Archive for the 'Bible' Category

The Centrality of Scripture (PTOM 6)

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on May 12, 2009
in Bible and Ministry
. 0 Comments

(Last week and this I am sharing my Personal Theology of Ministry. Click here for more posts from the Personal Theology of Ministry series.)

God’s Word is central to all effective ministry:

Therefore I will make God’s word central to my ministry. I am a minister of Christ and God’s word. Paul charged Timothy to preach, correct, rebuke, encourage, instruct and evangelize (2 Timothy 4:1-5). He told him to devote himself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching (1 Timothy 4:11-14). God’s word is the power for salvation, especially through the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:15). God’s word also contains the power for spiritual growth (1 Peter 1:23-2:3). God’s word never returns empty but always goes forth to accomplish his purposes (Isaiah 55:10-11). Should I stray from the word of God, I abandon my calling, power and authority. I will proclaim the whole will of God (Acts 20:27-31) and watch my own life and doctrine closely (1 Timothy 4:15-16). I will run all of my decisions through God’s word and base my life and ministry on Biblical values.

Back to Table of Contents | Next section: Gentleness and Grace (PTOM 7)

Related post: Church Search

Don’t Be an April Fool!

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on April 1, 2009
in Bible and Christian Living
. 1 Comment

Here are ten wise sayings from the Bible fitting for April Fools Day:

  • The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
  • The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. (Proverbs 10:8)
  • He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. (Proverbs 11:29)
  • The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15)
  • A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)
  • A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)
  • It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)
  • As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. (Proverbs 26:11)
  • He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. (Proverbs 28:26)
  • A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. (Proverbs 29:11)

Can a fool change? Probably not, but God can change a fool! (I can testify to that.) So don’t be an April Fool this year — or a January, February, March or any other type of fool either. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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Don Carson’s Overview of the Bible

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on February 26, 2009
in Bible, Evangelism and Missions
. 1 Comment

Don Carson is in the middle of a two-weekend seminar aimed at providing an overview of the Bible and the gospel message, especially for those not familiar with the Bible.

Learning to evangelize men and women who know nothing about the Bible and who are bringing their own “baggage” or “context” with them does not require a super intellect or a Ph.D. in biblical theology. What it requires is learning to get across a lot of things that we Christians simply presuppose.

There are quite a lot of ways of doing this. One of them is to focus on a variety of biblical texts drawn from across the entire Bible and work through them with people. One might begin with Genesis 1-2: “The God who makes everything.” Genesis 3 becomes “The God who does not wipe out rebels.” We keep working through the Old Testament and eventually arrive at the New, coming to topics like “The God who becomes a human being” (John 1:1-18). The wonderful atonement passage in Romans 3 covers “The God who declares the guilty just.” Gradually the Bible becomes a coherent book. It establishes its own framework; it is the context in which alone Jesus, the real Jesus, makes sense.

This is similar to the method that New Tribes Mission uses with unreached tribes that have no Biblical framework to understand Christ, sort of a Biblical-theological approach to missions. (See post here on The Taliabo Story.) Here is Carson’s complete 16-point overview tracing the storyline of Scripture:

      1. The God who made everything
      2. The God who does not wipe out rebels
      3. The God who writes his own agreements
      4. The God who legislates
      5. The God who reigns
      6. The God who makes his people sing
      7. The God who is unfathomably wise
      8. The God who is coming
      9. The God who becomes a human being
    10. The God who grants new birth
    11. The God who loves
    12. The God who dies–and lives
    13. The God who declares the guilty just
    14. The God who gathers and transforms his people
    15. The God who is very angry
    16. The God who triumphs

Related post: The Taliabo Story

What Is Love?

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on February 12, 2009
in Bible, God and Love
. 0 Comments

If you came here after searching for “What is love?” you are not alone. According to Google*, “What is love?” is the top “What is …” search in all of America. So, what is love? Here are three of my favorite answers straight from the Bible (and just in time for Valentines Day!).

Romantic Love:

Love is as strong as death,
    its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.
Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love,
    it would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

The Nature of True Love:

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
    it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts,
    always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

God’s Love:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:1-10)

Related post: A John 3:16 Valentine Message

Click here for more Love related posts.

