CHRISTIANITY & THE BIBLE

christianity & The bible

"Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when
I am weak, then I am strong"
--2 Cor. 12:10

how to study the bible with greater comprehension
© 2019 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

There are many ways to study the Bible. The Bible is many books in one, with one great purpose: to reveal the living Word of God, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18)

Devotional Bible study is "reading and studying the Word of God in order that we may hear God's voice personally and that we may know how to do His will and to live a better Christian life." (Holy Bible Family Reference Edition KJV 1971, pg. 1086, Royal Pub.)

Dr. Howard A. Kelley said: "The best way to study the Bible is to read it daily with close attention and with prayer to see the light that shines from its pages, to meditate upon it, and to continue to read it until somehow it works itself, its words, its expressions, its teachings, its habits of thought, and its presentation of God and His Christ into...one's being"

How Do You Begin?

Begin with a prayer
Take notes of what you read
Read a passage slowly and ask yourself what the passage is about

Ask yourself these questions:

What is the main subject of the passage?
Who is writing or speaking and to whom?
When does this take place?
Where does this take place?
Why does the author write the passage?
What is the key verse of the passage?
How does the passage fit in within the context?
How does this passage teach me about the Lord?
Is there sin for me to confess from this passage?
Is there a command for me to obey?
Is there a promise for me to claim?
Is there instruction for me to follow?
Is there a prayer I should pray?

Write down in your journal and take notes as you read, and after reading the passage. Read the passage a second time to firm up your answers and to gain deeper insight.

Memorization
It is good to memorize many verses or passages. For instance, you should memorize the Lord's Prayer. You might also want to memorize verses that speak to you more personably—verses that inspire you to live a Christian life.

What is Inductive Bible Study?
Inductive Bible study is applying inductive reasoning as an investigative approach. This is the process of gathering information and then drawing a conclusion. We do this with:

Observation (What does the passage say? Who, What, Where, When)
Interpretation (What does the passage mean?)
Application (How is the passage applied to my life? What does it mean for me personally? How does this truth affect me, my relationship with others, my relationship with God?)

With inductive study you become involved with the Bible on a more intimate level.

You Can Study The Bible Many Ways

By Chapters: There are 1189 Chapters in the Bible. You can study a Chapter a day. In just over three years you will have studied the Bible.
By Paragraphs. What is the main idea? Now rewrite the paragraph in your own words. Read again and rewrite.
By Verses: Break each verse down by separating nouns and verbs for deeper investigation.
by Books: There is the inductive method of study, which was noted. There is also the synthetic method, which entailed the student to read the Book several times until the message /main theme of the Book is clearly revealed.
by Words: Study great words: faith, belief, love, law, etc.
by Topics: Prayers, songs, sermons, God's commands, etc.
through Biography: God reveals Himself to men and through men: The life of Noah, the life of Abraham, etc.

Family Bible Study
Daily family Bible study brings the family together. This is very important for children. Study should be 40-45 minutes. Have a different member begin with a prayer. Read a Chapter. Have each member read a verse from the Chapter. Then ask questions. Every member should have a journal to record the study session. You can also start or finish by everybody singing a hymn

Starting Your Daily Study
You need a routine. Make Bible Study into a good habit. The best time to study is when your mind is fresh and well rested. Setting a study time right after you wake is a good time. Plan to study for 40 to 45 minutes with no breaks or disruptions. Here is how you do it:

Plan undisturbed time each day
Write Down your plan and purpose for study. What do you hope to accomplish? With a plan and a purpose you have an objective to achieve.
Prepare by praying first:

(Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.—Psalm 119:34).
Many prayers are available in Psalm.

Read slowly and carefully. Do not rush yourself.
Ask questions while reading
Turn the scripture into a prayer

Experience more with your Bible Study Journal, Prayer Journal and Worship Journal. Spend time everyday in God's word. It is worth it.

ADAM: THE FIRST LEADER OF MANKIND
(Leadership From The Bible #3)
© 2018 BY M. MITCH FREELAND

What can be learned of Adam regarding leadership? Is the leadership message of Adam more powerful than what most believe?

