By Biblestudycompany.com Ric Joyner
We will state upfront that Christmas is not a biblical holiday. But it is not unbiblical to celebrate the birth of Christ. We should also not equalize Christmas with the advent of our Savior. The Old Testament prophesized over the birth of the Savior to come. The current secular traditions of Santa, with almost God-like qualities and manipulating kids to "further fantasize" a jolly old man who can give all children on earth toys and an "elf on the shelf" that watches how they behave, is unbiblical. Still, some feel it is acceptable to create a myth around Santa Claus while children are young. We disagree. It is always best to be honest with children about Santa. Giving presents at this time of the year is not wrong because the Magi gave Christ's family gifts in worship to the young boy Messiah, who helped the family with the expenses of fleeing to Egypt. Consumerism and greed are wrong and sinful, but only the Holy Spirit can lead you to that truth, and He knows your heart.
Frustration mounts as we approach this time of year in the Christmas season. Screams of "Christmas is pagan" escalate into a crescendo with arguments against Christmas on social media and by some bible teachers. Could this be a veiled attack on the Gospel in the name of "we don't want to be idolators"?
Let's take a look. Please reread these scriptures prayerfully as we begin our biblical study.
Matthew Chapters 1-2 highlights
"30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."
Luke Chapters 1 and 2. Pay attention to what the angels say a couple of times: "Good news," translated as the same word… Gospel. The birth of Christ was good news for Jews because their long-awaited Messiah was finally here, and the prophecy was fulfilled. We write this paper 2,000 years later for Gentiles, grateful that the apostles preached the Gospel to us: Good news: Christ came as a child to break the back of sin and death and allowed us Gentiles an eternal "home" and become children of God! Gentiles are not part of the nation of Israel, but we are part of God's family! (Eph Chap 1-4) We celebrate the birth of Christ because of the Gospel!
Read John 1 for a view from heaven of why Christ came.
"9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the intention of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. We saw His glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."
If it is, then are you a pagan for celebrating the Day of Christ's birth? The historical false proof that Christmas is pagan is thrown at you with overwhelming emotional authoritarianism. Is emotionalism based on biblical truth? How about historical facts? We know the origin of Christmas (birth of Christ) is biblical. The story of our Savior starts with His birth because the prophets mentioned He was coming. We suspect the anti-Christmas vehemence is agenda-driven. We ask this question because born-again believing Christians are not worshipping pagan deities by participating in the birth of Christ called Christmas today. I spoke to a Torah-keeping brother who said, "Yes, Christmas is pagan." I asked how that could be, and he shared, "When you put a present under the tree, you are 'bowing' down to the tree." I was stunned. The logic he displayed defied logic. Yeah, no. Worshipping a pagan deity requires one to engage the diety knowingly.
In our research, there were pagan celebrations that started around the time of 274 AD, but they appear to be in response to Christians in Rome celebrating the birth of Christ! We then ask what came first, the "chicken or the egg?" "However, it has also been argued that, on the contrary, Emperor Aurelian, who in 274 instituted the holiday of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, did so partly as an attempt to give a pagan significance to a date already important for Christians in Rome.[76]
Is the nearness of a pagan holiday make Christmas pagan? When I sift through the concerns of 'Christmas is pagan,' people, did you know there was a pagan holiday at this time? We will deal with this later, but does that make celebrating the birth of Christ pagan today? Let's ask another question: Is Hanukkah pagan? The answer is no. Yet, Hanukkah is square in the middle of this pagan holiday called Saturnalia. The true church pushed hard against these wicked holidays, and to assume born-again believers were participating in pagan festivals doesn't make much sense since Christians had to live outside of society for several hundred years because of severe persecution.
Calling Christmas pagan because of the nearness of the same period of a pagan holiday would be the same as calling Easter (the resurrection of Christ) and Passover pagan. The proximity does not work because a pagan spring festival may happen simultaneously.
We can confidently say that born-again believers would not have observed a pagan holiday and dishonored our Lord Jesus Christ, who rescued us from sin and death. Born-again believers do not participate in pagan rituals today, and Christmas is about the birth of Christ.
Conclusion. We will focus on the birth of Christ currently and not conflate the past to today.
"Certainly today, the mix of consumerism (AKA Santa Claus) can take people's eyes off Christ, but our job is to bring them back to the salvation message of the Gospel. Will you join us?" BSC.
