Category: Practical

What is the Bible and What is it For? – Part 1

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn PracticalLeave a comment

When I was in Middle School, we bought our first personal computer. I believe it was a Packard Bell. At the time I didn’t know much about computers. We had them at school and used them a little bit to play Oregon Trail, but I hadn’t taken a typing class or a class on how to use any of the programs yet.

I remember looking at the keyboard for the first time. I knew what the letters and numbers did. Delete and enter were self-explanatory, as was Caps Lock, but I had no idea what the other keys did, which meant they weren’t all that useful to me until I learned what they did and what they were for.

In a similar way, we may look at the Bible and ask: What is the Bible and what’s it for? Until we are able to answer that question, it is not going to be all that useful to us just like those other keys on the keyboard weren’t all that useful to me.

What is the Bible and What is it for?

(1) The Bible is a Unified Story that Points Us to Jesus 

In 2 Timothy 3:14 and 15 Paul speaking to Timothy says,

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Ti 3:14–15)

When Paul uses the phrase “the sacred writings” he is referring to Scripture. The Scripture for Paul is what we know as the Old Testament. The New Testament wasn’t completed yet. It was being written and collected as Paul was writing his letter.

Here, Paul reminds Timothy and tells us that the Old Testament points us to Jesus. It’s not just a bunch of stories about some dead old guys who did some cool things, like slay a giant or survive a lion’s den. Instead, it’s a unified collection of books that form one story that points us to Jesus. Which means:

  • The Bible isn’t a self-help book.
  • It’s not a science book.
  • It’s not meant to be a comprehensive history book
  • Nor is it a book that’s going to answer all our questions. In fact, a lot of times it’s probably going to raise more questions than it answers. Just read the book of Job or Revelation and you will have a good idea of what I’m talking about.

The Bible isn’t any of these things. Instead, the Bible is God’s special revelation of Himself in a unified collection of books that form one story whose purpose is to point us to Jesus so we can glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That’s what the Bible is.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you realize that the Bible is a unified story that points to Jesus?

Resources

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Post adapted from my sermon: What is the Bible and What Does it Tell Us?

How Can I Delight in God’s Word?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, PracticalLeave a comment

As Christians, we are supposed to delight in the Bible. What I mean by that is that it should produce a sense of pleasure and joy in us when we read it. Our delight should draw us into the text.

For some of you, however, that might not be where you are at with the Bible right now. You might not delight in it. Since you don’t delight in the Bible, you don’t read it. Maybe you feel bad about not reading the Bible. Maybe you want to get to a place where you delight in it, you just don’t know how to make the switch. You might be asking: How can the Bible become something in which I delight?

How can the Bible become something in which I delight?

(1) Pray and ask God to help you delight in His Word.

One thing you need to do is pray. Prayer is powerful. It has the ability to change our heart.

For most of us, we know that’s true. We spend time praying for people’s salvation, their broken families, and this broken world. We spend the time doing those things because we know prayer changes things. If we know that, why not pray for our own heart, that God would change it so that we delight in God’s Word?

So one of the first things you should do when you sense your delight slipping is pray.

(2) Read it anyways. 

Besides prayer, I suggest you read God’s Word anyways. God’s Word is powerful. Just like prayer, the Bible is able to change our hearts and minds. We know that is true.

The church I serve as Pastor invites the Gideon’s to present once a year. When they come, we take up a love offering for their ministry so they can continue to distribute Bibles in our community and around the world. We give and they hand out copies of God’s Word because we both know God’s Word is powerful and able to change the heart of man.

Like the Gideon’s, many of you have probably given a copy of God’s Word to your children, another family member, a neighbor, or even a co-worker in the past. You spent your hard earned money on that Bible and asked them to read it, or even better asked them to read it with you. You asked them to read it and even spent time reading it with them because you wanted to see their lives changed, and you know the Bible has the ability to produce that change.

You see, we know the Bible is powerful and able to change the heart of man. We just need to apply the knowledge we already have to our own lives. So even if you aren’t delighting in God’s Word now, I encourage you to pick it up, read it, and see if your heart doesn’t change.

