Communication?? and words A-Z (part 2)

I'm just selecting words at random, that come to mind. I don't have the time here to go in depth on each word.

But these words have no meaning anymore to Christians and if you think God is ok with an unrepentant homosexual in your church,then you are prove that words have lost there meaning.

Keep in mind here, the   main reason, when it comes to the church, that words lose there meaning is simply :


John 5:39
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,


Random words from A to Z that have been changed to accommodate a seeker friendly atmosphere in the visible church.

- Anointing - this word should thrill the believer but instead, confuses many. Some think this is outside there conversion to Christ and I suppose if believers think they are missing something someone else has , and they are constantly asked if they want this, this will keep them coming back week after week , till they get.. what they already have. Also might wanna look up Who the Anointed One is btw.
-blessings - use caution when this word is taught from Old Testament verses and the curses fail to get mentioned. Passages that are descriptive are not always prescriptive. But that's not how churches present it. Scripture always has ONE interpretation and it will ALWAYS be Jesus ,but  there are many applications . Best to use caution when reading.
-curses - these never get read, unless a church wants the hearer to sense guilt. Now if that guilt is understood that it's God we've offended, ok but the gospel better be close behind but many times that's a sub point. Besides,  If these curses  were read correctly,  the believer  would become wise to us no longer being under them.
-deeds - this word gets confused with works, and is separated from rewards. No wonder we don't get it.
-discern - if the one discerning has never read the Bible in context, what standard are they using to discern? Many discern by what they heard or how they feel about certain things or how they were raised.
-eternity -  because of our limited view of how we see 'time', this idea gets lost. Because we view life thru the grid of what we do or don't do, thoughts come to mind as to what we will do forever and ever. These days,  we now think waiting in a checkout line can be an eternity, well. Clearly , you can see the problem.
-experiences - this word is gone. It's connection with God and Biblical passages has made regular daily life, you know, what we call "the daily grind" less in value. But God created humanity & nature that rolls on a cycle that (to us) seems monotonous. So we seek "experience " to spice up things thereby confusing the word. You can bet , in Christian circles, you will be asked if you've "experienced" God and you'd better have an experience to tell
-faith - severely abused word. Whose faith is it and who is faith in and how did we attain it?  We read Bible stories as personal faith stories so is it any wonder we don't know whose faith it is and where it came from.
-grace - because we make the Bible about us, it's understandable that the only way many churches can explain this is to say "grace is something we GET that we don't deserve, but Grace is so much more. This is how many concepts of the Bible get presented. They are presented to us by ways of appealing to our selfish nature. We ask ourselves "what do I GET out of all of this" and the preacher is glad to tell you.
-Gospel - I recently heard someone say that the gospel is wrapped in power. Talk about putting the cart before the horse. Please note : this gospel is for the believer. The sinner wants nothing to do with this. The church growth movement has gotten this backwards!
-hell - we think this is a place God's sends people too but it's actually a place God rescues us from. Just because we don't like the sentence we were born under doesn't make this any less true. See how getting things backwards changes the perspective. That's what happens when context becomes irrelevant.
-inspired - because we don't understand God's nature, we can't understand how God inspired men to write His Word. We're so stuck on ourselves, we think everything's ours.
Israel - a severely abused word. It's best not to change it.
-joy - I love that song "the joy of myself is my strength"  Wait, that's not right. Whose joy is it? We don't get it because it's not contingent upon our circumstances. Often  times , joy gets confused with being happy, which we can control being happy.
-kingdom - take this word out of context and we have a mess on our hands. Some think WE are gonna bring this in? It can only get worse from there.
-love - volumes could be written on the abuse of this word. Whether someone has read God's Word or not, we think we know what love is, but we can't even comprehend John 3:16.
-marriage - as God's first institution set up along with its constant theme throughout scripture, it's best to keep this where it belongs.  IMO, marriage second only to the Gospel in my thinking. If you want to understand the Bible in context, look at a healthy marriage, Christian or not, and consider what makes it healthy or look at a poor marriage and consider what might restore it.
-Noah - if you don't know who Enoch was, or Methuselah was, or if you don't understand the culture then how could you spot how this is type and shadow of Jesus , right down to the pitch used to seal the Ark.
-opinions - yours or mine don't matter, concerning this Bible. When any preacher says "I think this means..."  look out. Also have caution when any preacher starts by saying "the Lord told me to say this..."  Think about this. Lets say you might object to this? Does that mean you are objecting to the Lord? Best to use caution.
Prayer & Praise - since it's 'words' I'm claiming to be devalued, that would directly affect these. I heard someone say, "prayer is an attitude" and I like that. Praise can be that too. If our walk with God is like a relationship, then prayer /praise equals, when couples hold hands.
Quickly - God's "quickly" and my "quickly" are not the same thing. God said He's coming back quickly. How can that be, if a person is looking for Him? That "quickly" is only if your not look. Unfortunately this is the same person who doesn't understand patience.
Rapture -  now here's an abused word. It's almost as if we think, how dare God call out a a people of His own. It's almost worth keeping this word as is if only to avoid the direction it takes when removing it  concerning Bible's interpretation.
-Saved - this just might be the number one abused word. The world makes fun of it and the church abuses it  by all inclusiveness context. The visible church has gotten to the point where WE do everything, from getting saved to having faith. It's a wonder we need God at all.
Tithe -if you think your under this law , you've missed it, big time.
Tolerance - we love it, God hates it, gee , no potential for problems there :-/
Unity - the unity the visible church speaks of requires the tolerance God hates, which favors a one world religion for a one world govt. The message of the cross is divisive & offensive so uniting this with other religions won't work.
Version - there's as many versions of the Bible as there are models of vehicles to drive and just like vehicles, we pick the one we want. Besides liking your favorite version, what do you know about it? There's also versions for different categories. That's not good. Why? Because we get our word "category" from the term 'accuser' and satan is the accuser of the saints. He accuses us by getting us to categorize our sins. He's happy we have various Bible's for various groups. If your church regularly uses the "message" paraphrase, your being Deceived.
-worship - when this word is connected to feelings, there can be some problems. We even categorize worship,  based on OUR preference.
X?  Yoke * not a word we use a lot but it's not always a bad thing. God's yoke is easy.
-Zechariah -  a good book to read along side Revelation. If you attend a church that would read this book in context, with "you" not as its subject, you have a good church.

So there's my, off the top of my head, list.
I may not speak as eloquently as others so I did some research on how words have lost there meaning.
There was too much to include. But this is important, as indicated
from a review of the book - Speaking christianese/Marcus Borg - quote :

When Christians forget what their words mean, they forget what their faith means. (CNN )

So I'll end this post with an answer from gotquestions.org (a favorite site of mine) which shares, why this is so important.

http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-confusion.html

tryreadNit!

Communication?? and words A-Z (part 1)

The best thing about reading our Bibles in context is, it helps a person comprehend life around them better.
The worst thing about reading our Bibles in context is, it helps a person comprehend life around them better.

I want my posts to generally stay with the theme of this blog but at times, I'll stray. I'll be back in verse by vrs soon and the goal to sharing thoughts as I read is, to convey the point that life comes into focus the more we put God's Word back into context.
Problem is, we ain't gonna like what we're seeing in this world and we may wish to stick our heads, back in the sand.
For those who stay with it, the rewards  are worth it.