Note: In our extensive research, we stumbled upon a Wikipedia article. We usually would bypass Wikipedia as higher education frowns on the use of Wikipedia; however, this article has stood the test of time (2001) and is updated continually, even in 2021. Once you dive into the article, you will see the extent and expanse of the research on Christmas.
"Got you, Biblestudycompany…see, Christmas is pagan". Well, no, and not so fast. This Wikipedia article on Christmas is excellent and thorough for a balanced perspective.
Here are some highlights:
"Christmas" is a shortened form of "Christ's mass." The word was recorded as Crīstesmæsse in 1038 and Cristes-messe in 1131.[22] Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of Hebrew Māšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah," meaning "anointed";[23][24] and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist.[25]”
"December 25 was the winter solstice date in the Roman calendar.[16][53] A late fourth-century sermon by Saint Augustine explains why this was a fitting day to celebrate Christ's nativity: "Hence it is that He was born on the Day which is the shortest in our earthly reckoning and from which subsequent days begin to increase in length. He, therefore, who bent low and lifted us chose the shortest Day, yet the one whence Light begins to increase." [54]
We conclude by the historical facts that the Roman Catholic Church did not exist at the beginning of Christian recognition of the birth of Christ.
"The Roman Emperor Constantine established himself as the head of the church around 313 A.D., which made this new "Christianity" the Roman Empire's official religion. The first actual Pope in Rome was probably Leo I (440-461 A.D.), although some claim that Gregory I was the first (Pope) (590-604 A.D.). This ungodly system eventually ushered in the darkest period known to man, called the "Dark Ages" (500-1500 A.D.). Through popes, bishops, and priests, Satan ruled Europe, and Biblical Christianity became illegal."
"And therefore, we should not celebrate the birth of Christ." We would say, "Tell that to the angels engaging the shepherds because heaven celebrated the birth of God's Son!" Luke 2:2-14
"And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Note: the words Good News are translated from Greek
Original word: εὐαγγελίζω
Transliteration: euaggelizó
Definition (short): preach
Description (complete): to announce good news
Yep, evangelize during Christmas. There are hurting hearts at this time of the year, and many blindly celebrate a holiday not connected to Christ's birth. Let us help people relate it to Christ, our Savior.
If not Christmas, what should we celebrate instead? We should celebrate Hanukkah to return to our Jewish roots. Hanukkah was not part of the Gospel, and the birth of Christ IS part of the Gospel.
We encourage everyone everywhere to ask God whether one should participate in the celebration of the birth of Christ. We say YES! We can confidently push back on anti-Christmas and anti-birth of Christ people with correct historical and biblical facts.
During this time of the year, people are open to the Gospel for nearly one month. Do we let this opportunity slide through our fingers? In Matthew 28, our commission is to go and make disciples. To make a disciple, we must present the Gospel first. Will we waste our time arguing over the birth of Christ, whether it is pagan or not? To this, we say that people saying Christmas or the celebration of the birth of Christ is pagan are avoiding the Gospel! Why? Who in the spiritual realm attacks the Gospel and wants it destroyed? Satan. Think about this tidbit. Imagine a worldwide focus on Christmas, even in Buddhist countries. Why not present the Gospel at this time of the year? As Paul said, his focus was on getting people reconciled to God. (2Cor 5:18-21)
"15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." The Accuser is bound and determined to use people, even with good intentions, to stop the message of the Gospel of Salvation. We use the word accusation intentionally because people who celebrate traditional Christmas are called pagans. A severe charge but, fortunately, untrue.
God is a God of prophecy. He wants us to know what is coming. He answered His word and has "healing in His wings" to "reconcile us to God." There are no other holy books that contain prophetic words fulfilled!
Every Christmas season is a literal miracle that this holiday (holy Day) is focused worldwide on Jesus Christ, our Savior. Even the Wikipedia article acknowledges this undeniable fact.
Therefore, let us turn aside from the poor handling of scripture and agenda-driven history "facts" and focus on the birth of Christ and sharing the Good news of His coming to rescue us from our sin, thus giving us eternal life without works and fear in the blood of Christ!
What can you and your family do to share the love of Christ with a hurting world this Christmas season? Here is one video that touches our hearts when we watch it.
Feel free to share the resources.
Melton, James. "The Plain Truth about the Roman Catholic Church." biblebelievers.com. Bible Baptist Publications, 1998. https://biblebelievers.com/jmelton/Catholic.html.
Wikipedia Contributors. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas.