Let's look at a couple of facts regarding Adam and why he was a born leader as God made him:

Adam was made in the image of God. God is the supreme leader; therefore, Adam had the power of leadership as God created him.
Adam had complete rule (dominion) over all the animals. God gave him this power to lead. "Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So, Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field." (Genesis 2:19-20)

Adam led all the animals and cared for the garden of Eden. This was the power given to him by God.

When God created a companion for Adam (Adam named her Eve after they had sinned against God), the woman was beguiled by the serpent (Satan). The woman ate the fruit from the tree that God told Adam not to eat from and Adam ate from the tree when the fruit was offered to him by the woman. What can we learn from this about Adam's leadership ability?

Adam was apparently not clear with the woman regarding the danger of eating from the Tree of Good and Evil. The woman believed Satan over Adam.

Adam did not convey God's word to the woman regarding the tree. Adam failed as the leader of the Garden and as the leader of his woman. And God drove him and Eve out of the garden of Eden.

God gave Adam the ability to lead. But, Adam, having free will, did not use his ability well. A strong leader must communicate clearly to others. Adam did not communicate clearly to the woman, or she would not have fallen to Satan's words. Because of Adam's faulty communication to his wife, all mankind has been punished.

To the woman He (God) said:

            "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
            In pain you shall bring forth children;
            Your desire shall be for your husband,
            And he shall rule over you."

Then to Adam He said: "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it':

            "Cursed is the ground for your sake;
            In toil you shall eat of it
            All the days of your life.
            Both thorns and thistle it shall bring forth
                        for you.
            And you shall eat the herb of the field,
            In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
            Till you return to the ground,
            For out of it you were taken;
            For dust you are,
            And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:16-19)

God was angry and saddened by Adam's disobedience and as a father who loves his children, He punishes his disobedient children.

Don't make the mistake Adam made. As a leader, you must communicate clearly with your followers. Adam made the biggest blunder of mankind when he did not express himself clearly to his wife. Unclear or lack of communication is the cause of more strife in families, relationships and businesses than any other cause.

In Psalm 23 God is explained by David as a Shepherd. The Shepherd is the leader. David also sees himself as a Shepherd, a leader. Let's go through Psalm 23 and discover how leadership is carried out as the Shepherd.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
   He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of
                the shadow of death,
   I fear no evil;
   For thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the
                presence of mine enemies;
Thou anointest my head with oil;
   My cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
   All the days of my life;
   And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   Forever.

In verse 1: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader provides everything we need.
                (The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.)

In verse 2: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader gives us rest and peace.
                (He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;
                He leadeth me beside the still waters.)

In verse 3: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader leads confidently, restores, energizes and makes us new again. The Leader (Shepherd) guides us in the right direction.
                (He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
                For His name's sake.)

In verse 4: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader protects, comforts and corrects us.
                (Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
                I will fear no evil; For thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff; they comfort me.

In verse 5: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader feeds, honors us, anoints us, giving us more than we may need. He gives us abundance.
                (Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou anointest my head with oil;
                My cup runneth over.)

In verse 6: The Lord, our Shepherd, our Leader gives us love that is guaranteed for life. Our Leader gives us a house to live in, with Him, forever.
                (Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
                All the days of my life;
                And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
                Forever.)

God, the Supreme Leader, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Mosses, David, Isaiah, and Father of Jesus is the Shepherd to all those believing in Him.

Are you the Good Shepherd? Are you the leader in your family? Every family needs a strong leader. Every community, business, and organization needs a strong leader with integrity. You can begin the leadership journey by becoming the Good Shepherd. Follow each of the examples of leadership from each verse in Psalm 23. If you are head of your household, become the Shepherd of your flock. The Shepherd takes responsibility for the complete wellbeing of his flock. If you do not have a flock, look to your business, place of employment, or school.   Now go out into the world and lead as the Shepherd.

What role does God play in your life? Is He in your thoughts? Is He in your thoughts daily, whenever good things happen and when bad things happen? Do you thank Him? Are you grateful for all that you have and will have? Is your hope for a wonderful future overwhelmingly high? I certainly hope it is. Did you know that people who are passionate about God, Jesus, are more optimistic about life? The current problems and troubles that face us in our daily lives are temporary and pass like a summer breeze—and some like a tornado. Why is this? For one thing, Christians believe in life—a better life beyond this one, in this world.