(3) You might need to check your heart.

If you do the above – pray and read, and your heart never changes, I suggest you check your heart.

Christians should delight in God’s Word. They should be drawn to it, and when they read it, it should produce joy and pleasure in them. While you may go through a season where you don’t delight in God’s Word, by and large, a delight should characterize your relationship with the Bible. However, if that delight never comes, even after praying and reading for a time, you might need to check your heart to see if you really are a follower of Jesus. Jesus delighted in the Bible and so should His followers.

When the Bible is our delight, we won’t let it sit around collecting dust. Instead, we will look forward to reading it each day; and when we don’t, we’ll miss our time in God’s Word.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do you delight in God’s Word?

Resources

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Post adapted from my sermon: What should we do with the Bible?

Bible Reading Tips

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical2 Comments

I understand that reading the Bible can be a difficult and intimidating endeavor, so let me give you some tips to help you get started.

(1) Get a Translation You Can Read

I know some of you grew up reading the King James Version and the Early Modern English doesn’t bother you, but I also know that for others, myself included, reading the KJV is difficult. Instead of doubling down and pressing through, I encourage you to get a translation you can read.

Personally, I read the ESV. It’s literal enough to confidently study from and it flows well enough that you can sit down and read it for extended periods of time.

(2) Read Literarily, But Also Read Literally

By “literarily” I mean that we are to read each selection based on its literary genre. Not every book or section of the Bible is written in the same genre, which is what makes the Bible such an interesting yet difficult at the same time. The genre’s in the Bible include:

  • Narrative
  • Poetry
  • History
  • Prophecy
  • Epistles or Letters
  • Gospels
  • and Apocalyptic Literature

In order to grasp the meaning of the Bible, we have to read each book or section according to its literary genre.

Along with reading the Bible literarily, we also have to read it “literally.” Meaning we are to take the Bible at face value. While it is popular in some circles to look behind the text for a hidden Bible code, one doesn’t exist, which means we shouldn’t come to the Bible expecting to find one. Nor should we attempt to spiritualize every passage. Instead, we should read the Bible at face value.

So read literarily, but also read it literally.

(3) Read Large Chunks at a time

It’s tempting to read a verse or two and set the Bible aside. Honestly, at times, that might be all we need or can handle. But we shouldn’t make reading a verse or two our main Bible reading practice.

Think about a novel. You don’t typically read a sentence or two and put the book down. No, you read a chapter or two at a time, if not more. The reason you can do that is so you can follow the story. If you are constantly starting and stopping every sentence or two and days go by between each reading, it going to be hard to understand what’s happening in the novel.

That’s the same with the Bible. It’s a book. It’s a story. If we want to understand its characters, it’s plot, it’s narrative; if we want to make connections within the story, we have to commit to reading it more like a novel than our Twitter feed. We have to read large chunks at a time.

(4) Ask Questions of Observation

Who? What? When? Where? and How? are good questions to ask. They not only help in understanding the characters, time, and place, but they also help keep the context straight so that we know what’s going on around the text we are reading as well.

(5) Read the Bible in Community

Every Friday a group of us from the church get together at IHOP for our weekly Men’s Breakfast. The point of that breakfast is to help one another understand God’s Word. Attending the study week in and week out for the last 4 years+ has been immensely helpful. Not only have my questions been answered, but I’ve been able to bounce ideas off the others to see if what I’m thinking is right. As well as it’s given me the opportunity to talk through Scripture, which helps me process what I’ve been reading.

There’s value in reading the Bible in a community, which is one reason I am encouraging everyone to use the Read Scripture plan this year. I’m hoping it’s going to give us the opportunity to have conversations about God’s Word with one another that we might not otherwise have.

(6) Use the Cross References

While not a part of the original text, they’re useful. They’re there to help us understand the passage better and make connections to other parts of the Bible that we might not have otherwise. So use the cross references.

(7) Ask Application Questions

Questions like:

  • What does this text teach me about God, myself, and the world?
  • How does this text point to Jesus or show me my need for a Savior?

