As a minister of discipleship within a local church, I can relate many stories of people finding a Bible Study within our church, plugging in, and beginning to grow deep roots in God's word and in their relationship with Christ.
For others, finding the right Bible study can be a challenge. Here are some things to keep in mind about that.
Ask yourself: Whose job is it to see that I grow spiritually?
Here are the most common answers to such a question.
1. It is my pastor's job
Yes and no on this one. Your pastor is entrusted with shepherding and spiritual caring for the "flock" that God has placed under his stewardship. However, if all you do is come to church, sing some songs, and listen to a sermon once a week, you might or might not actually ever begin to grow spiritually. Most every pastor (and virtually every pastor worth listening to) would agree that if you really want to start growing spiritually, you'll need to be involving yourself with other believers in Bible study and prayer. Do you know what statistics are showing to be the number one proven way for churchgoers to begin growing spiritually is? It is simply this: Prayerfully study the Bible when you are not at church! Your pastor can't force you to do that, but he can certainly influence and encourage you to do so.
2. It is my church's job (or my discipleship pastor's job)
Yes and no on this one. Your church (and your discipleship pastor if you have one) are like your pastor in that they are entrusted with overseeing and facilitating the spiritual development of those God has placed under their stewardship. However, as much as they labor to assist in people's spiritual growth and make it easy for them, sometimes it doesn't seem to happen. I occasionally receive complaints from people that they are not growing spiritually...some of whom are deeply involved in a Bible study. I know...it is a head scratcher. But even though your church and your ministers strive hard to help you grow spiritually, the job is partly your responsibility as well. Do you show up to church ready to listen and learn? Do you attend a Bible study at your church expecting to hear God speak to you through the scripture? Or are you waiting for just the right Bible study to come along with just the right people with just the right teacher? You might be waiting a long time.
3. It is MY job
This might be getting close to the right answer. It's almost there. As we said before, you should absolutely take responsibilty for your own spiritual growth. Don't let obstacles deter you from it. Your pastor will try to influence and the church should provide avenues for spiritual growth, but nothing is stopping you from picking the Bible up or praying. Every day, spend time in prayer and Bible study. Don't let your spiritual growth rise or fall on a Bible study teacher or whether you can manage to squeeze in time for a small group during the week on top of serving and worshipping. Take ownership of your spiritual development. Make it your priority. Rearrange your schedule and priorities if you must. See if you can let God have your heart every single moment of every single day whether you are at church or not, whether you are reading the Bible or doing anything under the sun! And yet, the responsibility doesn't rest on you alone...
4. It is God's job
Here's a very important truth. God desires that you grow spiritually. And He is orchestrating it behind the scenes in countless ways - through the experiences He allows you, through the relationships you have, through the sermons you hear, prayers you pray, conversations you have, etc. Even when you think you are not growing spiritually, God might strongly disagree. Watch and pray for eyes to see how He is growing you and stretching your faith even in ways you might not see at first glance. Write them down if you need to. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians:
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Notice that there are two things at "work". We are continuing to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The idea is that we strive to live in obedience to God and live for Him. But the second "work" is God's work. And it is a different tense. This is a completed work that is already finished. Someone once said, "We are in the process of becoming who God already sees us as." Christ saved us. We are in the process of living like it and in the process of being saved. (The big word for the process is sanctification...we are in the process of being sanctified or made holy or set apart.) We do our everything to grow spiritually, knowing that it is ultimately God alone who brings it about in our lives, in His own ways and in His own timing and He who started the work in us will be faithful to complete it...and this is so certain that He already HAS completed it!
Whose job is spiritual growth anyway? YES...your pastor and your church play a part. YES...you are accountable for your own spiritual growth. YES and most emphatically...God grants it, He does it, He gets the job done in His people's lives.
Since I never quite finished up a series of posts that I had been doing on reading some time ago, I figured today's post could loop back around to add some more thoughts to the subject. And this time, you don't have to take my word for it alone. Just watch this video.
At one point, Dr. Mohler says we won't start growing until we start reading. I don't think he meant that there were no ways to grow spiritually without reading. (i.e. I doubt if Dr. Mohler is going to tell a blind person who can't read Braille that they are just sore out of luck and can't hope to grow spiritually since they can't read.)
What do you think? Did you agree/disagree with anything?
People trying to grow in their Christian faith are sometimes astonished to find out about books they never knew existed. Commentaries. Some are even surprised to find out about study Bibles.
So here's a little bit of info on both.