The problem with contextual, black & white thinkers is, communication.
People say to me "you don't really believe that God stuff do ya?"
Since observation confirms what God's Spirit reveals, why would I not believe God?

The nasty truth is, those of a more liberal mindset concerning social, economic, political & religious issues have created an impenetrable wall  around themselves.
They will say the same of believers, so what's the difference?

Communication, most often, is not an option as a way to  bring opposing sides together. Only fights and even blood shed accompany these attempts.

When I'm faced with a difficult concept to ponder, what helps me is looking for common denominators in opposing views.

Maybe I began doing that because for as long as I can remember, inconsistent reasoning has remained dominant.
Liberals make no sense. They follow no rules, no pattern.
When did people just start saying things, just to say em?
Ok, probably from the beginning.
It's hard to fathom that something like "when does life begin" still baffles the 21rst century mind.

Something happens when words are used between two opposing sides.
Something happens when we put our life's experiences into words.
What I mean is, there are several areas in my own life, I'm trying to improve , but if I were to try and communicate that with anyone (other than my wife), what I'm doing would come out odd sounding or even weird.

Makes me wonder if certain things were meant to be communicated.

Obviously,  the key is in my relationship with my wife.
And that key, btw, is the central driving theme of God's Word in context.
What I mean is, whenever I try to communicate anything outside (whatever that "key" is) it comes out weird.

Consider the many churches that preach sermon after sermon, not in context of God's Word. It sounds good but it comes out weird.

This is a sensitive area for me because over the years, I have alienated myself from many family & friends by trying to address things, not intended to be communicated, simply because there was no context offered along with my words. [ how could there be , in this "everybody's to busy" - "gotta have it now" - FB culture ]
Most people do not care about context.
Most don't care and do not have the time.

Now that I am putting things back into context , I still can't talk to those around me and the only one I can communicate with is the one (my wife) who stayed with me for over 30 years (talk about context :-)

It's not  words that brought things together better.
It was time.
It was the context of the words, context that demands time and effort to see.

And it's the same with the Bible. Pure and (not so) simple.

God has communicated His intentions clearly and precisely, over time. Problem is, we ain't got the time.
Again, my thoughts here are not a condition for salvation , but it sure is a condition when concerning ones sanity in this backwards fallen world.

The point to this blog is to encourage the one who takes the time, to get God's Word back in context. That's a tall order these days because while your getting it back in context, life rolls on. Bills need to be paid and the boss just cut your hours. Life rolls on.




Now when it comes to those areas, not meant to be communicated, there are several common denominators but two that are primary are
1) the denial of what we already know & 2) when an agenda is present.

Whether it's an atheist trying to remove the ten commandments or a preacher dragging someone off the street to save em, those two things persist.
I sometimes wonder, what if the atheist put those commandments in its context (other than his own context with an agenda)  and the preacher did the same with gang style witnessing.
I suspect the atheist wouldn't care and the preacher would be too busy tending his flock.
I'm not holding my breath for that too happen.
But context does matter

Being good at keeping things in context keeps a person asking questions as to what they believe.
In other words, if someone researches something, and finds an answer, they would then research that answer.
And so on and so on , till you've exhausted all avenues.
Can ya see yet, why believing what we want to believe is so much easier.


Try doing that with, let's say, our nation, America. Putting this back into context. That will take time. That's why I look for and watch videos or documentaries. Researching this country  will take forever and even then you wouldn't complete it, but when you do, you will learn things.
This will take you too a place that is just as frightening to us, as context is.

And that place is : becoming aware of things.

That is a scary place to be, for sure. I can not think of a scarier place to be.
Informed.
An informed person can't blame their upbringing.
An informed person can't rely on experiences.
And those two things are only the tip of the iceberg.

Being aware makes you accountable.
Just for a moment, as a Christian, think of all the things , about the Bible,  the only answer you could give is "I don't know."

Putting the Bible in context , as well as other issues is tough.
Don't believe me? Try researching your favorite political candidate or preacher or celebrity icon or music.
What do you really know concerning the things you like?

Anyway, You know what you'll find? (when u research things, putting them in context)  All things lead back to God.
And now you know why context is not important to people.

But changing the game plan is. That's how you avoid context. Create something new and make IT the context we run our lives thru.
That or just ignore the obvious.

There are several reasons one might change the context of God's Word. The two main ones I see most often is 1) their being offended at the exclusiveness of the Bible's (true) context and 2) they seek to make the Bible more relevant to our culture.

Like I said, things not meant to be communicated (by this I mean issues out of context) either has one denying what they know or one with an agenda.
Opinions drive these conversations and it requires patience and respect and even love, between those doing the communicating.

For example, when a conversation concerning politics arises between opposing views, I appreciate these discussions on an objective level.
There's so much more, than people think, when liking or disliking a candidate or party.
I guess it's because of the way I think, that I like to start at the beginning of opinions, as best one can.

For instance, my opinions begin at what I think humanity is capable of achieving.
Since many I know give mankind more credit than I think their due, our views differ.

Lots more could be said there and God's Word in context is not silent on economic & social issues, but the point is,

for longer than I care to admit, I've started or entered conversation without knowing all the facts. Those conversations rarely go well.

This could be why I am now so big on context. But as I have found, even that can get a person in trouble.

When it comes to the Bible, I try hard to avoid those with agendas  as I go thru God's Word with careful Exegesis minded teacher. I've found a handful I can trust which thankfully, includes our pastor.


By changing the game plan, to avoid context, is tricky business. It's God's world and His plan.

Btw, simply saying "that's your opinion" no longer cuts it when considering context.

Christians just can't handle the "that's your opinion" card when it's thrown.

I fell for it also, till I saw it was just a way to avoid checking things out, by placing what's not mine, on me.

Here's something to consider.
Never once, in all of human history ,h as there been a credibly argument against God, as He is reveals Himself in the complete context of His Word.
If Christian and non Christians knew what it said, they'd know that God has addressed whatever the concern might be.
I don't think anything else can claim that.

OK, got a little side tracked there.
Anyway, changing the game plan  involves changing words, or at least causing the hearer of your words to "think" they mean something other than there meaning.

Now we're in tricky land, (by changing words),  which leads to delusional world.

My learning of what hermeneutics was helped me in this area.
The twisting of words is no small matter, especially when there God's Words.

My brain does flip flops whenever I consider what we've done to the English language.
The other day, when I was thinking about this, I thought to myself "man, I could go from A to Z finding words we've devalued & deconstructed to strip these words of there meaning, and I thought, hey, that's a good idea.

I'll include em in a post.

tryreadNit!

Just came to me, as I was reading

Since I never know what's coming with each post it amazes me when it comes together. 
Over on my "reading w/Dave" area of this blog, as I was reading, something big began developing in my thinking, and since that thinking had a lot to do, with why I even started this blog, I decided to put it in a 'post.'
I had not intended to do that but the point I was trying to make was so big, I had to. 
Over the past 9 years, listening too and reading chapters, in context, I began sensing something different. 

This "feeling"  I'm sure, was due to my knowing, God's Word is absolute, case closed. I knew that when I was a kid. Common sense verified God's Spirit revealing it. (only stands to reason, remove common sense and this becomes somewhat harder to see) 

Let's face it, when popular books can re write the aspects of the role of the Holy Spirit and have best sellers, and movies can add details to otherwise clear parables, or paraphrased versions  can have our Savior speaking new age language (even in what we call 'the Lords prayer), all at the nodding approval of so many pastors, it's pretty clear common sense has fled the culture 

If more prove is needed, just bring science to any discussion concerning creation or maybe even, when life begins, and that should seal the deal of common senses, whereabouts. 

