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Updated in January
We will be updating in January as we undergo the task of tackling a great short book, What is a healthy church?” by Mark Dever.
Hi folks, To those who are dedicated to growing closer to God by setting time aside everyday to dedicate to the reading of scripture. I humbly admit to you that there are days where this is neglected even now.But the benefits I notice in my own life as I stay the course are just amazing. My prayer it that through continued dedication and your efforts in checking in with this blog a couple times a month will bless all involved. It is a primary part of the accountability we all need. If you can just drop a line and let us know your struggles, benefits, growth, questions, etc. Your input will help make this be what we would like to see it become but we cannot do it with out you. If you have tips or suggestions that would help us we welcome them. With that said we are jumping in such a great part of the book of Matthew. I hope you have been blessed by our last 7 chapters and meet this cross over of verses with excitement and sadness for leaving the last 7. Post comments and questions about these verses if you come across any. If you do make a post understand it make take a day to post. Also if you are looking for places to evangelize this year keep a close look at the Mt Morris blogs to the right. They will have updates, pictures and events that we will be heading out to. We hope to go to some Nascar events, fairs, parades, etc this year so make sure to check that out.
Now for a word from John Macarthur to Pastors but I think this will serve us all well…..
The Greek word translated “nourished up” is a present passive participle, implying that being nourished with the Word of God is a continual process of feeding. That involves reading Scripture, meditating on it, dialoguing over it, and studying it until you’ve mastered its contents.
It is essential that we be continually nourished by “the words of faith.” That phrase refers to the body of Christian truth in Scripture. We are to master Scripture. We’ll never do it, but that’s our pursuit. We are to be expert in that area; not just good communicators who can tickle people’s ears and make them think they heard something enjoyable (2 Tim. 4:3). We need to accurately interpret and defend the Word of God. Not only are we to be nourished directly by “the words of faith” but also by “good doctrine” (Gk., kale didaskalia). “Good doctrine” encompasses the teaching of biblical truth and the application of its principles. Spiritual growth is based upon our interaction with biblical truth.
1. 1 Peter 2:2–We grow spiritually as we study the Bible.
2. 2 Timothy 2:15–Paul said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” We are called–above and beyond all other elements in the ministry–to be expert students of the Word of God.
3. Ephesians 6:17–We are to bear “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and be able to use it in any way at any time.
4. Colossians 3:16–We are to have the Word of Christ dwelling in us richly and deeply.
5. 2 Timothy 3:16-17–Since the Word of God “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works,” then we must know it.
To be able to think and speak biblically a pastor has to spend a large proportion of his time interacting with the text of Scripture. It is an inexhaustible treasure that demands a lifetime to just begin to understand its full riches. There is no virtue in being ignorant. Unfortunately we are a generation of people who do not like to sit and think; we prefer to be entertained. In spite of that we are to be committed to studying, understanding, and articulating the Word of God.
Spurgeon on reading your Bible
Need I suggest the question as to whether you do read your Bibles or not? I am afraid that this is a magazine-reading age, a newspaper-reading age, a periodical-reading age, but not so much a Bible-reading age as it ought to be. In the old Puritanic times men used to have a scant supply of other literature, but they found a library enough in the one book, the Bible. And how they did read the Bible! How little of Scripture there is in modern sermons compared with the sermons of those masters of theology, the Puritanic divines! Almost every sentence of theirs seems to cast sidelights upon a text of Scripture; not only the one they are preaching about, but many others as well are set in a new light as the discourse proceeds. They introduce blended lights from other passages, which are parallel or semi-parallel thereunto, and thus they educate their readers to compare spiritual things with spiritual. I would to God that we ministers kept more closely to the grand old book. We should be instructive preachers if we did so, even if we were ignorant of “modern thought,” and were not “abreast of the times.” I warrant you we should be leagues ahead of our times if we kept closely to the word of God. As for you, my brothers and sisters, who have not to preach, the best food for you is the word of God itself. Sermons and books are well enough, but streams that run for a long distance above ground gradually gather for themselves somewhat of the soil through which they flow, and they lose the cool freshness with which they started from the spring head. Truth is sweetest where it breaks from the smitten Rock, for at its first gush it has lost none of its heavenliness and vitality. It is always best to drink at the well and not from the tank. You shall find that reading the word of God for yourselves, reading it rather than notes upon it, is the surest way of growing in grace. Drink of the unadulterated milk of the word of God, and not of the skim milk, or the milk and water of man’s word.
-Charles Spurgeon
Focus on the Word – Stay the course
Hi folks, I pray your study is blessed during this time. Look for some updates to come this weekend with audio links and some more resources. Remember this blog is not the center of this project but the Word is. This is the place to go for help on verses or to interject about the text. Please write or leave a comment on how you have been blessed by this study. I do hope you have been……..
Quick question
12:32
What is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
Getting into the New Testament Project
Hi all! I am finally getting a chance to get on. Our new baby, Heather, is finally getting to sleep through the night, and I finally have some time to get online during my studies. I have loved reading some of the comments here, and am glad to be able to study God’s word with others who treasure His word. I will be making some posts soon. Just a little too tired still right now, but I am loving the text. Love you guys.
