Jesus taught using parables.  There was an intention in this to help His hearers to think, learn and learn about Him! 

Because Jesus took the time to draw our interest to the truths about life and His love, we can learn more about Him each time we open the word of God.  Praise God! 

Isaiah saw a throne where he received his call (Isaiah 6:1-5).  There is even a more specific description at the end of the Bible.  The Revelation God gave to John is all at once a treasure and a mystery.  I have a playlist on Youtube on the book of Revelation.  One of those videos is about the throne of God in chapters 4-5.  

The throne has been made accessible to us by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  Every prayer matters and every notion of hope is based in solid reality.  Praise God! 

There are times when one verse contains profound truths about God's nature and kindness.  Psalm 30:5 is one of those places.  I believe it was Martin Luther who said: "Those who see God as angry don't see HIm rightly".  God's nature is always good, always righteous and always kind.  I'll let you see the Scripture and find that truth:

Psa. 30:5     For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favor, a lifetime.
    Weeping may stay overnight,
    but there is joy in the morning.

Today we can experience the wonderful joy of the Lord!  Praise God! 

Jeremiah was called by God to declare his word.  It was a word of judgement for the sins of the nation.  Jeremiah had wanted to quit because the task was so enormous.  He could not.  Jeremiah's own testimony is that it was like a fire shut up in his bones. (Jeremiah 20:9).  When we know exactly what the word of God says, understand what it meant and means, then apply the message and respond appropriately, we have the responsibility of communicating.  It's a grand privilege and an awesome responsibility.  The final step of Bible study is communication.  

We can get the word out in power through the talent, skills, and gifts He has given us!  Praise God! ​

Western culture is fascinating in its use of categories and steps.  We often separate the doing of our faith from doctrinal statements.  Theology proper is separated from practical theology. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for having a knowledge in their head but not their heart.  The solution to this is found in the 4th step of Inductive Bible Study:  Response. In this step we connect with the text and hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying through His word.  It naturally follows application.  

When respond we make literally the promise of Romans 10:9-10 and John 20:31.  We confess and believe!  Praise God! 

This is that step.  It's the step that most people do before step one and two.  We are very pragmatic in our culture and we want to make the point and get the result instantaneously.   What if we're mistaken about the meaning?  If we understand that the Bible is God's word, we want to know for sure what it says before we apply it to our lives.  The third step rightly follows #1 an #2.  The cart is BEHIND the horse in Application. 

We can apply with certainty once we know what the Bible says and means.  Praise God! 

Great definitions bring clarity.  So do working definitions.  Philosophy asks the right questions.  Theology gives the right answers.  I recently looked at a study Bible that had "The right questions" on the introductory section of each book.  Who? What? When? Where? Why?  It asked "Who wrote the book?"
"What was its message?"  "When was it written?" "Where was it written?" and "Why was it written?" These are all great questions when you come to any book of the Bible.  In formal university level Bible study, we call this part:  Interpretation!  

God gave us brains for a reason!  We can ask the right questions of His word, and it will lead us to the. right answer!  Praise God! 

There are so many!  I love how study Bibles have been upgraded in the past 12 years!  There is almost no limit to how they can be packaged and published with the wonders of digital tools.  This can sometimes complicate the issue because there are so many ways to study the word of God.  The Inductive Study method is the one used in colleges and seminaries and it's quite basic and intuitive.  I have a series of 5 videos on "how to study the Bible". Here is the first one and I consider it the most important. OBSERVATION.

Simply observing can bring great results and we can know more about its great redemptive message!  Praise God!

There are two passages in Scripture, one is in the New Testament, one in the old.  The Lamentations reference is written in a time of intense sorrow.  The other, in a space of high theological discourse.  Both convey a timelessness and power concerning the love of God. Jeremiah concludes his discourse about the faithfulness of God.

Lam. 3:22       The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
        his mercies never come to an end;
23     they are new every morning;
        great is your faithfulness.
The writer of Hebrews pauses in his teaching to declare this:
Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Plenty of love and lots of time.  Praise God! 

I was recently looking through a Bible I'm going to be reviewing this month and noticed something I thought was really cool.  It had a map for each of Paul's missionary journeys.  1 map for the first, 1 map for the second, and so on.  It helps convey the wide path he cut with his associates as they carried the Gospel to those who've never heard.  The thought occurred to me.  Where's your missionary journey map?  Good question.  I thought I'd mention it.  It's not my job to call anyone to a missions assignment, but we all have the joy and honor of representing Christ wherever we may serve! Hear the words of Jesus:

Matt. 28:19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 
Christ's commission is GREAT and we have the privilege of sharing the best news ever with the assurance that He is with us!  Praise God! ​

In many ways, a favorite miracle is the one you just experienced.  Let's be more specific. What's your favorite miracle in the Bible?  I have one.  It's my favorite because God stops answering one person's request to help another.  They have to wait!  It's a powerful reminder that God's timing is WAY outside of ours. Click below to watch it! 