(*Google Stats 2008; Google Stats 2007)

Reformation Study Bible for Any Gift Amount

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on October 31, 2008
in Bible
. 0 Comments

Ligonier Ministries is offering a genuine leather edition of the Reformation Study Bible for any gift amount from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 while supplies last (retails for $69.99). Click here for details on the offer. Click here to read R.C. Sproul’s Introduction to the Reformation Study Bible.

Click image to go to Reformation Study Bible Offer

NIV Bible 30th Anniversary Tour

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on October 16, 2008
in Bible
. 5 Comments

Bible Across America | NIV 30th Anniversary Tour

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the New International Version Bible, Bible publisher Zondervan has launched a massive 90-city, 44-state tour called Bible Across America. You can track tour stops and real time blog updates at the Bible Across America website.

I remember getting my first NIV Bible back in 1978. It was one of those brown, hardcover editions. It opened up a whole new world of Bible reading and memory for me and pretty much changed my life. So happy 30th anniversary to you, NIV! You can swing that bus by my house anytime.

Melody in F (The Prodigal Son)

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on October 8, 2008
in Bible and Fun
. 4 Comments

I first heard this fun, frolicking, alliterative version of “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” back in the 1980’s when Jack Hayford read it out loud on his radio program. I was living in California at the time and really enjoyed Hayford’s preaching. I happened to tape the show and wrote the words down later. With Tim Keller’s new book about to be released (The Prodigal God), I thought it would be fun to unfurl it here. Be sure to read it out loud for maximum effect!

MELODY IN F – Author unknown

Feeling footloose and frisky, a feather-brained fellow forced his fond father to fork over the farthings, and flew far to foreign fields and frittered his fortune feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine, he found himself a feed flinger in a filthy farmyard. Fairly famishing, he fain would have filled his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments. “Fooey, my father’s flunkies fare far finer,” the frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, frankly facing facts.

Frustrated by failure, and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father’s feet, he forlornly fumbled, “Father, I’ve flunked, and fruitlessly forfeited family favor.” The far-sighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged the flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock and fix a feast.

The fugitive’s fault-finding brother frowned on fickle forgiveness of former folderol. But the faithful father figured, “Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found! What forbids fervent festivity? Let flags be un-furled! Let fanfares flare!” Father’s forgiveness formed the foundation for the former fugitive’s future fortitude.

Note: See Luke 15:11-32 for the original version.

Related post: Parable of the Prodigal Puppy

Codex Sinaiticus Online (and P46)

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on July 26, 2008
in Bible
. 0 Comments

Codex Sinaiticus | Mark 1 | Folio 217b
                      (Mark 1 archive: BL folio: 217b scribe: A)

For the first time ever, Codex Sinaiticus is available to read and study online.

Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to survive Antiquity – is of supreme importance for the history of the book.

Only portions of the Codex are available right now, but by next July the entire Codex will be available, along with transcription, translation and search functions. (You can also read portions of Codex P46 online at the University of Michigan Library. P46 contains the earliest surviving copy of the Letters of Paul.)

There was a time when you would have to travel the world to study manuscripts like these in a museum. Hopefully we will continue to see the digitization of manuscripts made available to all for research and study.

Related article: Scholars Plan to Reunite Ancient Bible Online

Bible Still Recognized as Top Holy Book

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on July 12, 2008
in Bible
. 0 Comments

From the Christian Post:

A new Barna survey shows that more Americans accept the Bible as “holy” or “sacred” than they would other books. Respondents of the survey for The Barna Group identified around 12 books they thought fit the bill as “sacred literature” or “holy books.” The list included expected titles such as the Bible and the Koran and others such as Quiet Strength by football coach Tony Dungy. However, the Bible stood out by far from other texts with 84 percent of Americans deeming it a holy book.

Only three books were recognized as holy by at least 1 percent of Americans. The Koran trailed behind the Bible in second place with 4 percent; the Book of Mormon was labeled by 3 percent as sacred/holy; and the Torah was deemed holy by 2 percent of the public.