For new believers or even non-believers, a great study Bible is the Quest Study Bible. I believe it uses the NIV 1984 translation and is a great recommendation even if it is expensive. [Speaking of translations, that is another blog entry altogether...much too lengthy for this post.]
Back to the subject, a great study Bible is often the first discovery to delight that of the Christian trying to grow and understand the Bible.
Some of the best study Bibles include the ESV Study Bible, the HCSB Study Bible, the Reformation Study Bible, the John MacArthur Study Bible, the NIV Starting Point Study Bible, the Quest Study Bible, and especially unique is the Life Application Study Bible.
But it may surprise some people to learn that there are some even more technical books available that pastors will consult. Granted, these resources are just one of the many tools in the toolbelt of a skilled Bible teacher, but virtually any pastor worth listening to will have consulted a commentary or three before or after studying a particular passage of scripture.
Now before you rush out to google "commentaries" (that might not be the most helpful thing to do) you ought to know a few things.
First, be aware that there are different types of commentaries. The basic types are: devotional commentaries, homiletical commentaries, and critical commentaries. I favor the critical ones, but sometimes more practical pastors of the less geeky bent will favor a homiletical commentary of some type. (Homiletics is the fancy word for preaching and preparing sermons.) Even more practical and therefore perhaps more "average-Joe-friendly" are the devotional commentaries which in some ways are only one step away from a study Bible. P.S. - "Critical" commentaries aren't necessarily commentaries that are "critical" of the Bible. It simply means that they are more technical and apply rigorous study, reason, and explanation in their treatment of a text. They can sometimes be heavily footnoted and can leave Greek & Hebrew words completely un-transliterated for the English reader. Looking for an example of each?
One of my favorite series of critical commentaries is the NICNT series
I've given you the basic types, but know that there are also other kinds of commentaries
such as the Bible Backgrounds commentaries done by IVP and Zondervan. (Both of
which relied on one of my favorite professors during my time at Wheaton...John Walton.)
I expect that many different types of commentaries will continue to come into existence.
2. Next, it's vital to know that not all commentaries are created equal. In fact, I'd go so far
as to ask your pastor or education pastor at your local church what kind of commentaries
are worth consulting and which ones aren't. Sometimes people write commentaries
who are actually coming to the text with a foundational worldview that is entirely different
than what one might consider Christian. You could very easily find commentaries on the
Bible written by those that seek to undermine the Bible's authority or credibility in their
research. There are great resources and reviews to consult as well such as those by DA
Carson (NT) and Tremper Longman III (OT). This relatively new website seems fairly
interesting too.
3. Third, it is generally best to consult commentaries only AFTER studying the passage a great deal for yourself. I can't stress this enough. Use the commentaries to check your
work, not to do all your work.
4. Fourth, resist the urge to buy a set...especially if you are not training for the ministry.
If you teach a Sunday school class, chances are there's probably no need to invest
that much money into a complete critical commentary series. Besides, it is much wiser
to buy individual commentaries on each book than purchasing an entire set. If you are a
layman, a quality one-volume Bible commentary should suffice, but if you simply must
have a complete set, perhaps the Tyndale Series is best.
5. Finally, remember that you might be able to acquire 2 or 3 commentary sets just by
purchasing Bible software. They may not be that great, but they might be all you need.
I could certainly write a lot more on this subject. And I may. For now, this ought to be enough to chew on and read without getting bored. :)
Sometimes people are surprised to find out that we don't have the original manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. Don't be alarmed. The sheer amount of the manuscripts we do have exceeds all other ancient documents hundreds of times over. We have over 5,000 manuscripts that attest to what the originals said, giving us overwhelming confidence that the Greek New Testament of today is accurate, trustworthy, and reliable. It is the Greek New Testament that is then translated into English for various publishers of the Bible, etc.
Part of the reason why we don't have the original manuscripts? Persecution. During the Roman persecutions of Christians, Christians would frequently be killed for their faith in Christ. There were several options for a person to prove they weren't a Christian and thereby escape martyrdom. They would need to denounce Christ, but they could also win favor by turning over other Christians (particularly Christian leaders) or even manuscripts of the scriptures. Many did so. Here's just one ancient manuscript that tells us about it.
All these things were fulfilled in us, when we saw with our own eyes the houses of prayer thrown down to the very foundations, and the Divine and Sacred Scriptures committed to the flames in the midst of the market-places, and the shepherds of the churches basely hidden here and there, and some of them captured ignominiously, and mocked by their enemies. (Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Book 8, Chapter 2)
As a Christian, don't forget that people have died, risked their lives, and toiled relentlessly so that you could have the Bible...the book that you and I many times casually neglect.