This life on earth is not the end of your life when you are a Christian. This life is the beginning of your life, and when this life is over, a new life with Christ begins. How could anyone then be a pessimist when the good life is waiting for you in the future? Does this make sense to you? You do not know what God’s plans are for you. You are on his schedule not yours. Ten years of struggle may seem like a long time for you, but for God it might not even be a second.

I have noticed that solid Christians live happier, healthier, more fulfilling lives than others. This doesn’t mean they do not have problems. Some have extremely serious problems. Why do you think this is? Many are pillars in their community. They are resoundingly helpful, confident, inspired and at peace with themselves, with God and the direction they are going. I think this is because a solid Christian knows the outcome. In the end, they believe in heaven and that all will be well in the end. Eternal life begins with death. Our time on earth is short, but our time with the Father is eternal.

Life is filled with hardships and sorrows, tribulation and uncertainties. But with Christ one thing is certain: a life beyond this one. Is this a reason to be eternally optimistic?
It is.

How do you become eternally optimistic? Here are a few ways.

Belief--with all your heart
Faith
Hope
God is in charge. Surrender to Him.
God makes the rules—you follow them without question. You are obedient to God.
You have a choice—Following God is a good choice.
You are what you think about—as a man thinketh.

If you haven’t opened the Bible in a while or attended church, it’s time. This is the most important Step to an optimistic outlook.

In Genesis we know that Noah was chosen by God to build an ark to save himself, his wife, his three sons and their three wives and every living thing of all flesh, birds and every creeping animal in pairs (male and female). Noah was chosen by God because he was a righteous person. God also loved mankind, but mankind had become sinful, and evil and the Bible says: "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Genesis 6:6). God decided to destroy man, "....everything on earth shall die." (Genesis 6:17) God would start over again and He chose Noah and his immediate family to make humankind over again.

"And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him." (Genesis 7:5). God is the supreme leader, and He chose Noah (a righteous man) to lead as God instructed him to lead.

So, Noah as the leader of his family, instructed his wife and sons and their wives of what God told him to do and they all obeyed him. Why did they obey him? Everybody else must have thought he was crazy. They obeyed Noah because they also knew him as a righteous man, a good man, a moral man, a virtuous man. There was no reason for him to make up stories. A strong leader leads by example, not just words.

Noah did what God (the supreme leader) said to do, and Noah's family did what he told them to do, as God instructed. The ark was built. All the animals, the creeping things on earth and the birds were collected. Food was gathered, and everything God said to do was done.

Noah was not a perfect person. But God does not choose perfect people to lead others (David, Moses, and Solomon all were not perfect). But the Bible says, "Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:9). God chooses people that are best suited for getting the job done. Noah would end up leading a new generation. And here we are today.

Noah led his family to start a new life as God instructed: "So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth." (Genesis 9:1). And they did.

What can we learn from Noah as leaders?
First, a good leader leads by example. If you are the head of your household, do the right things. Show your children and other family members that you are trustworthy and virtuous. Show them that you are a person of integrity. Show them that you love God and that you obey His laws. If you haven't done this in the past, start today. God wants you to be a strong leader. Good leaders are respected not feared.

Second, Noah made sacrifices. A good leader has to choose. Not every decision is an easy one. Your decisions may be unfavorable among your family members, employees or others in your organization; but as long as the decisions are for good and benefit God (a decision God would be proud of), then they are good decisions. A good leader, asks God for help with any tough decisions.

Noah chose to do what God told him to do. A good leader listens and carries out the tasks that are required of him. A good leader is obedient. Noah conveyed God's instructions to his family as a good leader and as a man that can be trusted.

Third, leadership is influence. The task at hand of building a massive ark and gathering the food and animals must have been an overwhelming thought at first. But Noah was an influential person with his family; he had to be. Again, a leader is one who's word is trusted because he has led by example as living a life as a virtuous man, following in God's word.

Following in Noah's footsteps. It is not too late. Leadership is the hallmark that keeps a family together. And good, strong leadership is what holds a family together through tough times. Successful leadership breads growth. So, lead with righteousness, walk with God, and go out and be fruitful with all of your endeavors.