———. "Christmas." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, October 31, 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
William Federer: There is a Santa Claus - History of Saint Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions
by Amazon.com Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0965355748/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_QVM4MJF835RK35KMWAHR
Christmas has nothing to do with paganism: Red pen logic
Was December 25 the date of Christ's birth? The Greek Orthodox church thinks so.
Mike Winger on Christmas:
1. Is Christmas PAGAN? In defense of Christmas
3. Stop Twisting Jeremiah 10 Because It's Not About Christmas Trees
4. Alisa Childers on Christmas
5. For the extensive history of Christmas with the discussion of the dates for the birth of Christ, God Became Incarnate James Quiggle by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/149918669X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_AR6NEZ6XB0TPZ5N1VB90
6. The star of Bethlehem is an excellent movie on the astronomical view of the star. https://youtu.be/55VRdLnkvDw
Playlist of videos that will go step by step
Article On how to study the Bible from BSC step by step
Article by Dr. Baruch on how to study the Bible
Article on how numbers play a role in Bible Study
Blog article and podcast on how we learned to study the Bible with Dr. Baruch
See full post & commentsThis prayer is a guide and biblically based. All a person needs to do is cry out to God in their own words. If you are not sure how to pray, please use this as a guide.
To have a relationship with God versus religion, pray this prayer sincerely and in your own words.
Dear Heavenly Father, (Matt. 6:9) I want a relationship with You...not a religion. I come to You and open my heart. (John 3:16) I will be honest and sincere with You. (John 4) I am running my life and need Your help. (Matt. 6:10) I am made in Your image (Gen 1:26, 27), and I won't be happy until I am in a relationship with you. (Gen. 3) Most of my behavior does not please You. (Romans 3:23) I know I am a sinner, so please forgive my sins because of Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who came to die for my sins. (John 3:16) His death on the cross is the punishment I should receive, but You were gracious to die in my place through Christ. By faith, I place all of my past, present, and future sins on Christ. I believe Jesus Christ is my Savior, and salvation is a gift! I know I cannot earn my way to heaven by being good through good works. (Eph. 2:8) You did this so I can be in a relationship with You on earth and for all eternity. (Romans 10:9-13) And I will forgive those who have sinned or hurt me because you have forgiven me. Take away any bitterness or resentment I carry toward You or other people. (Matt. 6:13-14) Please show and teach me how to live a praiseworthy life on earth to You starting today. (Matt. 6:33, Acts 9 and 10) I ask you to be in my heart, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:17. I know that You love me, Father, and I want to love You and that you have a purpose and plan for my life. I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Lord, because You gave me breath in my lungs and Savior, because you paid my sin debt. Please teach me to pray. (Matt. 6:9) Thank You, Jesus, for saving me to Yourself (Ex. 19:1-8) and making me a new person! (2 Cor. 5:17) In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!
Learn to grow at www.biblestudycompany.com, Grace Bible Church, and Christ Community Church.
See full post & comments#biblestudy #danielgoepfrich #disciple #discipleship #God #Jesus #JesusChrist #theology #biblestudycompany
The answer is yes. If you have been in the charismatic or pentecostal movements as we were, you will notice that the bible is said to be foundational, but it is secondary in practice. What is primary to the bible, you ask? Books from Christian celebrities, going to conferences, emotional revivals, and worse; are prophecies or dreams that predict the future! At some point in our walk with God, we need to become disciples. This means studying the Word of God for ourselves, but we need proper training. Where can we get good training? From the website, Theology is for everyone and loveisrael.org.
We are interviewing Dr. Daniel Goepfrich that created a wonderful Facebook page and website to help get our answers.
Some of the topics we are discussing are:
1. Mark of a false prophet
2. Prophecy
3. Speaking in tongues
4. Why aren't churches teaching people to study the bible?
5. How do we know something is false if we are not familiar with the bible.
6. Why we need to study and not put our full trust in teachers but the Word of God.
7. Moving from pewsitter to disciple to disciple teacher
We go off on some interesting tangents, so join us and join "theology is for everyone."
Resources:
https://www.theologyisforeveryone.com/ (join for free)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/theologyisforeveryone
Oak Tree Community Church https://www.oaktreechurch.com/
Books by Daniel Goepfrich
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=daniel+goepfrich&crid=1Y6ZFXRMII6GL&sprefix=daniel+goep%2Caps%2C420&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11
#biblestudy #danielgoepfrich #disciple #discipleship #God #Jesus #JesusChrist
We are excited to introduce you to Dr. Daniel Goepfrich, who has a website and Facebook page called THEOLOGY IS FOR EVERYONE. (see resources below)
He is also a professor and teaching pastor.
