Reading the Bible is amazing. You are hearing the living creator God speak to you by his Holy Spirit. But how do you get started. Read, answering these four questions. I think they are the four most important questions when it comes to reading any passage.
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It isn’t enough for a Christian to know about Jesus. The call is to follow Jesus. It is a life of discipleship. Discipleship isn’t about knowing the right answers. Though we need to know the truth. Discipleship is about knowing the truth and obeying the truth.
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In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, his ministry pattern is laid bare. Paul and his team were there for only a few short weeks before conflict and persecution drove them away. But so deep and clear was Paul’s pattern of ministry that he can write back to them and point out what the Thessalonians experienced. In this he lays bare a ministry pattern that Christians can learn from and use to serve others.
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I’m deeply missing Xavier my son who died just over 2 years ago from a terrible sarcoma. I would love to hug him and hold him again. If I did, I’m not sure I could ever let go.
But, I cannot hug him or hold him. Death has stolen him from me, from my wife, Kathryn, from his brothers, his grandparents, his aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. But, I will hug him again because of the resurrection.
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How to read and understand the Bible
Reading the Bible is amazing. You are hearing the living creator God speak to you by his Holy Spirit. But how do you get started. Read, answering these four questions. I think they are the four most important questions when it comes to reading any passage.
Photo by Meredith Spencer on Unsplash
Do you want to (re)start reading the Bible? We’d love to help you with this reading guide for Luke’s Gospel. It will help you discover Jesus who is the key to understand the love of God and the story of the whole Bible.
Image: By The Prodigal Son by Rembrandt — Google Arts & Culture, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22353933
The book of Revelation is a wild ride. It’s an artistic blockbuster full of powerful images. For this reason there are a lot of crazy interpretations. But it is possible to read Revelation! Here’s five keys to reading Revelation so that you can understand history from God’s perspective.
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It sounds so awesome, the armour of God: swords, helmets and chest plates. In amongst all those passages of the Bible that talk about mercy, compassion and turning the other cheek, here is red-blooded combat. And it is necessary combat. For the devil has his schemes and there are demonic spiritual forces at work, right here, right now in this present darkness.
But, perhaps, before we slip on our chest plates or breast plates we ought to ask, ‘What exactly is the Christian putting on?’
Original photo by Hugo L. Casanova on Unsplash Edited by G Hohnberg
Many people think that the Old Testament is all about keeping the rules. But, here’s the thing. The Jews could never keep the rules. And the only way they could be rescued was by God saving them. In Isaiah we discover a God who saves by grace - looking forward to Jesus. Here is the gospel in Isaiah.
Who is Jesus? Is he a good man? A teacher? A lunatic? A liar and a deceiver? A pretend Messiah? A man possessed by evil? A short sailing trip breaks all these categories for Jesus’ disciples.
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Mark’s Gospel is short but punchy. It feels like the action version of the story of Jesus, with a kind of Bruce Willis, Die Hard feel, where events pile up on each other with barely a moment to spare. But there is a structure to Mark’s Gospel and understanding the structure opens the whole book up to us.
Deuteronomy starts pretty clear recapping the history of Israel. Then comes the 10 commandments and what it means to live in the land. But what’s with chapters 12 to 26 - they seem random? But are they?
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Deuteronomy is God’s living word given to us so that we might know God’s grace and love for his people. Read on to discover some of the key ideas and the structure of Deuteronomy. May this help you discover and read Deuteronomy.
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A really simple key to reading the Bible is to notice what the writer repeats. You’ll learn a lot more from this than from verses of the day or from a Bible streak on an app that throws up random verses each morning.
Read Mark’s Gospel in just 21 days, taking 10-15 minutes a day. You could read most of these in 5-6 minutes giving you 10 minutes to think about what you’ve read.
BTW - Ignore the headings in most printed Bibles. They are a distraction from the flow and connections!
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Does Jesus have the right to rule?
I recently watched the new movie about Henry 5th – The King. He is a young King who wants to unite England under his rule. One of the key questions threaded through the movie is – does he have what it takes to rule? Can be bring the people of England together under his rule and what will it take?
Jesus says he is bringing the Kingdom of God. Does he have the right to rule? Mark’s Gospel answers this question.
Over one summer in Sydney, Jesus thundered into my mind. Before that summer, Jesus was insipid in my mind. He was a slight, white figure with no power, no majesty and no strength. Yes, I knew he went to the cross for me, but it seemed a passive path, with a sad inevitability about it. But as I met Jesus in Mark’s gospel I was stunned by the strength of his character and deliberate desire to offer himself on the Cross.
The next few blog posts are written to help you read Mark’s Gospel.
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In my life the Bible has been a bright light shining in a dark world. It has been a living word in which I’ve heard the very voice of God. Now, many might recoil at this wild and dangerous assertion by a church pastor. So let me show you that this wild and dangerous assertion is made by the Bible itself.
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Read and apply these principles and your understanding of God’s word, the Bible, will be transformed.
Dear Marty, all those issues that you raised that make you disbelieve and that no one talks about, the Bible talks about them. A lot! I’m so sorry. Your church should have been talking about them because the Bible talks about them.
A friend sent me a meme on Leviticus 19:19. The meme was confrontational and deliberately offensive. Since Christians wear polyester and cotton socks which are a blend of two materials – they break Leviticus 19:19. ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.’ So, how can Christians say anything about sexual ethics or anything else that might spring from Leviticus as a standard since they break the rules themselves?
The Bible can seem overwhelming but once you know the key theme that gives a framework for the Bible things really start to change. And once you start to understand the timeline (chronology) even more things fall into place. Download these two PDF files to help you read the whole Bible and understand it.
With thanks to Aaron Burden Unsplash.com for the original image. This is an edited picture.
A review of three Children’s Bibles that will help kids understand God’s great love for them in Jesus.
