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Challenges and blessings of Bible reading

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John Piper talks about the challenges and blessings of reading the Bible from cover to cover.

First, three challenges:-

1. You will be opposed. “Satan hates the word of God and will disincline you, blind you, distract you, bore you.” He will do anything to keep you from the word. Pray for his subversive aims to backfire. “Ask God to keep your heart inclined, remove your blindness, grant you focus instead of distraction, and give you excitement instead of boredom.”…

Why we need to read the Bible daily

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From the teaching of John Piper:-

Here are ten reasons we need the word daily.

(1) Scripture is a means of preserving our salvation. Salvation is a dynamic reality that functions in three tenses: past, present, and future. And in the present reality, “God saves us daily by Scripture” (1 Tim. 4:16).

(2) Scripture meets Satan’s temptations (John 8:32, 44; 1 John 2:14). “Every time Jesus was tempted by the devil, he struck back with ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’” (Eph.…

The Gospels and the ‘Telephone Game’

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It is generally agreed that a period of some 40 years lies between the Gospels and the events they record.

How, then, were the stories of those events passed on.

New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman thinks about transmission in terms of the ‘telephone game’:

‘You are probably familiar with the old birthday party game “telephone.” A group of kids sits in a circle, the first tells a brief story to the one sitting next to her, who tells it to the next, and to the next, and so on, until it comes back full circle to the one who started it.

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Rev 19:13 – ‘He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood’

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Rev 19:11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God.…

Which Bethlehem?

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According to Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea – about 6 miles south of Jerusalem.

However, Israeli archaeologist Aviram Oshri surmised that Jesus was born, not in Bethlehem of Judea, but in Bethlehem of Galilee.

It is certainly not news that there were two Bethlehems – one in Judea and the other in Galilee.  The latter is mentioned in Josh 19:15.

As reported in this article in The Times of Israel, Oshri asks:

‘How would a woman who is nine months pregnant travel 175 kilometers on a donkey all the way to Bethlehem of Judea? 

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‘A more Christlike God’ – 6

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Summarising chapter 6 – Of Lions, Lambs and Donkeys.

1. Kenosis – Cruciform Power

God reveals himself, not as an eagle or a lion, but as a lamb.  We must think of God, not in terms of power, but in terms of humility.

According to Phil 2:7, Christ emptied himself (the word is ‘kenosis’).  This does not mean that Christ gives up his divine attributes, but rather that he assumes our human nature.  Moreover, in doing so, he reveals the true nature of God: loving and self-giving to the point of death.…

1 Cor 10:8 – ‘Twenty-three thousand died’

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10:6 These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did. 10:7 So do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 10:8 And let us not be immoral, as some of them were, and twenty-three thousand died in a single day.

The reference is to Num 25:9 which, however, puts the number who died in the plague as twenty-four thousand. …

Can we teach with Jesus’ authority?

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Without a doubt, Jesus taught with great authority.

In what ways is that authority delegated to us today?

Roy Zuck answers:

1. Jesus’ words were from God the Father; he taught only what the Father instructed him to teach.

As we faithfully study and then teach the Scriptures, we are communicating those words of our Lord to others. We are part of a divine chain of communication from God the Father, to God the Son, to us (by revealed truths in the Bible), to our students.…

Where did Jesus teach?

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Focussing mainly on the occurrence of didasko (to teach), Roy Zuck notes that Jesus is recorded as teaching in the following places:

  • In a synagogue (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mark 1:21; 6:2; Luke 4:15; 6:6; 13:10; John 6:59; 18:20)
  • In the temple courts in Jerusalem (Matt. 21:23; 26:55; Mark 11:15, 17; 12:35; 14:49; Luke 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; John 7:14, 28; 8:2, 20; 18:20)
  • In houses (Luke 5:17-18; 7:36-50) In towns and villages (Matt. 11:1; Mark 6:6; Luke 13:22)
  • On a mountainside (Matt.
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Is it possible to teach as Jesus did?

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This is a question posed by Roy Zuck in chapter 1 of Teaching as Jesus Taught (originally published by Baker Book House in 1995).

Here are some objections, together with some responses.

1. Jesus was divine; we are not

Jesus was the unique Son of God, possessor of the full range of divine attributes, perfect in holiness, majesty, righteousness, grace love and mercy.  He is Creator, Forgiver of Sins, Miracle-worker, and the Object of our worship.…