"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." ~Deut. 6:6-9
A Brief Review
In my last post, I mentioned Augustine and how reading was instrumental in his own coming to faith in Jesus Christ as his own Savior and Lord (or to call those roles something less familiar - his Rescuer and his King).
I mentioned how at first, Augustine had turned his back on God (and that according to his own acknowledgement, this had resulted in part from reading authors like Cicero. Apparently, Augustine's self-serving ego and arrogance inflated as he acquired knowledge from them). But later, Augustine was brought by God to pick up a book by Cicero that is now lost to antiquity...Cicero's Hortensius, which was essentially a work that praised and encouraged people toward the discipline of philosophy, since philosophy is by its very etymology and definition the love of wisdom. Suddenly, Augustine found within himself a desire to know real wisdom, to be taught truth, to personally love wisdom intensely enough to pursue it as a prize. Augustine also said that he knew that to acquire real wisdom, he would have to travel in the direction of understanding the scriptures that he had grown up with, but had eventually neglected and scorned. As Paul stated, in his letter to the Colossians, Augustine was well aware that "in Christ are hiddenallthe treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:3). Or to state it yet another way, Augustine knew deep within himself that to get to truth, he would have to be moved closer toward The Truth, Christ Himself, the God of the Bible, Ultimate Reality.
More to the Story
But I also mentioned that there was more to the story. There is a second major way that Augustine's conversion was tied to the discipline of reading.* He tells us of it in Book VIII of his Confessions.
Through a continual lifelong series of events and experiences--an experience reading Cicero in the midst of his very rigorous academic pursuits, encounters with Christians, exposure to the scriptures, through the constant prayers of his faithful Christian mother, through the influence of Ambrose, and much more--Augustine reached a personal crisis of sorts. He had to wrestle with his will. He was divided within himself. On the one hand, he wanted to retain his own selfish pleasures and ungodly habits. On the other hand, he was increasingly unable to resist the persistent calling of God unto Himself.
Eventually, Augustine claims that God allowed him to see himself clearly and become aware of his own sinful and wicked condition. Distraught, Augustine retreats to a garden and the tears start pouring. As Augustine pours his heart out to God in agony, he asks the Lord how long he will be torn between belief and unbelief, how long will he remain a miserable slave to his own evil desires.
But I can summarize no longer. Augustine must share it with you himself:
As I was saying this and weeping in the bitter agony of my heart, suddenly I heard a voice from the nearby house chanting as if it might be a boy or a girl (I do not know which), saying and repeating over and over again 'Pick up and read, pick up and read.' At once my countenance changed...I checked the flood of tears and stood up. I interpreted it solely solely as a divine command to me to open the book...So I hurried back to the place where...I had put down the book of the apostle when I had got up. I seized it, opened it and in silence read the first passage on which my eyes lit: 'Not in riots and drunken parties, not in eroticism and indecencies, not in strife and rivalry, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in its lusts' (Rom. 13:13-14).
I neither wished nor needed to read further. At once, with the last words of this sentence, it was as if a light of relief from all anxiety flooded into my heart. All the shadows of doubt were dispelled [VIII.XII].**
The Latin phrase "Tolle Lege, Tolle Lege" (Take up, Read! Take up, Read!) continues to resound for those who would seek to know Christ and follow after him.
-RCW
*Certainly there were other ways that reading influenced his conversion and faith. For example, Augustine speaks of he and his friends' experiences watching (and intruding upon) Ambrose's very disciplined reading habits.
I mentioned previously that several early Christians had a more positive opinion than Tertullian did concerning the value of reading both inside and outside of scripture.
For one of the most amazing and influential Christians, St. Augustine, reading was a key that God used to bring about his conversion. In Augustine's famous Confessions (a classic work in literature, philosophy, theology, spirituality, and Christianity), Augustine cites several ways that reading influenced his spirituality and even his conversion to Christianity.
Augustine explains that even though reading Cicero had originally helped to push him away from God, he had been living apart from God and living entirely for himself until reading Cicero pushed him to return to God...
