The story of Paul’s conversion may only rival that of the Gentiles. Nobody thought the Gentiles would be considered for salvation, it was quite controversial to the early church. But it wasn’t as controversial as the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Saul was wreaking havoc on the newly founded church of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:3); consenting to the death of Stephen (Acts 7:58, 8:1); and held believers captive in prisons. Saul was a blasphemer and a persecutor (1 Tim. 1:13). Saul of Tarsus was a man completely devoted to the Old Testament Law of Moses. He sat and learned at the feet of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect manner of the law and because of that teaching he very zealous (Acts 22:3). But Saul rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Saul walked in the only light that had been given to him.

When Saul had been blinded by a vision of Jesus Christ he was told to go into the city of Damascus and wait for the instructions on how he was to be healed and converted (Acts 9:6). Enter the ministry of Ananias. 

Devoted Ananias

There isn’t much information available concerning Ananias. What we have available to us is from the inspired Word of God, and that information gives us the insight as to why God chose him to minister to Saul of Tarsus. Ananias dwelt in Damascus. Paul later recounts this story and tells that Ananias was a “devout man” (Acts 22:12). The description that Ananias was devout is a strong indicator of what type of man he was. A devout man is a man of purpose and a man of spirituality. Ananias was a man of devotion to God and to God’s laws. You can’t be devoted to God without being devoted to His Word. A devoted man has devoted his whole being to serving God. He doesn’t just go to church every once in awhile, but he is devoted to God in the secret places as well.

God spoke to Ananias in a vision. God speaks to those who are sensitive enough to hear Him speak. Ananias was devoted to prayer and spirituality. A spiritual man is a praying man, and that man God can speak to through visions and dreams. Ananias was that type of man. And when God spoke to him in a vision all God had to say was, “Ananias.” The Lord Jesus knew Ananias’ name. Ananias who knew the Old Testament scripture knew the story of young Samuel hearing the Lord speak his name and he responded like Samuel, “Here I am” (1 Samuel 3:3-10, Acts 9:10). Ananias was exactly in the place where God wanted to speak to him. “Here I am.” Brothers and sisters, we need to make sure we are where we need to be spiritually. We need to make faithful attendance to prayer and meditation. In that place is where the Lord will speak and commission.

A Good Report

When God chose Ananias he not only was devout, but he also had a good reputation in the godless environment of Damascus (Acts 22:12). Ananias was known among the Jews who lived in that city. He wasn’t known as being contentious and holier-than-thou. God will choose a man who not only is devout in the secret place, but also devout in the public place. Our spirituality is known to God in the prayer closet but known to the community in our actions and speech. This is also a requirement to be a bishop (1 Tim. 3:7). God will never send an arrogant man to deal with a broken man. God will never send a proud man to deal with a humbled man. Saul didn’t need the community arrogant pastor, he needed a man who was devout within and without.

Ananias was not an apostle. He wasn’t named as a prophet. He wasn’t named a bishop or elder. He didn’t not carry any denomination’s ordination card in his wallet. Ananias was simply a devout Christian who had vision. Enough vision to believe that God could save a man like Saul of Tarsus. Certainly, Ananias had his reservations about going at first (Acts 9:13-14) but once God had spoken that was enough for him to leave immediately.

The Ministry of Ananias

In prayer early one morning this week the Lord began to deal with my heart about Ananias. And not only about Ananias but also about the Sauls of our world. Saul loved God, there is no doubt about that. Saul loved God’s Word just as much. The issue for Saul was that he only walked in what knowledge and light that he had. His brain was full of Old Testament information, but his heart was lacking in the Spirit of the Old Testament. Saul’s enemy were the people who didn’t believer exactly like he did. He felt as if they were all heretics of the highest degree. Impassioned with such zeal led him to be a persecutor.

But when Jesus began to reveal Himself to Saul he needed someone else to come and complete the message.

In our cities there are ministers and people who do not believe exactly like we do. In our world there are ministers and people who do not believe exactly like we do. Do they love God? Yes. Do they love God’s Word? Yes. But what will happen when Jesus begins to reveal Himself to them like he did to Saul of Tarsus? Who will Jesus appear to in a vision to go and heal, teach and baptize? 

We have an issue and the issue is that we have become like Saul. We would rather shun anyone who does not believe exactly like us. We label them heretics and false teachers damning them to a sinners hell. We send nuclear warheads over on social media to destroy their character and ministries. All because they do not believe exactly like us. God forbid! I would rather be guilty of calling a local minister’s name in prayer before God instead of calling him a liar, false teacher, or heretic before my brothers. We are in desperate need of the ministry of Ananias.

