Category: Abundant Life

Abundant Life

Teaching: Why I Believe the Bible – Part Two

Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

God Will Prove Himself

Ultimately, whether or not you believe the Bible is up to you. If you diligently seek God, you will find Him. When God makes a promise, you can bet He will keep it. Scripture is clear that if you seek, you will find (Deut. 4:29). Of course, “seek” means seek, and God responds to a serious and diligent effort (Prov. 2:1-6; Matt. 7:7-11). There are millions of Christians on the earth, and each of them has a different story of how he or she came to the faith. History is filled with glowing testimonies of people who sought for the Lord Jesus Christ and whose lives have been touched and changed by him.

You do not need to be “down and out” to find God. All He requires is that you genuinely want to know Him. God and the things of God will not become clear to you if you examine them from a distance as if you were considering some object in a store window you were thinking of purchasing. People who remain distant or just want to know about God so they can “decide” whether to believe and obey Him will never learn the truth about Him. God created the heavens and the earth, and He made the rules. We are God’s creation; He is not our creation. Many people wonder if the Bible is really God’s Word. Jesus Christ gave us clear instructions on how to find out for ourselves if God’s Word is true:

John 7:17
If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.

This verse is very clear: the key to knowing God is choosing to do His will. As you begin to obey God, He will reveal Himself and His Word to you. Once you begin to seek and obey God, things about Him that were unclear become very understandable.

Read the rest of the article here.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Stay tuned for part three next week. Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Why I Believe the Bible – Part One

Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Should we question the Bible?

Questioning is a normal and healthy part of learning. Every teacher I know loves students who ask questions, because it shows they are interested and learning. God certainly does not mind when we ask Him questions. Furthermore, God has answers to our questions. The Bible is full of answers on all kinds of subjects. God gave us a command to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Some people act as if an intellectual pursuit of God is either unnecessary or ungodly. However, God created our minds so we can think using reason and logic, and He is the One who said we should love Him with “all” our mind. We cannot do that if we are not fully convinced that the Bible is true.

Asking questions is a vital part of learning, and God tells us to ask Him if we need wisdom:

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

It is very important, however, that we understand the difference between questioning and doubting. I believe that many people who say they “question” the Bible actually mean they “doubt” it. I say that because, in my years of teaching the Bible, most people who have told me they “question” the Bible are not really looking for answers. They do not trust God, and are comfortable living with doubt and unbelief about Him and His Word.

Read the rest of the article here.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Stay tuned for part two next week. Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Tools for Basic Bible Study Part Eight (Final)

Karen

Read part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six or part seven.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

Paying Attention to the Administrations

One of the great truths of Scripture is that throughout history, God has righteously and resourcefully responded to man’s obedience and disobedience by changing the rules by which He wants men to live. Examples of God changing the rules abound, and the period of time governed by a given set of rules is referred to as an “administration,” or “dispensation.” Many theologians recognize the administrations in the Bible, and the theology of Dispensationalism became well known to the average preacher in America after the Scofield Study Bible was published in 1909, which contained many study notes on the administrations (which Scofield referred to as “dispensations,” as does the King James Version).

We recognize eight administrations in history of mankind: four of them are now in the past, we live in the fifth administration (the Administration of Grace), and three are still future. The eight Administrations are:

1). Original Paradise; 2). Conscience; 3) Civil Government; 4) Law; 5) Grace; 6) Tribulation; 7) Paradise; 8 ) Everlasting Kingdom.

Unfortunately, many Christians are taught to believe and live by “the whole Bible,” which sounds good, and does not seem to present a problem to those who do not read it or think much about it. Those Christians have not been taught to carefully discern what applies to them and what does not, other than having a nebulous concept that there are things in the Old Testament that do not apply to us. However, if one does not understand the administrations in the Bible, it becomes full of apparent contradictions, because the rules God gave people to live by differ through time. The following are some examples of God’s rules changing through time:

  • Food regulations
  • Sabbath regulations
  • Marriage regulations
  • Sacrificial regulations

Knowing that there are different administrations, exactly when they begin and end, and the rules distinctly associated with each, is indispensable in explaining many of the apparent contradictions in the Bible. It is also indispensable in living righteously and obediently before God. A person who does not understand Administrations can become very confused if thinks that all of God’s commands should be followed, because, we have seen, the commandments are different in different administrations. For example, a person could have more than one wife, insist on everyone eating only plants, sacrifice an animal each time he sinned, and execute anyone who worked on Saturday, and support all of these actions with verses from the Bible. We must understand that the question we have to ask is not, “What does the Bible say,” but rather, “What does the Bible say to me?” The conservative theologian Martin Anstey wrote: “In this matter the golden rule is, ‘Distinguish the dispensations and the difficulties will disappear.'”

I can’t impress upon you enough the importance of understanding the administrations. Knowing about the administrations, and how the Bible divides, and handles, these administrations, really does make the entire Bible fit together like a hand inside of a glove. There are no contradictions in the Bible. None. And anyone who tries to tell you otherwise does not understand the dispensations (administrations).

If an aspect of the Bible doesn’t seem to fit, it’s likely due to one of three reasons: 1). Errors in transmission – (Scribes miscopy or change something); 2). Errors in translation – (Occurs when the Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek is not properly translated into English; 3). Errors in our understanding – (we do not correctly divide the word). You can learn more about these in the Bible Study Guide.