In the ordinary course of study, I fell upon a certain book of Cicero, whose speech almost all admire, not so his heart. This book of his contains an exhortation to philosophy, and is called Hortensius*. But this book altered my affections, and turned my prayers to Thyself, O Lord; and made me have other purposes and desires. Suddenly every vain hope became empty to me, and I longed for the immortality of wisdom with an incredible ardour in my heart. I began to rise up and return to you. [Confessions, III. IV].**
He continues:
My God, how I burned, how I burned with longing to leave earthly things and fly back to you. I did not know what you were doing with me. For "with you is wisdom" (Job 12:13, 16)...This book [Cicero's Hortensius] kindled my love for it [wisdom]. There are some people who use philosophy to lead people astray...That text is a clear demonstration of the salutary admonition given by your Spirit through your good and devoted servant (Paul): "See that no one deceives you by philosophy and vain seduction following human tradition; following the elements of this world and not following Christ, in him dwells all the fullness of divinity in bodily form" (Col. 2:8-9). At that time, as you know...I did not yet know these words of the apostle. Nevertheless, the one thing that delighted me in Cicero's exhortation was the advice "not to study one particular sect, but to love and seek and pursue and hold fast and strongly embrace wisdom itself, wherever found". [ibid.]
And yet, Augustine explains that that Cicero's book couldn't entirely grip him because it failed to mention Christ, whom he almost innately knew to be the real source of truth. He "therefore decided to give attention to the holy scriptures and to find out what they were like" [ibid, III.V].
Augustine's story gets better and involves more about reading...But I will have to continue his story in the next entry.
-RCW
*One of my biggest disappointments in life is that we don't really have an existing copy of Cicero's Hortensius, which was basically an "Exhortation to Philosophy." All we have are small fragments that give us a general idea of its outline.
**My translation is mostly that of Henry Chadwick and only minimally from Edward Pusey's.
One of my many favorite philosophers is Francis Bacon...*
Bacon had some pretty sound advice when it comes to reading. You can find it in his essay "Of Studies":
Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention...
In layman's language, Bacon is saying:
Don't read a book...
simply to prove it wrong. [He wasn't really talking about the Bible, but many skeptics read the Bible this way...with their conclusions already deeply fixed in their mind before they've read a single word.]
thinking it or its author is beyond error. [Again, he wasn't really talking about the Bible, but many people do read it this way**...and I'm not entirely sure that Bacon would have had a problem with it though I'm definitely no Francis Bacon expert.]
just to have something to talk about with others. [These people are annoying...especially since they rarely choose anything worthwhile to read. I don't think Francis Bacon would think of People magazine or Cosmo as "reading" or "studies" if you're wondering.]
Instead, Bacon suggests that we read a book in order that we might weigh and consider what it
is saying. Read a book with your brain turned on, using your critical thinking skills -- not distrusting
the book, nor being overly trusting of the book to the point of naivety.
Many Christians I know (and tragically, even some pastors) have far too much trouble even knowing how to discern what is a good book from what is in all reality not. I have personally lamented that the problem with America is not that we can't read, it is that we don't read. And even the people who do read, too often don't read anything worthwhile.
Thoughts? Comments?
-RCW
* I mostly enjoy Bacon's essays and am much less fond of his idealistic modernist belief that science and technology could ultimately create a Utopian society. The twentieth century, postmodernism, and human experience have since well-refuted that fanciful notion [although Biblical wisdom had refuted the idea ages before]. If you want to understand modernity and my last couple of sentences a little bit better, read this book. As for Bacon, I know for certain that he was a theist, and I think to a lesser extent some people conclude he was a Christian. And if you're wondering, No, I don't believe he's any relation to Kevin Bacon. ** I have no problem with people reading the Bible this way provided they also at some point recognize that while the Bible is a divine book, the Bible didn't magically float down from heaven. God didn't bypass the humanity of the human writers, their circumstances, their language, their personalities, their brains, their emotions, or the like when He inspired them to write. But this blog entry is not really meant to be about Biblical inerrancy, infallibility, inspiration, etc.
I'll never forget the first few weeks when I began to understand that God was leading and calling me into ministry. I recall walking into my youth pastor's office and letting him know what I understood God to be doing in my life and communicating to me.
His response was simple. He first told me that he would meet with me once a week at 5 am on a certain day. At the first meeting, he asked me a question. "Are you a reader?"
I was dumbfounded. I thought quickly about the fact that I despised reading and loathed the very thought of English class. I stammered -- "Uh.....not really." His response was direct and firm, "Well, you're going to have to become one."
I began to love reading from those few weeks onward and to this day I absolutely cannot get enough. (I have a lifetime reading plan for myself!)