These are simple questions you can ask that will help you get more out of your daily Bible readings.

So those are some quick tips that will hopefully help you as you are reading the Bible this year.

Question for Reflection

  1. What tip(s) would you add?

Resource

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11 Characteristics of the Self-Righteous

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical32 Comments

Self-righteousness is rampant in our churches. Pews are packed every week with Pharisees, who think they are doing everything right. Scripture, however, paints a woefully different picture. Far from thinking, we have arrived or that we are superior to others, we should see a need for and dependence on the righteousness of Christ.

Instead of raising our spiritual noses at those struggling with sin, we should humbly bow before the Savior knowing we too are sinners saved by God’s grace. Instead of thinking of ourselves as self-righteous, we should thank and praise God for sending His Son to die for our sin.

Even though we should humble ourselves before our Savior, we often don’t. We have a tendency to act like we are the ones who make ourselves righteous by our own efforts, instead of relying on Christ’s work. When we rely on our own efforts we acting self-righteous. We can fall into self-righteousness without even knowing it.

In an effort to keep us out of the trap and create self-awareness here are 11 characteristics of the self-righteous adapted from Paul Tripp’s book, Dangerous Calling.

11 Characteristics of The Self-Righteous

1. They do not see their walk with God as a community project.

2. They do not work well with others.

3. They consistently believe they are right and know best.

4. They are resistant to change.

5. They do not respond well when reminded they need to change.

6. They do not desire others exhortation or admonition, even getting angry at times.

7. They are not patient with those who mess up, struggle with sin or have lost their way.

8. They do not deal well with opposition or accusations.

9. They will consistently wonder why God has singled them out for difficulty.

10. They do not see a need to admit or confess their sin.

11. They consistently point out the sin of others with an air of superiority.

Question for Reflection

  1. Do your actions or attitudes reflect any of these characteristics?

Resources

Characteristics in post adapted from Paul Tripp, Dangerous Calling, 73-74.

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Let’s Read the Bible Together

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical4 Comments

Why should we read the Bible? We read the Bible because we are followers of Jesus and Jesus was obsessed with the Bible.

Jesus’ Obsession with the Bible

The Bible for Jesus is what we refer to as the Old Testament — Genesis through Malachi. Believe it or not, Jesus most likely had the entire thing memorized. I know that sounds unreal, but you have to remember that folks in Jesus’ day didn’t have the distractions of Facebook, Twitter, and TV. Life was simpler and their attention spans greater.

As well as they were primarily an oral society. It was rare for someone to own a book. If you wanted to keep reflecting on and referring back to something, you had to memorize it. I know that sounds hard to us, but this is what they did back then.

So all that to say — Jesus probably had large portions, if not the entire Bible, memorized.

Along with memorizing the Bible, you see Jesus consistently teaching and quoting from the Old Testament. As well as when you examine Jesus’ life, you see that He lived according to the Bible’s plan. It shaped His entire life and informed His worldview.

I think it is safe to say, then, that Jesus was obsessed with the Bible.

We Should Be Obsessed with the Bible

As followers of Jesus, we should be obsessed with the Bible too. In other words, we should have the same relationship with the Bible as Jesus does.

In order for us to have the same relationship with the Bible as Jesus, we have to start by reading it. This last Sunday I challenged the church I pastor to read the Bible together. Today, I want to challenge you, my readers, to read the Bible with me and each other.

The Plan

The Bible Project has put out some really high-quality material over the last year. Their Read Scripture video series, app, and reading plan is one of the best I have seen. I used it at the end of last year to read through most of the New Testament (Acts-Revelation). It was a joy to use, which is why it’s my exclusive Scripture reading plan for this year.

The links to download the Read Scripture app, as well as other information about the Read Scripture program, can be found here. Both Apple and Android devices are supported.

If you don’t do apps, you can download a paper copy of the reading plan here.

Along with the app and reading plan, they also have videos that provide an overview of every book of the Bible. You can access those videos through their website thebibleproject.com or their Youtube channel. There you will find videos for the Old Testament and New Testament, as well as theme videos that match the readings.

