All of the commands in the New Testament are in the superlative (Over the top!) the same with the prayers and the promises.
Teach the text as is. Do not try to make it fit the audience. Read the text. Ask the question “Is this true or false?” If you answer “True”, then thank God for it and keep on thanking God until this “over the top” command is part of you.
If this is so, then the next best teaching method comes into action. It is example. You are now living out the text and people can imitate you.
“Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (I Timothy 4:11-12)
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” (I Peter 5:2-3)
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (I Corinthians 11:1)
“Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” (I Corinthians 4:16-17)
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Teaching 7: Teaching Obedience
There are means of teaching information to the head that are very effective and probably should be used for all secular information. One of them is Classical Education, grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The difficulty with these methods, all of them, is that they can be used to teach misinformation, falsehood.
The methods are so effective that the person taught cannot discern any falsehood. It is fairly harmless in secular education. If false, the next generation will discover it but not the generation that was taught.
In Christian teaching, this method is more deadly. A catechism is a use of the grammar method. In young children this repetition is used. Most of the questions are good questions and good answers. There may be a bad question and a bad answer. It is memorized along with all of the true ones. To check this out, look at the different catechisms you know and compare them with the Bible you know.
Catechisms are not limited to one generation. If there is a falsehood in the catechism, the second generation may not catch it. Although the catechism is not considered inspired Scripture, it is considered an authoritative interpretation of Scripture. Consequently the next generation interprets the Scripture in the light of the catechism instead of interpreting the catechism in the light of scripture.
The methods are so effective that the person taught cannot discern any falsehood. It is fairly harmless in secular education. If false, the next generation will discover it but not the generation that was taught.
In Christian teaching, this method is more deadly. A catechism is a use of the grammar method. In young children this repetition is used. Most of the questions are good questions and good answers. There may be a bad question and a bad answer. It is memorized along with all of the true ones. To check this out, look at the different catechisms you know and compare them with the Bible you know.
Catechisms are not limited to one generation. If there is a falsehood in the catechism, the second generation may not catch it. Although the catechism is not considered inspired Scripture, it is considered an authoritative interpretation of Scripture. Consequently the next generation interprets the Scripture in the light of the catechism instead of interpreting the catechism in the light of scripture.
Thursday, February 06, 2014
How Not to Teach
“Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Ephesians 4:14)
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (II Corinthians 4:2)
“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.” (I Thessalonians 2:3-6)
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” (II Timothy 2:23-24)
In the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jim Wilson
“Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.” (II Corinthians 4:2)
“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.” (I Thessalonians 2:3-6)
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” (II Timothy 2:23-24)
In the Lord Jesus Christ,
Jim Wilson
Tuesday, February 04, 2014
How to Teach
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” (II Timothy 2:24-25)
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (II Corinthians 4:5)
“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” (II Corinthians 4:5)
Friday, January 31, 2014
Read the New Testament in 67 Days!
There are many Christians who read the Scriptures sporadically in time and place. In other words, they read the Scriptures “now and then” and “here and there.” They gravitate to their favorite chapters. If asked the last time they had read the New Testament through, they would not be sure they had ever read it through. Consequently there is an appalling ignorance of the God’s Word in the body of Christ, and a consequent lack of obedience. Listening to the best Bible teachers in the world will not make up for the personal ignorance of the individual.
There are several reasons why there is an unwillingness to read through the New Testament or the Bible: 1) “It is difficult to understand the “thees and thous.” 2) “I ran into the “begats.” 3) “When I don’t understand a verse, I stay with it, trying to understand it; so then I don’t progress.” 4) “It’s dull reading.” 5) “It’s too long; it would take forever.”
Here are a few suggestions to overcome these complaints.
First, obtain a Bible. Here are Bibles that are available, with reading levels by school grade.
Formal-equivalent translations of the Bible: The translators attempt a word-for-word translation and try to preserve word order and sentence structure.
