There's Got to be More to the Bible

I wonder how many believers feel like I did the first half of my Christian life. I dutifully went to church (Bible and Baptist churches) and knew the verses that linked success to knowing and meditating on the Bible. I had daily devotions and sat through regular services. Two decades in and I became disheartened. Never in a sermon did I hear anything I couldn’t have gotten from reading the Bible myself. In fact, I was reading my Bible and had already gotten it. There was nothing new.  I cried out to God. There had to be more.

God heard my prayer, and He knew exactly what I needed. It required getting me out of my bland church and into one I never would have picked had God not drawn me by compelling circumstances. It was at this church I learned of deep, soul-satisfying treasures in the Bible. I had only ever read and heard of two dimensions of the Bible—historic and devotional. That is, you take the events that happened in the Bible and figure out how you can apply those lessons to your daily life. At this new-to-me church, I learned of a third dimension that makes the Bible come alive with God’s plan and His working through the ages to make that plan happen. The third dimension is the doctrinal/prophetic angle.

Exactly what am I talking about? Well, today I am releasing a fiction book called “Treasures in Plain Sight.” It’s a short allegory novel (62 pages) taking the reader though the main character’s experience regarding Bible understanding. It shows how she came to learn of the deep treasures from God and how that helped her to get to know the Lord better. And isn’t that the ultimate goal of our Bible reading? You can read the first six chapters for free if you click on “Book: Treasures in Plain Sight” on the right side of this page. If you like it, it’s available pretty cheap on Amazon ($4.95). Even cheaper on Kindle ($2.99).

Without that third dimension of doctrine and God’s ultimate purpose, my spiritual life was flat. But once I was conditioned and trained to see the hidden treasures, my life has never been the same. Further, it was at this church with this view of the Bible I met my husband Richmond who came to know the Lord and grow right out of the gate with that expanded outlook. We are on the same page and started this blog 14 years ago in order to share some of the truths we know and live by!

Jody

How to Study the Bible

Do I need to go to Bible college to learn how to study the Bible? Do I need to learn Greek and Hebrew to study the Bible? The answer to both is no. Otherwise, most of us wouldn’t qualify to study the Bible. Would God want to make it so difficult that only a few could study it?

I’ll share the magic of how to study the Bible here. You only need two things.

Intense Curiosity

First you need an intense, passionate curiosity about Bible books, verses and words. Without that you won’t want to study the Bible. You will be satisfied with reading a daily devotional and enjoying what other people think about topics or verses. Or you will watch Bible-teacher videos and love the perspectives of others. Let’s not mistake that for studying the Bible. Those are nice supplements, but they aren’t what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he said, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15) The question then is, do you have enough of a curiosity to drive you to study your Bible?

Here’s what curiosity looks like. You read or hear someone quote a verse, like 2 Tim 2:15 above, and you think, “What does studying have to do with being approved unto God?” Or you might really wonder, “What does it mean to rightly divide the word of truth?”

Rather than Google for the answers, you decide you are going to study it in the Bible. Let the Bible teach you the answers. It will define itself. But we’re back to our lead question. How do you study the Bible?

The Right Tools

The second thing you need to study the Bible is the right tools. The Strong’s Concordance was the first tool I learned about more than 40 years ago. It shows you every single verse that each Bible word appears in, so you can study where else that word is used. It also gives you the Greek or Hebrew word with its meaning.

The second tool is the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK) I discovered soon after Strong’s Concordance. It’s an amazing book of cross references for each verse. Many Bibles have a few cross references down the center column or at the bottom or off to the side. But the TSK book has umpteen more cross references so that you can get the idea of a verse by comparing it with verses that say something similar to the one you are looking at. When I discovered this book, I determined that if I was trapped on a desert island and could only have one book besides the Bible, it would be the TSK.

But I confess, now if I was trapped on a desert island, I would choose to have cell phone reception and an internet connection. That’s because both Strong’s Concordance and the TSK are on a few Bible apps for your cell phone or your computer. Since discovering that, it’s been revolutionizing. On my phone, I replaced the Bible app I had with the Blue Letter Bible. It has those 2 books/tools installed. On my computer, I installed e-Sword, which also has both books installed. Both apps are free. Install one or both right away.

In summary, the best way to study the Bible is to ask God to open your mind’s eye to have an intense curiosity. After all, it’s a spiritual book, and only the Spirit can teach you its meaning. (Pray this: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Ps. 119:18). Then use one of your newly installed apps and start looking up cross references or word meanings and see what God shows you. It’s as simple as that!

Tell me what you think.

Jody

When God Shows His Hand

In the poker game of life, God always has the perfect hand, and He doesn’t have a poker face. If you want to know something, just watch Him and follow His eyes. The problem is, He would (and does) reveal His hand, or His secrets, but some of us won’t believe Him and therefore dismiss Him and go on about our own way.

For example, what if God said that deep outer space is made of cream cheese, and you have to bike peddle through it. Sounds absurd. And that is what some people would conclude and would not only quit listening to God, they would become antigod, trusting in their own reasoning instead. Others would believe because He’s God, and they know He’s always right, so they search out the matter.