Unfortunately it doesn't (which in itself, more prove) 

All that's passing itself off as "christian" is what keeps us from "getting it." 

Anyway, when putting what I've heard, for so long, back in its context, the meaning became so clear. 
Problem was, it didn't jive with how it was conveyed. I guess for a time (over 5 yrs that is) I wondered as to how that happened, God's clear message in context, altered (intentionally or not) 

I would like to think I'm past this point, of asking questions concerning mis applications to otherwise clear passages,  and I think I am but it still amazed me, but at least i can recognize it when it occurs, and that's truly the point. 

We're not gonna get rid of eisegesis concerning God's Word. But being able to spot it in an instant is worth the time needed to see it. 

I'm including today's "reading w/Dave"  only because, when I saw how one might see Leah's progression of thought (over yrs worth of having babies) as a negative, at first glance, but in reality, it's a progression of thought, upwards.. 

I wondered as too why our minds would see this truth, in its opposite. 
This is where God's Word should be taking our minds and think, on every page, and if it's read in context, that happens, over & over & over, in a countless variety of ways. 
Makes one wonder, how anyone could miss it. 

So here's that reading, along with its thoughts, of the day. 


Now it starts to get good. My point to this whole blog thing is to illustrate that God said some things in the beginning of this Book and that theme runs thru the entire Bible. It concerns Salvation. Now we begin to see how the tribes began. We see that God started something long ago, the putting together a nation that would bring a Savior.
Ok, the language here is odd, the customs even odder, and so often we get stuck on that. To comprehend it, we often times ignore it and move on. 
When it come to our own selves, what would a loving parent not do, to keep their children on track? A loving parent would do just about anything ,if they knew their actions would keep their children on track , keep them from harm.
So then, we see how God uses us, mankind , to fulfil His promise. How do people miss seeing the lengths God will go , to save us and give us an eternal home in heaven. Is it because we are limited,in time and God is not? Is it because we can not see the bigger picture but God can?
Note the progression in Leahs thought process as she bears her children. 
1) "it is because the Lord has seen my misery...."
2) "because the Lord heard...."
3) "now at last my husband....."
4) "this time I will praise the Lord"
At first glance , we think this is a progression in decline. But look again. Its not a decline, it is progressing upward. Leah winds up eventually ,where she belongs. Praising God.

That's where we need to be all along. I am constantly amazed as to how our minds work. I know the things that influence it. This is the point to why I even began a blog. 
This Bible is too important to let these influences cause us too miss it.
Now I know , if a person wants to miss it, their isn't a thing in this world that will change that. 

Don't allow the strange culture to cause you to miss Gods love . This is the beginning of something so much bigger.
Something a person might want to try , if they have the time and that is to look up the meanings to all the names we see here. I think a person will be amazed when they do.






Scroll down to -Gen 29:31ff to view today's reading -  following link. 

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvtAO0N1y4XUvS6Cm1edvfsJgWeW4l-A3

read in context (part5)

1,2 Tim - here are some words to pastors. Some of these we may not like though.

Also tells of the conditions of the final days but the most amazing thing, these could be very well, some of Paul's lasts words , so I am thinking it would be good to pay attention to what he has to say.

I guess this is another reason I believe we should be reading our Bibles and reading them correctly. Because, by the time one gets to the end of theirs lives, it is interesting what they are thinking. If we read this Bible wrong, it could be that when the time comes for us to die, we would be very afraid and I do not want that for myself

Paul knows what awaits and he knows we don't deserve Gods mercy.. Those who know that life is about, what's been done  , not what we do, have this assurance.

I like what Joey Feek said at the end of her life. She said she had no regrets.
Un believers can get to a point where they can say this too. The difference is, one has a foundation built on what you have done and one has a foundation on what God has done.
Guess it depends on who a person has more faith in. Themselves or God.

Titus - some more advice for pastors , along with some words concerning sound doctrine.

Not the first place this appears but its a good point to make.

How and why churches have become what I call "group therapy" is a most learning experience for the one who wants to discover how that happened.

And for the one who does not think modern church has become that, they are the ones that need to research it.

Forgive any "tone" that may accompany that but by not knowing what the emergent church is and its effects on the local body of believers , will have that person wandering for quite a long time. The challenge here , for the believer , is to watch out for those who mock sound doctrine.

Philemon - now here is an interesting chapter on what we might call forgiveness , acceptance but we should not confuse that with tolerance. Most times, we can tell when someone is sincere in their knowing when they have done something wrong. Nothing worse than a phony apology and we need discernment in knowing the difference.

Hebrews - I try to stay away from having a favorite book of the Bible or a favorite verse. Nothing wrong with it. In fact having passages that bless us most is kinda cool. Its just that so much of the same thing is said in so many places throughout that it is hard to pin point one area.

That said, This book says the same thing as all the other books but for me, says it in a most beautiful way.

Jesus our High priest, the tabernacle in Heaven and a picture of Jesus offering His Blood there. Amazing.

There are some warnings against false teachers and there is an indication of eschatology being among elementary teaching , and for good reason.

And of course the chapter on faith but it is good to keep in mind that the faith we have will in every case , be for Jesus, ONLY. So often these verses are used when trying to encourage a believer , after he's lost a job or this is used to advance some vision they may have. They are directed to have  faith in God providing a better job or maybe more income. That is a sorry use of this wonderful passage. 

James -  now here's a book some thought didn't belong.

I wonder if that's due to the confusion concerning good works for salvation vrs good deeds for rewards.

Rewards was not a popular topic in churches as I was growing up. Too bad.

Whatever the case, it does belong and it's packed with good, sound advice and the way we know that is, this book disturbs so many. That's a sure sign it belongs. Fact is, if passages anywhere in this Bible don't trouble , your probably reading it wrong. Let's face it, the Bible bugs everybody. It's the true believers that stay with it (all)

1,2 Peter - this is a book of hope, tremendous hope given to those that were going thru what's completely foreign to us, persecution. 

Something that  is a result of reading the Bible straight thru is an overwhelming sense of gratitude in the receiving something , so precious as salvation , with an ease that many ,throughout  time, do not share.

That ease can be as deceiving as well as a blessing. I may not know why God allows what He does but I do know that He is just and right and good, all the time. Later on Peter addresses heresy. Peter and Jude are similar in nature,

1,2,3 John - these letters are stunningly amazing and I can guarantee that anyone going thru them slowly , will never be the same if and when they can grasp its message. It nails down tight what the Christian life is all about but again, if we are not reading our Bibles with the same message that existed when you began in Genesis, we might miss it. Heresy is again addressed, in this book.

Jude - Interesting that, we are getting ready to end this book and the last several letters spent some addressing heresy as well as false preachers, to the church. If you were too listen to many preachers today , one would think that the church was immune to such things, on a wide scale I mean , but the bride of Christ and the visible church , is not the same thing.

Revelation - and finally this book, the one I recently finished.