We need to be like Ananias. God grant us the heart and sensitivity to be able to preach the truth in love. We don’t need to qualify people to the Gospel. God will use and choose Who He pleases. It us our responsibility to be capable of ministering to those whom God has chosen. You may think they will never believe this message. You may think their hearts are hardened and have had their consciences seared. But God has appeared to them and they need someone to go and lay hands on them, baptize them and see them filled with the Holy Spirit!

Brother, Saul

Notice that Ananias called Saul “Brother, Saul” (Acts 9:17). Before Saul had been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, Ananias called him, “Brother.” Keep in mind, Saul didn’t believe like Ananias believed. But Ananias still called Saul, “Brother.” Surely that will be hard to swallow for certain sectarians. To them, their brothers are those who only believe exactly as they do. Ananias walked into the place where the church’s greatest threat lay and called him, “Brother.” Ananias would be considered a compromiser and given the title, “liberal.” Brothers and sisters, this shouldn’t be named among us. There are many Sauls among us who need us to walk into the room where they are laying blind with scales on their eyes and tell them about Jesus.

Ananias didn’t shy away from his message and doctrine. He was sent to recover Saul of his blindness, for Saul to filled with the Holy Spirit and baptized. This could have been the place of compromise, but as we can see it wasn’t. You will never compromise with love. You can compromise by not teaching all truth, but you will never compromise by loving a brother. The Lord chose Ananias because he could love Saul even though he was wrong in his doctrine. He could love Saul in spite of their differences. What type of awakening could we see in our cities if we could learn to love those who do not see things as we do?

Conclusion

Brethren, I urge us to pray for those who do not believe exactly like we do. We can make assumptions as to why they don’t believe it, but instead allow us to pray for them. I want the Lord to appear to me in a vision and tell me to go minister to a brother who has seen a vision of Jesus and doesn’t know what to do next. I want the Lord to entrust to me the ministry of Ananias.

What you and I have in the Bible are the very thoughts of God. God has spoken and what He has spoken has been recorded in words, sentences and paragraphs. God, who is the Word, chose to use words to communicate to people. And not just words, but written words. This is valuable to understand when we approach studying the Word of God.

Approaching the Bible with reverence does not mean we forget common rules of reading and writing. The Bible is made up of words. So each and every word is important to studying the Bible. Keep in mind that the Bible was not originally written in English. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament primarily in Greek. Therefore, studying these inspired words takes careful consideration.

Exegesis

Robert Thomas in his book Introduction to Exegesis defines exegesis as, “the critical or technical application of hermeneutical principles to a biblical text in the original languages with a view to the exposition or declaration of its meaning.” The term “exegesis” comes from a Greek verb which means to “lead out” or “to expound.” We are getting out of the text its meaning. This is the opposite of eisegesis which means to “read into” a text. Eisegesis is taking our own presuppositions in interpreting a text.

Eugene Peterson writes, “Scriptural exegesis in surgical work: cutting through layers of history, culture, and grammar; laying bare the skeletal syntax and grammatical muscle.” This part of studying context in a biblical text takes time and effort. You do not need to be fluent in Greek and Hebrew to do exegesis. There are many great tools available to work through a Bible text.

Exegesis is important to keeping context in its rightful place. What was written in the Bible was not directly written to us, but it was written for us. We were not the primary audience being written to in the original texts. It is our duty to find out who was the primary audience in a given Bible text.

For instance looking at the Epistles of Paul we can find various groups being addressed. We have the church in Thessalonica, the church in Rome, the church in Galatia and the church in Corinth. Not to mention Paul’s personal letters to Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Exegesis begins with studying the history and culture of these places. Unless Paul was dealing with a prophetic theme in parts of those letters, he was addressing them at a particular time in history. Studying the history of Galatia at the time Paul wrote his epistle will reveal why he wrote such a letter.

Syntax

Not only are we to study the history and culture behind certain words, but we are to carefully examine the use of that word. Here we study syntax. Syntax is defined as the study of the formation and pattern of words. What is the point of studying a word if we don’t pay attention to how it is being used in a text? Syntax is the formation of sentences, phrases and paragraphs. Once again we have a glaring look at context. 

I hope you are beginning to see the weight and burden of accurately interpreting scripture. This is not to be taken lightly. Each and every word was God breathed and has a purpose. It is our responsibility to take the proper time and rightly divide this magnificent gift God has given us.

Etymology

From here we move on to studying the words that Paul used in his letter. Etymology is the study of a word’s history.  Now, I want to make some very important points here. Many have come to a false conclusion that the words used in the English text of Scripture mean exactly what they mean to us today. That is wrong. Words change as the culture changes. For instance, the word gay does not mean what it used to mean fifty years ago. What if future generations do not practice exegesis or etymology when singing Deck the Halls? They will believe that “gay apparel” means homosexual clothing(whatever that may be). The history, or the etymology of words is crucial in exegesis. 

