This is the second week of the Remember series. We are working our way through many of the historic Christian traditions that have given meaning and beauty to people’s faith walks for thousands of years. This teaching focuses on the Discipline of Study. If you have ever desired a greater love for the Bible or dependence on its teaching, this message is for you.
Tag Archives: bible
What motivates you?
I’m interested in motivation. It has always been an interest of mine.
My intrigue started because I would find myself in a constant struggle, back and forth, between motivated and unmotivated in various areas. I wanted to make the best grades. Then I wouldn’t care about my grades. I wanted to be class president. Then I would choose not to get in the race. I wanted to date this girl. Then I would decide not to ask her out.
Get my drift.
Over the years my interest in motivation changed. Now I am not only interested in my own motivation, but I am also interested in how to best help motivate others. As a leader, I find myself in a constant struggle with doing well with motivation.
I’ve learned a few things. Motivating isn’t just informing. It isn’t just ‘telling’ people about something. And it certainly isn’t just asking someone to do something.
Its all of those things. And its more.
So, what motivates you? What grabs your attention and won’t let go until you get involved and make something happen?
Can you give me any insight?
Troubled Financially in this Economy?
Are you feeling under pressure to stay afloat financially in this troubled economy? Do you feel like you are working harder and ending up with less? Do you worry that things are about to unravel for you financially?
You may want to be at Four Rivers Church this Sunday in either Paducah, Calvert City or Eddyville.
Our focus will be on helping people REMEMBER the true and genuine biblical teaching on financial freedom, wisdom and blessing.
New Tattoo Scripture Verse
Ok, before you start asking. I have not gotten a tattoo. But I did see a new one that interested me.
One of the contestants on the FX reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter Live’ has the Scripture verse 2 Corinthians 2:14 tattoos on his right arm and pectoral.
At first glance, I couldn’t remember that verse. So I looked it up.
Beautiful truth in this verse.
So, if you are going to permenantly attach a verse to your personal identity… This is a good choice.
Here it is…
“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.” (2 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)
New Family Member: Gideon
This post has very little, or maybe absolutely nothing, to do with church leadership. But it does have to do with family leadership and maybe simply living life as a dad, husband and friend.
As many of you know, my beloved dog Tramp died in a tragic way last week. I haven’t shared all of the specific details of his death, but it was traumatic for me and our family to see him hurting the way he was for the final 2 weeks of his life.
He had been a trusted, loyal, protective and loving friend to us. I’ll probably share more memories of him in the future. (there really are some classic stories.)
After his death, our family immediately decided we wanted to add another dog to our family. So I started looking at rescue agencies around the country. There are literally hundreds of great organizations that work with foster care of good dogs and help prepare them for adoption. They test personality traits and tendencies, housebreak, neuter/spayed, and various other steps of placement for these animals.
It’s the best way to find the right fit for us.
We needed a young large male (my preference), gentle but strong, a lover of children, housebroken, good with other dogs, in one of a couple of breeds (Rhodesian Ridgeback, Tosa Inu or some form of Mastiff).
I used Perfinder’s iPhone app to search the country. We narrowed it down to a few dogs. Then we started specific and individual research.
And we found Gideon.
Gideon is just over one year old. He lives in Arkansas with a foster family that has kids the same age as our boys. He is obedient, great with other dogs & cats, protective but kind hearted, gentle but tough. His foster family say that he is by far the best family dog that they have ever had.
His name means “mighty warrior” and is taken from an Old Testament character from the book of Judges who is known for using wisdom and strategy to defeat the enemies of God.
He weighs about 140 lbs now, but will probably add another 10-15 lbs in the next year.
And I can’t wait to see him interact with our boys, Stephanie and… maybe the hardest sell… Mandy (our 9 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback female who will need to become his new best friend.)
Gideon appears to be a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Mastiff mix. He reminds me so much of Tramp. I’m really excited about this.
His foster family will be meeting me in Nashville sometime in the next few weeks. And he will come to live with us.
I had questions… Bible Trivia
Q&A from BibleGateway.com
Thought you might enjoy the trivia.
1. How many books are in the Bible?
The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments.
2. How many books are in the Old Testament?
There are 39 books in the Old Testament.
3. How many books are in the New Testament?
There are 27 books in the New Testament.
4. What does “testament” mean?
Testament means “covenant” or “contract.”
