As I do my Bible study every morning and evening, a phrase, attitude, part of a verse, etc. that strikes me or leaves me with a question. Does that happen to you? Where do you go for answers? I'm not rooted in a new church yet (I just started attending a new church after I moved)....Do any of you have disciplers or disciples? How is that?
Where do you go for answers?
- Thread starter imallforgod
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Hi, to answer your question, there are many Bible Commentaries available at your local christian bookstores. These commentaries can answer questions you may have. They explain in detail what a particular verse means in terms you can understand. I would suggest you tell the clerk at the Christian Bookstore what you are seeking in terms of learning about the Bible, and she should be able to show you what book would be most appropriate for you. I teach a Sunday School Class and commentaries have been invaluable to me . Dee
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I agree that commentaries are very useful, but I do feel that we should never overlook asking the Lord to help us understand. Several times I have read passages that I don't quite understand, and often after a while, I suddenly understand. Choose commmentaries wisely, pick ones that are written by godly men who are of good reputation.
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Yes that happens to me.
Pray and ask God to show you.
Keep reading for one.
Get a good concordance and cross reference the key words.
Find and attend a good Bible believing and teaching church.
Psalm 119:105
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
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Go to God and ask him for understanding. Then expect to get it soon or sometime in the future. It always comes if you hunger to know it.
tip: usu, if you read the context, the answer is stated plainly there. sometimes, the more you meditate on it, the Holy Spirit just pops the revelation into your mind and you begin to understnd.
i dont find commentaries very helpful as they are usa traditional in interpretation. but they are good for giving background information like cultural practices, dates, etc.
it is also extremely good to sit under annointed teaching. but whatever you hear or read from the 'outside' should confirm what the Holy Spirit is already trying to tell you/lead you into in the inside of you.
the external simply 'puts into words' the internal 'knowing' you already have/sense.
that is the annointing within that teaches you and guides you into all truth.
tip: usu, if you read the context, the answer is stated plainly there. sometimes, the more you meditate on it, the Holy Spirit just pops the revelation into your mind and you begin to understnd.
i dont find commentaries very helpful as they are usa traditional in interpretation. but they are good for giving background information like cultural practices, dates, etc.
it is also extremely good to sit under annointed teaching. but whatever you hear or read from the 'outside' should confirm what the Holy Spirit is already trying to tell you/lead you into in the inside of you.
the external simply 'puts into words' the internal 'knowing' you already have/sense.
that is the annointing within that teaches you and guides you into all truth.
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shout2thelord
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I hope you settle in ur new church. I became part of a discipleship group quite quickly at mine or i would just ask a friend and i learned a lot just from asking others. you could even ask here!
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Andrew is right, just ask God to explain it to you. Also, make sure you are really wanting what it true, not just what you think is right. You know what I meanu by that? Its so easy to "see" simply what you want to see.
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Apologist
2 Tim. 2:24-26
While this is good advice let's not make it out to be some mystical thing if you know what I mean. The bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)
God gave us teachers, Greek and Hebrew scholars, and pastors to learn from. We should stand on the shoulders as it were of these men who have given so much of their lives to the study of God's word, and learn from them.
The Holy Spirit does not reveal all things in the scripture to us as some proclaim. He helps us when we obey Him but He does not reveal everything so that we may understand it completely. If this were true we would only have to read the scriptures once and all would be known.
God Bless
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SUNSTONE
Christian Warrior
I am a disciple.
Those questions that you have are designed for many reasons.
1. It keeps you medatating on the word of God, and this is how we learn things, by going over it, over and over. In a psalm David wrote, "I lie in bed and meditate on your word"
2. If you are thinking about the word, you can't be thinking about other harmful things like sin, and the bible says that the battle is in the mind.
3. Jesus gave parables to people, so that it would drive them to questions about the parables. This creates a mystery inside there head, which stirs a hunger, which sets them up for a revelation.In other words, it is a seed that is growing and soon will produce fruit unless the devil or the cares of the world kill that seed.
(If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liverally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.) James 1:5
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SUNSTONE
Christian Warrior
Originally posted by Apologist
While this is good advice let's not make it out to be some mystical thing if you know what I mean. The bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)
God gave us teachers, Greek and Hebrew scholars, and pastors to learn from. We should stand on the shoulders as it were of these men who have given so much of their lives to the study of God's word, and learn from them.
