Every generation seems to think
many of the "new fads" are original when in actuality they are are
merely ideas that have been recycled:
Whatever has
happened—that’s what will happen again;
whatever has occurred—that’s what will occur again. There’s nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes
1:9 CEB)
Many individuals also believe
that their challenges are specifically exclusive to them and that nobody has
been through the drama (I don't use this word to diminish your experiences, but
to generalize them only for the purposes of this writing).
No
temptation has seized you that isn’t common for
people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your
abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that
you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 CEB)
I realize that the thought of
reading the Bible may be intimidating, but remember that in the time of sharing
yesterday we talked about the new paradigm was going to be viewing the Bible as
our Instructional Manual, User Manual and/or Reference Guide just to get you
used to using and applying the Word.
Once we get passed that hurdle we can go back to using the original name
(e.g. Holy Scriptures, Scriptures, Bible, the Word). Is that fair?
I say this because I want to make sure we don't confuse people when we
refer to the Bible and because we want to ensure we don't give the impression
that we are diminishing the precious Word of God because it is to be reverenced
and appreciated.
We can find information on every
topic that you can think of:
Administration
Creation
Death, Divorce
Fasting, Finances, Forgiveness,
Friendship, Fundraising
God
Healing, Holy Spirit
Idolatry
Jesus, Justice
Lawsuits, life
Marriage, Murder
Organization, Prayer, Poetry
Role of a father, mother,
children, in-laws
Sex, Slavery
Taxes
Whatever we are in need of or
want to study, we can find it in the Word.
With so many topics, where do we
start? Would you mind if I make some
suggestions? Great. If you are a:
New Believer
or you recently recommitted your life to Christ kindly consider reading and/or
studying the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in that order). Why? I
love it when you ask questions, it means you're paying attention. Why? Because these four books were written by
the four disciples the books are named after.
They give first-hand accounts of their experiences with Jesus for the
majority of their writings. Do you need
more clarity? It's ok, I’m here for you. How can we completely give ourselves to
someone that we really don't know?
•
Think about
it. If you are currently or have been in
love with someone, I can guarantee that it wasn't a stranger. You had to get to know that person, not
everything about them, but you knew enough to draw them to you, even if it was
love at first site.
So it is with Jesus. In order to fully commit, we need to know who
He is and what He really represented then and today here on earth. Since we can't sit down with him
"literally" at Starbucks, Peets or have him over for dinner, we go to
the next best source, His Word. Each of
the Gospels covers similar information but it is from each writer's
perspective. No two or more people will
ever give the same details as the other when they recount an event. By the time you complete all four Gospels,
you will have a much better understanding of who Jesus is, His purpose for
coming to rescue you, yes you. From
there you can review the book of Acts which covers the birth of the early
church. Once you finish Acts, you can
read the 21 Epistles (letters) from Romans - Jude. You'll then be ready to search and venture
out on your own.
Believers
who have been fully committed for a year or more: If you have not taken the
time to read the Gospels, Acts, Letters of the Epistles, I would follow the
steps above. The Bible will never bore
you, provided you approach it with the right spirit (attitude), when you do,
the Word of God becomes life, a living thing and it is filled with brand new
epiphanies each time you read it. If you
are familiar with the New Testament, pray about what you should study and/or
turn the flash light on and search your heart.
What areas do you need to strengthen?
Here’s another way to narrow your search down:
·
Is there something
specific that you are facing right now?
If so, that would be a good place to start?
·
Is there a
character of the Bible that interests you?
·
Are you
interested in learning about the Women or Men of the Bible?
In either case, please make sure
you have your study tools with you:
Quiet place; pen and pad, laptop, or smart device; bible dictionary,
bible commentary (both of which can be found online at www.biblegateway.comhttp://www.biblegateway.com/ or any
other reliable bible app); Bible, dictionary and an open mind.
Remember, learning the Word of
God is exciting, empowering and can be life changing if you Let the Word do the
Work.
In His Humble Service,
Tan
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