BibleVersity

  " For you will no longer remember the oracle of the L ord , because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have perverted the words of the living God, the L ord  of hosts, our God." - Jer. 23:36 One problem the people of Israel encountered was prophets who prophesied their own oracles as if they came from God. In Jeremiah chapter 6 we see the LORD condemning the voices of falsehood, "Saying 'Peace, peace, but there is no peace.'"(v.14) The people during Jeremiah's day had turned from God's oracles to the oracles of man, and they would suffer as a result.  Although Jeremiah's words about people perverting God's words were directed at a straying Israelite leadership and people, the words speak to the world in which we now live as well. This will not be a popular notion, but it seems we are seeing more and more Christian proclaiming messages God has supposedly said or something God is supposedly going to do. I am a Pentecostal pr...

"You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother." - Deut 22:1 (ESV)    Confession time: I am one of those weird people who enjoys reading the Torah (first 5 books of the OT). Some folks run from OT books like Deuteronomy; I run to them. It's not that I particularly enjoy reading an extensive list of "dos and don'ts", or that I am attempting to live my life "under the law".  I realize that the Law, as a means of providing grace to God's people, has been fulfilled in the work of Christ. It is unnecessary for me to offer a blood sacrifice for my sin because Jesus offered Himself for me, and permanent and better offering. However, does that necessarily mean that the Law should be thrown out and dismissed? I don't think so. There are some who look at Deuteronomy and other OT books as "irrelevant" and "not applicable for Christians." I disagree. I...

"like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word..."  - 1 Peter 2:2 (NASB)    I'm not very knowledgeable in the mechanical world (truthfully, I'm probably dangerous), but steam engines are interesting to me. Not too many years ago trains, and various kinds of other engines, were powered by steam. The power behind the massive engines was produced through a system of converting water into steam. However, to create the necessary steam some person had to shovel coal into the engine. The more coal that was fed into the grate the greater the potential power would be available. If, by chance, someone were to neglect feeding coal to the engine it would slow then stop working all together. In other words the power of the engine was directly tied to the amount of coal supplied. Actually there's more to it but you get the idea.    I see our spiritual lives as not too dissimilar to coal engines. As long as we provide a fresh supply of fuel (the Word of ...

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these..." (Gal. 5:19-21, NASB)    Watching the news can be depressing, especially lately. It seems as though each new day brings a fresh tragedy in which someone's life is permanently  destroyed or completely taken from them. Every day we are affected by evil: that which comes directly into our lives, that which affects our friends and loved ones, and evil that simply rears its head all around the world and causes our hearts to break, our minds to fog, and our security to be shaken. Evil truly is all around us. So, the pressing question for many is why does evil exist or why does God allow evil?  The term "theodicy" in theological studies, is the attempt at understanding why evil exists. Personally, I maintain a biblical ...

" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".   (Rom. 10:17, NKJV)    Jesus told us that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed in order to cast the mountain into the sea. (see. Matt. 17:20) That's impressive, but was Jesus telling us that the size of our faith does not matter? I do not think so. Jesus was speaking of the power of faith in Himself. Even a small amount of faith in Jesus can do mighty things. But, what if we had a large faith? What might God be able to do? Well, faith is like a muscle, in a sense. The more we exercise our faith in Jesus, the greater our faith becomes. However, there is a danger. We can actually get to the place in our spiritual lives where we  trust in "faith", rather than trusting in Jesus, who is the the object of our faith. Faith in Jesus is always grounded in the Word of God. So, then, the real question becomes, "How can I strengthen my faith in Jesus?"     Paul's subject in ...

" There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, for he never prophecies good concerning me..." - (2 Chron. 18:7, NASB)    The conversation taking place between Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Ahab, king of Israel is very interesting. They joined forces and were preparing to go to battle. Jehoshaphat was a godly man. Before he went to battle, he wanted to hear from God. Ahab, was not so much, so he called 400 "prophets" to seek God concerning the upcoming events. They all prophesied victory. However, something was amiss. Scripture is not clear as to what, but something did not sit right within Jehoshaphat about their words, so he asked for a second opinion, from a real man of God. Ahab was reluctant because his man of God never seemed to have good news for him. Nevertheless, the prophet of God is brought forth, gives an unwelcome prophecy, then is imprisoned by Ahab. However, the end of the story finds his words were right on the mar...

  "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the  word of God." - Rom. 10:17 (NKJV)   Some time back we would occasionally sing a song that went like this:  "Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith. You don't need a whole lot, Just use what you've got. Faith, faith, faith, just a little bit of faith." The song was a hit among many including myself, but the theology of the song is a little weak. It is true that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains (see Matt. 17:20 ), but Scripture is clear that we are to grow in our faith.    The Romans verse mentioned above is in relation to faith. As a matter of fact, the whole chapter deals with faith in God, through Jesus Christ, that comes as revelation of the Word of God: i.e., the Bible. Now, focus for a moment on what Paul says in verse 17, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." ...

"There is a way which seems right to a man, but it's end is the way of death." - Prov. 16:25 (NASB)    Solomon's words are so simple, and yet so true. I realize that there is nothing new, in regard to sin. The same problems that have been plaguing men since the beginning are still here today. Yes, they may be dressed up and presented differently, but they are still the same.    Solomon's words speak to our world as much as his own some three thousand years ago. Man, by his own account, does what "seems right" to him. Some have used the phrase "moral relativism", and I think that is appropriate. Society continually changes what is right and what is wrong. There are social, sexual, and spiritual themes that persist today, and are deemed "right" by society, and yet run contrary to the Word of God. Even if a people group, a government, or a church condone them as acceptable behavior, they are still wrong when they run contrary ...