I was glad to see 84 percent of the respondents accepted the Bible as holy but puzzled why only 2 percent accepted the Torah. The Torah (also known as the Pentateuch) refers to the first five books in the Bible. So if the Bible is holy, by definition the Torah is too. Actually more people should embrace the Torah as a holy book than the Bible. Jews would not view the whole Bible as from God, but both Jews and Christians together would accept the first five books of the Bible as holy. I am guessing that many of the respondents did not know that the Torah is actually part of the Bible.

Starter List for Reading the Bible

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on July 8, 2008
in Bible
. 5 Comments

Here is R. C. Sproul’s recommended starter list for people who have never read the Bible. The list is from R.C.’s book 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow.

Old Testament overview:

  • Genesis (the history of Creation, the fall, and God’s covenantal dealings with the patriarchs)
  • Exodus (the history of Israel’s liberation and formation as a nation)
  • Joshua (the history of the military conquest of the Promised Land)
  • Judges (Israel’s transition from a tribal federation to a monarchy)
  • 1 Samuel (Israel’s emerging monarchy under Saul and David)
  • 2 Samuel (David’s reign)
  • 1 Kings (Solomon and the divided kingdom)
  • 2 Kings (the fall of Israel)
  • Ezra (the Israelites’ return from exile)
  • Nehemiah (the restoration of Jerusalem)
  • Amos and Hosea (examples of minor prophets)
  • Jeremiah (an example of a major prophet)
  • Ecclesiastes (Wisdom Literature)
  • Psalms and Proverbs (Hebrew poetry)

New Testament overview:

  • The Gospel of Luke (the life of Jesus)
  • Acts (the early church)
  • Ephesians (an introduction to the teaching of Paul)
  • 1 Corinthians (life in the church)
  • 1 Peter (an introduction to Peter)
  • 1 Timothy (an introduction to the Pastoral Epistles)
  • Hebrews (Christology)
  • Romans (Paul’s theology)

What do you think are the most important books to read in the Bible first?

Let the Reader Understand

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on June 26, 2008
in Bible
. 0 Comments

Ben Witherington points out that the word “reader” in Bible times had a different meaning than it does today.

Both in Mk. 13.14 and in Rev. 1.3 the operative Greek word is ho anaginōskōn a clear reference to a single and singular reader, who in that latter text is distinguished from the audience who are dubbed the hearers (plural!) of John’s rhetoric.

As Mark Wilson recently suggested in a public lecture at Ephesus, this surely is likely to mean that the singular reader is in fact a lector of sorts, someone who will be reading John’s apocalypse out loud to various hearers. We know for a fact that John is addressing various churches in Asia Minor (see Rev. 2-3), so it is quite impossible to argue that the reference to ‘the reader’ singular in Rev. 1.3 refers to the audience. It must refer to the rhetor or lector who will orally deliver this discourse to the audience of hearers.

I would suggest that we must draw the same conclusion about the parenthetical remark in Mk. 13.14, which in turn means that not even Mark’s Gospel should be viewed as a text, meant for private reading, much less the first real modern ‘text’ or ‘book.’ Rather Mark is reminding the lector, who will be orally delivering the Gospel in some or several venues near to the time when this ‘abomination’ would be or was already arising that they needed to help the audience understand the nature of what was happening when the temple in Jerusalem was being destroyed.

Bible Wordles

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on June 25, 2008
in Bible
. 0 Comments

Here are some more Bible Wordles for your viewing pleasure. (Click on a picture for a larger image.) First, here is the New Testament in a Wordle:
Wordle | New Testament (ESV)
                        Most prominent words in the New Testament:
                                        “Lord God Jesus Christ”
 

Here is a Wordle for the Psalms:
Wordle | Psalms (ESV)
                            Most prominent words in the Psalms:
                        “Lord God shall; steadfast love forever”
 

And here is a Wordle for the whole Bible:

Wordle | Whole Bible (ESV)
                                Most prominent words in the Bible:
                                            “Lord God said”

Greg Gilbert at Church Matters analyzed the Wordles for different books of the Bible and came up with the following prominent words. They make for pretty good summaries of each book I would say!

  • The Gospels = “Jesus said”
  • Romans = “God Christ law righteousness through faith”
  • 1 Corinthians = “God Christ body brothers”
  • Hebrews = “God made covenant through blood high priest”

Related post:  My Sunday Sermon Wordle