How to do Exegesis

If you are like me than you don’t have a working knowledge of Greek or Hebrew. I rely on concordances and lexicons for exegesis. Fortunately for us these helps abound in our day. I do have intentions of studying Greek in the very near future, but for now I lean on other resources.

If you have access to Bible software then this is probably the easiest approach. Any Bible software worth its weight will be equipped with language helps. If you do not have access to quality Bible software then you have other wonderful options. The most common help is Strong’s Concordance. Every word in the OT and the NT is cataloged and numbered from the reference Bible text. You simply look up a given word from a Bible text, locate the Strong’s number then proceed to look up the definition. Once you have done this you can see how our English word has been translated from multiple Hebrew or Greek words.

The only draw back to Strong’s is that it doesn’t provide word studies. For OT word studies I turn to the Brown, Driver and Briggs’ Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. For NT word studies I like Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. I really like Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament as well. There are many more options available for any type of budget.

The work of exegesis is essential to the church’s comprehension and interpretation of scripture. Exegesis is not exclusive to the preacher or minister any believer can do this type of in-depth study. With so many resources at our disposal we have no excuse to do accurately interpret scripture. The only hinderance to properly interpreting scripture is laziness.

God chose words to speak to us and to declare his thoughts. He inspired every word and every word is to be our spiritual nourishment. With such weight given to each and every word in scripture it is our duty to study those words and to “rightly divide” the Word of God. 

Being a holy man of God takes godliness. Being a true holy man of God takes integrity. And in order for a man to be a holy man of God, he needs to be holy. Elisha had just become the prophet to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Elijah. Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s spirit upon him (2 Kings 2:9-14). Elisha was first a servant to Elijah then a prophet to God’s people. His humility in servanthood led to his mighty anointing and ministry. Elisha had a powerful ministry in which he seen God work mighty miracles. No doubt his reputation as a prophet proceeded him.

However, being a prophet and being a holy man of God are quite different. Balaam could prophesy but he was no holy man of God (Numbers 22,23,24). Balaam could prophesy beautifully but he lacked integrity and honor. Elisha was both a prophet and a holy man of God. What made Elisha a holy man of God?

Elisha and The Wealthy Family

As Elisha came to Shunem he passed by the home of a wealthy couple. As Elisha and his servant came by this home the married couple urged Elisha to come and eat with them. First of all, the Bible makes it very clear that this couple was wealthy (2 Kings 4:8). Their home must have been quite large in order for them to make room for the prophet and his servant, Gehazi (2 Kings 4:12). They had a spare bed, table, chair and lamp just for the man of God. This family also had servants and their own fields to tend to (2 Kings 4:18-25). I believe that God puts in certain details to show us the whole scope of the story.

Elisha did not seek out this wealthy family. The woman and her husband sought out Elisha to come and eat with them. Elisha did not invite himself to the home of the wealthy. Elisha did not wait in the parking lot of the church to see which saints drove the nicest vehicle. Elisha didn’t watch to see which family put in the largest offering. Instead, the family sought out Elisha. There was something about Elisha that caught their attention. Whatever that family observed it was enough to offer Elisha to come have dinner with them. I do not know what that family knew about Elisha’s ministry or the miracles he had wrought. They did not personally see Elisha work a miracle yet, he just happened to walk by the home and that was enough to invite him in.

The Preacher at Dinner

Whenever Elisha passed that way that wealthy family would have him over for dinner. They simply wanted to bless the man of God. But in their home this was the place where the preacher could relax and let his hair down. It was here where he could open up and be himself. No sons of the prophets eyeing his every move (2 Kings 2:15-25). No unruly and rebellious kings to deal with (2 Kings 3). Elisha could just eat and be merry. But this could be the place where Elisha’s ministry would come under the most scrutiny.

It was here at the dinner table that the woman realized Elisha was a holy man of God. It was here in the privacy of their home that they believed that Elisha was not just a prophet but a holy man of God. How many meals had they eaten together? After all that time he was no longer just a prophet, but a holy man of God.

As people observe preachers in their home, at the restaurant, on the golf course, on the basketball court, on Twitter and Facebook, what will their assessment be? What conclusion will they come to once the preacher leaves the pulpit and is now mingling with the crowds? Is he just a preacher, or is he a holy man of God?

Integrity and Character

There is a lot of preaching about compromise these days, whether it is in the pulpit or social media. We are inundated with preachers who stand against any compromise of doctrine, truth or holiness. Yet, I believe preachers can compromise more than Bible truth. They can compromise their character, their integrity, their honesty and their reputation. I’m not simply speaking of immorality. 

I believe if Elisha had gossiped, or told an off color joke in the home of that family they would have written him off as just another man. But it was his testimony of integrity and character that they called him a, “holy man of God.” His godliness went farther than his public ministry, it reached into the privacy of homes and conversation.