If someone reads there Bible straight thru, they might be

awed by its beginning ,

saddened by mankind's fall,

shocked and appalled at its judgements ,

Amazed at God's long-suffering,

Aware that God is just and righteous,

overwhelmed by its laws and

grateful at its fulfillment ,

thankful for its solution in salvation

and confused as to how it came about ,

 overcome by its mercy ,

broken over their sin ,

humbled by its grace ,

defeated in living it in there own strength

strengthened by Gods Spirit of enablement ,

and content in its assurance....

and if they made it thru all that, they can now see more clearly, as they are relieved and glad when the enemy is justly dealt with and overjoyed at its rewards and finally ,

  overcome with joy as they long to worship Him and see Him, face to face - Jesus !

All this should make you eager : to tell others!

read in context (part4)

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - the life of Jesus, told to different audiences. Scripture has one interpretation but several applications. Often times these get confused.  There is no way I could choose a favorite story and since the message of salvation and restoration , judgement and hope began in Genesis , no sense changing that now.

The Messiah has come. Not as a military leader, as they thought, but a Savior.
He has fulfilled the law, so that is complete so don't allow some church to shackle you down by making you obey them.

Like tithing. And be mindful of kingdom rules applied to your life.
Knowing the difference between works & deeds helps here.

And keep in mind, that one who robs, steals and kills, is not the devil.

Ya know, we can sin pretty good on our own. Having the Flip Wilson theology no longer works. (the devil made me do it)

By examining the religious leaders of that day, we should be able to spot where it was that caused them to miss Jesus as the Messiah and in doing so, we might see some uneasy similarities to our present day.

How was it that the wise men knew but the religious leaders didn't . My guess is, the wise men studied and read what scripture they had . The religious leaders wanted a leader to rise up, today we want the church to rise up, all in the name of changing the world.

Mt 7 has something we  call the "golden rule."

There's no better way to explain how.. We've missed it

and by missing it, we read this Book wrong.

The answer is in, what we call it.

A "rule."

If anyone (who reads there Bible correctly) challenges that, the un believers will look at you funny and perplexed, but that's mild, compared to how other believers will treat you.

It's the same thing as when Jesus told us what the summary of the "law" was.

Love God & love others.

All these are good, golden rule, love God, love others.

But (an wait for it)

Those do not save anyone.

And there it is, in a nutshell.

Getting that across to a selfie generation is next to, impossible.

The only thing that saves is when we repent before a Holy God and acknowledge Jesus as Savior.

He died & arose, as foretold, according to the scriptures.

These four books will have us saying "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief"

Acts-  here the mystery is about to be revealed. Much of the talk in the New testement is still pointing to the time Jesus will rule on this earth and we need to keep this in mind as we read.

Churches don't preach like Peter did anymore. Good preaching has the hearer asking "what should I do" and a good answer is ,repent and be baptized.

These days its, repent and now do this and this and this (law)

Pentecost, the first martyr, and the spreading of the gospel are recorded here.. Don't anyone tell the church growth movement that it was persecution that grew the church. Not strobe lights and coffee houses.

 If I had to pick one negative consequence of misapplying Old Testament scripture , it would have to be in the Church not seeing its proper role as a bride.

Jesus said He'd be right back. I guess the amount of time He was gone caused the church to declare all He said prior, to be done and that bride thing meant something else.

Even the disciples couldn't wait ten days before they thought they had to do something. Choosing a replacement for Judas didn't harm anything but it just shows how we have this unending desire , to "do" things, while waiting for Jesus to return.

Romans - some say that this is a defense to what Paul was charged with in Rome.
Patterns for every day Christian living can be found in here. Some call some select verses in this book the "Roman road" because these verses cleary define how one becomes a child of God.

The first several chapters should wet your appetite for more study.
Now if you've been reading yourself into scripture too this point, you'll be disappointed.

Many consider chap 8 to be their favorite. Check and see why.

Something to look for here is what the relationship is between Law and the good news of the Gospel. This will take some time. It will also require some comparisons between what we read in scripture to what we hear coming from the visible church. Not understanding why the law was given will create a massive amount of confusion for the believer.

Not understanding the proper use of Gods Law and Gospel is, in my opinion, the number one reason people leave the church.

1,2 Corinthians - christian living. What is it? How can we do it? What does it look like? For those who read their Bible's, starting from Genesis, asking this, probing the Old Testament looking for those answers, by the time they get to where the real answers are, such as this book, these things might not make sense. That's why it's good to read Bible straight thru with salvation, Jesus and His kingdom in mind rather than ourselves.

And don't miss what we call the love chapter. But keep in mind, if all God did, was to love us, no one would be saved. We are not saved by His love, we are saved through His death and resurrection.

The next book of the Bible will verify that!

Galatians - this is a favorite book of Luther's. And rightfully so. It is a good defense for the true Gospel and a warning for those who want to change it .

So much grace all over this book . I hesitate in giving one book of this Bible even the slightest precedence over another when it comes to grace and mercy.  

This book will thrill the reader. Also comfort. People say a believer can't have assurance. These next few books will challenge that.

Ephesians - here's a good book that reminds us how important it is , to get whatever we are reading, to get to whom its written correct.

The Bible makes so much more sense when we do. The church is being addressed here in many ways. The uniqueness of it, the shock of it.

Sometimes I wonder if its because of our sinful hearts and how we think, that the reason we would lump everyone together , in this regards is because our sinful hearts would have us to think that if there were to be one group , to fulfill this mystery that we would think it to be more special than any other group, so to avoid that, we just apply it to everyone. This might be a factor in how we read this Bible. Don't know about that, just a thought.

Also,so many times we hear from church about blessings and we think of them for now, and there is no doubt we are blessed but the blessings most times referred to are spiritual.

We also talk aour church unity but that also ,is in Christ.

Something else we hear is leadership. We need leaders. Leaders with a vision and so on.

First thing, sheep follow. If a sheep needs to be led, that's one stubborn sheep.

Second, these leaders? what are they told to do? They are to equip the saints! To do what? the work of the ministry.

Something is not right here. When we discover whose truly leading, we will clearly see that "something" (that's wrong)

Philippines - this book has so much joy in it. The Gospel was getting out there. Many consider verse 6 of chapter 1 to be their favorite verse, and when I was picking favorite verses, it was mine.

Paul new what being content meant. He also new what church unity meant, and It wasn't even close to what we think of it as, today.

Unity involves serving one another.

Think about that as we move closer and closer to a one world religion, disguised as church unification.

Colossians - this book has so much wisdom in it, they all do. Cautioning of false teachers. That is a tough concept these days because anything and everything can slap a Christian label on it presto, its Christian.

Most folks prefer to just let it be rather than to be called names , many times by other believers.

Researching the things we enjoy in this modern world is risky business. Many times, if there are things we read in the Bible that we take for granted

and truthfully , we just do not know what we are reading

and we have lived that way for a long time, there comes a point in life where you just might be better off not knowing.

Being in the dark so long and becoming accustomed to it tends to have us avoiding researching things, and even when they do, they don't believe what they found out.

If reading the Bible in context doesn't stir us to examine what we read, watch or listen to, that, to me, that is heart breaking .

1,2 Thess. - by now , we can see that these letters written to these churches were meant to strengthen and encourage the believers.

We all need that from time to time. Being encouraged in modern day is a funny thing also. These letters in the Bible are encouragement concerning what the believer has already done. (trusted in Jesus's death & resurrection)

Many times today, believers are encouraged, concerning things they are to do or keep doing, and that's no encouragement at all.