5. Who wrote the Bible?
The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by over 40 different authors from all walks of life: shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians, fishermen, priests, philosophers and kings. Despite these differences in occupation and the span of years it took to write it, the Bible is an extremely cohesive and unified book.
6. Which single author contributed the most books to the Old Testament?
Moses. He wrote the first five books of the Bible, referred to as the Pentateuch; the foundation of the Bible.
7. Which single author contributed the most books to the New Testament?
The Apostle Paul, who wrote 14 books (over half) of the New Testament.
8. When was the Bible written?
It was written over a period of some 1,500 years, from around 1450 B.C. (the time of Moses) to about 100 A.D. (following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ).
9. What is the oldest book in the Old Testament?
Many scholars agree that Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written by an unknown Israelite about 1500 B.C. Others hold that the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) are the oldest books in the Bible, written between 1446 and 1406 B.C.
10. What is the youngest book in the Old Testament?
The book of Malachi, written about 400 B.C.
11. What is the oldest book of the New Testament?
Probably the book of James, written as early as A.D. 45.
12. What is the youngest book in the New Testament?
The Book of Revelation is the youngest book of the New Testament, written about 95 A.D.
13. What languages was the Bible written in?
The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Koine Greek.
14. When was the Bible canonized?
The entire New Testament as we know it today, was canonized before the year 375 A.D. The Old Testament had previously been canonized long before the advent of Christ.
15. What does “canon” mean?
“Canon” is derived front the Greek word “Kanon,” signifying a measuring rod. Thus, to have the Bible “canonized” meant that it had been measured by the standard or test of divine inspiration and authority. It became the collection of books or writings accepted by the apostles and leadership of the early Christian church as a basis for Christian belief. It is the standard by which all Christians throughout the ages live and worship.
16. When was the first translation of the Bible made into English?
1382 A.D., by John Wycliffe.
17. When was the Bible printed?
The Bible was printed in 1454 A.D. by Johannes Gutenberg who invented the “type mold” for the printing press. It was the first book ever printed.
18. What is the oldest almost-complete manuscript of the Bible now in existence?
The Codex Vaticanus, which dates from the first half of the fourth Century. It is located in the library of the Vatican in Rome. There are older fragments of the Bible that are still preserved however– the oldest being a tiny scrap of the Gospel of John was found in Egypt, dating back to the beginning of the second century. (It is currently in the Rayland’s Library in Manchester, England).
19. What is the longest book in the Bible?
The book of Psalms.
20. What is the shortest book in the Bible?
2 John.
21. What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119
22. What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 117
23. What is the longest verse in the Bible?
Esther 8:9
24. What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
John 11:35
25. Which book in the Bible does not mention the word “God?”
The book of Esther.
26. Who was the oldest man that ever lived?
Methuselah who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27).
27. Who were the two men in the Bible who never died but were caught up to heaven?
Enoch, who walked with God and was no more (Genesis 5:22-24). Elijah, who was caught up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11).
28. Who does the Bible say was the meekest man in the Bible (not including Jesus)?
Moses (Numbers 12:3).
29. How many languages has the Bible been translated into?
The Holy Bible has been translated into 2,018 languages, with countless more partial translations, and audio translations (for unwritten languages). (This is an enormous amount of translations. In comparison, Shakespeare, considered by many to be the master writer of the English language, has only been translated into 50 languages.)
30. Is the Bible still the best-selling book in the world?
Yes, indeed!
References:
American Bible Society, 1865 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
Halley, Henry H. Halley’s Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927, 1965).
Maxwell, Arthur. Your Bible And You (Washington D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1959).
Mickelson, A. Berkley and Alvera. Understanding Scripture (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1982, 1992).
Unger, Merrill F. TH.D., PH.D. Unger’s Bible Handbook (Chicago: Moody Press, 1967)
Defend the Bible… yeah right.
I have this faint memory of a classroom setting, in college, where a young and dumb preacher boy raised his hand and asked the seasoned Bible professor how to best ‘defend the Bible’ in an argument with someone who didn’t believe. The professor lowered his head. And as if he was trying to say something life altering without negatively altering the life of the student… he said, “Son, you defending the Bible is like a field mouse defending a Lion. You don’t defend the Bible young man, the Bible defends you.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “Scripture is like a lion. Who ever heard of defending a lion? Just turn it loose; it will defend itself.”