Does it seem like an odd connection to you? Why in the world would someone who is heading toward ministry need to become a reader? Do you think he was right? Do you think he was wrong? Why? I'd love to hear your "take."
Hey there, everyone. There is a lovely new item that costs about $1.99 that my wife and I are enjoying. It is excerpts from Tyndale House's new Mosaic NLT Bible and it is called Devotions for Advent.
It has color artwork, scripture readings, meditations, writings from people throughout the history of the church, blank space to journal or respond, etc. You'd enjoy it to be sure, but this is the week to start it.
A few of my recent posts have reminded me of yet another subject.
A classic pet peeve of mine is the enormous amount of "Bible Lore" out there. How many times have you been talking with someone and they say, "Well, the Bible says, 'God helps those who help themselves.'"? No, the Bible does not say that phrase anywhere. It actually came from Ben Franklin.
Another great one..."God won't give you more than you can handle." The Bible actually doesn't say this. (Try "quoting" such a "scripture" to a person in a serious crisis. Let me know how that one goes.) You won't find the reference because it's not there.
In general, I simply hear the words come from someone's mouth: "Doesn't it say in the Bible somewhere...." or "What's the verse in the Bible that says something about..." and I begin to brace myself for the shock. I never know what nonsense might sputter out after the first few words. :)
The Bible (and spiritual things in general) is one of those subjects that everyone has an opinion about....many people are eager to share their own. Many people think they know fairly well what the Bible says, but in reality haven't studied it for themselves a whole lot. In short, "Bible Lore" results is a lot of muddled thinking about spirituality and numerous common myths about Christianity, Christians, God, the Bible, etc.
So, here's a novel thought: how about we all make it a goal of ours to READ our Bibles and MEMORIZE scripture? That way, instead of being guilty of such embarrassing blunders of biblical illiteracy, we can know God's word, hide it deep within our hearts, and be ready to explain the scriptures the next time someone rattles off one of these statements.
I myself am by no means immune or beyond this fault. I have been praying and asking God to reveal some things to me lately and yet I know that the easiest way to hear God's voice is to open and "devour" my Bible. How about you? Are you planting scripture within you? Or is your Bible just a dusty relic? When was the last time you cracked it open?
I was a substitute teacher about a week ago. Not for a school. For an Adult Bible Fellowship (ABF) at the church in which I serve. I was assigned the topic of Christology. While I wouldn't call myself a theologian, I could manage to go over some notes from Hodge's, Erickson's, McGrath's or Grudem's works and some of my own systematic theology notes from back in the day. Yet, I had no idea what a joyful surprise it would be to teach this particular class.
The class was very talkative and very inquisitive. The group was made up of mostly thirty-somethings and from what I could tell on the surface, they didn't have a ton of Biblical literacy.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this group was their eager desire to know about the Bible. They had a thirst for knowledge, a hunger to understand, a tenacity to learn. This is perhaps the most foundational characteristic of a disciple.
I was reminded of the Bereans...The Bereans are mentioned in Acts 17:11 -- "Now these [the Bereans] were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (NASB)
May we all be sure to live with that same hunger to know. Search the Scriptures for yourselves and see if these things are not so.
Prayer: Father, help me to cultivate a passion for Your word. Help me to develop a hunger within me to understand the Bible and apply it to my life. Let it always be said of me as well that I was noble-minded and diligent in searching the Scriptures. Amen.
-RCW
P.S. The title for this blog entry ("Search the Scriptures") also happens to be the name of a couple of ministries, a devotional book, a .com website, a couple of .org websites, etc. In no way am I claiming to own the title or have rights to it, in no way am I endorsing those sites, books, ministries, etc.
If you really want some advanced readings about the Bible, there are a ton of resources, but it can be tough to know what is what and who to trust. Here are some "simple" tougher reads.
The IVP Bible Background Commentaries on the OT & NT are great for backgrounds
If it's commentaries you seek, NIVAC & Tyndale make for good starters. (The links here are to the NT sets though they have OT sets as well.)
This is by no means whatsoever a comprehensive list. Libraries could not contain the bibliography that I could compile for you. These just come to my mind first. I hope this is helpful.
I already said that I occasionally have people inquire of me -- either as a new believer or for another new believer -- where they should start to begin growing. I already said in my previous post what my first bit of advice would be.
My next bit of advice would be this:
Start a journal. You can write anything in it. Prayers, goals, recording the events of your day, experiences, scriptures, quotes, poems, lists, or anything you think belongs in it that relates to your spiritual life, etc.