At Bible Study Company, we want to give tools for pewsitters to grow to become a disciple. As we have learned together, becoming a disciple is about following the Master. But how?
Daniel wrote a book that Mary and I are working through called: Biblical Discipleship.
Some of the discussion topics:
What is discipleship? We have many definitions, but what is the real one? And are we a disciple?
What is salvation? Daniel says there are two issues, "Who Jesus is?" And what "Jesus did?" To name just a few topics.
There are some fun twists and turns, as you may find enjoyable.
Daniel's style is engaging, informative, experiential, and compassionate.
Join us for this fast-paced podcast/video.
Resources:
https://www.theologyisforeveryone.com/ (join for free)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/theologyisforeveryone
Oak Tree Community Church https://www.oaktreechurch.com/
Books by Daniel Goepfrich
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=daniel+goepfrich&crid=1Y6ZFXRMII6GL&sprefix=daniel+goep%2Caps%2C420&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11
See full post & comments
How many times have you struggled with "thou shalt nots" of Scripture? Ever been hurt in church? Have you tried to follow the "rules" and it didn't work? Ever felt like a failure in your relationship with God? Join Pastor Jerry Herman when he shares a message with hope and healing.
We were visiting churches. We decided to check out Pastor Herman's church and were stunned by the message. It is biblestudycompany's message of hope that we need God's revelation and His help in walking with Him.
Many of us have a story where the churches we belong to got off track and there were much hurt and disillusionment. Some of us walked away from God. But that is not where our hope should have been...on people.
Could the wounds be healed? Yes, by realizing people are broken pottery, but God wants us to put our whole dependence on Him, not on churches or people.
When churches preach "thou shalt nots", Christ is saying "I am, and I will". Focus on Christ. Depend on Him and ask Him to change us with His power.
Listen to the truth of Jerry Herman's story and how he came from a legalistic church environment. The words were our story as well.
Pastor Herman, realized he was managing his Christian walk with the Lord in his own mind and fleshly decisions. He said, "I looked good on the outside but falling apart on the inside".
Join us for this podcast for pewsitters.
#biblestudy #weneedrevelation #10commandments
Episode Summary
We need revelation from God in our bible study. How do we get that? Join us for this podcast with Ric and Mary Joyner of Bible Study Company.
Episode Notes
Did you know that in Exodus 34: 28 After Moses saw the golden calf and broke the tablets, and begging God to forgive the people, that the Lord called Moses up to the mountain? Notice the word commandments. "28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments."
If you click on the word commandments, in BSC you will see the word dabbar, which is revelation from the Lord. Thus, we could say; The 10 Revelations". What were they revealing? We discuss this very question in our podcast.
The children of Israel made a golden calf because they decided to put their trust in man and break the first covenant in Exodus 20. Do we? Do we put our entire religious life into a teacher or denomination versus studying for ourselves? Getting revelations from God, in our bible study has changed our life. We had no idea that our Christian walk could be so different.
We could actually say about the 10 commandments; "The 10 wicked revelations of our heart". Yeah, let that sink in. The "thou shalt nots" of Exodus 20 now are more clear to us since they are revelations of how we need to treat God and people.
The Lord Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me you will obey my commandments". It dawned on us ( was this revelation?) that The Lord Jesus Christ was declaring Himself God (the One Who wrote the commandments) and that if we love Him we will obey His word. How? With His Holy Spirit changing power and a submitted heart. Titus 2:11-12
He also gave us the answer to "Love the Lord your God with your whole heart..." Obey His word.
In this podcast, we discuss prayer, the armor of God, and seeking His revelation. We hope you will join us and share!
#creation #evolution #6 literal days #Drgerrybreshears
When Mary and I started to study the Bible, we asked the Lord what theories of creation should we adopt. We only had one version in secular schools, and that was evolution. And there are many versions of evolution as well! But, starting in Genesis 1, God gives us HIS EYEWITNESS testimony of the His narrative of when He created the universe. Eyewitness testimony is missing from secular Science. Thus, the origin of the world, plants and animals, and the universe are just theories and questions in the secular world.
We started with a "but," and we should then follow up with a problem; we want to believe the Bible and what God says, and this starts with the creation account.
I find it interesting that God put this upfront in the Bible. Why? Because what we believe matters in our origins and this belief in our origins affects many things. For example, our worship, sin, eternity, to name a few. Was it 6 literal days or long ages? I was surprised in Christian academia; there are many different theories of "how" God created.