King James Version/12th
New American Standard/11th
New American Bible/10th
Revised Standard Version/11th
New King James Version/9th
The Revised Standard, New American Standard and New King James are all revisions of the King James. The New King James used the same Greek text as the King James. The New American Bible is a Roman Catholic Bible; it is a revision of the Rheims-Douay Version which was translated from the Latin.
Paraphrase versions of the Bible: These are restatements of the message spoken in a style that is “easy listening” and using words that are contemporary.
Living Bible/8th
Message/8th
The Living Bible was written by Kenneth Taylor and was originally used for reading to his own children. The Message is also a paraphrase by an individual and contains very contemporary language.
Dynamic-equivalent versions of the Bible: The translators attempt to produce a translation which is closest in meaning and style: a thought-for-thought translation.
New International Version/7th
Today’s English Version/5th
The New International Version was a translation commissioned by the International Bible Society using many scholars from several English-speaking countries. It was the first translation of the Bible to outsell the King James Version. Today’s English Version was translated for people whose second language is English.
(The following translations have adopted gender-neutral nouns and pronouns, which is not honest translation and we do not recommend them: New Revised Standard/10th, New Living Translation/6th, New Century Version/3rd and Contemporary English Version/5th.)
Second, the genealogies in the New Testament take up less than two chapters total in Matthew and Luke. If they are a problem to you, skip them. Then go back over then separately; it will take only five minutes. They are important or they would not be there. However, they are not intended to stop you from reading the rest of the New Testament.
Third, when you read, do not stop for hard-to-understand passages; keep reading. They will make more sense because you kept reading. They will make even more sense the second time through.
Fourth, if you think the Bible is dull reading, start with exciting parts like Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
Fifth, if you are a slow reader (150 words a minute), the whole Bible would take only 80 hours of reading. The reason it takes so long is the days, weeks, or months you do not read from it at all.
Sixth, a schedule may help some of you. If you read four chapters each day, only Matthew and Acts would take a week to read. All of the rest (25 books) would take less than a week, and of those, 17 have from one to six chapters each, so you would finish reading each in a maximum of one and a half days.
The object is to know God and obey Him more and more. The object is not to finish so you can say, “I finished.” You cannot say that you know what God wants from you without knowing all His revelation and knowing His revelation well.
Reading Schedule:
1 – Matthew 1-4
2 – Matthew 5-8
3 – Matthew 9-12
4 – Matthew 13-16
5 – Matthew 17-20
6 – Matthew 21-24
7 – Matthew 25-28
8 – Mark 1-4
9 – Mark 5-8
10 – Mark 9-12
11 – Mark 13-16
12 – Luke 1-4
13 – Luke 5-8
14 – Luke 9-12
15 – Luke 13-16
16 – Luke 17-20
17 – Luke 21-24
18 – John 1-4
19 – John 5-8
20 – John 9-12
21 – John 13-16
22 – John 17-21
23 – Acts 1-4
24 – Acts 5-8
25 – Acts 9-12
26 – Acts 13-16
27 – Acts 17-20
28 – Acts 21-24
29 – Acts 25-28
30 – Romans 1-4
31 – Romans 5-8
32 – Romans 9-12
33 – Romans 13-16
34 – 1 Corinthians 1-4
35 – 1 Corinthians 5-8
36 – 1 Corinthians 9-12
37 – 1 Corinthians 13-16
38 – 2 Corinthians 1-4
39 – 2 Corinthians 5-8
40 – 2 Corinthians 9-13
41 – Galatians 1-3
42 – Galatians 4-6
43 – Ephesians 1-3
44 – Ephesians 4-6
45 – Philippians 1-4
46 – Colossians 1-4
47 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5
48 – 2 Thessalonians 1-3
49 – 1 Timothy 1-3
50 – 1 Timothy 4-6
51 – 2 Timothy 1-3
52 – Titus 1-3 and Philemon
53 – Hebrews 1-4
54 – Hebrews 5-8
55 – Hebrews 9-13
56 – James 1-5
57 – 1 Peter 1-5
58 – 2 Peter 1-3
59 – 1 John 1-5
60 – 2 John
61 – 3 John
62 – Jude
63 – Revelation 1-4
64 – Revelation 5-8
65 – Revelation 9-12
66 – Revelation 13-16
67 – Revelation 17-20
There are several reasons why there is an unwillingness to read through the New Testament or the Bible: 1) “It is difficult to understand the “thees and thous.” 2) “I ran into the “begats.” 3) “When I don’t understand a verse, I stay with it, trying to understand it; so then I don’t progress.” 4) “It’s dull reading.” 5) “It’s too long; it would take forever.”