I’m sure my prof had Spurgeon in mind when he shared that phrase. And in that one phrase, my professor helped me realize something very important. If I have faith in the Scripture. And if I live my life based on the truth of God’s Word. Then it really doesn’t matter who thinks I’m dumb for doing it. There will come a day when the defense will not be about popular opinion or political correctness. On that day the defense will be before the great judge of all things. And as God looks on me and other Christ followers with love… it will be His Word and the way the Holy Spirit used it to lead me to Jesus that casts my final judgement.
And in that moment… the Bible will defend the Christ follower.
For you see, I’m guilty. There is really no reason for God to announce a judgement of innocence. It is only by Christ’s innocence that I am set free. And in those moments, the Bible defends me.
When people think I am ludicrous, and acting a fool by trusting in God. The Bible defends me. When people think I’m a radical who doesn’t know how things work in the real world… the Bible defends me.
When even church members think I care too much about reaching the lost or caring for the poor… the Bible defends.
So, I learned my lesson that day. (And I actually wasn’t the dumb young student who asked the question… but I could have been.)
Stop trying to defend God & the Bible… follow God and the Bible and let it defend you.
What can Christians learn from Red Sox fans?
This is the last few minutes of the final week of Faithful. Basically I teach through the 4th chapter of 2 Timothy. I also talk quite a bit about the Boston Red Sox… So try it out.
1st collector for Faithful 6 Short
Follow my videos on vodpod
Lets talk about sex…
Hey Princeton,
We talked about many things tonight in our ethics of contraception and reproductive technologies class. What was the most interesting ethical thought of the night?
Any more questions?
Would Jesus burn the Koran?
Over the past few days, we have all heard news reports about the church who plans to burn a Koran as a zealous act of pro-Christian values and American nationalism. With this much press, this topic has brought about several questions and comments from my friends on FaceBook & throughout our church.
Without simply spouting out an opinion, I decided to seek to help answer this question by looking to one of the most memorable stories of Scripture.
So let’s go there.
(Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53 & John 18:1-11)
These four passages all share an account of the same story… the arrest of Jesus.
If ever there was a day to declare war on those who wouldn’t follow Jesus, this would have been it. From every angle, it seemed like Jesus was about to ‘rule’ the earth. His rule would be good, kind, powerful and ultimately bring his followers to the top of the spiritual food chain. Or at least, that’s what many of his followers thought. But they were about to be momentarily disappointed.
The thought of Jesus being arrested, and simply going peacefully, seemed ridiculous. And so when the officers of the court came to arrest the Christ, Simon Peter (A Zealot) pulled out his sword and struck one of his foes… taking off his ear.
And you can be sure, he wasn’t aiming for the ear.
There have always been religious Zealots. A Zealot refers both to the specific group of political extremists who desired to overthrow the Roman dominance in the first century and also to anyone who combines religious beliefs with political agenda and zealously seeks to defeat their enemies under the name and banner of their God.
Several of Jesus’ disciples were Zealots. Peter, the most well-known Zealot Disciple, made his opinion known well in the garden that night when Jesus was arrested. He struck out against his enemy. He even brought blood.
But he was quickly rebuked by Jesus.
I share this biblical story as a way of reminding us that although a zealous approach to faith is wonderful, we aren’t really supposed to divide the world into enemies and friends. Christians are not at war with Muslims. Our differences aren’t near that personal.
There is no Christian holy war. We are not at war with Muslims. We are ending a war with an extremest group of Muslims who do not speak for the world population of Muslims any more than this small group of potential Koran burners don’t speak for all Christians.
I mean, our theologies are obviously in disagreement. I believe wholeheartedly that Jesus is Lord, Muslims need Jesus, those without Christ face eternal separation from God, Jesus is the only doorway to God the Father or eternal life, etc…
But as with Simon Peter, there is also no doubt that Jesus’ guidance to us would be to share His love with compassion, acceptance and truth.
Burning a Koran only insights greater distrust and dislike for Americans, Christians and Jesus. Its counter productive on so many levels.
They will be hurting the spread of the gospel in many ways. They will also b endangering the lives of Christian missionaries in Muslim countries, keeping open-minded muslims from listening to the truth of Jesus, and ultimately saddening God and those who are trying to spread His Good News.
It’s the wrong decision at a very bad time in world history.
I sincerely hope that those who are planning this demonstration will reconsider and apologize to all Muslims at even their consideration of such an act.
OK, there is my rant. So you tell me, would Jesus burn the Koran?
Brad & Stephanie Henson
I'm just a guy living a dream with my family, friends, dogs & a cat that I can't believe I actually let live in my house.-
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