If we will hold on to believing, God will answer, and it will be the BEST answer.  Praise God! 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most profound moment in human history.  When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he taught on this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-58.  It's a long chapter.  It's a logical chapter.  I encourage my students to tell their friends who are thinkers and doubters to read 1 Corinthians 15.  He starts with what one Gospel songwriter called "The grandest theme through the ages rung...."  

3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.

Last of all He appeared to ME!  Praise God! 

The Gospel is the Gospel for both our temporal and our eternal lives!  Through Christ we are promised the forgiveness of sin (Romans 3:24) and the hope of eternal life. (John 6:39). The promise of Christ's soon return is as sure today as it was on the day of Ascension!  We have a Blessed Hope!  Praise God!

King Asa of Judah was in trouble.  An army from Ethiopia was marching with a million men toward the town of Mareshah.  Asa deployed his soldiers north of town and decided to pray.  
Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!”
God answered this prayer! (2 Chron 14:12-13)
Here is an example for whatever you may face today.  Call on His Name!  Ask for help and watch God answer! Praise God!

Isaiah lived in a time of political and social upheaval.  In his prophetic ministry to the Judean monarchy, tragedy struck with the death of King Uzziah.  Chapter 6 of Isaiah describes the call he received.  He describes it as the "year Uzziah died", "I saw the Lord".  The full description of this is in Isaiah 6:1-13.  There were seraphim, thunder and a voice.  The wonder in this passage is how specific Isaiah's call was.  God created a whole production just to ask "Whom shall we call? and Who will go for us?" (Is 6:8). God knew the kind of setting Isaiah would respond to.  I'm encouraged to know that when God wants to speak to us and give us direction, it's clear.  God's instructions have no mystery or anxiety, rather His specific call is exciting and full of peace.   Praise God! 

One of the high benefits that a believer experiences when they come to Christ is the emotional and spiritual freedom that comes from God's forgiveness.  It's my guess that this was on Paul's mind as he was concluding the grand epistle of Romans.  He blessed the Romans with the following prayer:

Rom. 15:13    Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The expectation that comes from that is a powerful reality for all who believe!  Today we can have hope and peace as we BELIEVE!  Praise God! 

Is in the Bible.  You just have to know where to look for it.  Proverbs, for example is exactly that.  2 statement truths that stand on their own.  They are principles to live by.  Ecclesiastes.  Solomon tells it like it is.  (Make sure you put Solomon in context.  He lived 1000 years before Jesus). The prophets.  They are the ancient preachers who describe the nature of God and His love contrasted by the rebelliousness of the people of God.  The Gospels.  When Jesus began to teach, no one had ever heard such wisdom or insight.  Matthew 6 for example is the highest ethical standard on earth.  There's plenty to learn, observe and enjoy by engaging God's word!  Praise God! 

The wonder of what Christ has done by atoning for our sin, and the guarantee of our resurrection cannot be overstated.  We learn it.  We write songs about it.  We even teach it to others.  Over time, we can forget the magnitude of this good news. The Bible DECLARES the Boldness of God's grace.  

Gal. 2:16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

Gal. 3:24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.

Gal. 5:4 You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.

Rom. 3:28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Rom. 4:2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God.
​
Christ has completely justified believers by His work of grace.  Praise God! 

The Old Testament has suffered for 2000 years under the label "Old".  Do you know anything marketed as "OLD"? I submit to you that it's extremely rare.  We call older adults "seniors". We refer to old movies as "classics". I don't drink alcohol and never plan on it (I'm not bragging, I'm testifying) but our culture calls old wines "vintage". What's my point?  It's the Vintage, Classic, Senior Testament! It is the foundation for the New Testament.  Here is my second youtube video on the 2 most important events in the Old Testament. If you know these events, you can manage the vast material in it. Praise God!     ​

It's the foundation for the New!  I like to refer to the New Testament as the victory lap of the Bible.  The whole 4000 year story of the Old Testament anticipates the wonder and glory of the new!  We know this for one main reason.  The author's of the New Testament appealed to its authority and quoted from it all the time.  Matthew, Hebrews, and Romans are just some examples. Here is one of my videos where I talk about the timeline of the Old Testament.  Learning a few simple facts in the timeline can help you navigate and enjoy the whole book! Praise God! 

If you speak English. I'm here to set you free.  You have permission to read the Bible using the New Living Translation (NLT). I"m not kidding.  It's that clear.  Be advised, you will LEARN SOMETHING YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.  There's much to learn in the Bible.  Why not learn it in a version that communicates clearly?  Here's a recent video I did on the NLT if you have questions about it.

