Feb
12
2012

The Easiest Way to Memorize the Bible

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via The Easiest Way to Memorize the Bible: What I Learned from Dr. John Mitchell by Kenneth Berding

In fact, Dr. John Mitchell was over the age of 90 when he taught the two classes I took from him.  He continued to teach well into his mid-90s.  Not surprisingly, he was getting forgetful about some things by the time I had him as a teacher, but what he definitely was not forgetting were the Bible verses he had memorized.  His ability to recall Bible verses was astounding.  I do not know this for a fact, but I would guess that he had all of the New Testament and large sections of the Old Testament committed to memory.  All of his students were profoundly impacted by his immersion in the Scriptures.

I only had one opportunity to sit and talk with him while I was a student.  I had a single question to ask him that day:  “How did you come to memorize so much of the Bible?”

————–

Read more at the link above to learn what Dr. Mitchell did.

 

 

 

Feb
12
2012

Philemon 8-14

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8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required,

9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus—

10 I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment.

11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)

12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel,

14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

via Philemon – ESVBible.org.

Feb
05
2012

Philemon 1-7

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1 Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker

2 and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,

6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

7 For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

 

 

Jan
29
2012

The Left and Right Hand of Giving

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In Matthew 6:2-4, Jesus tackles the first of three acts of piety. He describes the way of the hypocrite, seeking applause from those around, and the way of the kingdom, seeking God’s reward.

It’s interesting that giving to the needy is not expressly commanded in the Old Testament, but rather, taking care of the needy, as well as social justice, is. Yet, synagogues took on roles such as sometimes acting as a social agency and providing assistance for the needy. Giving to the synagogue became a mechanism for caring for the needy.

It also became a mechanism for seeking out the praise of others. We’ve all heard of the expression “blowing his own horn”, right? Jesus said those seeking recognition and praise for their giving were sounding the trumpet before them. We don’t know of an actual practice where that happened before someone gave; it appears that Jesus is using hyperbole to get his point across: don’t seek the praise of others in giving.

Jesus said your giving should be such a secret that even your left hand doesn’t know what the right one is doing. In Money, Possessions, and Eternity (Kindle edition), Randy Alcorn says this:

So what’s Christ’s point? Do your giving quietly, unobtrusively. Don’t cough loudly just as you’re giving. Don’t slam-dunk your offering in the plate. Drop your check in the offering or send it in the mail without drawing attention to yourself. Fold the check. Keep the envelope sealed. Give in a spirit of humility and simplicity, as an act of worship. Don’t give in order to get your name on a list. Don’t give in a spirit of self-congratulation. Don’t dwell on your gift, fixating on it, building a mental shrine to yourself. In other words, don’t make a big production out of it, either in view of others or in the privacy of your own heart.

We should not gain status in anyone’s eyes by focusing on our giving. To do so puts us in place of Christ. Our giving should be generous and sacrificial – and it should be between our Master and us.

 

Jan
22
2012

Valued Because We Share His Image

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Today, January 22nd, is considered the “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday. I’ve been reading Innocent Blood by John Ensor (available from Cruciform Press and until the end of January, available in PDF for $2.99). I’ve never read a book like this before, and I suspect it will reshape how I think of “challenging the powers of death” prevalent in culture today.

I was struck by the passage below. It’s a brief reminder to us all about the “intrinsic value” that men and women have as image-bearers of God.

In what sense is mankind crowned with glory and honor? Why are we of much more value than many sparrows? The Christian answer, uniformly affirmed throughout the ages, is that human life is precious to God because we are made in his image. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).

This metaphysical assertion—that all people, male and female, are created in God’s own image—explains the entire history of courageous Christianity. It is conceived in the words created in his image. This is what gives human life intrinsic value, not just utilitarian value. Each human life, individually, is more valuable than many sparrows.

Abraham believed this. The midwives of Egypt believed this. Rahab believed this. James believed this, which is why he said we must not even curse, let alone kill, our fellow man (James 3:9). Every person commended for their faith and courage in Hebrews 11 believed this. All the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and disciples believed this. Every person you admire for their Christian faith today believes this.

If we took this reality to heart, we could end the book here and turn the world upside down.

Jan
11
2012

What hope do I have, imperfect as I am?

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The Bible is plain that God requires moral perfection. It tells us unambiguously that God is holy and therefore cannot tolerate any hint of unholiness. Defects, blemishes, or stains–to the smallest degree–are unacceptable and deserving of God’s wrath. And just in case I’m deluded enough to think that my Spirit-wrought moral improvement since I became a Christian is making the grade, Jesus (in the Sermon on the Mount) intensifies what God’s required perfection entails: “Not only external actions but internal feelings and motives must be absolutely pure. Jesus condemns not only adultery but lust, not only murder but anger–promising the same judgment for both” (Gene Veith).

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus wants us to see that regardless of how well we think we’re doing or how much better we’re becoming, when “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” becomes the requirement and not “look how much I’ve grown over the years”, we begin to realize that we don’t have a leg to lean on when it comes to answering the question, “How can I stand righteous before God”? Our transformation, our purity, our growth in godliness, our moral advances and spiritual successes–Spirit-animated as it all may be–simply falls short of the sinlessness God demands. And since a “not guilty verdict” depends on sinlessness, assurance is ultimately contingent on perfection, not progress.

So, if God requires perfection and there is no definitive assurance without it (God isn’t grading on a curve, after all), then what hope do I have, imperfect as I am?

