Eleven Tips for Reading the Bible

Here is a great list of eleven things to remember when reading the Bible, again taken from George Grant, but this time from his blog Eleventary...

1. Remember the one, central story: the whole Bible is about just one thing. The pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration runs throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. Remember that the Bible is its own best commentary. The Word interprets itself; Scripture explains Scripture.

3. Remember to read individual passages in their context—textual, literary, symbolic, historical, cultural, grammatical, and theological.

4. Remember that all Biblical revelation is intended to reveal. Always look for the most obvious literary sense of a text.

5. Remember that all Scripture is inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit. So, every little detail matters.

6. Remember that Scripture has only one meaning but multiple applications—so, it is important to distinguish between indicatives and imperatives.

7. Remember that we read translations of the Bible. All languages have strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities—and moving from Greek and Hebrew to one of our modern languages (such as 21st century American English) will always require some additional scrutiny and study.

8. Remember that we must always interpret experience in light of Scripture and history in light of revelation; not the other way around.

9. Remember that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

10. Remember that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So, beware of innovative or novel interpretations of Scripture. Steer clear of new “discoveries” in Biblical revelation. We have a rich legacy of wisdom passed down to us from throughout church history so we should consult good commentaries whenever possible--and look to the “old paths” more often than not.

11. Remember that we should always read Scripture prayerfully, submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Happy Birthday KJV

Thanksgiving 2010

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Family Church

Each evening in the Canney household, we gather together on the couch to worship our Lord. It is usually sometime shortly after dinner but before the girls begin their evening play. We conduct our family worship time as a mini-church service. I begin by reading an introductory passage, such as Psalm 100 and then we sing the Doxology. This is followed by an opening prayer, reciting The Apostles' Creed and singing Gloria Patri. At the conclusion of this I begin to read the Bible. With two young daughters I have chosen to work my way through the Bible reading the 'big' stories to them. For example, in the recent weeks we have read through Creation with Adam and Eve, the Flood with Noah and we are currently working our way through the story of Abraham. I usually read one chapter a night from my New King Jame Version translation and we close our time with prayer. One important point about the Bible reading is that I am focused on my children learning the stories they hear. I want them to know the people and the places, the good guys and the bad guys, and who wins. The important distinction is that I do not try to relate or teach a moral with any of our Bible readings. The goal at this age (3 years and 1 year) is for them to learn the story of the Bible.

We have found this time to be a great blessing to our family. One added bonus is that some evenings my wife and I will stay seated on the couch as the girls crawl off. They begin to play, dance, sing and be silly while the four of us are all together in the Living Room. It is these small moments when I see the Mighty Hand of blessing on my family.

Bethel Prep Parent Information Night

The question before us tonight that I have been asked to speak on is, "Who is responsible for establishing and maintaining the spiritual theme of the academy? The theme is Romans 8: 37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who lived us.”

Thus, who is responsible? Well, if the theme is nothing more than a slogan, the school is clearly responsible. Bethel Prep needs to have a lot of pep rallies and spirit weeks to encourage and promote the slogan. But our theme is much more than a slogan. It is Scripture and it is true. We are more than conquerors. The responsibility, as Christians, lies within all of us. We all play a part in God’s kingdom and the advancement of it. My part tonight is to speak about how the staff will help to accomplish and be responsible for the theme.

How is it that we are more than conquers? The verse tells us, “through Him who loved us.” Him being Christ Jesus, our Savior. So, we are more than conquers because of Jesus Christ. It is His strength that makes us strong. It is His wisdom that makes us wise. We are nothing without Him. In order to be more than conquers we need to be like Him, imitators of Him, as Paul says in Eph. 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

What makes children dearly loved? When they obey. So our job as Christian educators is help our students know God and to grow in their understanding and wisdom of God and His will. A great way to start is to begin with identifying what God loves and what God hates. Philippians 4:8 tells us,

⁸ Finally, brethren,

whatever things are true, whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just, whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—

meditate on these things.

We are told to focus on these things because they are what God loves. They reflect Him. Conversely,

Proverb 6:16 – 19 teaches us

¹⁶ These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
¹⁷ A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Learning and remembering Scripture verses such as these is perfect for our Grammar students as they grow in their knowledge of God and His Word. When students internalize these truths and examine the world around them, they can become “more than conquerors” because they begin to recognize the lies and the temptations that world has to offer. This is where our Dialectic and Rhetoric Schools build off the knowledge our students gained in the Grammar school. They can use their knowledge of God to begin to critic the world around them, whether it is books, movies, music, philosophy or culture. And then they can begin to conquer the culture that surrounds them through Christ who strengthens them. That is the goal of Bethel Prep, to form and mold students that God can use to advance His kingdom here on earth. Students who will change the culture, but will do so not with the weapons of the world, but rather as Paul says in II Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”

This is why the culture of each home and Church is important. The culture of the home and Church must be pleasing to the Lord. It must be a safe haven from the culture of the world. A place where young Christians can take refuge and seek wisdom as they grow in their wisdom and understanding. The home and the Church cannot be place that reflects the world’s desires. It must reflect, as we want our students to, what God loves and what He hates.