Also, as you begin reading the Bible, tackle the topic(s) that you find most intriguing, most important, most urgent in your own life. As a new believer (or as an "old" one!), if you think of a question you have about the Bible or about faith, or about Christianity, write it down in your journal and record the date by it. Then, make it your resolution to hunt and pursue the answer. Become relentless in your pursuit of the truth. Chase after understanding. The book of Proverbs instructs us to do so. (See Prov. 4:7 among many others) How do you find the answer? Here are some simple suggestions:
Pray. You just can't underestimate the power of prayer. Jesus Himself says this: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?" [I imagine this would have been humorous to those listening...and brace yourself: Jesus may have even chuckled as He said it!]. He continues, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Mt. 7:7-11 NIV). Elsewhere He tells his disciples (and by extension us as well) that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13).
Ask someone you know to be a person who studies their Bible, loves God, and loves others. Maybe that is your pastor, maybe that is a friend or Bible teacher. Maybe you need to email a Bible professor or search out a Christian book on the topic.
Keep reading and praying. Jesus was teaching about prayer one time and used a story to communicate the importance of persistence in our prayer. Imagine that...God wants us to continually come to Him in prayer even when we don't get our answer immediately. The story by the way can be found in Luke 18:1-8 or you can just click here to read it.
Study. This is tough to stomach in our culture. We want answers with no searching, results with no effort, secret formulas and quick fixes at no cost. Sometimes growing in our faith and pursuing Christ does not accommodate our laziness. Thankfully, there are some great Bible study aids online. You can access a few by clicking here, here, or here.
If after all this, for some unknown reason you still can't find an answer to your question, you can email me or you can go find your answer here (though not everyone has the flexibility to do this last one).
How pleasing it must be to God when we seek to know Him and understand His ways. All human knowledge points to Him, the knowledge giver. For as Paul says, "in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). I too am still on that journey...the journey of discovery and the pursuit of truth. After a while, we are always hit with the realization that Ultimate Truth (with a capital "T") is a person, namely Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega.
As a minister in the local church, and someone who is passionate about helping people grow in their walk with Christ, I get asked the question quite a bit...."Cole, I have a friend that just became a believer. I am looking to give this person something to start them in their walk with Christ. Do you have suggestions?" Or sometimes a new believer will approach me themselves and ask the same sort of question: "Where do I start?"
I WILL be brief because a long answer only complicates.
HOW ABOUT...THE BIBLE? To begin with, most people find the Bible to be an ideal starting point. Specifically, I find that the Gospel of John to presents a great starting point. There is simply no replacement for what God can do in someone when they simply read the Bible for themselves. Many times we underestimate peoples' ability to understand the simple message of the Bible. The Gospel of John is perfect to demonstrate this since it has often been said in a variety of ways that John's Gospel is deep enough that the most intelligent Bible scholars can plumb its depths and never get as deep as they would like, and yet it is not so deep that an infant in Christ will drown. As for English translations, there is a great pamphlet put out by Rose Publishing that helps distinguish between translations. My advice is to pick the translation that best suits both your purposes as well as where you are at in your walk with Christ. A New Living Translation or Message may be a great help to a new believer who hasn't spent a whole lot of time in church, but someone engaged in deep study of the Bible would want something like the NASB. An in between may be NIV, RSV, or ESV. Every translation is an interpretation...it just depends how much you want interpreted FOR YOU and how much you want to do the dirty work of interpretation yourself. If you are stuck and can't choose a translation email me by clicking the link under my picture at the top left corner of this webpage. Need a Bible reading plan? That's simple. Search the web and you'll find plenty. NAVPRESS, one of my favorite Christian publishers (who by the way publishes ONLY resources that aim to help believers grow in their faith), has some great ones you can view here. Others are available here, here, here, and plenty of other places too.
A Plea Against Plagiarism: Please do not reproduce any part of this blog for publishing purposes. While the author does not vainly assume anyone would desire to do so, he would nevertheless like to remind any readers that the thoughts, comments, and musings of this blog are not to be reproduced for sale.
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and am much less fond of his idealistic modernist belief that science and technology could ultimately create a Utopian society. The twentieth century, postmodernism, and human experience have since well-refuted that fanciful notion [although Biblical wisdom had refuted the idea ages before]. If you want to understand modernity and my last couple of sentences a little bit better, read 
book. As for Bacon, I know for certain that he was a theist, and I think to a lesser extent some people conclude he was a Christian. And if you're wondering, No, I don't believe he's any relation to 
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