Are you casting away the messenger?

This was my view at church on Sunday. Currently I am staying in the Nashville area with a good friend of mine, who happens to be part of the video crew. Coming from a basic no-frills church of about 30-40 people (including kids and babies) to a massive church of 1,500 was a bit of a culture shock at first. I feel like a lot of small-church people tend to judge those from the larger groups, making the whole lot out to be somewhat superficial. Sure, they have a lot more lights and flair. Due to size, people do tend to get divided up more so than smaller congregations. They have a much bigger music program, and projectors instead of hymnals. But you know what? We share the same Bible. We share the same God. As long as the church is faithfully teaching exactly what the Bible says, people can learn and grow in Him just as well in a large setting as others can in a small one.

It’s easy to judge in a split second based on appearances, but let’s slow down. When you encounter something new and different, take some time to listen and observe. Don’t be like the Pharisees, who cast Jesus away because He didn’t fit their preconceived notions of what seemed right. Check the message for truth before disregarding the messenger.

When He left there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be very hostile and to question Him closely on many subjects, plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say. - Luke 11:53-54

Misconceptions about Bible Reading

This week, I am going to give you a somewhat lengthy but impactful quote that I read from Joel R. Beeke. I thought about trying to write a post based upon it, but I honestly can't put it better than he did, and I feel you should read the original:

"If you are an unbeliever, reading your Bible, in itself, will get you no closer to God. Don't think that you can feel a little bit safer on days when you've read your Bible. You can't. And if you are a believer, reading the Bible will not make you any more acceptable or pleasing in God's sight. Not reading your Bible will not make you any less acceptable or pleasing in His sight. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever is Jesus Christ; it's grace, and nothing else.

Until you see that reading your Bible gets you no points with God, you will never be able to enjoy it. Why? Because you will always fail in reading it. You will fail to read it as often as you should; you will fail to read it as carefully as you should; you will fail to understand its meaning; and you will fail to see its wonder. You will fail again and again. So if you are hoping that your Bible-reading performance is earning you points with God, you are going to be one of the most miserable people on earth. You will be constantly losing points and losing heart until you finally give up in despair and quit reading the Bible altogether.

But the good news of the gospel- the good news of this book you're trying to read- is that you don't have to earn God's favor by reading your Bible. Jesus Christ and His righteousness is the only way to God, and unless you are trusting in Him for all your forgiveness and all your acceptability with God, you will never find joy in reading your Bible. So turn to him; trust in him, and come see the joy that can be found in reading the Word of the Lord, the Word of Jesus, the Savior."

- Joel R. Beeke, How Should Teens Read The Bible? 

10 Questions to Ask As You Study The Bible

This post is going to be a little different from the usual here. I realize I speak often about the importance of being in God's Word, but what if one is at loss for effective ways to study it? Recently I read through this quick, 26 page long book, "How Should Teens Read The Bible?" by Joel R. Beeke, and I am going to share an excerpt that I think is helpful no matter what age you are.

Things to ask yourself as you read the scriptures:  

1. What does this chapter teach me about God?
Look for teaching about His attributes, attitudes, and actions.

2. Specifically, what does this chapter reveal about Christ? 
Look for Christ in all the scriptures, including the Old Testament. He is the key to, and the message of the entire Bible.

3. What doctrines are taught in this chapter?
Make a list of them with relevant quotations from the chapter and any cross references you may know.

4. Who are the leading characters?

5. What are the main events?

6. What sins and follies are stated or implied?
Examine your heart in the light of this list. Which things in the list, or suggested by it, do you need to confess and forsake?

7. What are the virtues evidenced in this chapter that I should seek after and cultivate?

8. What new things have I seen and what old truth has the Lord brought with fresh blessing to my heart?

9. What are the key words and phrases that call for further study?

10. Which one thing may I remember this chapter by?

Our Blurred Vision of a "Silent" Night

We all tend to take the story of Christ's birth for granted, and on top of that, our cultural depictions of the nativity have caused us to have an askew perception of what it all actually would have looked like. Due to this, many of us have lost (or perhaps never fully gained) an appreciation for the night of Jesus' birth and the hardship of those involved. Hardship, You wonder? But what about a "Silent Night"? 

Imagine it. You're required by your governing authorities to travel roughly 89 miles - without the use of modern vehicles. According to Google Maps, this would take around 30 hours under normal circumstances, but your wife is so pregnant she could pop at any time and likely has to travel slower. Once you get into town, all the boarding houses (which at the time would generally be large shared rooms without actual beds) are stuffed to the gills - you have nowhere else to turn, so you are forced to take up the innkeeper's offer to stay with the animals. 