As a bookseller for many years I devoted a lot of time to acquiring the right books to build a proper inventory necessary for selling and making a worthwhile income. You could say I was a book hunter. In the course of hunting, I would come across an array of religious books. To my delight, many of the book were Christian related books and Bibles. Books explaining in simpler terms the Good Book, dissecting the Bible, and its meanings. I purchased many of these books because they have value, intrinsic and spiritual value, to me and others. Some of these books I sold and some I kept, and many of the books I planned to sell, I read before listing them for sale. The good ones, the very good ones, I kept for myself for further study.

I have now, a special table where these books go before they are shelved with the rest of the for sale lot. These books deal with Christianity, my faith.

I want to talk today about love, surrender and obedience to God. Do you know that you are loved? Can you define love? There is no greater love than the love God has for you. This is called Agapi love—a true unselfish love of putting others first. It is the greatest of loves—it is God’s love.

No matter what you might think, you were created by God. He is your father and He knows everything about you, everything. He created the earth and the heavens, the animals and every living and all nonliving things around you. He is a good God. And the day will come when you spend eternity with him. But before your spirit leaves your earthly body you must strive with all your heart, with every fiber of your being to become God-like. God wants you to realize his laws, surrender to him, have faith in Him, open your heart and follow Him by following his word. By following the word of God you are obedient and God wants you to be obedient.

The Bible tells us many things about how to live our lives. But the two things, the two words, beyond the stories, parables, and tragedies, the Bible, the word of God, tells us of surrender and obedience. To surrender your heart to Him, is to trust in the light, trust that the Lord our God, the Trinity, the Lord, Jesus, the holy ghost or spirit is the light, the truth, and the light will guide you through your dark journey on earth. For the world is fallen, this we know.

The other word is obedience. By following God’s laws you are obedient. God cherishes your obedience. By being obedient, you glorify God by doing what He wants you to do. And with surrender and obedience your world will transform into a kind of world God meant for you. Your world may not be an easy one, for the Bible says this—God does not promise an easy life. He does, however promise that your life after life will be with him in heaven. This is your reward for being obedient and following his word while you are on earth. By being obedient to God’s word, you show Him your gratitude. By not being obedient, you show your contempt.

The Bible is our foothold, our compass to guide us to a life of proper living and then everlasting life. Not only does the “Good Book” answer all of our questions pertaining to our lives, living or existence, or our purpose on earth, it also lets us know what is in store for us after we leave our earthly body. And the one and only purpose for your life is to follow God’s plan by abiding in his word, to strive for the impossible, to be without sin, to become as the son, to become like Jesus. For Christ was obedient and sinless, this the Bible says. Jesus surrendered his body and soul to God, his Father, his creator, your creator.

When we follow God’s word, we are not making sacrifices, far from it; we are developing a pure lifestyle—a lifestyle filled with honesty—a lifestyle filled with understanding, patience and love. To become God-like we must exhibit the qualities of God—the qualities of the son, the qualities of Christ. Developing your character is the most important aspect of becoming in favor with God.

A great transformation will take hold of you once you make the effort, the commitment, to become God-like. Remember, becoming God-like is not the same at becoming a God. You will never be a God. There is only one God. But becoming God-like should be the aim of all humans. We all have the power in us to surrender ourselves and to be obedient to God. We all have the ability, the strength, and fortitude to manage our lives according to God’s laws. We all have the ability to follow the Ten Commandments. We have the ability to pray, to ask for forgiveness, to be kind, to help the less fortunate. We have the ability to be grateful. We have the ability to be good, to not follow evil ways. No matter how tempted we are to fall, we have the ability to straighten ourselves out from crooked paths. Temptations are all around us and God is all around us too. It is easier to fight temptation when you know the truth, the reward for being obedient and that God is on your side. No, it won’t be easy; but it certainly is worth it.

Remember this: “God is all powerful.” The devil is powerful too, but not “all” powerful like God. So, if you really set your mind to change, you can and you will. The spirit in you is stronger than all of Satan’s powers. And once you set your mind and heart on God, with focus and determination, with commitment, once you surrender yourself to Him, once you decide to become an obedient servant of God, the evil in your life will diminish. Of course, there all always temptations, but you’ll be able to fight them off a lot easier with the help of God in your life. He is always on your side, you see. All you have to do is acknowledge Him—ask and he will deliver what is right for you. You may never know what is right for you, but He does--He knows--He knows everything about you and He loves you.