It's as if, after doing the "getting saved" thing, it's now time to get busy.

What they fail to see is, that the "getting saved" thing, which I like to call, the Gospel, it never ceases to work in the believers life.

But the Emergent church has reserved the gospel for the sinner alone while offering a believer a set of Laws that no one can keep. Laws that can't save and laws that were fulfilled, In Christ.

Many reasons this happens but reading our Bibles wrong tops the list.

read in context (part3)

Joel-    only time church goers might hear from this book is if the pastor is taking about Pentecost.

The 'Day of  the  Lord'  shows up here but again, most wanna avoid that. It's only 3 chapters, look for mercy amidst judgement. Let's not mix up things here, when talking about when God pours out His Spirit.

The set up, for the religious leaders to miss Jesus as Messiah begins here, or times similar to these.
How is that?

Because scriptures were read back then, as they are now,

They read themselves into Old Testament prophecies, looking for a kingdom that's applied to 'them' because after all, their chosen.
They sought a leader to rise up and rescue them, too change the world.

Sound familiar?

We read ourselves into same prophecies, but now it's completed and that kingdoms here (although, in a vague sense) and we're in it, cause after all, we're saved?
We seek church leaders to rise itself up, too change the world.

Everyone wants to change the world.

If anyone whose reading this Bible in context, hasn't by now seen clearly, the constant missing the point, my prayer is you will see.

From the beginning, the problem was sin.

As your reading in context, take what your currently hearing coming from pulpits, movies, books and music that calls itself Christian and plug that into the cultural atmosphere, that was in ancient Israel, the culture God continually addresses throughout scripture, and discover for yourself, what God thinks of it.

The common denominator in missing God's truth is, in the changing of God's Word.
satan changed it, Old Testament prophets changed it and modern day paraphrase changed it.

Read Joel and see what God thinks.

Amos - a farmer, who gets around. Speaks God's Word to the north & South.
Forgive me as I repeat myself, but can ya see a pattern developing here as we read this book in order? There is a continuous theme that began in Genesis but so many never see it. The way God speaks and interacts with us. It's literally criminal to miss it. To often, Amos is only referred to when church goers are asked to check there own witness as compared to his (Amos)

Again, note the mercy amidst judgement here. Each book has this.
What does that say about us?
What does it say about God?
What does it say about how you used to read this Bible?

Obadiah - ok, when was the last time your church read this book? You say ya got no time for one chap? It speaks to Edom. Does the church goer even know what Edom is?

  Also, the Day of the Lord as well as the kingdom. You can stamp on this book.. God never forgets. Incredible, where the Bible started, where it brought us (this book) and where it's taking us too. If ur reading the Bible straight thru, by this point, you should be getting it.

Getting what?

Ask yourself, why are these minor prophets not read from the pulpit, but rather pushed aside to some week day night?

Your answer = "getting it"

Jonah - continuing in the theme of God's Word is Jonah, a powerful example. The details of the account find there way into many sermons but the fact remains, it all points to Jesus.

Understanding who Nineveh was sheds light on Jonah's reluctance.

Sometimes we might ask, "what does a nation repenting look like?  Does every person need to repent?" 

Americans say "we need to repent" but what does that mean and how will we know if we did?

These are good questions and there really not hard to answer when you read and understand God's patience and mercy.

Every person in a nation of millions, repenting, is not realistic.
So what is?

I'm thinking that's pretty clear to the one reading God's Word in context.
If your not sure just go check out what Jesus said concerning Jonah.

Micah - as we continue to read these books in order, the consistency of its messages of warning & hope are seen.

Jesus is again foretold.
Makes one wonder if we'll ever "get it". These messages are cast in the light of "what does God think"  and when we see that we ourselves do similar things, it should wake us up. Swords into plows is in here but That's reversed in Revelation . Makes ya wonder.

So many similar issues we today deal with are addressed in these books rarely read. From them we see what God thinks of class warfare, border control, free speech.

Wouldn't take one too long to see why these books are not popular.

Nahum - this guy saw what Jonah wanted to see. So much occurs in our thinking as we continue to read in context. We see so much, how God wants the same things for us as what we want for our kids. Parents count to five (seconds) slowly when wanting a child to think about what there doing. God counts but by centuries. Funny how Judah was ok with this guy's Prophecy  cause he wasn't specially speaking to them.

A constant message of judgment & mercy should by now have a profound effect on the one reading in context.

Habakkuk - now here's a guy who may not be welcome at some churches. Why? Because he asks questions. We can't have that.

Difference here is, Habakkuk's questions are answered and man, when they are, he's sorry he asked.

He, like us, just couldn't fathom how God could use the wicked to judge His chosen.

But the wicked will be judged, and when they are, there will be rejoicing among the saints. (something else we don't understand)

What bugs me most is when some leader uses God's answer in chap 3 as some kind of evidence that WE should write down what WE envision expecting that WE will get whatever WE envision. It's a sorry church that talks that way.

Also note : when it says "the righteousness shall live by faith" how the New Testament, in separate places, deals with those 3 aspects (righteousness /shall live / faith)

Zephaniah- this guy prophesied during the time of a good king, Josiah. Kinda like our culture, if we ever had a good president, like the 80's (pause for effect)

Notice, the themes not changed, message not different. By now, someone going straight thru the Bible has had there fill of messages of judgement and mercy. There also having there fill of being told the things they like, God hates.

Gee, no wonder folks cherry pick this book. If u haven't figured it out yet, there's a problem. So much of our thinking is completely backwards but ya won't see that unless you read this book as intended. As a book.

Haggai - now this guy had to "kick the Jews in the butt" sort ta speak. Many things occur in one's thinking as they read straight thru and one of these things, for my wife and I is, gaining a fuller awareness of just doing, what we already know, what we should be doing. That's a full time job alone. If I fail at it, it's not always necessary to come up with a new plan. Just go do what you already know. The ideas I have are good ones and will work, if I just do them. Pretty straight forward. The Jews knew what they should have been doing.

Zechariah -for the person reading straight thru their Bible, by the time they get here, they are tired, and rightfully so.

If Haggai encouraged the people to rebuild, Zechariah encourages them to repent.

The constant judgement /mercy message any person reading straight thru receives up to this point has them entering the New Testament tired but hopeful.

A person's brain just can't comprehend all this judgment let alone all the mercy so they enter the New Testament with their brains scrambling to put things together

and usually the first things that get joined are Israel and the church. If Israel's distinction (a distinction that remains all the way to the Great City in Revelation, coming down) isn't clearly seen by the time one gets to this book, adjusting the New Testament is right around the corner.

Word of advice, relax. Entering into the New Testament longing for the day Jesus will rule, which is kinda what He's been saying all along, up to this point, does not require reassigning Israel. But the mystery, known as the church, gives its self headaches as they attempt to squeeze themselves into the Day of the Lord, as participants rather than administrators. Maybe that's not said right, point is, we'll be there, just not in the role some think. Zechariah has amazing language concerning a great and terrible Day.

Malachi - given the height of arrogance displayed here, from man to God, makes me wonder if the soon coming 400 years of silence, while getting Rome into place, wasn't a cooling off time for God.

Slight tongue in cheek there but still? The notion that man asks "when did we do" (whatever charge was). Man even gets backwards, when God said He loved Jacob but hated Esau.