At the end of our discussion, I address my thoughts, and it will ask this question: How big, or small is your God?
We should ask ourselves another question. What is Science? Science is a methodology to discover the truth. Here is an internet definition. "Science is the pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence. [The] Scientific methodology includes the following: Objective observation: Measurement and data (possibly although not necessarily using mathematics as a tool)". Based on this definition, isn't it interesting that the theory of evolution is touted as fact? Change from one "kind" of an animal to the next. Change to suit an enviroment? A big bang. Fossils from every environment (marine, land, freshwater) found in the same layers! Soft tissue in dinos? That was a significant discovery for me, but it can only remain a theory because there isn't any "evidence," just interpretation of the data FROM A SCIENTIFIC PARTICULAR WORLDVIEW (which is another way of saying philosophy)! So our approach to the "science" matters. Our worldview matters.
Belief in God is absent in some worldviews, as well as it should because evidence should matter. But why is being anti-god in Science make you more objective of a scientist? It doesn't. Many of the great scientists were Christians with a creation worldview. (Newton, Maury, Bacon) Did that make them less of a scientist? No. But some people in the science world say you cannot be objective if you believe in God. Garbage logic. We could also apply that to those that don't believe in God, right? The goal of Science is to discover the truth, WHEREVER THAT LEADS. But in this case, it matters to us who are bible studiers searching for the correct interpretation of the Bible to get to the revelation of God. We need to know if God did this in 6 literal days. Does our "faith" depend on whether we take God at His testimony? Or does it? It mattered to Abraham. He journeyed to a foreign land based on God's word to him. This action (faith in God's word) led to an entire nation and eventually, our faith in Christ. Our origins and how we perceive them matter. Listen to the podcast prayerfully. Six literal days matters!
Ric Joyner gives his thoughts before and after this fun talk. Will you join us and share? Please comment.
https://www.oneflesh4jesus.com/ Did our testimony. Here is the video.
We hope you enjoy our testimony.
See full post & commentsWe are having a Bible Study on What is Blessing? Here is the video and podcast version of our bible study called Blessing? What is it?
We all want it. But what is it?
We all want health, wealth, and happiness. Right? Is being blessed a better job? More money? Healing? Notice that this definition is about us…getting what we want. The Lord Jesus Christ came to do the "Will of My Father." Our will or His Will? I want…or What He wants? #blessing #doyouneedablessing #Ineedablessing #whatisblessing
For the full blog post go to https://biblestudycompany.com/blog/article/179
See full post & comments
Bible Study: Part 2 of the cure for deception. It is not an accident we can become deceived. By understanding Exodus 32 patterns we can begin to see how we can understand and analyze sermons.
We ask this question: What is the cure? We need a new perspective. Get into the word ourselves. But how? By being careful with God’s word to know it. By choosing to do so we are honoring God. DO NOT DEPEND ON PEOPLE.
We contrast Adam and Eve's decision not to believe God's word and they chose to disobey and the golden calf. Rebellion or I WANT is at the heart of deception.
Can you be deceived?
Yes. But how?
Don’t give people authority over you. Books pastors etc.
Where are your "I wants"? Are they aligned with God's will? And what is the "crowd" you are running in or with doing? Be cautious to not go with the flow.
So what is the cure for deception?
Matthew 6:12-13 Ask God to go into your heart and reveal your motives and sin. 12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’
Eph 4 "as a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;"
Join us for this podcast and please share.
See full post & comments
The Cure for Deception Exodus 32 Part 3a is for us to be in the Word of God ourselves and know how to study the bible. Watch out for the "I wants"!
Please note that there are two parts to this one! This is part A.
•We have completed two podcasts so far on Exodus 32. Can you be deceived is part P1 from Exodus 32 and lessons from the golden calf. P2 was Real or Fake Prophecy, Which is It?
•We are adding a 3rd. P3 is The Cure for Deception
•A problem is we don't believe we can be deceived. Would our favorite teacher deceive us? In rare circumstances. But what if they themselves are deceived? How would we know?
•What is the "Sunday School Myth"?
• Please understand that we can be deceived. Because of this principle: I want… It is either "I want" or God's will. Christ came to do the "will of my Father". Will we?
•What is the cure for deception? A new perspective. Get into the Word of God ourselves TO BE PLEASING TO GOD. Be careful with God's word. DO NOT DEPEND ON PEOPLE.