I used to respect many a great preachers among us. I used to listen to their tapes and watch them preach online. I began to follow them on Twitter and Facebook (when I used to have one). But after reading their posts, after seeing their ugly attitude on social media my respect for them has dwindled. They are quick to argue and sow discord. They will call people out without using any names. Others I have had the chance to be around, and the awful off color jokes they told turned me off.

I have come to find out that there are preachers and then there are holy men of God. Integrity and godliness are the virtues that people are looking for. They are not simply looking for a great sermon, but they are looking for a great man of God.

Making Room for the Man of God

As soon as the wealthy couple realized Elisha was a holy man of God they were willing to make room for him in their home. They wanted him to stay continually with them. His witness so impressed them that they were willing to give him room in their home and not just at the dinner table. His manner of life at the dinner table was enough to invite him into their very life. Preacher, how you talk at the restaurant, how your treat waiters and waitresses, how you tip; and whether you send your food back just to get it for free speaks volumes about your character. Your people are watching and so are the people around you, who you may not think even know you.

As preachers we want influence in our saints’ homes. We want to be someone they can rely on when crisis comes. We want what we preached on Sunday to be in their homes through the rest of the week. How we accomplish that is by living what we preach. We become more than just preachers in the pulpit, but men of God who live with our people. 

Compromise goes far beyond doctrine and truth. We shouldn’t compromise either of those. However, we should seek to guard our reputation, character and integrity. We don’t need more preachers, we need more holy men of God.

Church history tells us of the Catholic church prohibiting the common man from owning or obtaining a Bible. They only had the Bible written and copied in Latin which meant only the catholic priests could read from the Bible. This is how gross error came about in Church history. When the reformers rebelled against such antics and began translating the Bible into common vernacular a revolution began.

We no longer have popes and priests keeping the Bible from laymen and saints. Today we have a problem with misinterpretation that is excused by trying to make the text more spiritual than it already is. We now have in our churches people who feel inadequate with reading and interpreting the Bible. Their excuse is that they cannot understand it for surely the Bible doesn’t mean what it actually says.

When reading and studying the Bible we do not sacrifice reading rules at the altar. We do not need to repent of the education that we have been taught concerning reading when approaching the Bible. We read the Bible the same way would read any other book. A noun is still a noun in the Bible. A verb is still a verb in the Bible. An adjective is still an adjective in the Bible. A play on words has become popular in Biblical interpretation, but doing so does not make the text any more spiritual, any more relevant, any more supernatural, any more meaningful, or any more applicable.

Spiritualizing a Bible verse does violence to Scripture. It makes people believe that the Bible is not spiritual enough. This is why it is important we learn to rightly divide the Word of God. In interpreting the Bible we do not need other-wordly tricks or mystical powers. You simply have to know the right questions to ask. In order to keep everything within context-and context is key- these are important questions to ask.

Here are 4 steps to Biblical interpretation

1. What Genre is this Bible Book - Not every book in the Bible is the same. The Bible is made up of 66 unique books. And certain Bible books fall into particular genres. For instance, in the Old Testament there are books of history such as Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Kings etc. Others are poetic books such as Job, Psalms and Proverbs. You also have prophetic books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. On the other hand some historical books and prophetic books can have songs and poems within a certain chapter, and some prophetic books have historical matter in them. So we must first put the framework of the genre of the Bible book before we can accurately interpret.

Looking to the New Testament we have more genres to consider. The first four books of the New Testament are the Gospels in which each evangelist gives a brief biography of the life and works of Jesus Christ. The book of Acts is a book of history which shows the life and exploits of the first church. Next are the epistles written to particular churches and people penned by Paul, Peter, John, James and Jude. Rounding out the New Testament is a book of prophecy entitled the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

2.Who Wrote the Bible Book - Now, we must ask when studying is who wrote the particular Bible book. If you are in the New Testament you only have a handful of writers to narrow down your results. There is only one book, Hebrews, that the author is unknown. But all other NT books have noted writers. Asking this question opens up all types of other questions. Was he a Jew? Was he a Gentile? How was he converted to Christianity? What was his role in first church? Asking these types of questions will help you find the correct road to context.

In the Old Testament you must ask the same question. Asking this question gets a little tougher in the OT. You may need the assistance of OT dictionaries, commentaries and handbooks. The writer may not always be obvious in the OT. Most study Bibles will also be of help when trying to find the writer of the book.

