Focus of Christians???

[brinny]

Christ said:

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

So you won't make it unless you learn and do the words of Christ in your life, He said!

I think that makes the priority very clear.

Most people even in churches don't know much of what are in the Gospels!

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

But without the content of the gospels applied in their lives, they are not likely to survive in faith.

What comes to mind as i read your post is Elijah and Enoch, and the verse from Micah about walking with our God.

Did Elijah and Enoch "walk with God"?

Thank you kindly.

 

[Phil 1:21]

Sure. But first things first -- Matthew 7:24-27.

One of my favorite passages.

 

[brinny]

I attend a church that prides itself on its comprehensive coverage of the Bible. However, by far the majority of teaching is from the New Testament. Old Testament books get much less comprehensive coverage than NT books, primarily because many of them are lengthy. There seems to be a genuine disdain of the Psalms except for a handful of extremely overused Psalms.

Disdain of the Psalms?

 

[Halbhh]

Would you care to elaborate?

As a side note, how familiar are you with the Old Testament, brother?

Thank you kindly.

As Christ said, unless we do His commands to us, we will fall "with a great crash".

This means we have to hear His words He spoke, and recorded for us in the gospels, and then put them into practice, in order to survive in faith.

About the OT, while I read through the full Bible twice in my teens, it was only in the last 15 years I began to read in the OT again more widely. Most of the NT I've read at least 3 or 4 times, or I suppose it's 5 or more for most, but in the OT I've read only 4 or 5 books at least 4 times. But, if you count only the last 10 years, then I think it's about ten in the OT, including the very engaging to read Job, Ecclesiastes, and Ezekiel. But I am working through from the beginning also, from Genesis on, and am currently on 1 Samuel on that. Still, in our bible study group we often will jump into a book like Isaiah or the Psalms and read several chapters as a way to align our next reading with other groups starting a study at a certain date, also. The main thing I want soon is to fully read Isaiah, even if much of it will be the 4th or 6th time, to be sure to get parts I haven't, and then after that the minor prophets. There are great things -- I found it very educational to read more after seeing Christ quoted from Hosea 6:6 for example.

 

[CrystalDragon]

As a church, should believers focus most their time and efforts on studying the Old Testament, the New Testament, or should there me a balance struck between the two?

Reason for asking is I know a church nearby that teaches and preaches probably 80-85% of the time out of the Old Testament.

Perhaps a way to consider is this:

The New Testament is a divinely inspired commentary on the Old Testament? We know many New Testament books have supplementing stories from the Old Testament in them.

By the sound of it the Old Testament is what turned many former Christians into atheists.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

By the sound of it the Old Testament is what turned many former Christians into atheists.

What turned many former Christians into atheists was their lack of faith.

 

[brinny]

As Christ said, unless we do His commands to us, we will fall "with a great crash".

About the OT, while I read through the full Bible twice in my teens, it was only in the last 15 years I began to read in the OT again more widely. Most of the NT I've read at least 3 or 4 times, or I suppose it's 5 or more for most, but in the OT I've read only 4 or 5 books at least 4 times. But, if you count only the last 10 years, then I think it's about ten in the OT, including the very engaging to read Job, Ecclesiastes, and Ezekiel. But I am working through from the beginning also, from Genesis on, and am currently on 1 Samuel on that. Still, in our bible study group we often will jump into a book like Isaiah or the Psalms and read several chapters as a way to align our next reading with other groups starting a study at a certain date, also. The main thing I want soon is to fully read Isaiah, even if much of it will be the 4th or 6th time, to be sure to get parts I haven't, and then after that the minor prophets. There are great things -- I found it very educational to read more after seeing Christ quoted from Hosea 6:6 for example.

God's heart is inexplicably spelled out in Isaiah, isn't it? And what are your thoughts on the verse about God's blessings hunting one down and overtaking them?

 

[brinny]

By the sound of it the Old Testament is what turned many former Christians into atheists.

Would you care to read it in its entirety, dear heart? (((hug)))

 

[Halbhh]

By the sound of it the Old Testament is what turned many former Christians into atheists.

Yep. For instance hearing the idea God killed all people in the world but Noah's family, just mostly innocent people. An idea, a viewpoint, that will not survive reading Genesis 6 carefully, because of the verses 5 and 11. That is, if one read them without omitting words like "all", "every" and such.... But many just presume some opposite thing, like modern American people, good people, all innocent, slaughtered for no reason, etc.... Same about Israel taking Canaan, they would typically presume the Canaanites were just fine people not having any particular notable sins, like, say....routine and massive ongoing child sacrifice to idols (what???)...(many verses, like Deu 12:31, etc., and as also confirmed by archaeology digs finding the masses of children's bones at the altars.)

 

[Adstar]

As a church, should believers focus most their time and efforts on studying the Old Testament, the New Testament, or should there me a balance struck between the two?

Reason for asking is I know a church nearby that teaches and preaches probably 80-85% of the time out of the Old Testament.

Perhaps a way to consider is this:

The New Testament is a divinely inspired commentary on the Old Testament? We know many New Testament books have supplementing stories from the Old Testament in them.

Well when i came to be a Christian i did so because i read the Bible... Now i read it in the normal /conventional way.. Started at Genesis and then read all the books in order finishing at the end of Revelation.. But when i am asked for advice from seekers on reading the Bible i always recommend that they read the Gospels first and then keep going till the end of Revelations and then go back to Genesis and read the Old Testament.. I do this because i feel the urgency for seekers to get the Message of Jesus ASAP.. Because it is the most important thing for one to have salvation..