God simply reveals His secrets to those who have an open enough mind and heart to believe what might seem crazy. And a lot of things of God seem crazy. Why? For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa. 55:8-9)

Trust is the issue. Will you believe what God says? Small children easily believe their parents. If Dad says deep space is made of cream cheese, then that settles it. God wants us to have that kind of faith in what He says. (Luke 18:16-17)

Some argue against blind faith. I’m against it too, if it has no basis. But if God said something, take the faith position that you will believe it first, then you will search it out further in the Scripture. Be curious. Curiosity is a secret of learning secrets.

When you study the Bible on any particular topic (secrets for example), it’s a good idea to start with the passage with the most to say about it. I went into my eSword online Bible (you could do the same with The Blue Letter Bible phone app) and did a search for secret. It shows me there are 65 verses with that word. As I scroll down through the references, I notice that one chapter, Daniel 2, uses the word six times. That’s more than any other chapter in the Bible. I conclude that Daniel 2 must be the most thorough guidance in the Bible on secrets. In Bible-study terms, this is called the passage of  “full mention.” (Other examples: 1 Cor. 13 is the go-to passage, or most complete mention, of love or charity. Hebrews 11 is the full mention of faith, etc.) You simply start with the full-mention passage when you study something and look for cross references from there.

In this Daniel 2 passage, pagan King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. He didn’t know what it meant and summoned a group of people who specialize in figuring things out—magicians, astrologers and sorcerers. He wanted to know the interpretation of his dream. Only to make matters worse, he didn’t even remember the actual dream itself to explain it to them. Of course no one could come up with the actual dream and its interpretation. Shall we call this the ultimate secret?

But there was Daniel. He and his three buddies prayed that God would reveal this big secret. Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven (2:19) He worshiped God according to truth. Listen in: He changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. (2:21-22)

He then promptly went to Nebuchadnezzar and told him what his dream was and what it meant. Nebuchadnezzar thought he was the greatest. Daniel deflected the praise. Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.” (Dan. 2:27-30)

On your own, you can read through the four verses above and draw all kinds of conclusions. As you do, one question to ask while studying full-mention passages is, do these verses remind me of any other verses in the Bible? Two jumped out at me regarding God sharing secrets with those who ask. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5) It’s not God’s plan to keep everything a secret. He likes to enlighten curious, God-seeking and God-believing people. Here’s a prayer: Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalm 119:18)

Another thing regarding secrets we see in our Daniel 2 passage is that God doesn’t enlighten unbelievers. Why? Because God is on a different frequency than the unbeliever. King Nebuchadnezzar knew nothing of the God Daniel served and worshipped. The king was a natural man with no access to the supernatural God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they (the things of God) are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) You need an implant to even begin to grasp God’s secrets: the Holy Spirit living inside you—an outcome of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

The final point I’ll make about the Daniel 2 passage is that King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had to do with end-time prophesies. Does anyone else find it interesting that God entrusted this key prophesy to a pagan who would never get it on his own? I mean, he didn’t even have the wherewithal to remember what the dream was, let alone what it meant. He was clueless, just like any other unbeliever with a piece of God’s Word in hand. Fortunately, there was Daniel, a vessel for God to work through.

Let’s be like Daniel. Love God, study His Word, ask for wisdom and share it with others.

Tell me what you think.

Jody

The Bible Secret

The Bible isn’t for babies, though babies can easily draw life-sustaining milk from it. Really, God's word is for those with spiritually attuned hearts and minds. Here’s the secret.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  (10)  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (Isa. 28:9-10)

Knowledge and understanding of God’s word comes from God. We can read it and get a little devotional thought, but real knowledge and understanding is an act of God in our hearts and minds.

If that’s the case, to whom does God bestow that knowledge and understanding? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.  (13)  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.  (14)  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Heb. 5:12-14)

Do you want to transition from the “little daily devotional” milk mindset to a full meaty knowledge and understanding of God’s word? It’s not only an act of God in the heart (whom shall he teach knowledge and whom shall he make to understand doctrine), it’s a discipline of the will and an application of time and effort. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. That simply means that you compare scripture with scripture.

When you sit down to read your Bible, pray Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Ps 119:18) because God’s word can only be spiritually discerned. The mind of the flesh will not get it. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they [the things of the Spirit of God] are spiritually discerned. (1Cor 2:14)

Then, become skilfull in the word. Don’t settle for reading a paragraph from the Bible each day. Find an interesting thought and trace it through the Bible. Use a good Bible computer program that allows you to find cross references to ideas in the Bible.

If I was stuck on a desert island with only one other book besides my Bible, it would be the “Treasury of Scripture Knowledge,” which takes you to other verses that contain the same ideas of the verse you are reading. Good Bible software has the “Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” built in. (I use the Bible program e-sword, which I downloaded from the internet for free. Visit www.e-sword.net.)

Follow me in future blog posts as we go through Ps. 119 and look at that word precepts. Remember in Isaiah we saw For precept must be upon precept. Let’s learn more about that together.  

Jody