3. Who Was the Intended Audience - This is a valuable piece of information in order to find context, especially when studying the epistles of the NT and prophetic books of the OT. All scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). We can glean instruction from the entire canon of scripture, and can find application for our spiritual lives. But more importantly we must find the one true interpretation and that can be wrapped up in the intended audience. Who was the writer writing to? Was it a particular church? Was it a particular tribe in Israel? Is the prophecy for a heathen nation? Interpretation can be lost here if you do not find the intended audience.  Some of the promises of God in the OT cannot be claimed by the church today. That does not mean that all OT promises cannot be claimed by the church, but we must seek the correct interpretation and intended audience.

4. When Was the Book Written - History is a wonderful teacher. Searching to see when the book was written can answer lots of questions. If you are studying a prophetic book, was the prophecy fulfilled? If it was fulfilled,  then when was it fulfilled? If reading a psalm and David was the writer, when did he write it? Concerning David and the psalms, researching when he wrote the psalm is invaluable. Was he in a battle? Was he in a cave? Was he king yet? Allow me to say this also, David did not write every psalm in the book of Psalms. Also, the book of Psalms was not put together chronologically so we can’t approach it as so.

History shows us that Ephesus was the largest church in the world when Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy. That’s important information when Paul is giving instructions to Timothy concerning bishops and elders. This also helps determine the culture of the region, the people, also, the economic and political climate. These are all valuable questions to consider when interpreting a text.

Using these steps for studying the Bible will lead to a clear and correct interpretation. I want you to keep in mind that there is one true interpretation but there can be many applications. But we must remember that the application of a Bible text cannot do violence to the interpretation of the text. The interpretation safeguards us from wrongly misunderstanding the text. 

In my next post I intend to write on the topic of exegesis.

These posts are not exclusive to the preacher, but I have written them to help all believers better themselves in studying the Bible. It is my opinion that we are not to just read the Bible but we are to study the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy urging him to “Study to show yourself approved unto God a workman that doesn’t need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth”(2 Tim. 2:15). Moving from simply reading the Bible to studying the Bible guides us to correctly interpreting the Bible.

Interpretation

Studying the Bible involves interpreting the Bible. This is a very important key to Biblical understanding. Interpreting the Bible has certain rules and regulations. Without these rules and regulations we can end up grossly misinterpreting the Bible. Biblical interpretation boils down to finding out what the writer’s intention for the text was and what was the intention of God inspiring the text.

Hermeneutics is the science of Biblical interpretation. Author R.C. Sproul writes that “the purpose of hermeneutics is to establish guidelines and rules for interpretation.” How we keep something written or said from being taken out of context and grossly misrepresented is to use the science of hermeneutics. These rules are not used to restrict the text but instead to protect the text. Whether you realize it or not you use hermeneutics everyday. When you are reading the newspaper, a magazine, a blog or even Twitter or Facebook you are using this method of interpretation. You use hermeneutics to find the context of the message. 

Context is key. Actually, context is the most important part of interpreting the Bible. Without context and hermeneutics any Bible verse is subject to the reader’s opinion and interpretation. We then can have false teaching and error that erode foundational truths. We need the framework of hermeneutics to protect what the writer and the Author (God) intended to say to given audience. Time and space prohibit me to go in to all the various types of hermeneutical methods that are used in Biblical interpretation in this post.

If I were to write a paragraph and one reader only takes one sentence from the paragraph and uses it to make an argument, while avoiding the rest of the paragraph, that reader is abusing context. If this were to happen to anyone of us we would seek to correct the reader and make sure the context was given. Why? Because without context anyone can abuse and violate what the writer or speaker intended to say. The interesting point of this, is that many people do this to God’s written Word everyday and have little remorse over it. They take one line of a Bible verse, one sentence in a given scripture and make it a doctrine or a preaching point, thus taking context away from the inspired writer and the inspiring Author. 

Before we can apply a principle from the Bible it is necessary to seek the context. Now, a given Biblical text may have numerous applications, but it can only have one correct meaning. What God says in one part of the scriptures cannot be contradicted in another part of scripture. We compare our interpretation of one Bible text with another Bible text. Alienating a given scripture while rejecting all other scriptures and truths contained in the Biblical canon lends itself to misinterpretation.

One way to misinterpret a given scripture is by asking “What does this text mean to you?” Or, “What does this text mean to me?” Well, for one God didn’t need my help in writing the Bible, He didn’t ask my opinion when it came to inspire the writers of the Bible, so what the text means to me, or to you does not matter. The question should be, “What does God say in this text?”

Subjectivism

“If that is your interpretation that is fine, but that’s not my interpretation.” Sound familiar? Well this argument is wrong. Truth is truth, it cannot be truth if it is subjective to personal interpretation. We cannot make scripture to be subjective to cultures, to time or even to persons. The truth of God’s Word and its interpretation crosses all geographical boundaries, all generations and every person.

This has become a grave error in our day. Everyone has their own version of truth and we are to accept that version of truth or be subject to ridicule. I am not speaking just secularly, this has even infiltrated the church.