The Holy Spirit does not reveal all things in the scripture to us as some proclaim. He helps us when we obey Him but He does not reveal everything so that we may understand it completely. If this were true we would only have to read the scriptures once and all would be known.
God Bless
I disagree,
Listen to your pastors and fellow believing friends. God will use them to teach you, but it is the Holy Spirit that lets you know wether something is true or not.
How many times have you sat in church, read your bibles, or even read a book, and a revelation came to you? That is the Holy Spirit teaching you, or reveling that to you, through the bible or that person or book. I have had revelations from God through movies, strangers who have no idea that what they said, God used it or them to teach me something or show me something.
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Yes, that's good advice Mandy.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Psalm 119:130
The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
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Apologist
2 Tim. 2:24-26
I understand your point Sunstone and I agree somewhat, but my point was that the Holy Spirit does not magically interpret scripture for us on difficult passages.
Let me give you an example brother from Ezekiel 1:15-25:
Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. 17When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. 18As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. 19And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 20Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. 21When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. 23And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 24And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. 25And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
Can you tell me in all honesty that you have even the faintest idea of what Ezekiel is describing? I remember a message by John MacArthur who is a great bible scholar and teacher, and he said someone came up to him after a service and said, "Pastor MacArthur, what is Ezekiel describing when he talks about the wheels in chapter 1?"
Dr. MacArthur's answer was, "I don't have the faintest idea!"
Some passages we need to study diligently with prayer and all the help we can get from theologians and linguists to try and capture the meaning.
Even then theologians are divided on what these difficult passages mean.
I think on some of these passages it is best to remember what Deuteronomy 29:29 says:
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."
God Bless
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The revelation may not be instant apologist,
but it will come if we hold on to it. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, and there's nothing mystical there.
You can have teachers and bible scholars and books, but ultimately, it must confirm what you already know in your spirit. or it must bring the peace and life.
but it will come if we hold on to it. The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth, and there's nothing mystical there.
You can have teachers and bible scholars and books, but ultimately, it must confirm what you already know in your spirit. or it must bring the peace and life.
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SUNSTONE
Christian Warrior
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12
A couple of months ago, before I saw this verse(before the verse meant something to me/ revelation), I was thinking real hard, and prayed many times, to try and figure out what predestination means. God answered me, and said that I can't understand it yet, because there needs to be some other revelations in place to understand this one.
I didn't see this verse until today, but I have read over it atleast 10 times. Thats why its called the living word.
Jesus said those words to the disciples. Telling them that He must go so that the Holy Spirit will come and guide them into all truths.The key word is guide, not give. This is one of the reasons why we can get so much enjoyment out of reading the same thing over and over. Its because little by little we get revelations.
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Apologist
2 Tim. 2:24-26
I would agree with you brother, but I don't like to use the word 'revelation' since it can be misunderstood as claiming divine addition to the scriptures by some.
I would prefer the word, "insight" instead.
The Holy Spirit gives us insight into the word for the rest of our lives, I agree.
There are passages that a child can understand and a theologian can drown in. Awesome isn't it?
I think the context here is that Jesus has given them so much earlier in this chapter that giving them anymore would be too much for them to contemplate. After all, most of these men were fishermen and lived simple lives. I can imagine it was hard to digest all of these things Christ was telling them.
God Bless
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well here's another "insight" or revelation/rhema word as we charismatics like to call it.
Jesus also said this becos a lot more scriptures and revelations were given by the risen Lord after his ascension esp to Paul. So the Holy Spirit was needed to help them comprehend all this new revelation. Paul had more revelations from Jesus than the other Apostles.
does that sound like what Sunstone just said? nevermind.
one of the latest "insights" i had was from Psalms 103, where the 1st few verses shows that Jesus saves (from hell), heals, protects and prospers -- and how we are not to forget all these benefits.
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sbbqb7n16
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You might also check out studybibleforum.com They have a section on each verse that says what each word is in the original test. I find it pretty helpful in clearing up translation errors. Also I find verses from there every once in a while to post in this forum. This forum is SUPERB on asking and answering questions. Not trying to earn brownie points, it just is
Not trying to earn brownie points, it just is
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