I have no trouble in people studying the Old Testament.. But it should be with the mind of gaining more understanding so as to be able to understand the Gospel more clearly and thus growing one in the knowledge of the Way of salvation..

The danger is that some churches that are works salvation churches will focus on the OT and neglect the most important t Gospel News of the Way of salvation through believing the LORD Jesus Christ..

I have no knowledge of the particular church you are talking about. But you are there and thus are in a far better position to assess if that church is neglecting the true Gospel message and has gone back to preach salvation through Law adherence..

 

[Halbhh]

God's heart is inexplicably spelled out in Isaiah, isn't it? And what are your thoughts on the verse about God's blessings hunting one down and overtaking them?

Sorry, but wasn't that sentence about Isaiah next in there? But I will tell you this much -- for me Isaiah chapter 55 is one of the most precious in all I remember in the OT.

Nothing in the OT will be enough though without taking in fully the words of Christ in the gospels, in my view.

Sorry I write such verbose paragraphs at times!

 

[CrystalDragon]

What turned many former Christians into atheists was their lack of faith.

Many atheists were Christians who were just as devout as any other, some even more so. And then they started reading the Bible. And looking into it's history. And finding it doesn't paint the picture of a loving God and perfect Word. And they were distraught about it before becoming atheists.

 

[Journey.In.Grace]

There should be a balance. It is important to study both the Old and New Testament; there is so much history in the OT to know about and to understand, how everything began and progressed that transitioned into the NT, but also the NT where we learn about Jesus' life on Earth, His parables, and the death on the cross that has broken our chains from sin. I think both are equally important to study.

 

[Halbhh]

Many atheists were Christians who were just as devout as any other, some even more so. And then they started reading the Bible. And looking into it's history. And finding it doesn't paint the picture of a loving God and perfect Word. And they were distraught about it before becoming atheists.

For instance hearing the idea God killed all the people, good and bad both, in the world but Noah's family?

Just mostly innocent people?

An idea, a viewpoint, that will not survive reading Genesis 6 carefully, because of the verses 5 and 11.

That is, if one read them without omitting words like "all", "every", "only" and such.... But many just presume some opposite thing, like the people must have been only just like modern American people, mostly good people, most innocent, and so it's a bunch of innocent people slaughtered for no reason, etc....

Often I found their 'reading' the Bible amounted to having ideas like the above.

Same about Israel taking Canaan, they would typically presume the Canaanites were just fine people not having any particular notable sins, like, say....routine and massive ongoing child sacrifice to idols (what???)...(many verses, like Deu 12:31, etc., and as also confirmed by archaeology digs finding the masses of children's bones at the altars.)

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Many atheists were Christians who were just as devout as any other, some even more so. And then they started reading the Bible. And looking into it's history. And finding it doesn't paint the picture of a loving God and perfect Word. And they were distraught about it before becoming atheists.

Your order of events there is off. You read the Bible first to be a truly "devout" Christian. A person who claims to follow any religion devoutly without knowing its creed and text is foolish and ignorant. What you describe is exactly what I said, a lack of faith.

If the same person had read the entire OT and understood the context of such, the OT is about a God who is madly in love with mankind but not turning a blind eye to man's increasing evil lifestyle. Sin always has and forever will be dealt with.

God is love, but he is also holy. In his love he sent Jesus to save us from our sins, because he will judge sin.

So again, a lack of faith is what caused them to lose their religion. Not God

 

[woobadooba]

As a church, should believers focus most their time and efforts on studying the Old Testament, the New Testament, or should there me a balance struck between the two?

I don't think any of us would go wrong to study the life of Jesus and follow His example.

"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39, NKJV)

 

[Anto9us]

How we cover four pieces of Scripture in a one-hour sunday school class amazes me, but it has been happening for several weeks now.

a reading from:
Genesis (or other non-Psalms OT book)
Psalms
an epistle
a Gospel

members have various versions of the Bible; the leader will ask various versions be read

people ask questions because they WANT TO KNOW, not to prove some point

Lady Pastor, extremely well-versed in Hebrew, preaches from both Old and New Testaments,
gives wednesday nite bible studies from both

it's all Bible

 

[brinny]

Sorry, but wasn't that sentence about Isaiah next in there? But I will tell you this much -- for me Isaiah chapter 55 is one of the most precious in all I remember in the OT.

Nothing in the OT will be enough though without taking in fully the words of Christ in the gospels, in my view.

Sorry I write such verbose paragraphs at times!

It's Isaiah 54. i was going through some horrendous heartache and very crushed in my soul and spirit and God's declarations in here just lit up for me.

Those verses (promises of God) knit themselves into my heart n' soul.

 

[brinny]

How we cover four pieces of Scripture in a one-hour sunday school class amazes me, but it has been happening for several weeks now.

a reading from:
Genesis (or other non-Psalms OT book)
Psalms
an epistle
a Gospel

members have various versions of the Bible; the leader will ask various versions be read

people ask questions because they WANT TO KNOW, not to prove some point

Lady Pastor, extremely well-versed in Hebrew, preaches from both Old and New Testaments,
gives wednesday nite bible studies from both

it's all Bible

Thank you. What a blessing.

 

[brinny]

This comes to mind:

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword and the Christian’s charter. Here too, Heaven is opened and the gates of Hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.