In order for us to correctly interpret the Bible we must study the Bible thoroughly. In my next post I will discuss several ways for us to interpret and rightly divide God’s Word.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy the theme was to encourage Paul’s beloved son in the Gospel. Ephesus had its share of false teachers and false doctrine (Acts 20:28-31, 1 Timothy 1:6-7, 2 Timothy 3:1-7), so Paul wrote Timothy to endure the hardship and to guard the deposit that was given to him. How was Timothy to fight against the error of his day? He was to study show himself approved unto God, shun profane and vain babbling, continue in the God breathed Holy Scripture that he was taught since his youth, and preach the Word at all times(2 Tim. 2:15, 3:14-16, 4:2). The best defense against false doctrine and error is studying truth, applying truth and preaching truth. It is rightly dividing, interpreting and applying God’s Word.

Our day is no different than that of Timothy’s. Strange doctrines and teaching are abundant in our hour. You can find any type of teaching and doctrine that you desire to appease your flesh (2 Tim. 4:3). Men today are so led by their carnal pursuits that they have twisted God’s Word to make it fit their own lifestyles (2 Peter 3:16). False doctrine and error have come by men who have twisted the scripture, however many good intentioned people have been led to error simply because they did not rightly interpret scripture.

We are to give attendance to reading the scriptures but we are also to give attendance to exhortation and doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13). Timothy is to read the text, interpret the text and apply the text. Every believer should follow this equation when studying the Bible.

Study The Word

So let us look at how we must study the Bible. “Study to show thyself approved unto God.” The word study in this text is the Greek word spoudazo which literally means diligence. We are to be diligent in the study of the Bible. Reading is easy, but study is laborious. You have to be diligent when studying the Bible. And we do this diligence to show ourselves approved unto God. Our purpose of study is not to please man, but to please God. If we are truly studying God’s word, more than likely our findings will not please man, it will be contray to what the carnal man desires. This phrase show yourself approved unto God in the Greek means to stand alongside, or to present ourselves before God. Our study of God’s Word should align us to God, for it is He who inspired all scripture (2 Tim. 3:16). Our interpretation should have the mind of Christ and the heart of God. Interpreting scripture to please people leads to error, but interpreting scripture to please God leads to truth that will affect man’s heart.

Noted Bible commentator John Phillips has this to say on study, “A person does not become a master car mechanic by reading an automobile operator’s manual. One does not become a mathematician, astronomer, nuclear physicist, biochemist, historian, or performing artist by taking a course or two at a junior college. A person must study if he is to become an authority in any subject, much more so if he is to speak with authority about scripture.”

A Workman

A workman is a laborer. He is like the farmer that tends to his fields and crops. He arises before dawn, works until sunset and repeats the process the next day. We must become laborers of the Word of God giving our time and effort to diligent study, seeking not to just know the words from the pages, but to understand it deeply. We worship and love the Lord with our hearts, souls and mind (Deut. 6:5). Thinking deeply about God and His Word goes hand in hand. You cannot separate God from His written Word, for the words of God reveal His character, attributes and thoughts. Jesus told the woman at the well His people will worship God in Spirit and in Truth. You cannot worship what you do not know. How can you know God’s will if you do not know God’s Word? Oh, for there to be a revival of true worship in the church that is saturated with the knowledge of God’s Holy Word!

Labor in the scriptures will bring about a feeling of accomplishment. A man or woman who takes time to dig into the depths of the scriptures will not be ashamed when they are asked to give an answer for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15). Teaching and preaching false doctrine is a shame for any man. I want to stand before the Lord and hear Him say “well done, my good and faithful servant.” We have a mandate to preach and teach only what is in the Bible. Adding to or even taking away from the Bible will lead to error and shame (Rev. 22:18-19). It is vitally important that we declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

Rightly Dividing the Word

A student of scripture will correctly interpret scripture. Peter wrote that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation (2 Peter 2:20). We do not seek to have our own interpretation of scripture, but we seek to understand what God was actually saying. This is the danger when we ask people “what do you think this means?” That should not be the question we should ask when studying the Bible, “What does God mean in this text?” When we try to interpret Bible scriptures with our own interpretation, oo what we may think it says, we endanger ourselves, others and the text! God didn’t need my interpretation when he wrote the Bible, and he doesn’t need it now that it is written. 

The phrase “rightly dividing” in the original language is the word orthotomeo, which means to cut straight. John MacArthur writes here concerning this phrase, “It was used of a craftsman cutting a straight line, of a farmer plowing a straight furrow, of a mason setting a straight line of bricks, or of workmen building a straight road. Because Paul was a tentmaker by trade (Acts 18:3), he may have had in mind the careful, straight cutting and sewing of the many pieces of leather or cloth necessary to make a tent.” 

