we agreed to make the move in April, 2007. There was a time of feeling quite surprised that our move would be back to America, because we always thought it would be to another location in southern Africa.
After settling into our present home on Bainbridge Island in June, 2007, and becoming involved as a ‘teaching elder’ in Bainbridge Bible Chapel, we knew that there would be a transition time while we became accustomed to the American culture we had left behind 33 years earlier (especially with its changes), and while we gave ourselves to those the Lord once again brought into our lives. We also knew time was necessary to develop loving relationships built on trust, no matter how fast the pace was in our new environment! It reminded us of the title of a book by C. Peter Wagner many years ago: ‘Stop The World And Let Me Get On’.
Finally, in January, 2010 we began to sense that we were beginning to ‘do what we did in ministry in Africa’ when a group gathered in our home on Sunday afternoons to begin ‘Thinking through the Bible’ together in a similar way we did it in South Africa. We gathered to get to know the Bible as ‘One Book’ that gives God’s Story. And then this summer an interest developed for us to consider taking this approach in our Sunday morning meetings. It was received well.
The Sunday afternoon sessions will continue, so pray that those who have gone before others will be a living example of what it means to truly ‘think’ about what they read, and share it in a non-threatening way by listening without interrupting, which will be the topic of my next blog, so stay tuned…
Monday, August 23, 2010
Pray with us as Bainbridge Bible Chapel begins on October 3rd with...
‘Thinking through the Bible’ on Sunday mornings...
Many of us are accustomed to reading the Bible ‘backwards’ because we have jumped around enough in our reading to get some ideas of what is going on. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ‘live’ in each of the sixty-six Books of the Bible without knowing the future beyond what each Book reveals? You now have that opportunity. All you have to learn to do is ‘ride the donkey sitting backwards’ like the old Chinese philosopher did in order to see where he came from. ‘Thinking through the Bible’ is an overview that is not like a typical Bible Survey.
Have you ever wondered where Bible Commentators came up with their comments about the Bible? It could be that if you were prepared to read the Bible as God’s Story to you, and do some serious thinking as the story develops in each Book of the Bible, you may discover things you never knew before.
Notes are available to guide you in reading God’s Story so that you remember not to think beyond where you are in the study. This way you can better appreciate how people lived at the time. The notes are not intended to do the ‘thinking’ for you, but merely to keep your attention on what life was like at that time.
“Effective evangelism among unreached people groups needs to start with Genesis.” (Don Pederson)
‘Thinking through the Bible’ lessons on Sunday mornings will provide the opportunity for you to question your assumptions and theories – you can question your questions! While ‘thinking’, you discover that Scripture is more than just a record of the history and religion of people. Rather, it records God’s dealings with His people and with their culture, and is itself the fruit of that engagement. After all, the Bible is HIStory.
Speaking about the Bible without reading it leads to godless chatter. This Bible Overview is a challenge to you to read through the Bible Book by Book, and discover for yourself what it was like to know God during that time in HIStory. You will discover that God was there in each generation, revealing enough about Himself for a journey of faith. It was not necessary to know all about the future to trust in the God of the Bible at that time in HIStory.
“Having the New Testament without the Old is like having a sword without the handle.” (Doming Lucasi) Understanding the Bible as ‘One Book’ means moving beyond a focus solely on the last half of God’s Story, which is known as the New Testament. The Bible is a Book about God long before it is a Book about us, and its strongest relevance is to teach us His unchanging nature and His relation to us from the very beginning… In the beginning, God…
We are not the focus of the story, and we are not to read ourselves into each and every circumstance or experience. The Bible really is to be in the ‘driving seat,’ dictating the content of the message, its shape, and its contemporary application. This study teaches you to “Watch God at Work!”
Many of us are accustomed to reading the Bible ‘backwards’ because we have jumped around enough in our reading to get some ideas of what is going on. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ‘live’ in each of the sixty-six Books of the Bible without knowing the future beyond what each Book reveals? You now have that opportunity. All you have to learn to do is ‘ride the donkey sitting backwards’ like the old Chinese philosopher did in order to see where he came from. ‘Thinking through the Bible’ is an overview that is not like a typical Bible Survey.
Have you ever wondered where Bible Commentators came up with their comments about the Bible? It could be that if you were prepared to read the Bible as God’s Story to you, and do some serious thinking as the story develops in each Book of the Bible, you may discover things you never knew before.
Notes are available to guide you in reading God’s Story so that you remember not to think beyond where you are in the study. This way you can better appreciate how people lived at the time. The notes are not intended to do the ‘thinking’ for you, but merely to keep your attention on what life was like at that time.
“Effective evangelism among unreached people groups needs to start with Genesis.” (Don Pederson)
‘Thinking through the Bible’ lessons on Sunday mornings will provide the opportunity for you to question your assumptions and theories – you can question your questions! While ‘thinking’, you discover that Scripture is more than just a record of the history and religion of people. Rather, it records God’s dealings with His people and with their culture, and is itself the fruit of that engagement. After all, the Bible is HIStory.
Speaking about the Bible without reading it leads to godless chatter. This Bible Overview is a challenge to you to read through the Bible Book by Book, and discover for yourself what it was like to know God during that time in HIStory. You will discover that God was there in each generation, revealing enough about Himself for a journey of faith. It was not necessary to know all about the future to trust in the God of the Bible at that time in HIStory.
“Having the New Testament without the Old is like having a sword without the handle.” (Doming Lucasi) Understanding the Bible as ‘One Book’ means moving beyond a focus solely on the last half of God’s Story, which is known as the New Testament. The Bible is a Book about God long before it is a Book about us, and its strongest relevance is to teach us His unchanging nature and His relation to us from the very beginning… In the beginning, God…
We are not the focus of the story, and we are not to read ourselves into each and every circumstance or experience. The Bible really is to be in the ‘driving seat,’ dictating the content of the message, its shape, and its contemporary application. This study teaches you to “Watch God at Work!”
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