Today's post is a repost of the most popular post of 2013. "Thank you" to each of you that have read, commented, shared, or have otherwise been encouraged in your faith. I look forward to helping you on your spiritual journey for many more years, and pray for God's blessings on each of you! - Pastor Kyle "Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set." - Prov. 22:28 (NASB)    As I think about it, this verse seems especially appropriate for our world today. We do not think about it too much, but our world is filled with boundaries. By definition, boundaries perform one of two important tasks. First, they keep us from something potentially dangerous. Think of a zoo. There are some pretty amazing creatures to see there, many of which are extremely dangerous to us. However, because of the barriers erected, we can observe wolves from a safe location. Barriers also keep things out. Again think of the zoo. Imagine sitting down with your fa...

    "...And they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food to all the beasts of the field, and were scattered." (Ezekiel 34:1-5, ASV)     The painting here is entitled, "The Bad Shepherd," by Pieter Brueghel II in the 1600s. If you look closely you can see where it receives its name. The shepherd is running from a wolf who is devouring one of the sheep. If you look closely, there appears to be another in the distance doing the same. It is a pretty good visual illustration of the LORD's scathing words through the prophet Ezekiel. The LORD had not-so-kind words for His ministers, His shepherds, that were responsible for caring for His people, but shrugged off their responsibilities to the sheep for their own interests.    I fully expect to be taken to task over this post, but I cannot remain silent. Several days ago, I posted a blog on alcohol consumption, looking at the OT priests' responsibility, and making appli...

"...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving..." (2 Cor. 4:6, NASB)    I may catch you off-guard just a little when I tell you that the Bible was not given to prove God. Please do not stop reading. I have neither backslidden nor lost my faith. The Bible most certainly is God's revelation of Himself to humanity, but it does not give definitive proof that the God we serve is truly God. Why is this?    The Bible's first four words provide the answer to this question: "In the beginning, God..." (Gen. 1:1) The Bible begins with an understanding that God does truly exist. It does not entertain the idea that He might not exist, nor  does it give an organized list of evidence or scientific proof. It just tells us that before creation came into being, there was God. Humanity is born with this innate understanding that there is a Creator. It is woven into our being. History validates this claim, for on every continent throughout documented...

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night."  - Ps. 1:2 (NASB)      The writer uses and interesting term in relation to his feelings toward the Word of God: delight. The Hebrew word "chêphets" means something that is valuable, desirable, and pleasant. **   It is very interesting to me that David, the man the Bible calls a man after God's own heart, had such fond feelings for God's Word. Personally I do not believe this is a coincidence. It is hard to love the LORD and not love His Word. The Word of God, the Bible, reveals the LORD to humanity. I shows us what He is like (to a degree), what He desires, and how He works within humanity. It also shows just how much love He has toward us in the death of Jesus. Honestly, how can we not have delight in His word as David did?    Looking back at my own life, the times when the passion for serving God died down is tied directly to my time spent reading, studyi...

"You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..." - Matt. 5:13-16 (NASB)      Anyone in the youth group we served several years ago should remember this. We were studying the afore-mentioned passage of Scripture and trying to understand what Jesus was saying when I asked the question, "What does salt do?" After a few moments of interesting discussion, an unexpected answer came forth from the group: salt kills slugs! After the commotion settled down, the follow-up question, "What does light do?" generated a similar response: light causes cockroaches to scatter! Needless to say, the Sunday School lesson derailed for a while. However, the more I thought about those answers, the more I realized that there is truth in them, no matter how "icky" the illustration.  The church, living by the Word of God,  can "kill" sin and "preserve" life, "scatter" darkness and "illuminate" truth.       I...

"...'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'" - John 8:31-32 (NASB)    There are many verses of Scripture that are taken out of context and used in inappropriate or inaccurate ways. I believe this is done many times innocently, but there are those who will deliberately use the Word of God for their own personal gain. This verse is a good example of Scripture that is often taken out of context. We love to quote the latter part of this text, "the truth will set you free," and the principle is incredibly powerful. However, when we skip the first part we risk losing its context and damaging the promise. The context is discipleship, or walking with Jesus. When we walk with Jesus daily, we can expect the Word of God to both reveal truth and bring freedom to us. But, if we choose to avoid Him, can we really expect to either know truth or to live free? I would argue the ca...

"My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word." - (Ps. 119:25, NASB)    Psalm 119 is one of the two most well-know in the collection, and retains the title of the longest. At 176 verses, it covers an entire five pages in the Bible I am looking at this moment. Besides the length of this Psalm, one of the most glaring facts that stand out is the focus on God's Word. When we use that terminology today, we are referring to the Bible, the entirety of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. In David's time, the NT was not written, neither were many of the writings among the prophetic collections, and some others. David uses various terms in referring to God's Words: law, ways, statutes, commandments, testimonies, and precepts, and others. However, each refers to the inspired directive that comes from God. So, even though David did not have access to the collection of books we have today, we can still refer to all of these as the Word of God. At its co...

"Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God…" - (Deut. 31:26, NASB)    In the OT, the Ark of the Covenant contained the stone tablets that God wrote the Ten Commandments upon, a jar of manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, each of these significant to the Jewish people. On top of the Ark sat the Mercy Seat, the place where God's presence dwelt. The Ark was housed in the Most Holy Place in the temple, and only the high priest could enter once a year. These are facts that most of us know quite well. What we do forget is that Moses gave strict instructions for the book of law to be place beside the Ark. The book of law contained all the laws, ordinances, regulations, blessings and cursings that are related to the worship of the LORD. In our vernacular, we would call this the Word of God. Within the book of law, the people learned how to approach, worship, and please the LORD. In addition, it also warned them of the co...