Category: reading tips

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Finishing strong in Quarter Two

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Today I had the privilege to worship with a another congregation in Charleston, SC and for the second time in a row, I found another church doing some sort of Bible reading in a year plan. I was at another church in Georgia doing a year in the New Testament and this one was just beginning today a year in the Bible, based off a book called The Story. There must be something in the water that we southeastern pastors are drinking. But whatever the reason, it excites me to be around others who are diving into God’s Word because they see they exceeding value of meeting him there.

This week we will finish 1 Corinthians and the Minor Prophets. It is the last week of the summer quarter so keep with it and finish strong. I would also recommend flipping back through all you’ve read these last months. I think it will encouraging to see all that God has shown you in these books.

We will have our own review, as well, coming up Wednesday, September 26, at 6 pm. Love to have you come out for a free meal. Invite a friend even. I welcome the planning headache you’ll cause if lots people come (and RSVP!).

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You’ve Got Mail!

So imagine you’re the church in Philippi.

Paul has done work in your area a while back. He came and taught, spending time in the household of a neighbor, Lydia. He got in to some trouble with the local officials, and while in jail he ministered to fellow prisoners and even though an earthquake loosed his chains and could have freed him, he remained. In doing so he kept the prison guard from taking his own life, and later this guard and his whole household believe in Jesus.

You believe what he taught about Jesus and seek to follow his teaching, even in a city that has shown itself to be hostile. There are some things that are familiar to the Jewish faith, and Jesus seems to be a continuation, but there is a radical newness to Christianity, as well. As much as you try to hold on to Paul’s teaching of the gospel, you have still have questions. Other teachers have come around and are spreading a message that doesn’t quite sound the same, and that troubles you. You’re also troubled because you know Paul himself has again found himself imprisoned in Rome.

You worry about him and the work he is to do for the gospel of Christ. Can he still spread the word?

To your delight you hear that your church has received a letter of encouragement, and it is from Paul, and from his fellow servant Timothy! You’ve been given the chance to hear it read for body of believers in Philippi. At the end of the day you all gather together in a home that you’ve frequently used for meetings–for prayer and worship, and you sit down to hear the news. He writes:

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

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Focus Under Fire

We have so much that is thrown at us demanding our attention. This issue is constantly on my mind and it came up today in conversation. And then I saw this article, so I thought I’d pass it along.

This article looks back on a time, a more low-tech time, when just taking the phone off the hook was all that was necessarily to shut out the world. Now we silence phones and turn off computers, but even when we do that, there is a big difference when the technology is turned back on. You put your phone back on the hook and you’re reconnected. No messages, no voice mails. End of story. But now when we reconnect, we are met with a deluge of messages, emails, and all sorts of alerts.

It seems that when we try to silence tech, we can only do so much. It may remain quiet for a time, but it is sitting in wait.

But even if it is a small victory, such quiet time is good for the soul. Do not feel greedy in wanting it. Unplug and find your focus.

Today’s Technology Needs An Off-the-Hook Option – NYTimes

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Year in the Bible, Quarter 2, Week 11

Jonah and the Whale, Verduner altarpiece in Klosterneuburg, Austria by Nicholas of Verdun.

Welcome to another week. You may find yourself fortunate to have the day off due to the holiday, and if so, perhaps that means you have a few extra moments to begin this week’s reading.

We continue to plow through these shorter books of the Minor Prophets. If I haven’t said so already, don’t let their name mislead you. They are not minor in their importance, but are named as such because of their shorter length. This week we have three more in Jonah, Micah, and Nahum.

Then over in the New Testament we have the letter to the Philippians. We just happened to have finished studying this letter during a Sunday class, and I am excited to go through it again. It’s a wonderful book that draws focus on the great worth of Jesus Christ, the humility that he displayed and which we should display in response, and contentment that flows from such focus.

And of course, we continue with our slow walk through the Psalms.

Enjoy.

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Aids for Knowing the Story of the Gospel

As I mentioned last week in talking about 1 Peter, we ought to be able to give a reason for the hope that we have in Christ. If what we believe is important, we should be able to tell others about it. We should know the gospel.

We talked about this in a class recently and at one point I put together a review of most of the weeks. It served as a reminder to jog our memories, but it will also work as a good cheat sheet in learning some short, clear descriptions of what Jesus has done for us.

Here’s a quick summary of what is included on the attached PDF. We talked about how Christ is our sacrificial lamb (1) and our passover (2). He brings life to us, undoing the death brought about by Adam (3). While evil was done to him, like Joseph, he worked in the situation to bring life to us (4). Then lastly, in reference to Moses lifting up a bronze snake that brought healing for all who looked on it, Jesus gives eternal life for all who look upon him (5).

Each of these has a picture to help us remember. Some are more straightforward, like a sheep in the bushes reminding us of Abraham and Isaac. Others are more of the “you had to be there” variety. But again, let me summarize quickly.

We have a picture of the door with the blood placed on it as passover, then next to it the cross laid over it, showing the blood of Christ that now saves us.

The third picture is to represent how in Adam, his sin at the tree brought death to all. Then in Christ, the “Second Adam”, which you read through from left to right, but this time include the two items inserted with a carrot, went to the tree (the cross) and died for us, bring life to us.

The fourth picture represent how Joseph and Jesus both left their father’s house, suffered injustice, were thrown into a pit (the grave in Jesus case), but then through those events saved others (life preserver).

Lastly we have the snake that brought death, then the bronze snake that when looked upon brought life, just as our sin (missing the mark) brings death, but looking to Christ brings us eternal life.

Hope this helps. If you still are left scratching your head about these, let me know and maybe I can help.

 

Five stories of Jesus we should be able to tell. (Click for full-size PDF)

 

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Intro to Hosea and a Plug for Study Bibles

We begin a whole new genre this week with our first Minor Prophet. We read Hosea, which is tied for most chapters along with Zechariah at 14. I find refreshing my memory with some brief introductions is always helpful with these books of the Bible, which brings me to why I like study Bibles.

Being a pastor it is my job to keep Christian publishers in work by buying lots of Bibles. I have a great number in my possession that have either been bought by or for me over the years. I have several translations, sizes, and even languages. When I was a student I really valued portability because I lived out of my bag and always wanted to have a Bible with me without having to carry around so many extra pounds. I mentioned earlier in the year that the Bible I’m mainly using for our Year in the Bible is one that has sizable borders for taking notes. Beyond that I’ve really enjoyed my old, trusty NIV Study Bible. If you don’t have some version of a study Bible, I highly recommend it.

These are the ones that include all sorts of notes on the text with cross references and commentary, they provide cultural and contextual notes, and they even include pictures and diagrams. And as I mentioned earlier, they give introductions to each book of the Bible.

So take this as a plug for getting your own study Bible. Here is an introduction taken from the NIV Study Bible, published on Biblica.com, to give you A) helpful information as we start Hosea and B) a preview of what you get with study Bibles:

biblica.com/niv/study-bible/hosea/

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Chronology of David

Having been through two books that follow much of David’s life, I wanted to find a resource that helped to take all the information and organize it. So I found this brief chronology of his life, and I think it should help. It’ll also come in handy once we get to 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles next quarter.*

Found at riverwoodchurchofchrist.org taken from the work of William H. Gross. Click for full-size.

*We go through Kings and Chronicles in what I’ll be calling the History Blitz… It’ll be a bit crazy.