Rightly dividing the Word of God involves making straight lines in the interpretation. We piece together each topic of scripture, each theme of scripture and make the correct interpretation and application. Making a straight line involves careful consideration, discipline and attention to details. You cannot move quickly in making a straight line in either cutting fabric, laying bricks, plowing a furrow or building a straight road. The same goes for Bible study and rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

Over the next several posts I intend to write and help us rightly divide the Word of God. We will discuss hermeneutics, context, exegesis and much more. I pray this helps us to understand God’s Word.

Getting disciplined and creating new habits is tough work. And somehow we make it tougher on ourselves than we actually realize. These steps that I want to present to you may not be revolutionary or even all that spiritual. But I have found them to be rather helpful to attain self discipline.

Here are four steps to better discipline. 

1. Get to Bed Earlier- I’ve never been a night owl. Since I was a kid I went to bed early. A late night for me is anything past 10:30pm. I am pretty much useless after that time of evening. If I want to get up and get going the next day I know I need to hit the sack at a reasonable hour. Going to bed earlier is not the only key. For one, you need to turn off the television before you go to bed. Your brain will not turn off once you hit the power button on the remote. Give your brain a rest before bed. Read something light, perhaps your favorite blog. If your goal is to get up earlier then get to bed earlier. If you want to get more accomplished this is a great place to start, but it all starts with a healthy amount of rest.

2. Remove Clutter- Yes, clean! Remove the clutter from your desk top, and I don’t just mean your desktop computer. Get yourself physically organized. Most people can’t get what they want accomplished because they can’t find anything. Others can’t get anything done due to being distracted with so much clutter. Clean out your car, organize your closet, straiten up your garage, clean out your desk. Remove old notes from your desk top or Day-Timer. Being clutter free will help you stay focused and put priority on the goals you want to accomplish.

3. Get Tech Savvy- Hands down the best app of the year for me is Lift. I have been using this app for my iPhone for over two months now. I can keep track of all the habits and disciplines I’m trying to work on each day. If you can’t find a habit within the app it will allow you to make one up for yourself. What makes this app invaluable is that it keeps track of each discipline every day, each week and month. Every morning I get an email telling me if I have streak going in any of my habits. For example if I have read for two days straight I will get an email in the morning to keep my streak going. Find an app to help you keep track of your progress in working out, praying daily, reading, walking, writing or whatever.

4. Finish- Ideas are a dime a dozen, accomplished tasks are priceless in value. Inside of you is a vision. A vision for a healthier you. A vision of starting a church. A vision of writing a book. A vision of running a marathon. A vision of reading the Bible through in a year. Whatever your vision is write it down then get to work on it. People perish without a vision and vision perishes when there is no work. Put the vision to work. Set a plan, write an outline, make some goals, share the vision, but whatever you do, finish! A mound of unfinished projects is nothing more than condemnation, but a small pile of completed tasks is self gratifying accomplishment.

You still have time to make this year the best year. Don’t overlook the small tasks for they will help accomplish the larger tasks.

For more insight on spiritual disciplines check out my first book The Lost Art of Spiritual Disciplines. You can get the first chapter FREE!

I wanted to share part of a sermon that Hugh Latimer preached in London in 1548 entitled Sermon of the Plough. I was greatly convicted by this sermon, especially this portion. 

The Plough of Satan

“And now I would ask a strange question: who is the most diligentest bishop and prelate(preacher/priest) in all England, that passeth all the rest in doing his office? I can tell, for I know him who it is; I know him well. But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him. There is one that passeth all the other, and is the most diligent prelate and preacher in all England. And will ye know who it is? I will tell you: it is the devil. He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his diocess; he is never from his cure; ye shall never find him unoccupied; he is ever in his parish; he keepeth residence at all times; ye shall never find him out of the way, call for him when you will he is ever at home; the diligentest preacher in all the realm; he is ever at his plough: no lording nor loitering can hinder him; he is ever applying his business, ye shall never find him idle, I warrant you. And his office is to hinder religion, to maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all kind of popery. He is ready as he can be wished for to set forth his plough; to devise as many ways as can be to deface and obscure God’s glory. Where the devil is resident, and hath his plough going, there away with books, and up with candles; away with bibles, and up with beads; away with the light of the gospel, and up with the light of candles, yea, at noon-days. Where the devil is resident, that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry; tensing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water, and new service of men’s inventing; as though man could invent a better way to honour God with than God himself hath appointed. Down with Christ’s cross, up with purgatory pickpurse, up with him, the popish purgatory, I mean. Away with clothing the naked, the poor and impotent; up with decking of images, and gay garnishing of stocks and stones: up with man’s traditions and his laws, down with God’s traditions and his most holy word. Down with the old honour due to God, and up with the new god’s honour. Oh that our prelates(preachers) would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockle and darnel!”