If you've ever been in a barn, you know they are full of dirt, flies, manure, noise, and a general stench. That's a modern barn, with running water available to hose it out every now and then. The stables of that day would have been smaller, lacking any running water, and most in that day were small caves or cut-outs in stone. Top it all off by helping your young wife give birth to her first child in there- on the ground, with no anesthetic or sanitary precautions. Oh, and that cute wooden manger artists depict? Try a stone trough, full of old animal food, drool, possibly flies, and who-knows-what-all-else, to lay your newborn infant in. 

A lot to take in, is it not? Miraculous? Absolutely. Wonderful? Entirely. Silent and peaceful? Probably not. Nothing in scripture seems to warrant such an assumption, and really, why should it? Despite being the Son of God, Jesus Christ faced hardship at every turn throughout His life and death as a human on earth. Why would His birth be any different?

All this, however, is not to detract from the glory of it all. It IS a glorious occasion, and it shows the incredible humility of our Lord, to forego a dramatic kingly entrance (of which He absolutely deserves and could command!) and instead be born in this fashion. Remember these things as you celebrate throughout the Christmas season this year. Glorify Him, and don't get too caught up in the pageantry.


"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed [that is, his fiancée], who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."  - Luke 2:1-7

Walking Without Light

It had been a hot day with temperatures soaring into the 100's, but I'd been dying to go for a hike, if even just a small one. Come evening, I grabbed my brother and headed out to meet up with some friends at the nearby state park. We enjoyed the cool of the late portion of the day and a lovely orange and blue sunset over the river. Eventually it became too dark to see much of the trail, so we flipped on our flashlight. All was great, until we reached the paved trail in the lower portion of the state park. Our light suddenly grew dim, then died completely. There were no street lights, and we were left in total darkness, except for the last bit of blueish sunset glinting up from the river. We would need to rely on the feel of the pavement beneath our feet to lead us to our goal... Wherever it was.

We can have moments like that in our spiritual lives too; things can be fine, then gradually your relationship with God starts to fade, then seemingly vanishes completely, leaving you in the dark. But just like you can revitalize a flashlight by throwing in some new batteries, your relationship with God can grow back into a spotlight in the foreground of your life when you begin to get back into His word regularly. It's not always easy, and often it starts off slow, but little by little, if you make time with Him habitual, you'll eventually find that God is the light you can't do without.

 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)

Be Challenged

Tip: Try looking at things from a new perspective in your photos. Low angles or bird's-eye views can make a mundane scene much more eye catching.

My family gets together and reads a brief devotional every night before my parents go to bed. In most situations, it ends in nods of agreement and "yup" or "that was a good one." but no further discussion is often made. Last night, however, was a little different. The devotional we read dealt with a belief that we and the author do not see eye to eye on.  As a result, we had a really great discussion, recalled a collection of scriptures we had each learned over time, and while I cannot speak for the others, I know that I gained a lot more from it than I do on the average night; it is the next morning and I still remember a lot of what both we and the devotional said. The fact that we all became engaged in examining the topic made it all much more memorable.

While I wouldn't suggest spending all of your time intentionally reading over things you disagree with (unless you have a specific purpose for it), I believe it is healthy every once in a while to be faced with an opposing view point or a different perspective. It forces us to slow down, to think, and to actually give Biblical reasons why we believe what we do.

In this world, we will have no shortage of opposition; my challenge to you is this: don't run from those who you disagree with. Allow yourself to be challenged, test everything against scripture, and in so doing, your knowledge and faith will grow.


"Test everything; hold fast to what is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Traveling Aimlessly

Tip: Be on the lookout for storm clouds; they create the best lighting for dramatic landscapes and portraits.

For a long time, I had difficulty getting into studying the Bible; it's not that I didn't want to, but I had a hard time focusing. What was the deal? I had the whole Bible at my fingertips but no idea what to read. When I simply read a chapter a day straight through it felt like it went in one ear and out the other, and while randomly opening a passage of choosing a book did turn up good lessons sometimes, I still didn't always feel that "into" what I was reading. Turns out what I really needed was some purpose and direction to get me going.

Matthew 7:7-8 states, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened" The question I present to you today is this: how do you ask for something or seek it if you do not know what you are looking for?

Think of a biblical topic. You know it, you know that it is in the Bible, you might even know where in the Bible... But have you ever really stopped to research it for yourself? Or do you only know it secondhand? I challenge you to try this in your study: research the truths that you hold dear. Make notes of the passages that talk about them, even write out summaries alongside the verses if it helps you focus. Know that which you seek, and seek it diligently. Good vacations don't often happen by wandering aimlessly; nor do good Bible studies.