•We want to answer several questions today
•1. How can we put all the tools together so we can practice not being deceived? We could list all the scripture where there is a possibility
•2. What if you hear a teaching, and it sounds good? It feels good? We may even say, "I know in my spirit it is right" teaching. Is this an objective truth? No. What would be your objective way to analyze it? That's what we are discussing.
•3. Can you be willing NOT to believe what you have been taught for years and go on a search for God's perspective?
•4. 1John 2:26 Says the Holy Spirit anoints us because of what Christ has done to save us. He will teach you.
So here are some "I wants" to keep in mind.
Join us for this podcast and video to submit our hearts to our God and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome your feedback.
See full post & commentsWe all want it. But what is it?
We all want health, wealth, and happiness. Right? Is being blessed a better job? More money? Healing? Notice that this definition is about us…getting what we want. The Lord Jesus Christ came to do the "Will of My Father." Our will or His Will? I want…or What He wants?
Grab a beverage (this is not to insinuate alcohol) and now read Deuteronomy 28, the full chapter. I will wait. (tapping fingers but not impatiently. Your eyes will light up)
Notice the first two verses. Read them again.
1 "Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the LORD your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the LORD, your God, will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 "All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the LORD your God: Now continue to read to vs. 15.
Let's do some observations:
1. Notice the conditions? Diligently obey, and careful to do… "all His commandments…" (the Word of God) THEN you are blessed.
2. Blessed are you in most areas of your life where you have influence. Can you do God's Will at work, at home, in your personal life? We are called to do just that. We live so short lives here on earth and then are headed to eternity. Does it matter how we live our lives on the earth? Youbetcha! As we say in Wisconsin. We only get one shot at this life. How will we respond to God? I want? Or what He wants?
3. Lest people think this is legalism to obey the Bible (His Word), let us remember the words of Christ to His disciples. "If you love me, you will obey my commandments." Let this sink in: IF YOU LOVE ME. YOU WILL OBEY. HMMM. That is a game-changer. "Hey BSC, my church says I am no longer under the law?". How will you know what sin is if you don't know the bible and what the law has to say? How will you know you are offending God? Did you know the law shows us our sin? And it shows us God's righteous character? How will you get to know God personally if you don't know His character? He sent the Holy Spirit to help us. see 1John 2:26-
Did you know you cannot keep the law? No one could. But He can help us if we ask. Yeah, let that sink in. Why? Because Grace is the power to change to God's will, in our opinion. Besides, think about this: John 14:15 is one of the verses that show us He is telling His disciples that HE IS GOD (they are His commandments because He wrote them!) And without the Holy Spirit's help, we cannot obey.
Now go read Titus 2:11-12 because this is the definition of grace. Waiting. Grace is Christ coming to save us and then empowering (blessing us) to be taught AWAY from ungodliness. What is ungodliness? What is evil? Evil is anything outside of God's will. Now ask yourself questions.
Back to Deut 28. The first 15 verses discuss the blessings. I showed this to my daughter, and she looked at me and said, "Dad, the Lord is doing the work!". I said, "I knowwwwww! And I don't think we were designed by Him to live in this world without His help. Do we want to live our lives in our own strength?
But please read the curses now, which is the next part of this chapter. He wants us to be fruitful, and the curses section is about people who reject His commandments (His Word), to do their will, and are now on their own. Curses should bring us to the fear of the Lord. As we read the curses how should we respond? How can we ask God to help us to obey? Did you notice that perhaps there was some pushback in your heart to obey His word? That is the war that goes on that Paul spoke of in Romans 7. Go read that too. How can you ask Him to help you? Hint. Read Romans 12.
We can conclude that for us to be blessed, God's purpose is for us to carry out His will which is revealed in His Word. So, it is about Him and His Will. Not about you or what ministry you will have. Just serve Him right where you are. How should we respond to God to live a praiseworthy life? Perhaps we can drop to our knees and ask for His help to obey His will, and His word BEFORE WE ASK FOR HIS HELP FOR OUR NEEDS.
To finish our bible study today, here are new testament promises about the blessing from God, which is Matthew 6: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Notice vs 33. Yep. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Have you lost your first love? The one in revelations? What if it isn't emotionalism but actually that we stop putting the Lord Jesus Christ, first in every area of our life? Can we repent and ask for His rulership in all areas of our life?
If you are like us, and struggled to know how to study the bible to live a praiseworthy life to God, our blog has many resources and tools. Your life will never be the same. https://biblestudycompany.com/blog
Love to know your feedback. Share, please.
See full post & comments