Man asks "how could He hate Esau"  but the repentant believer asks "how can He love Jacob" (or us) 

The only time many churches open this book is when those who abuse blessing & curses of another time to guilt the New Covenant believer, to tithe more.

By the time one reaches this point, going thru the Bible, so many things occur.
For me, the biggest thing was in seeing how constantly unclean I am.

Many churches frown on believers having this view and I don't understand that.
When I think of what I'm capable of doing, apart from Christ, it frightens me.

By understanding the Tabernacle, the temple, all the rituals and laws, the genealogy, all those sacrifices.. By understanding this, it's prepared me so much better now to receive the continuous cleansing power of God's shed blood, for me.

When I see how far mankind will go in denying this, that also frightens me. 

By understanding the Old Testament, I can better see the heresy the New Testament warns of. 

I know it wasn't my intelligence that revealed this too me.
I also know that the only thing consistent , in my life, all these years was in the knowledge of there being absolute truth, in God.

I don't know what kept me from God's Word, I don't know why I finally read it.
There's many things I can't explain and those things just happen to be what's real in my life.
I suppose if I could explain it, that just might destroy what God's shown me so I'll just keep reading in context and sounding strange.

I have developed quite a religious crust over my thinking, during all those years not in God's Word so many of my thoughts (and I  gotta be honest) on this blog are accompanied by hypocrisy.
I always want to be honest as I post things but that's not easy sometimes.

My prayer is, as I prepare to begin again, that I might redirect my passion more towards knowing Jesus more intimately.

I've spent much time searching for, and finding, how God's Word became so twisted in this culture.
Out of every hundred believers (just my guess, here) there might be one who wonders, what's going on in the church these days.
That's the one I think I can talk to intelligently now.

I'm positive, my next time thru will bear much needed fruit.

But for the person who's reading straight thru, by this point, they are aching to see the mystery revealed and who it's for and how will it end. Hang on, Jesus is coming to earth, PTL!

read in context (part2)

Proverbs -  wisdom and foolishness.

Something to be on guard for is when any church wants to use these Proverbs as a motivational means to any sermon. A perfect example of that is when a church uses a verse like 29:18 to make a point about "your" vision.

The proverbs are not like other books due to ,the wisdom contained in it is contained in a single verse most times, not always though. The reason 29:18 is such a good example is because more times than not, only half the verse is read. Thats not good. Trying to make a point like this may have an agenda along with the one presenting it like this. Again, not always but it is a good thing to keep an eye on.

BTW, by reading the rest of the verse, we see what the vision WAS . Something to do with not obeying Gods law.

This is a good book to ask, after reading an individual proverb,"what does this mean." As things come to mind, I then might ask , "what happened , that we do not understand this today."

Much of this book is common sense yet we struggle with its meaning.

This is a difficult exercise to do because it has a way of keeping our sin ever before us, and that is actually a good thing. That is if we are reading this Bible correctly. Every day we need the Word of God to remind us of where our hope is, in dealing with the sin that is ever before us.

There is no place in this Bible that does not speak to Gods Salvation and Gods plan of restoration . This message from God is not hidden, its as clear as clear can be, on every page. But we allow interpretation , pride and so much else to miss it.

When human wisdom and Gods wisdom , come together, it looks like and sounds like this next book coming up.

Ecclesiastes- this is a tough tough book. Certainly isn't a book to read if you want your spirits lifted. Well, not till the very end anyway.

As I was thinking about what I might say about this book, I had the thought of, could the views expressed in this book (and sure do sound depressing and dooming) be a result from when we get Gods Word wrong?

Seems like mankind brains default mode is set to the negative. Mankind also invents new ways ,with every passing generation or any turn of the century , to miss Gods point.

Life does have meaning and we can find that meaning in the closing verses of this book. When we listen to all the nonsense that goes into our heads day in and day  out , it creates these kind of mindsets and questions , found in this book.

The generation behind us must see and understand this. Sadly , they do not understand the older generation when they are instructed as to what to watch or listen too. They think that just because the content of the worlds wisdom may seem innocent enough, it must be ok.

Any confusion that arises is because we are so accustomed attaching that which we "do" to how we interpret life. No wonder this book sounds depressing.

What Christian parents know (but have a hard time explaining) is, anything the world offers, be it good or not good, conflicts with God's Word. The issue isn't what we can or cannot do. The issue is, and always will be, putting the cart (world view) before the horse (God's view)

What Christian parents want is for God's view to guide and explain what the world offers to their kids. If the parents haven't read the Bible in context, how will the kids know?

If we think some verse here or there will combat this, or maybe some Sunday school class or youth group, that ain't  gonna happen. My generation tried that.

I used to tell my kids, concerning life's issues. It's a case of getting your "ducks in a row" and the first "duck" is knowing what God thinks. Since all they had, at one time was mom & dad's example, well, that could have been better so because of that, they continue to struggle. But there comes a time, where we all need to read God's Word in context. Until we do, our lives are gonna sound alot like the first two thirds, of this book

Song of Solomon - now here's a book that should prove that so many people don't read the Bible in context.

In light of what began in Genesis and will end in Revelation, the intensity of this books language is fitting and is no more intense than any books read up too this point.

If we're reading the Bible in context, the message of this book is the same thing said over & over.

This book,out of context, is confusing. Let's keep it where it belongs. 

There is so much joy in the intimacy one finds in knowing Jesus, but because of our "it's not a religion, it's a relationship" mentality we were handed, we miss it.

How best to explain that? If we don't understand the book of Leviticus, then this book won't make sense. If we don't understand the purpose of God's Law along with the hope of salvation, this book won't make any sense.

If , at the end of reading this book your not thinking of Gods salvation thru Jesus and the hope of Gods soon reign on this earth, ya might wanna read it again.

Isaiah - opens with a summary of how nations decline.

Babylon is made mention in a couple chapters but there again, people don't understand that word. They don't get it's significance, it's just some obscure thing, this Babylon but the slightest of research would reveal it's meaning and by the time they got to Revelation, what's said of Babylon would make more sense. But people are satisfied with not knowing.

A foretelling of Jesus is revealed in this book along with the hope of His Reign.

If those two concepts are not consistent, every time you read this book, your reading it wrong. It's ok to have many things come to mind as we read, but if salvation along with Jesus ruling this earth one day, doesn't show up, ask God to reveal it too you from whatever passage your reading. It's really not that tough. Sometimes, just knowing what names of people, places or things reveals alot.

Jeremiah - now here's a book, that if the one reading straight thru the Bible, by the time they get to this point and still can't see how Christians are mishandling God's Word, don't worry.
By the end of Jeremiah, you'll know.

I think of this book as a book that asks :

"what does God think of that "
Much of things mentioned are things we like and enjoy and approve.

What does God think though? Compare what He thinks to what you've been told.

If someone can read thru this book, and not squirm in their seat, or feel somewhat troubled, you ain't reading it right.

And if you think there's some promise in chap 29 that's gonna prosper you, and you are holding on to that cause you aren't prospering yet, there's your prove, you've missed it.

Need prove of that? Well,have you ever seen a mug or a t-shirt or a poster, with Jeremiah 29:10 on it?

Debunking this stuff becomes painfully easy. Folks don't want (v10) They just want (v 11) skipping the rest.

Reason I say "painfully" easy is, people don't wanna hear this. They say :
"but reading this verse this way makes me feel good "

Or

" guess you just don't want people to feel good "

(can anyone tell, we raised 3 kids under this light?)