Brethren, let us always be at the plough of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We must never be found idle and wanting. Our hands must be to the plough of the Gospel. What was preached in 1548 is still true today, our diligence should never waver. Brothers, preach and labor for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our mantra should be that of the Apostle Paul, “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” (2 Cor. 12:15)

Sources: Wikipedia, Between Two Worlds by John Stott.

The laying on of hands was a very common practice in both Old Testament and New Testament times. The custom has its roots in the Old Testament when Israel was to ordain the Levites (Numbers 8:10). And again Moses laid his hands upon Joshua anointing him to be Israel’s leader (Numbers 27:18-23). Next we find the laying on of hands in the New Testament church when praying for people to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost (Acts 8:17, Acts 9:17). Moreover we find that the laying on of hands was used by the New Testament church to ordain its leaders and their mission (Acts 13:3, 1 Tim. 4:14, 2 Tim. 1:6). With this in mind let us look to Paul’s instruction to Timothy.

In Paul’s first letter to young Timothy it is clear that Paul wanted to emphasize the organization of the church. The Ephesian church was the possibly the largest church in the world at that time. Timothy was overseeing a large movement, not just a local assembly. In order for the church to grow and to function effectively it would need more than one man to do the job. When Timothy went to Ephesus it was already equipped with elder leaders (1 Tim. 4:12, 5:17-19). Yet, as the church grew it was necessary to ordain more overseers (1 Tim. 3:1-13). Anyone who would say that the church does not need organization would have to grossly misinterpret scripture and harm their own witness. We serve a God who is quite organized and very particular of how the church should be governed. God is not the author of confusion but of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). Anyone that has been to an unorganized church will recognize that peace is absent and awkwardness and confusion are present. Lack of preparation and organization should not be blamed on God, however it should fall directly on the leadership of the church.

Paul was adamant, when writing to Timothy, about the qualifications of a minister within the church. He was to be the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not a striker, not greedy, not a brawler, not covetous, able to rule his own home, not a novice, have a good report in the community, not double tongued, and they were to first be proved (1 Tim. 3:1-13).

The qualifications of the man entering the ministry was foremost a man that had proven his worth. It began in the home, next the community and finally within the church. They were to be able to teach, know the doctrine, care for their families, pay their bills and be an upstanding citizen. They were to be found blameless. Deacons and bishops were to prove their spiritual and natural character. God doesn’t just look to see if a man has prayed, but are his bills paid? Being able to teach the church is one thing, but can he teach his family? It would be quite an interesting situation if churches called on preacher’s family members before they asked them to come preach. For that is where true ministry is found.

Timothy was to be cautious before he was to ordain a minister. He was not to lay his hands suddenly, or hastily on just any candidate. The ministry is far more than preaching, it is a lifestyle. And if the lifestyle did not match up with the ministry Timothy was to avoid such a man. To lay hands on somebody was to affirm their suitability to the work of the ministry and the church.

For Timothy to fail to fully investigate a man’s life before he ordained them made him guilty by association. “Neither be partaker of other men’s sins. Keep thyself pure.” If Timothy were to lay his hands upon a man and ordain him and that man was not found to be blameless, then Timothy would be a partaker of his lifestyle. In other words his reputation was on the line. That is why it was very important that Timothy not lay hands on any man suddenly. He was to first make sure that this man was qualified for his position.

We preach and teach that all believers in Christ are ministers. There is a general calling, a calling that all believers share the Gospel and become witnesses. However, the calling of the ministry is a very grave and sober calling. No man takes this honor upon himself, only God can compel a man into the ministry (Heb. 5:4). It is then a self examination must take place to see if a man is qualified. God indeed qualifies the called, but He does so with His timing and sovereignty. A man is to prove himself by how he lives and behaves. A failure to do so only hurts his witness. The tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 7:16).

In our days of rushing and little patience we should not overlook the instruction of the Apostle Paul. Before we ordain ministries and accept men into the roles of leadership we must first examine the fruit in their lives. The church is not exclusive, but the ministry certainly is. For if it was not exclusive then Paul would not have taken the time to write such standards.

Therefore, before we lay hands on any man we must make sure that he is qualified for leadership, for if he is not qualified and we lay hands upon him suddenly, we suddenly disqualify ourselves.

However, I want your feedback for your favorite book cover. Wes Comer has done an incredible job of creating the artwork for the cover and has done a superb job in the final layout (He also does websites, logos and anything else you can think of). These are my top three choices, and now I’m wanting to get your vote for your favorite. In the comments below simply vote for #1, #2, or #3.

Cover #1 – Red and White with threefold cord

Cover #2 – Red and Black distressed

Cover #3- Yellow and Black

Vote below in the comment section. Thanks for your help!