God's Word is preserved!

How we approach the interpretation of Scripture is key to applying it in our lives. We must use proper hermeneutics to find what is there rather than what is easy to accept. One recent doctrinal argument from my dear brother in Christ was built solely around the KJV being the only real Bible, saying that the English translation is superior to the original languages and that if the Bible uses a certain English word in the KJV then that is without question exactly what it means. This is errant I believe, and so I wanted to share my thoughts on this topic. Understand my heart is not to divide the body, but to see unity as we come to God's Word as He saw fit to have it written by men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Hebrew Bible

Rejecting the original language writings or considering them currently inferior to English  would in my estimation lead to the conclusion that Moses didn't really know what the Law meant, nor did Jesus or Paul, as none of them saw fit to study, speak, or write in English. It is either that or that God chose a different language for this dispensation, which would reject the Jews as having God's Word in the current era if my logic is correct. I don't mean to oversimplify this issue, as I know many dear brothers and sisters are adamant about their position.

If KJV is the only authoritative Word of God, the Jesus even misquoted Isaiah when He read the scroll, as He uses different words comparing those passages in the KJV. Add in the fact that the first edition read in Exodus 20 "Thou shalt commit adultery" (OOPS!!) and you realize quickly that any work of man is fallible, which is why we rely on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for our Scriptures.

Reading the notes of the translators of the King James edition, they stated the same as fact, that they were not inerrant but did the best a human could do when handling something so important as God's Word. The argument I often get in return to questioning the KJV as the only English Bible was "So you don't really think God is capable of preserving His Word?!!!!" This argument is inflammatory and illogical. I believe the heart of those who have said this to me is pure and their desire is to stand up for God's truth, but nonetheless the argument seems errant to me. I am not saying that any other version is perfect either, but only the original documents which God truly inspired, which agree in all fundamentals though they have been handed down for many centuries through copies and copies of copies, etc.

Chinese Bible

I do believe God has preserved and still preserves His Word in the original languages even if we are not cautious or diligent enough to seek it out, which I believe is why we have thousands of copies in the original languages. I believe that one will find the authentic message of the Gospel in any language (unless perversions are intentionally added by the work of man which has been submitted as a theory) and that we need not know these languages in order to study God's Word. Studying the original languages is surely beneficial as long as it is done accurately, and some scholars have wisely done so in such things as the Strong's concordance and other such tools. 

This is more broad a discussion than we started with, but I am still learning all along the way by God's grace and am so blessed to see His hand guiding me as I learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Have I mentioned lately that I am more in love with the Lord today than I have ever been, and that the more I learn the more I see I am nothing without Christ and still yet a child in His wisdom? Just thought I would mention that!

Grace to you and peace through our precious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Book Review- "Why do you believe that?" by B.A. Berean

A few months ago, we stayed in the home of some new friends. It is always a blessing getting to know brothers and sisters in Christ, and this stay was a special blessing in many ways. We were in Florida for a week, staying with multiple families over the course of our 3 city trip, and we were exhausted already with tired children, also preparing for a move to Maine the upcoming week.  When we arrived at Nathan's home, the hospitality was superb, and the fellowship of Christians was great. A few other families gathered to meet us for dinner as well, adding to the blessing. We were reminded that night that the fellowship of Christians is not limited to those we know well, but any who are brothers and sisters in Christ are instant friends.

As we spoke about our Savior, our families, convictions, about digging deep into God's Word, and the cultural traditions of the American church, even the persecution seen when we break man's rules and tradition in obedience to the Lord's calling on our lives, our host mentioned a book he had that might speak to some of our thoughts and discussions. He had just one copy of this book, Why Do You Believe That? and I read the book at bed time that night.

As a Christian man with deep convictions and a desire to always learn more of God's Word, I of course devoured the book in no time. I finally fell asleep at 3am, though I finished reading hours earlier. I needed to consider the thoughts shared in this book by God's Word (the point of the book) and pray. I had a great time of prayer that night, so lack of sleep didn't seem to matter. I asked if Nathan knew where to get more copies, and he thought the book was out of print, so I was especially blessed recently to find the book listed for sale on Amazon.You can use the link below to buy the book through our store.

Though it was a short read, a mere 148 pages, this book surprised me. It was conversational, gentle, and yet challenging. Along with many other books that have been handed to me over the years, I found this book contained some things that I agreed with immediately, some that I disagreed with, and many more that required further study. I had been led to study marriage and Biblical patriarchy for months as we noticed the demise of the family in our society, and looked forward to finding a book that stood on Biblical truth more than popular opinion. That is precisely the point of this book, though. He asks a lot of questions and will make you think, and though the book is about common misunderstandings about marriage in the Bible, it urges every step of the way that the reader would seek God's Word above all. We need more people who will study God's Word in the church today, and a little friendly debate wouldn't hurt either in my estimation.