Thank you for sticking it out all these weeks. I realize that this is a bit dry and doesn’t go a long way toward answering your immediate questions, but it’s important to build a study foundation so that you are prepared to learn, understand, and apply God’s word.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Tools for Basic Bible Study Part Seven

Karen

Read part one, part two, part three, part four, part five or part six.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

Principles and Keys to Bible Study

One of the major reasons why people have different ideas concerning what the Bible says is because they use different rules or standards for interpreting it. We believe that the following principles and keys are essential to understand and apply if Christians are to arrive at a correct understanding of the Bible. We have divided these into two major categories:

1. Principles of biblical interpretation
2. Keys to biblical interpretation

The “principles” are the basic assumptions upon which we base our study of the Bible. We freely admit that people have challenged and disagreed with these principles through the years. Obviously, for example, if a person does not believe in God, then the idea that the original text of the Bible was authored by God is preposterous. As for us of Spirit & Truth Fellowship International, we believe that God exists and that He has communicated with man via the document we refer to as the Bible. We believe there are pre-suppositional truths upon which genuine and profitable study of the Bible must be built, and we have attempted to set them forth in this study guide.

In contrast to the “principles” mentioned above, the “keys” to biblical interpretation are the rules and guidelines we must follow to come to a correct interpretation and understanding of Scripture. Keys “unlock” what is unknown so that it can be known and understood. It is these keys that clarify how and from where apparent contradictions enter into Scriptures. Every serious student must keep in mind the principles and the keys as he studies in order to arrive at a proper understanding of the Bible.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Next week, part eight. Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Tools for Basic Bible Study Part Six

Karen

Read part one, part two, part three, part four, or part five.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

A helpful suggestion is to make notes in our Bibles with pencil, because they can be changed later, and do not bleed through the paper like some ink does. Some people have a second Bible, a “study’ Bible, that they mark up as they study, and keep their first Bible more note free for meditative reading. Also, we should not just read passively, but ask questions as we read.

We are not in a position to obey God if we do not know and understand what He says. Furthermore, we must remember that what to us upon first reading may just seem like the history of the Jews or simple events in the life of Jesus or Paul, is in fact God’s communication to us, and buried in the records are the great truths that God wants us to know so we understand Him, and life itself. We do not get points with God for reading the Bible if we do not understand it, or remember what we read. The Christian life is not like the game of horseshoes, where “close” is good enough. We need to know what God says and then live by it.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Next week, part seven. Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Tools for Basic Bible Study Part Five

Karen

Read part one, part two, part three, or part four.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

Study Means Study

There is a reason people can read the Bible for years and never see its great truths: they never really study it. There is a huge difference between just reading and actual study. Successful college students, and to a lesser extent High School students, have to learn to study books to the end that they learn the material and remember what they learned. The Bible is, among other things, a book of history, so let’s use the example of a college student studying a history book.

The diligent history student will carefully read his textbook and usually underline important passages or use highlighters to emphasize the main points. He will reread passages that are unclear, and work to understand what the author is saying. He will probably make notes, either in the book or in a separate notebook, or both, and pay attention to dates, numbers, people’s travel, relationships (such as who is married to whom, who are friends or enemies), births, deaths, and other important information. If he does not understand a word he will use a dictionary, and if he needs to know more about a person or place he will use an encyclopedia. He will think about whether or not what he is reading makes sense, and if it does not, will try to figure out why, eventually arriving at an understanding of the material. He will review his notes and strive to remember what he has read. He may even make flash cards to help him remember important people, dates, or events.

Very few Christians read the Bible that way, but we should. The Bible is not a shrine, but a tool for godliness, so we Christians should feel free to make notes, highlight or underline verses, and make any annotation that will help us in our efforts to be like Christ. In fact, now that many versions of the Bible are available on computers, it is easy to print out a book of the Bible and write all over it in order to gain greater understanding without being afraid of ruining an expensive Bible. For example, someone interested in the development of the early Church might print out a copy of Acts, then highlight the people with one color, the places with another, the healings with a third, the sermons with a fourth, the confrontations with a fifth, and so on, while at the same time tracking people’s movements in the Bible Atlas. Someone who studies the Bible with that kind of detail will learn it a lot faster than someone who just sits in an easy chair and reads it, often forgetting what he just read.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Next week, part six. Thank you for visiting and God bless.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Tools for Basic Bible Study – Part Four

Karen

Read part one, part two, or part three.

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

From the Bible Study Guide

There is a depth and richness in the Bible that will keep any student occupied and excited for a lifetime. Students of the Bible should have a growing knowledge of English because the vocabulary of Scripture is rich and powerful. The greater appreciation one has of the language he is reading, including its figures of speech, the easier it is to see nuances in the text. Furthermore, the biblical accounts did not happen in a vacuum, but in a cultural context. Therefore, studying the cultures and customs of the biblical times, especially Israelite, Greek, and Roman, adds much depth of understanding to reading the Bible. Thankfully, there are many good books available today on the history, culture, and customs of the peoples in the Bible.

Studying the ancient languages themselves, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, can open our understanding in many ways. Even having a little knowledge about the history and development of the Bible from its earliest manuscripts until today will give any student a greater appreciation and understanding of the translations we have today. There is a lot to study, and each Christian must decide how much time he wants to spend and how deep he wants to go with the tools that are available.

Vodpod videos no longer available.


(If this video will not play for you, you can find the original file on this page).

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page.

Next week, part five. Thank you for visiting and God bless.