My final point is that in order to become “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”, we must serve Him. We must serve Jesus as Lord. And how do we do so? Not with the weapons of the world as Paul said, but rather as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:31 – 40, “³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

What we learn from these verses is that as we serve each other, we serve the Lord who in turns strengthens us. And as He strengthens us, we are enabled to become more than conquerors.

It is important to note that the school exists to serve Christian families. It is difficult for the school to train students to accomplish our theme if a family is not living out the theme in the home. However, when the family and the school are in harmony in trying to grow men and women who can impact the culture around them, then by God’s grace we can accomplish His will.

Again, the school will do its part this year to train our students to love what God loves, hate what God hates and look to serve each other as we serve the Lord. Thank you.

The Fully Orbed Christian Life

My wife passed along to me an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal titled, "The Perils of Hipster Christianity". It is a good article about the attempts of the Christian Church to be cool. To be relevant. To be hip. I posted it on my Facebook and it drew some comments. I have been thinking about it a bit since, developing my thoughts.

This is has been a topic of discussion for me at various times with my students and friends. It is something I have spoke against for different reasons and I thought I would get some of those thoughts down...on here...the blog. So here we go.

One of the main points that 'Hipster Christianity' misses is the Christian life. The Scriptures teach and communicate a fully orbed Christian life. All members of the Body of Christ have their role and contribute to the Kingdom. Thus, the Bible teaches and has clear instructions for me on how to be a son, a husband, a father, a friend and an employee. The same is true for my wife, my children and my employer. However, modern 'Hip' Christianity does not present or teach much on these areas. Why? Because they are thought (by Christians) to be offensive and outdated to non-believers, especially the uber-cool 20 somethings that the 'Hipster Church' is trying to appeal to. Teachings such as the husband as the head of the household, the submission of wives, the obedience of children or employees are placed on the back self in order to not offend members or visitors. The full council of God becomes the censored and feel good council of humanity.

The problem is that people crave the fullness that the Scriptures teach. After all, God created man and then gave man a manual on how to live. It is safe to conclude then that He created Christians with desires that are fulfilled in the Bible. Nothing, save becoming Christians, has been more beneficial to my marriage than Melissa and I assuming the created order that is given to us in the Scriptures. Our union has flourished as I have assumed headship. It has given us order and direction. We did not find such instruction in the various 'Hipster Churches' that we have been a part of in the past. Those churches have long ago made nice with worldly lies such as feminism and have largely dismissed the teachings of the Bible.

The result of this for these churches is that members are left lacking. Their desires are not fulfilled. Order is not being brought to them and they are not finding things to be different in their church as they would find in the world. Often times the things(music, social atmosphere, etc) that they find in their church are nothing more than a cheap knock-off or imitation of what the world has to offer. Sooner or later on people realize that there is no reason to settle for the imitation when the real thing is waiting for them. Thus, out the church doors they tread.

Pray for pastors that would courageously preach the full council of God. In doing so, the Christian Church will flourish and grow because God's blessing will rest fully upon it.

Pendulums and Wedding Dresses

In a recent conversation with some friends I lamented the fact that the modern church has become more and more casual in the attire of its members. This can be seen with adults, but especially with children. It concerns me with children because the message is that church is a casual place that deserves no reverence and that anything goes.

Where did the casual influence come from? I believe from two places. First, the world...specifically the business world. Work has become more and more casual and unfortunately the church has followed 'suit'. The other influence is a religious one. Modern church leaders place a heavy emphasis on a person's heart. It is the inside that matters, not the outside they tell us. God is concerned with heart issues, not with designer clothes. While I believe God starts with the heart, it is out of our hearts all things flow. That is why foul language is foul...it is a pipeline to the anger and bitterness in a person's heart.

In Matthew 23 Jesus said...
25"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

So Jesus the inside matters, but the outside does too. I believe that our clothes should reflect the condition and attitude of our heart...and often they do. Black at a funeral comes to mind. When the Saints gather to worship God on Sunday there is significance in the day. It is important. God is gathering with us and that deserves our respect. Our clothes should reflect the importance of what we are doing at church.

Often people are concerned that if visitors come in they will feel out of place if they are not dressed correctly. Specifically if they are underdressed. But I would contend that how they are treated will be the greatest factor in whether they feel welcomed to come back the next week.

There is also a concern of people faking it..dressing up for church, but being crummy on the inside. My response is that God never jumps at a pump fake. He is not fooled and usually His children aren't either.

So the pendulum has swung from formal to informal. While I do not believe church should be super-formal, I think that most modern churchs are way too informal. But does it matter? I obvoiusly think it does and I think the illustration of a wedding perfectly relates how I feel. For our wedding, Melissa wore a beautiful white wedding gown. She was adorned with simple but spectacular jewelry and her make-up along with her hair highlighted her natural beauty. Simply put she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

Now would our wedding have been less of a union with God if she was in jeans and t-shirt? Would the day have been less important? No and No. However, would it have been as sacred? as meaningful? as symbolic? No, No and No. The dress and the accesories inhanced the ceremony in my eyes and in God's eyes. There was reverence, importance and symbolism.

I believe this is a good illustration because what is the church? We are the bride of Christ. And every Sunday we should clean ourselves up from being dirtied by the world and go meet with the Bridegroom in a ceremony that is important and significant. Our hearts should be right with God and our clothes should show Him the proper respect He deserves.