The author does not want you to just believe what he says, but rather urges you to study God's Word on the topic at hand and every topic. He urges you to truly "be a Berean" in your approach to knowledge of God's Word, and in so doing shares the fallacies often seen when men neglect context, setting, audience, and other study tools that help us understand God's Word as it was meant to be studied.. He speaks of exegesis, that is taking what is in the text for what it says and seeing what it was intended to say as truth. Many people rather bring their beliefs to the Bible and find some verse or even part of a verse that seems to agree. They might even ignore context, audience, or skip large passages that disagree with their beliefs. We must seek to know what God wants, says, and intends if we are to obey Him and know Him more intimately. If you are not familiar with this term "Berean", you would do well to consider Acts 17:10-15

"The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 

Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as lwell, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left."

We see here what it means when the author calls us to "be Berean" in our approach to knowledge, that is to weigh out the teachings of men comparing them to the Scriptures to check the validity of the information. We see in the following verses of this passage that this truth was contrary to culture and therefore caused persecution for those preaching the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah and Savior.

I believe it is important that we seek to extend ourselves beyond the groups of people with which we are comfortable, to listen to differing viewpoints and learn to love our brothers and sisters in Christ even when we disagree at times. Truth is truth, and I am not advocating heresy or relativism, just a willingness to see what the Scripture actually says without adding our own assumptions. This is easier said than done to be sure. There are some Scriptures that are clear or at least seem clear depending on the context of our culture. Other passages are difficult to discern with complete certainty, or if we are not careful we miss what is there because we think we already know God's whole counsel on a subject.

Are we reading the Bible to find evidence for our own opinions, or do we truly seek to know God's mind even when it runs contrary to what we believe? This was the problem of the Pharisees, who added laws and traditions to God's Law and then crucified the Lord of glory because they held so tightly to their beliefs that they did not recognize the One who they proclaimed to obey. Are there any sacred cows in your life that you will not hear the voice of the Lord about? Are you adding cultural traditions and long held teachings of men to the Word of God and possibly persecuting those who disagree with you without cause? Can you humble yourself enough to say "I was wrong, please forgive me"

Those that know our family have seen our vehement stance on the authority of God's Word even when it is not popular or forces us to change our own lives to obey new found understanding of God's truth. People have seen our testimony of sacrifice, service, and humility as we seek to honor our Savior in all things. Sadly our views on some things have set us at odds with the majority of Christendom. We have accepted that this type of radical obedience to God has given us many opportunities to encourage others to do the same. This is nothing good of us, but the reflection of Christ in His children by His grace.

We believe in the exegetical approach to God's Word, and strive to see what God actually says rather than try to get the Bible to agree with us or confirm what we already believe. How will we ever have unity in Christ unless we take this approach, to find the original intent of the Author who gave us the book for our edification and training?

This following of the Bible even when opposed to culture (even church culture) has put us in strange situations at times, as we see that in many areas we can have differing views on some subjects as Christians and yet be united. We also must recognize that some things are not ambiguous in God's Word and therefore must not be compromised in any way, shape, or form. How will we know which is which, or what side to take on an issue if we do not give due diligence to the whole counsel of God? I suggest that as a culture we have become apathetic and left it to the preachers and conference speakers to dig out the truth of God's Word. This is not acceptable in a society where we have multiple copies of the Bible in our language in most homes. Shame on us for not picking up that Word of God and cherishing it as the source of wisdom! Shame on us if we neglect the reading and study of the Bible and rather just watch the TV preacher, supposing we have no personal obligation to seek out His truth!

I may take up this thought more in another post, and urge you to consider Romans 14 as I have at length these last few months. That passage has reminded me that I ought not be a stumbling block to others, yet I must obey God even if that is not acceptable to others. These thoughts and many more are contained in this wonderful little book, and I highly recommend reading it. Even if you disagree with some of the points, I believe this book will be a great blessing and perhaps inspire you to dig even deeper into God's Word. 

"Children are a blessing" video FREE viewing in April

We have heard about a video produced by the Moore family called "Children are a Blessing" for some time now. We finally got to watch the video tonight, a 30 minute film that is available until April 30th free online.

Following the lives of this God honoring and faithful Christian family, the film concentrates on the contrast between the modern views of family planning and child bearing. Preventing pregnancy through contraception along with chemical and surgical abortion is challenged in light of God's Word which states without exception that children are a blessing from God. Families like the Moores leave the results of how few or how many children they will have entirely up to the Lord.

You can watch the film online HERE until April 30th. The DVD version of Children are a Blessing
includes much more footage and extras about the family, and is available at the link below through Amazon. As always, your purchases through our links support our family and ministry.

Sara and I enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing more films like these that speak of the sanctity of human life and the blessing that children are. We hope this film challenges folks to consider that God has given us a charge to be fruitful not only in producing children for His glory, but to train those children to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ, to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This is not about having as many children as possible, but rather trusting God with the planning of our families. 