Anything and everything gets this treatment,so is it any wonder we'd bring that to our reading of scripture?

This is how we read our Bible's and we wonder why things are a mess?

These verses are true, but A)-interpretation is God is talking to someone else , not you & B) application is, ur life is v 10 and your reward is v11.

If someone thinks I'm making this stuff up, ask yourself, why would God be consistent in His message of grace, salvation, kingdom and judgement for thousands of years leading up to this verse than in one instant, change His thinking, to address "you" only to inform you, if you that He will prosper, you, in this life, because He knows you?

Seems to me, countless believers, prior to 21rst century America, got a raw deal and the short end of (God's) stick.

I spent more time on that than I intended, but quite often, I don't think church goers get the seriousness, of reading God's Word correctly.

The effect of God showing me the truth, from His complete Word was,

I was angry at first,at myself. That created in me a passion to discover how things became so twisted.

Simply put :

It's due to an emergent church growth movement that confused God's Law & Gospel.

There.. 9 yrs of examining things, down to one sentence.

Btw, i mentioned earlier about squirming in your seat as you read Jeremiah. That is matched with mercy to the likes, I'm almost sure, the church goer whose never read it, has never seen.

I try to avoid picking favorite books but this one is probably in the top five. A reason for that may be due to its addressing a nations areas of decline.  We in America can understand this because just like them, as the nation ,along with the nations worship, as it was in decline, they too "thought" everything was ok and that they were progressing forward ,while actually the opposite was true.

How does that happen? Same then as now.. They get the Word of God wrong.

Lamentations - this is a book your glad when it's done.  My wife could always tell when I was in a book like this. You can't help but become affected by it. That's why the Bible is so overwhelming. Intense sorrow, intense sin with even more intense mercy. Yes. There are vrs of hope in here but when they are not seen in this intense context, it gets watered down.

I'm not exactly sure the place a believer needs to be at, in order to "get it"  but when the joy God offers constantly outweighs life's sorrows, I'm thinking that's close to "getting it"

Mankind's tendency to sin will never outweigh God's faithfulness to love.

If people can walk away from that, and they do, good luck.

Ezekiel - many prophecies.

can we learn from them?
We sure can.

The church age sure has made an event of trying to interpret this stuff.
We don't know if we're coming or going.
Stick with what we know.
Put that with God's consistent nature, seen from Gen to Rev.
That might help when reading the more difficult passages.

Something else in here. It's sad when God's glory leaves temple.
If you haven't read, from places like Samuel, how it was when God's glory filled the temple, you might not understand that m

And that account of dry bones? That's been used for many metaphors but could see fulfillment in kingdom age.

When the person, whose reading this book correctly, gets to this point, they are more ready to read the jammed packed info concerning That Day.

Daniel -so much more than lions but that's all most know.

We know there's some future stuff in it but that's only there so we believers can have something to argue over.

Once again, this book along with all the prophetic books, when not seen in light of the clear message, which began in Genesis, by reading select passages, some begin to think that there just might be a diet food plan in this book. Trust me, there isn't.

When I said earlier, to put what we know with God's consistent nature , it's clear God wants us to know.

From Daniel, we know everything from when Jesus would enter Jerusalem to to nations and kingdoms order to events between the Testaments to the end of captivity to the rebuilding of the walls.
That's a lot to know.

So doesn't it stand to reason, that if the church bride divides over issues, isn't that the indicator, something off?

If God's wants us to know, and the church is believing things they really don't know, that's not consistent.

God doesn't hide things. He reveals them. Half the bride getting one revelation and the other half getting another revelation is a pretty good indicator, we might be looking at the wrong things.

I'd advise extreme caution to any spiritual application to a clearly worded passage.

Make no mistake about it. The church will divide in big real way (key word "real")

But it won't be over how it interprets Old Testament prophecies. It will be over the gospel of salvation. (Jesus)

Anyone who is reading their Bibles, up to this book, if you keep reading, you'll read more about this as you near the end, so please be patient.

It'll be in the form of false teachers entering the church (not the devil) spreading heresy so if your wondering why I beat the drum of reading God's Word in context, that's why.

I'm thinking by now, the one reading this in context might be thinking "boy, there sure is a lot in here concerning some future day"

Your starting to get it.

Hosea - this man has seen prosperity come and seen it go. Sound familiar?  His marriage to a harlot and the children from her tell a story. As with any book concerning judgement, it's good to look for God's mercy.

Isn't it "funny" how we can spot the judgment but dismiss the mercy?

Any reader of this, in context, is slam dunked with this ongoing message.

Are we asking "why is that" yet?

read in context (part 1)

I am about to post my final thoughts concerning several years of going thru the Bible, vrs by vrs.

I commented on each book. Took me awhile to do so because I was convicted with every word i typed.

There's nothing profound in this. The mindset I had as I did this was to display how one reads it wrong, due to either upbringing or modern church influence or just a culture that glorifies itself.

I guess I've wanted to do this for a long long time, if not for others, than for me, because this book has so changed my life and thinking, it's nearly impossible to convey it.

My current biggest struggle is, shedding years worth, decades worth, of total ignorance of God's Word. Many of these thoughts reflect that.

My thoughts will come in five (long) posts and this is my way of ending one trip through God's Word before beginning another.

I intend to wait a month before beginning again.
Putting myself on some 'plan' won't work for me.
It can't be "my" plan.

Again, there's nothing profound in my thoughts.
I'm not a scholar by any sense of the word.

I'm just a guy who started paying attention.

so here goes:

Genesis : Creation! This Book will take you from one extreme to another. From  God saying "let there be.."  to regrettably mankind's first temptation being "did God really say".
Contrary to modern belief, we are not made in God's image. Ever since the "fall" we are now in the image of Adam (Gen 5:3)  This makes so much more sense when we think about. It is arrogant to say WE are made in Gods image all the while knowing that WE have the capacity to sin. Natural conclusion being that this must mean God can sin. We would never say that out loud but in the back of our sinful minds we think it , whether we know it or not.

The most important thing to take note of as we read not only this Book but all of the Old Testament are the  types and shadows of Jesus. We can find these in the accounts of  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah. The Bible will ALWAYS follow the family line to the coming Messiah.
Regrettably people do not read these stories looking for Jesus. They try to find applications to their lives in these stories. That may sound harmless enough but people tend to confuse interpretation & application.
There is only one interpretation to all scripture and that is its about Jesus ONLY!
There can be several applications but do yourself a favor and don't go looking for them. If you seek out these applications on your own this will cause us to think that these stories of the Bible are about Jesus....and YOU.
As you read Gods Word,  God (and only God) will reveal how Gods Word concerning His Son applies to YOU.    

And finally, we have so few chapters on creation but so much on Gods relationship to man. This should give us a clear indication where Gods heart is at.

Exodus : By the time we get to this point , if we are not asking the question why is Israel mentioned so much ? then we should be.
Here we will see a family go into Egypt as a family of 70 and come out as a nation of well over 2 million plus.
We will also see how God judges the false gods of Egypt thru various plagues, each plague focusing on a different god of Egypt.
The all important Passover is established here. A most significant event, one to remembered till God returns. 
 Moses make famous the phrase "let My people go"
The next significant event is the giving of the Law. This law has ONE purpose and ONE purpose only and that is to reveal to us that we are indeed sinners in need of a Savior .
Here the law is written on tablets

A type and shadow of how law (Moses) won't take us into promised land but Jesus (Joshua) will. Again, powerful foretelling of Jesus and its not the best practice to read yourself into any of this. Starting out this way will compound the confusion as you continue reading.