Bob
The Son of Man and His Kingdom
The deity of Jesus Christ is one of the essentials of the Christian faith. Jesus who is 100% God and 100% man is clearly taught throughout Scripture. Jesus is God the Son the second person of the Holy Trinity. We as Christians believe that there is one God in three distinct persons God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But there is often many who challenge that view; Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and even some “Christians”. Jehovah Witnesses believe that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, Mormons believe that Jesus is a created being the firstborn of heavenly father, and even some say Jesus is a Son of God, but not God. The Bible is clear in it’s teachings about Jesus, that He is not a created being(John 1), He’s not Michael the Archangel(I challenge anybody to find that in Scripture), and while Jesus is called the Son of God, He’s not a Son like we would think of one. God didn’t have a baby, Jesus is everlasting(Rev. 1:8) just like His Father and the Spirit. The Son of God is His role in the Holy Trinity. Glory to the Father, Glory to the Son, Glory to the Spirit. Three in essence one in unity.
One of the biggest arguments against the deityof Christ, especially in evangelism, is that Jesus never claimed to be God. So here is my challenge to everyone. Just in the 7 chapters we are currently studying comment verses that you see that show the deity of Christ. Here is mine. First we know that heaven is often called the kingdom of God, remember, who’s kingdom is it? Gods!! Mattthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send out His Angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness.” Jesus called it His kingdom because He is God. There are plenty more verses that show the deity of Christ, so comment me yours. God bless you all!!
January’s Top Three.
Looking at our first seven chapters over the past month I would have to say my favorite top three sermons were the following….
Pastor Eldon Busnitez-Matthew 3:1-6
Pastor John Macarthur-Matthew 4:1-11
Pastor Mark Kielar-Matthew 7:28-29
I will be posting new audio for our current chapters this week and look forward to any particular message that helped you draw out the meaning of the text or just blessed you in regards to those first 7 chapters.
In Christ,
WOW what a great month
What can I say, to all who have posted, emailed, commented, and inquired about some of these verses….Thank you. This is a group effort. We work together. For those who have not posted but are keeping up with some of those on here…We are praying for you too. I cant begin to say how blessed this has been on my personal prayer time, evangelism, being a husband, father and friend. God’s word fills our hearts and soul with truth and the the result is that we are filled with the words of life. Some things that I look forward to and hope to change in the next month would be writing my chapter summaries in the beginning of the month and read each 3′ X 5′ card when I go into a chapter to help me memorize that chapter summary. This will help me know where to go when faced with a question or looking for a verse. This month I did it at the end of the month. I want to post some pics tonight of my verse’s in my photo album. I look forward to some great questions and digging deeper in to God’s word with you all. If you have fallen off the bus I urge you to jump back on. If you have not yet been commited to reading all the verses with us everyday then make it up today and commit.
Keep it up and lets stay the course.
In Christ
Build Your House On the Rock
Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
We had a visitor at our church a couple of weeks ago named Frank Zitzman, and he shared something I thought was interesting about these verses. Over the last couple years I’ve learned more and more that understanding the original language is very critical in properly interpreting the scriptures. I’ve heard that in the English language there is only about six thousand words contrasted to the Greek language which has over ten thousand words. So some times when your reading the scripture in English you might miss something.
So notice in verse 25 the phrase beat on, this phrase is also found in verse 27, the same phrase in English, right? Well when you study those two phrases in the Greek you will notice that they are two different Greek words. In verse 25 the Greek word is prospipto which means to violently fall upon; attack; or to rush upon. In the context of the verse with that phrase it means when a global type flood comes or a huge amount of water comes, the house that is built on the rock will stand. Contrast to verse 27 the Greek word there is proskopto which means dash against or surge against. In the context of the verse with that phrase it means when a small amount of water like a creek comes, the house that is built on the sand will fall, and the fall will be great.
So the question is, is your house built upon the Rock Jesus Christ and His Word or is it built upon the sand of the world system? We know that as Christians that the Bible promises trials and tribulations and it will not be too long until heavy persecution comes are way. These verses are a promise and a warning. So build your house on the Rock, so that when the heavy floods come your house will stand.
Here is an excerpt from John Pipers book Spectacular Sins (And their global purpose in the glory of Christ). I think that this drives the point home. Also I would definitely suggest reading this book, you can go to desiringGod.org and read it on line for free. God bless!!
“Christianity is not a game; it’s not a therapy. All of its doctrines flow from who God is and what He has done in history. They correspond to hard facts. Christianity is more than facts, but not less. There is faith and hope and love. But these don’t float in the air. They grow like great cedar trees in the rock of God truth.
And the reason I make this one of my aims in this book is because I am deeply convinced from the Bible that our eternal joy and strength and holiness depend on the solidity of this worldview putting strong fiber into the spine of our faith. Wimpy worldviews make wimpy Christians. And wimpy Christians won’t survive the days ahead. Rootless emotionalism that treats Christianity like a therapeutic option will be swept away in the last days. Those who will be left standing will be those who have built their houses on the rock of great, objective truth with Jesus Christ as the origin, center, and goal of it all.”
Different theological backgrounds means different views on scripture. We can differ on secondary issues and still have fellowship. So keep theological debates centered on the text in our reading plan (unless needed to cross reference of course) so as not to veer off to far & be a one issue blog. But Truth is important to dialog about, so communicate effectively.
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