Of course, if you download the app, all these videos are baked in, so you don’t have to worry about accessing another website.

So that’s the plan.

My Hope

My hope is that you will join my other readers and myself in reading through the Bible in 2017. Oh, I’ll be sure to post updates throughout the year to keep you motivated.

What are the Spiritual Gifts & How Can We Know Our Spiritual Gift(s)?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Practical10 Comments

Every Christian has a spiritual gift – a gift that is given by God and manifested in their lives through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we should employ our God-given spiritual gifts for the upbuilding of the church (Eph. 4:16). While we are to employ these gifts in Christian community, we may not know what the gifts are or what our gift(s) are. So what are the spiritual gifts and how can we know our spiritual gift(s)?

What are the spiritual gifts?

Romans 12:6-8

  • Prophecy – Prophecy is communicating God’s message in order to strengthen, encourage, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). The prophetic message should agree with God’s Word. In other words, it is not new revelation
  • Service – A Spirit enabled gifting that allows one to work on behalf of another in a great capacity. It is to go above and beyond.
  • Teaching –  The activities of educating or instructing others so as to impart knowledge and skillful use of God’s Word.
  • Exhortation –  The act of emboldening another in belief or course of action (BDAG).
  • Giving (Generosity/Contributions) – The ability to continually share with someone else what one has.
  • Leadership – The ability to gather and influence others to follow your vision with zeal.
  • Mercy (Acts of Mercy) – The ability to continually show kindness or concern for someone in need.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

  • Wisdom – The capacity to understand and bring clarity to a situation or circumstance often by applying the truths of Scripture (Louw  Nida, 383.)
  • Knowledge – While similar to wisdom, it is the ability to understand and bring truth to a situation with comprehension and intellectual grasp (BDAG 203.)
  • Faith – In addition to the faith that every Christian possesses Paul speaks of a special gift of faith that belongs to a select few (1 Cor 12:9). Here he understands faith as an unquestioning belief in God’s power to aid people with miracles, the faith that ‘moves mountains’ 13:2 (cp. Mt 17:20.—21:21) (BDAG, 820.)
  • Healing – The act of providing a cure for someone to make them healthy again. It can be a miraculous act but doesn’t need to be. In saying it doesn’t need to be miraculous, I’m thinking of those who have the ability to patiently care for those who are sick and hurting. Often providing insight and care that others couldn’t.
  • Miracles – Honestly, I don’t have a framework for this category since I haven’t seen it done in a biblical way. It, however, is a work manifesting great power, with the implication that the Holy Spirit has provided them with supernatural power.
  • Distinguish Spirits (Discernment) – The ability to determine who is directing a person’s speech, actions, teaching, or miracles.
  • Tongues – The supernatural ability to speak and be understood in another language one has not studied.
  • Interpretation of Tongues – The ability to translate a language that is not one’s own.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

  • Helping – Ability or desire to help or assist in times of difficulty.
  • Administration – The Greek word provides us with a ship metaphor that tells us administration has to do with steering or directing the affairs of the church. It differs from leadership in that it refers to someone with the ability to execute, structure, and order the church in such a way as to get things done. Whereas leadership focuses on getting others to follow you with zeal.

Ephesians 4:11-12

  • Apostleship – It is the ability to start new churches through planting, overseeing, and training. Those who possess this gift are not to be thought of as synonymous with the office of Apostle in the New Testament that figures such as Peter and Paul held.
  • Evangelism – An increased ability to dialogue with and convince non-Christians of their need for Jesus.

How can we know our spiritual gift(s)?

Prayer

  • Ask God to reveal them to you.

Self Reflection

  • What’s your desire? What do you like to do?
  • What are you good at? What can you get good at with practice?
  • Teaching? Helping? Giving? Service? Administration?

Community

  • Ask others – What do others see in you?
  • Ask the church – What does the church see in you?

Questions for Reflection

  1. Do you know your spiritual gift(s)?
  2. Are you employing them in Christian community to benefit and build up the church?

Resources

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