The New Testament answer to this question is singular:

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
 
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-25)
 
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Romans 4:5)
 
The conscience is given assurance only as living faith is created by the Spirit through the Gospel announcement that God justifies the ungodly. The righteousness we need comes from God “through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22)
 

via Where Can I Find Assurance? – Tullian Tchividjian.

Jan
09
2012

What did I learn?

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In the last two posts (here and here), I asked my two friends to discuss their experiences with memorizing Scripture over the last few months (and back to Philippians). I appreciate what they said and agree as well. Memorizing Scripture with them over this last year has been a growing time for me.

Yet, I came away from the Sermon on the Mount with a different set of feelings than Philippians. With Philippians, there was one major theme that impacted me more than others: the “long perspective”. Paul constantly and consistently spoke about aiming for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. He strove and worked and poured himself out to attain the resurrection from the dead, even desiring to share in Christ’s sufferings. Why would he do that? He saw Christ doing it for him, becoming a servant, obedient to death. I determined to work that perspective into my daily life, into my choices.

But my feelings are different after going through the Sermon on the Mount for the last four months. I came away from this passage cut to the quick. I realized how needy I am of grace – every day even! I found (and still find) my heart to be desperately wicked. When Jesus spoke of the “new righteousness” demanded by kingdom life, I found new crevices within my heart full of sin. Jesus spoke of right motives in our acts of piety, and I found selfish motives abounding in even my smallest actions. Jesus tells us to prioritize the eternal – the heavenly treasure – with a focused, healthy eye, serving the right master. My priorities often still focus on my stuff and my needs. Our judgments must be accompanied by a ruthless, internal dealing with our own sin; I judge wrongly (and too often), ignoring my own sin. The “golden rule” seems a higher sacrifice than I ever realized. And that “rule” sums up the Law and the Prophets – loving others interdependent with loving God.

I have been driven more to prayer. “If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” I have asked for God to continue pouring out his grace on my sin. I want to build on the rock of obedience to be established for any weather.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.
(The Valley of Vision, opening prayer)

 

Jan
05
2012

Reflections on Memorizing the Sermon on the Mount (guest post)

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This guest post was done by Bill Walton. He was a member of the FBC group that memorized the Sermon on the Mount. I asked him to provide his thoughts on the last few months.

 

If I summed-up in one word what I came away with while Partnering to Remember: The Sermon on the Mount, it would be “practice.”

“… but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

Before I accepted God’s gift of salvation I remember thinking that there is no way I could live a life serving God. It would be too difficult to do all the things that a Christian is commanded to do. It would be impossible. Going to church was never a priority in my home while growing up. Until my wife and I joined First Baptist Church in 2006 I never regularly attended church anywhere. Needless to say I lived a life that was missing the mark about being a Christian.

Partnering to remember the Sermon on the Mount brings back familiar feelings, but now I embrace these feelings from a different perspective. It is through faith that I can take comfort in knowing that what God wants from me is to trust him and to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and he will provide the things I need to do the rest. Sometimes it is hard to separate how God expects me live with the way I want to be. As I read and memorized the verses the message made me look at my inner state of mind and heart and take an accountability of my Christian discipleship. I am far from God’s standard. I routinely pray for forgiveness and a stronger desire to read, study, and abide in God’s word and get out there and “practice” the examples that Jesus showed and taught. Good practices turn into good routines.

The time our group set aside each week to meet and recite verses was uplifting. It’s a blessing to have peace of mind to openly discuss God’s word and give your take on it or learn something you may have not known. Partnering to Remember is, for me, a great way to fellowship through scripture reading and discussions and then put them into practice.

I once heard that Wednesday’s night services are like the old stick our moms used to hold-up the middle of the clothes line. I never understood that until I experienced the difficulty of living according to Jesus’ examples. You need support and encouragement through the week. To fellowship outside of church with a “kingdom seeking” group who cares for your knowledge and development in God’s word is another great way to hold you up through the week until you reach Sunday.

 

 

Jan
04
2012

Reflections on Memorizing Scripture (guest post)

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This guest post was done by Kenneth Matthews. He was a member of the FBC group that memorized the Sermon on the Mount. I asked him to provide his thoughts on the last few months.

 

This is the second round of memorization I’ve done.  The first one was to memorize Philippians and now I’ve completed Matthew 5-7.

Personally, I have found it to be rewarding. It’s been helpful when I hear sermons on related matters because I can immediately recall other related texts. Many people memorize a verse here and a verse there and that’s good, but this practice helps you really understand the context of what you’re memorizing, rather than picking a verse and trying to apply it to something that may be completely out of context. Many times, verses we focus on memorizing are ‘warm and fuzzy’, but this practice forces you to confront hard verses and really examine the text. Second Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is inspired by God so we need to study all of Scripture, not just the parts we are comfortable with. It has also been convicting to study more of God’s Word and realize how fallen we really are and that it’s only by God’s grace through Christ that we can have a relationship with Him.

Contrary to what you might think, it doesn’t take much time to do. In fact, it’s been interesting to notice that just like exercise, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. The program divides the verses into manageable pieces of around 5 verses a week. I have found that it works well for me to practice the week’s verses when I’m waiting at red lights or repeat them to myself while driving, so if it’s something that you think you don’t have time to do, please reconsider.  If you can memorize the words to songs on the radio, why can’t you do that with The Word?

 


Jan
03
2012

Outline of the Sermon on the Mount

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I’m including a link below to Grant Osborne’s outline to the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve found it helpful to step back and look at the whole flow from time to time.

The Sermon on the Mount Outline