The mercy of God on King David

As I was pondering God's word this morning, I took some time to consider the life of King David. This Psalmist of Israel shares more emotion, pain, fear, and other aspects of humanity that any other author (in my opinion) used by the Holy Spirit to pen the Bible . These passages were recently brought up in another discussion, but I was struck primarily by the mercy of God upon David in his life and his legacy.

This king of Israel was historically and definitely a murderer and an adulterer, and yet due to his repentance in Psalm 51, God saw David as righteous. Evidently, though David was forgiven by God, the lesson still stands as a warning for those who seek other men's wives in direct disobedience to God's law. Consider David's life as a whole, as we do have much of his life accounted in God's Word, and see the blessings of God, the providence of God, the protection of God upon David.

1 Kings 15
3 And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father.
4 Nevertheless for David's sake did the LORD his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem:
5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

Solomon, David's son by Bathsheba, was also given mercy in God's sight, having disobeyed the command to not marry foreign wives. Still in this passage, we see David's heart as pure before the Lord. Solomon did build the temple as God ordained, as the plans were given to David. Solomon penned much of the poetic portion of the Old Testament, and yet with all the spiritual wisdom he was granted, the obvious typology of Christ in the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) was still tainted in our historical knowledge by the marrying of foreign wives who turned his heart away from God.

1 Kings 11
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.

I am so blessed by God's gracious gift of my wife, that she loves me and labors with me, the helper that God has provided. She has not turned me astray to worship idols, but rather has been by my side as together we search the depths of God's Word and seek to obey without reservation. The Bible tells us that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. I have found that good thing, and pray that God shows mercy and blessing on our family as He  did with David.

Resurrection Sunday

I posted this early this morning on my Facebook wall and thought it worthy of a brief blog post.

"Many will see what this is about and then skip reading it. Go on til the end please as the last phrase is key.

Mark 16: 1"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. 5Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

9[Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

12After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either."

With hundreds of first hand accounts of this testimony, still most will deny it ever happened. Most believe in a historical account of a crucifixion, but deny the power over the grave, the risen Savior. We see the Lord Jesus and then go away and report that He is alive..... but many refuse to believe it, even those we think are with us.

Our Savior is risen, He is alive and well, seated at the right hand of the Father, and He ever lives to make intercession for us. Hallelujah, what a Savior!!!"

Book Review- "Billy Graham in Quotes"

When I saw the offering of this book I was excited. As a Christian man who grew up in some of the most popular televised crusades of Billy Graham's career, this book is pretty much made for a man like me. I am in full time ministry and often find myself wanting the insight of men of God from days gone by. I enjoy quotes from Spurgeon, A.W. Pink, C.S. Lewis, and many more preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The book is well organized with Billy Graham's thoughts and insights on dozens of topics. I especially enjoyed the quotes regarding evangelism, Jesus Christ, and others that mix Scripture with the experience of years walking with and serving the Lord. As I have grown in my knowledge of God's Word and become an evangelist myself, called by God's grace to equip others in sharing the Gospel, I have found that Mr. Graham and I do not agree on all issues. Nonetheless, this book is packed with wisdom from God's Word and you can never go wrong with that.

This book would make a great addition to your nightstand, and could be a good reference for many occasions. I highly recommend it and would welcome additional editions of this book and others like it. Buy your own copy through the link below and support our ministry with your purchases. Thanks you!

We reviewed this book for Booksneeze.com and received a free digital copy of the book for review purposes.

Time4Learning.com

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.

We are excited as a family to try this program. My kids don't realize how much they are learning when they are on the computer.  I am excited to see them learn new things and enjoy the process.

sara

Groves letter to Darby- Unity in the body of Christ

This is and has been one of my favorite documents in recent church history, shared with me by J.B Nicholson when I emailed him concerning some struggles I was having within a local church . It reminds me of Paul and Peter's confrontation, a sharp but loving rebuke for where he had strayed all the while desiring reconciliation and pointing out how much the body of Christ needs one another.

Thanks to Mike Donahue for posting, read the whole post (and other great articles) at The Upward Call. You can order the book Father of Faith Missions: The Life and Times of Anthony Norris Groves at the link below. 

Ask and you shall receive.... a plaque idea!

"One of my favorite passages of the Bible is James 1:26-27 concerning what is true and false religion. We have prayed regarding our ministry in Maine, about how to minister to widows and orphans, families and children. We wish to reach out with the Gospel and through friendship in community, and we prayed at length about whatever home the Lord would give us to live in. I had not really noticed our address is 2627 Friendship Road. Maybe I should open my eyes and see what God is already doing rather than looking for the next big thing! — at 2627 Friendship Road, Waldoboro, Maine."

I posted the status above on Facebook recently. The responses were fairly typical, but one brother helped out immensely by putting together a plaque that just might end up in our home sometimes soon. Below is the plaque idea offered by David Glendinning. Thanks!