By reading God's Word correctly, seeing starting from the beginning, clearly seeing God's grace and mercy thru judgment and patience,

We quickly discover that the obstacle to seeing this, is pride.

God is perfect, we are not.
God is doing something here, but that pride keeps many from seeing it.

Leviticus : not too many make it thru this book. Too much blood I guess. But if we don't grasp this book, not much else will make sense.

Tabernacle, priests, sacrifices all pointing to Jesus. All the blood, all the animal sacrifices.

God knows that mankind is stubborn and stiff necked so he is trying, in a big way, to make a point.

And if and when you discover what each of the strange sounding rituals means, you will know clearly , what that point is. If we miss the significance of the tabernacle and everything concerning it, missing that will make understanding this Bible that much harder.

Numbers and Deuteronomy -  the stubbornness of people and the harsh consequences along with a re telling of God's Law to a new generation,

again we're reminded, it's not law (Moses)  that saves but Christ.

When the one who is reading straight thru understands why the law was given along with what Gods standard is concerning these laws (perfection) and how many laws there were (over 600 and all requiring perfection) and when they see how this law is to be fulfilled (in Jesus) , when a person sees this, the Bible will make more sense.

Anytime a church wants to suggest that we today should strive to obey these old laws, this is the beginning of our Bible reading , becoming de railed, but many times a church will ,after someone gets saved, direct people towards these laws by applying these stories to our lives. That may not be their
intent, but it happens anyway.

Joshua & Judges - a collection of accounts of conquest we see as unfair, but that's because we lack understanding. 

If we understood the nature of who occupied this land we wouldn't question God's judgement.
We also have accounts of how the blood line to Jesus is preserved.

We see clearly how God wanted to rule, He wants to be their King.  God allows them to reject Him.  Because the people of that day, understood God no better than we do, after they came into the land, over time became a culture, we today are very familiar with.

A culture where, everyone did what was right in their own eyes.

God will continue to allow this rejection, as to bring in a Savior but the day will come. That Day , where Jesus will indeed reign and rule over Jerusalem. That's where our hope should be.

Ruth -  Knowing who the Moabites were helps in this book.

There is not much to compare with this amazing story of devotion and love. Jesus is all over this book, our redeemer. A surface reading is powerful enough but for the one who digs in this book and studies it in the slightest way will come away from it amazed. Don't read this book asking yourself "what would you have done if you were Ruth." The book of Ruth points to the cross.

1,2 Samuel & 1,2Kings..people then, as today, don't want God as king. So the people's choice awards goes to Saul.

Todays voters may wanna see how this worked out. Saul was the populist vote.

 All these accounts in these books  have Jesus in mind. How God  interacts with man continues to amaze me as I read these accounts..

We meet the greatest earthly king ever, David  along with his wisest son. Btw, was asking for wisdom the right thing for solomon to ask for?

We talk so much about wisdom, those who don't believe the Bible think sometimes that Christians need to check their intellect at the door but that's not true.

Here we are given a clear example of extreme wisdom, given in a right way, to show us that truth is in something else, but mankind is just to stubborn to get it. We keep thinking we can do it better , when we can't. Solomon is the extreme example concerning wisdom. We use our wisdom and intellect as a means to discover the (what should be)  obvious.

1,2 chronicles  chronicles - I heard it said that Samuel & Kings are accounts given from man's perspective and Chronicles has many of same accounts but from God's perspective. I guess I like that. Many of the negative details are not recorded in this book. The dividing of Israel clearly shows, if we our reading this book correctly , Gods grace thru judgement and mercy. But again, that gets missed when we only read ourselves into these accounts. We miss the significance of the temple and we will need that as we get closer to the New Testament as well as the end of this book, Revelation.

Ezra & Nehemiah - time to rebuild.

Something we often miss , if we only read ourselves into these books up to this point, is what's known as the Covenants.

Many times we are told, these passages Instruct us, to rebuild, our "walls" in our lives, and I suppose that ok. So many churches do this.

But points like that become vague an abstract. We're not sure what to rebuild and not told how we'll know when it's rebuilt, whatever it was.

I get the point the sermon is trying to make. I understand when churches make applications to encourage people.

More times than not the application becomes the point. The mention of what God has stated is mentioned at times, but it's heard as an after thought.

It takes years of these sermons to show its effect, outwardly.

These books speak of, God keeps His Word and He is faithful.

If you find an application in here, great. It may or may not be for you. The power of God's Word is not in the application.

Here these people were exiled, went through, who knows what, and now are coming back.

These promises, or covenants, I have found, that getting these wrong will leave many a believer wandering in their walk with God.. that is, if they don't leave it altogether. 

God will keep these covenants.. There are conditional covenants and un conditional covenants. Knowing which is which , is important. Some other things to note : God will always leave for Himself , those who are faithful and they will most often be a minority. Also, take note of prayers mentioned up to this point. There were several.

Esther - Providence.

Here is an account, isolated for us,  from those who remained behind and did not go back to Israel. Accounts like this are evidence of what goes wrong if we are not reading our Bibles correctly, up to this point. We misunderstand how God works in our lives through our circumstances.

We can think many crazy things here if we are not careful. Some become fatalistic in their thinking. Some see God in areas not intended, some blame God. We might ask unanswerable questions expecting an answer and when we don't get one, become frustrated.

That's because we have been missing the true nature of God up too this point, so this book becomes a free for all in our thinking. So often , we miss the bigger picture, I know I did. We wonder how the events in our lives will effect us , and why would we not wonder that when so many churches , up to this point , apply much of the Old Testament to our lives, so by the time we get here, we do the same thing.

Many things happen to the person reading the Bible straight thru and one main thing that happens is, that person begins to think more ,concerning generations , rather than just their own (short) lives.

They can better learn from the past and envision the future. Not in a way we were taught. We are told to come up with some vision and aim for that, or we are told to "think of the children" by people who have no agenda towards that at all. Reading Gods Word correctly up to this point , will go a long way in better understanding this book.  

Job - book of redemption. Some amazing insights here. We get a peek behind the heavenly curtain here as we see how satan moves to and fro and in seeing this, we will better understand Revelation , when satan is banished from heaven.

If Job had any sin,and he did, the main sin would be was, that he thought he had done nothing wrong. God uses extreme examples to make His points because He knows that anyone reading it will fall way under that . Job asked many questions but when it came to God finally replying , which in my opinion , is the best section of this account , God does not answer his questions. That alone should reveal something.

Psalms -  the heart of God.

So often , we say things like "David had a heart after God" and then we go on to think of the many things David did wrong. The main thing being, how he slept with Bathsheba and then had her husband murdered.

This is prove positive that, we just don't get it. It proves that we are somehow making some connection between the things we do, as a way of assessing life this way and it is a sure way of reading our Bibles wrong.

How can we know the love of God , as He Himself expressed these sentiments that are in the Psalms? Why do we think they were put here.

Besides giving great hope and strength to those experiencing tremendous trials , which could include health concerns or family issues, many people find tremendous comfort from the Psalms.

But what do we think the "heart of God" means, anyway?  That can be better understood, when we avoid reading ourselves into so many of its passages.