How to study the Bible with someone

It is easy to show how people what they must be do to be saved with this free Bible study or this study on "how to be saved."

God is the Giver of all things

Jas 1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Psa 100:3  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Ecc 11:5  As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.

Isa_44:24  Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

·       The world wants to believe they are their own god. To this end, they mock and despise us when we say that God gives us anything at all. The more liberal religions, and even some that would call themselves our brethren, also deny that God works at all in the world today, believing and teaching that God does not “meddle” in the affairs of men.

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

·       How can we see this?

·       The world believes that YOU are the master of your own destiny, YOUR efforts have made you what you are today, when you succeed at something it’s because YOU made it happen, YOU make yourself strong, YOU make yourself smart, YOU make yourself successful, etc. God has revealed to us that this is foolishness:

Ecc 9:11  I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

·       Why does God do this? The logical order of existence would be for the fastest or strongest people to always win, the wise men (regarding wisdom of the world) to never lack for food, the savvy individuals to be rich, and the most skillful people to be favored above those with lesser abilities. Is there a good reason why God doesn’t allow this to be the case? (notice how that question is phrased…)

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. 7  For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

2Co 10:17  But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

·       The Lord wants to make absolutely clear to us that if something happens, it’s because He CAUSED it to happen! He goes even further by pronouncing some pretty bad consequences for those who don’t believe or follow this.

Jer 17:5  Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

Mar 10:24  And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

·       God made this earth for us to seek Him

Act 17:24  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25  Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26  And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

·       When we don’t seek Him, it will lead us to pride, believing that we are our own masters, and we will not glorify God as is required of us. Belshazzar learned this the hard way.

Dan 5:23  But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

·       So does everyone who refuses to glorify God for the works He does.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

·       Even our speech must be carefully regulated, so that we always glorify God in all things. This is even how God tells us we can tell a false teacher from a one who teaches truth!

1Pe 4:11  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Joh 7:18  He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.

·       God doesn’t take it kindly when we take His glory for ourselves. At best, we receive no reward from the good things that we do, and at worst God may decide He’s had enough!

Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Act 12:21  And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22  And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23  And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

Jas 4:13  Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14  Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

·       If we are properly working to glorify God in all things, people will glorify God for the good we do, not us. He is The Giver of all things, so it is only right that we make sure He is glorified for it! (UPS man taking credit for a gift he simply delivered)

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

1Co 10:31  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

--Miles Johnson

The Importance of Thoughts

If you are concerned about your character, your conduct, your life and your destiny, then be concerned about your thoughts. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). The heart is the mind, and the mind is the center of thoughts. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7). A man may not be what he appears to be, but he is what he thinks.

What goes into your mind, then, is extremely important. Be careful about the interests you acquire, the tastes you cultivate, the desires you develop. They shape what goes into your mind. The conversations you listen to, the scenes you observe, the movies you view, the TV programs you tune into, the newspapers, magazines and books you read, the songs by which you are entertained, the jokes you laugh at, the things you are taught all have a part in feeding information into your mind.

You evaluate and monitor all that you hear and see. Your standard for evaluation and your conscience are vital and play their roles. You may seek out or receive what is vulgar or distorted, or you may reject and refuse it. You may pursue and embrace what is wholesome and true, or you may have no interest in it and neglect it. Be cautious, particular and selective about what goes into your mind. If you allow garbage to go in, then garbage will come out in the form of words and deeds.

What goes on in your mind is also extremely important. Be careful about your thoughts, meditations, desires, ambitions, daydreams and fantasies. You determine what goes on in your mind. You are the master of it because you have control over it. It is your own little secret world -- except that God knows all about it, and will one day bring it to light when you have to answer for it in the judgment (EccI. 12:14; Acts 17:30-31; Rom. 2:16; 2 Cor. 5:10). And sooner or later it will find expression in your life and make itself known.

We cannot be like God without thinking the thoughts of God. We cannot know the thoughts of God apart from the revelation of the things of God in the word of God (1 Cor. 2:11-13). We cannot have the thoughts of God in our hearts apart from reverent study of and meditation upon the word of God, coupled with a sincere desire to do the will of God (Jn. 7:17).

- by Bill Crews

 

For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

Where Do You Want To Go?

One of the major thoroughfares in our city is named Broad Street. It is a very popular place to be during rush hour. Not only does it take people to the places they desire to go, but also gives them plenty of room in which to travel. A narrow one-lane path would never do.

The Lord also spoke of a broad way. It is wide enough to accommodate as many as desire it. Its spacious lanes welcome as much baggage as we wish to take. It is the most popular way to travel. It requires nothing from us. We can live it up on this street without fear of cross-examination.

The only drawback is its destination. "For wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Mt.7:13).

Fortunately, there is an alternative to this deceptive street: The strait and narrow path. This is a more difficult way to travel. Some effort is required just to enter this road. The way is narrow, requiring its travelers to be constantly on guard lest they fall. It is not a very popular way to journey. Few people even find this road. This is not because they are unwelcome, but because they are unwilling to pay its toll.

The advantage to this way is its destination. " Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Mt. 7: 14) . Will your road take you where you want to go?

- by Rick Duggin

 

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Singing to the Creation

Have you ever thought about how large a roll singing plays in the world? We sing when we mourn, and we sing when we worship but most of all we sing when we are happy. God intended it to be that way and shows us by example how to rejoice and share our happiness.

Can you imagine the first morning Adam awoke in the Garden of Eden and heard the birds singing? Can you imagine God walking through the garden and humming to himself as he enjoys his creation? I must admit that it is somewhat of a stretch of even my active imagination, but do you think HE just might have?

God tells us through Isaiah 49:13: "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord has comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted."

Our son Kirk shared this little incident that happened with our granddaughter Allison last week: "So I have picked up my 7 year old daughter Allison and we are driving home. She is singing happily to herself when she suddenly decides to talk about her future employment and career options. She says to me, "I do like singing. But I also really like science! I guess I could sing to the creatures I create." Apparently I am the proud father of a budding mad scientist! "

If the mind of a child can imagine that, why not the mind of God? There is a scripture we primarily read at Christmas time, but I want you to think of it in a different way. What's the scripture? Luke 2:1-14: "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

I believe God was happy and rejoicing as the heavenly host sang to His creation sharing his Joy. That's why the angels sang.

So how often do you sing, maybe not to "your creation," but sing because you rejoice or are just happy? James counsels us: "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise." (James 5:13) Maybe a better question might be, are you happy in your life or with your relationship to your creator? If you are, then sing, it's what God intended.

--Russ Lawson

The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness

How Is Your Vision?

How is your vision? Jesus observed that . . .

§      Some have envious eyes, longing for the material advantages they see others have (Matthew 20:15).

§      Some have sensual eyes, looking to lust, thereby committing adultery in their hearts (Matthew 5:28-29).

§      Some have critical eyes, looking for specks in others while ignoring obvious problems in themselves (Matthew 7:3-5).

§      Some have closed eyes, not wanting to see the truth (Matthew 13:15).

How important is all this? The Lord put it this way:

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 5:22-23).

- by Frank Himmel