The Revelation of God to man can be known, understood and accepted when we UNDERSTAND IT!  Praise God! 

I think there is a good way and a bad way to read the Bible.  The good way is to read it while thinking.  The bad way is to read it carelessly.  When it comes to the Old Testament, it is absolutely essential.  Here are 3 tips to understanding the Old Testament.
1. Consider the vast amount of time it took to write it.  It took at least 4000 years.
2. Consider the geography of the Bible.  The events of the Old Testament took place on a real place on earth, Modern day locations include: Israel/Jordan/Syria/Egypt/Iraq/Iran (The Fertile Crescent!)
3. The types of literature.  Some of the Old Testament is instructional, others historical narrative, and others poetic. 
Let's start with Geography!  Here is my first youtube video (forgive the quality, we were learning :-) )

​Learning the geography of the Old Testament will light up your study of the Old Testament and the New! Praise God! ​Praise God! 

Many times when questions arise about faith, a person might give the definition in Hebrews 11:1. It's the one objective definition of it in Scripture, and most likely the most well known.  The writer of Hebrews focused on faith in chapter 11.  Here are the references to all the examples he provided from the Old Testament, showing how the faith of the people of God in the Old Testament, was a powerful example of the kind of faith we can have now that Christ has come. 
Heb. 11:1, 3–9, 11, 13, 17, 20–24, 27–31, 33, 39

These 27 mentions of faith convey the confidence we can have in God through all the phases of life.  Praise God! 

Faith has many definitions.  The Bible is where we find the concept for the very first time.  Like Paul in Romans 4:3, we need to consult the Scriptures to see if what we hear, read or listen to is a valid Christian concept.  The Bible makes it easy for us when it comes to faith.  It's in there 245 times!  Here are the references!   Deut. 32:51; 1 Sam. 23:16; Is. 7:9; Hab. 2:4; Matt. 6:30; 8:10, 26; 9:2, 22, 29; 14:31; 15:28; 16:8; 17:20; 21:21; Mark 2:5; 4:40; 5:34; 10:52; 11:22; Luke 5:20; 7:9, 50; 8:25, 48; 12:28; 17:5–6, 19; 18:8, 42; 22:32; Acts 3:16; 6:5, 7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9, 22, 27; 15:9; 16:5; 20:21; 24:24; 26:18; Rom. 1:5, 8, 12, 17; 3:22, 25–28, 30–31; 4:5, 9, 11–14, 16, 19–20; 5:1–2; 9:30, 32; 10:6, 8, 17; 11:20; 12:3, 6; 14:1, 23; 16:26; 1 Cor. 2:5; 12:9; 13:2, 13; 15:14, 17; 16:13; 2 Cor. 1:24; 4:13; 5:7; 8:7; 10:15; 13:5; Gal. 1:23; 2:16, 20; 3:7–9, 11–12, 14, 22–26; 5:5–6; 6:10; Eph. 1:15; 2:8; 3:12, 17; 4:5, 13; 6:16, 23; Phil. 1:25, 27; 2:17; 3:9; Col. 1:4, 23; 2:5, 7, 12; 1 Th. 1:3, 8; 3:2, 5–7, 10; 5:8; 2 Th. 1:3–4, 11; 3:2; 1 Tim. 1:2, 4–5, 14, 19; 2:7, 15; 3:9, 13; 4:1, 6, 12; 5:8; 6:10–12, 21; 2 Tim. 1:5, 13; 2:18, 22; 3:8, 10, 15; 4:7; Titus 1:1, 4, 13; 2:2; 3:15; Philem. 1:5–6; Heb. 4:2; 6:1, 12; 10:22, 38; 11:1; 11:3–9, 11, 13, 17, 20–24, 27–31, 33, 39; 12:2; 13:7; James 1:3, 6; 2:1, 5, 14, 17–18, 20, 22, 24, 26; 5:15; 1 Pet. 1:5, 7, 9, 21; 5:9; 2 Pet. 1:1, 5; 1 John 5:4; Jude 1:3, 20; Rev. 2:13; 14:12
We can trust God today!  Praise God! 

There is this thing in the Bible that has all three of those qualities.  Those are some strong adjectives!  It is the guarantee of every believer.  Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord has this treasure.  Sometimes it's referred to as HOPE.  Other times it's referred to as GOAL or REWARD.  Peter talked about it in his first epistle.  Peter wrote to "the strangers scattered throughout. Pontus, Asia, Galatia, Cappadocia and Bithynia about their INHERITANCE.  What God has provided for believers doesn't wear out, degrade, or spoil. 1Pet. 1:3        Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
​Praise God!