Here are a few suggestions to overcome these complaints.
First, obtain a Bible. Here are Bibles that are available, with reading levels by school grade.
Formal-equivalent translations of the Bible: The translators attempt a word-for-word translation and try to preserve word order and sentence structure.
King James Version/12th
New American Standard/11th
New American Bible/10th
Revised Standard Version/11th
New King James Version/9th
The Revised Standard, New American Standard and New King James are all revisions of the King James. The New King James used the same Greek text as the King James. The New American Bible is a Roman Catholic Bible; it is a revision of the Rheims-Douay Version which was translated from the Latin.
Paraphrase versions of the Bible: These are restatements of the message spoken in a style that is “easy listening” and using words that are contemporary.
Living Bible/8th
Message/8th
The Living Bible was written by Kenneth Taylor and was originally used for reading to his own children. The Message is also a paraphrase by an individual and contains very contemporary language.
Dynamic-equivalent versions of the Bible: The translators attempt to produce a translation which is closest in meaning and style: a thought-for-thought translation.
New International Version/7th
Today’s English Version/5th
The New International Version was a translation commissioned by the International Bible Society using many scholars from several English-speaking countries. It was the first translation of the Bible to outsell the King James Version. Today’s English Version was translated for people whose second language is English.
(The following translations have adopted gender-neutral nouns and pronouns, which is not honest translation and we do not recommend them: New Revised Standard/10th, New Living Translation/6th, New Century Version/3rd and Contemporary English Version/5th.)
Second, the genealogies in the New Testament take up less than two chapters total in Matthew and Luke. If they are a problem to you, skip them. Then go back over then separately; it will take only five minutes. They are important or they would not be there. However, they are not intended to stop you from reading the rest of the New Testament.
Third, when you read, do not stop for hard-to-understand passages; keep reading. They will make more sense because you kept reading. They will make even more sense the second time through.
Fourth, if you think the Bible is dull reading, start with exciting parts like Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.
Fifth, if you are a slow reader (150 words a minute), the whole Bible would take only 80 hours of reading. The reason it takes so long is the days, weeks, or months you do not read from it at all.
Sixth, a schedule may help some of you. If you read four chapters each day, only Matthew and Acts would take a week to read. All of the rest (25 books) would take less than a week, and of those, 17 have from one to six chapters each, so you would finish reading each in a maximum of one and a half days.
The object is to know God and obey Him more and more. The object is not to finish so you can say, “I finished.” You cannot say that you know what God wants from you without knowing all His revelation and knowing His revelation well.
Reading Schedule:
1 – Matthew 1-4
2 – Matthew 5-8
3 – Matthew 9-12
4 – Matthew 13-16
5 – Matthew 17-20
6 – Matthew 21-24
7 – Matthew 25-28
8 – Mark 1-4
9 – Mark 5-8
10 – Mark 9-12
11 – Mark 13-16
12 – Luke 1-4
13 – Luke 5-8
14 – Luke 9-12
15 – Luke 13-16
16 – Luke 17-20
17 – Luke 21-24
18 – John 1-4
19 – John 5-8
20 – John 9-12
21 – John 13-16
22 – John 17-21
23 – Acts 1-4
24 – Acts 5-8
25 – Acts 9-12
26 – Acts 13-16
27 – Acts 17-20
28 – Acts 21-24
29 – Acts 25-28
30 – Romans 1-4
31 – Romans 5-8
32 – Romans 9-12
33 – Romans 13-16
34 – 1 Corinthians 1-4
35 – 1 Corinthians 5-8
36 – 1 Corinthians 9-12
37 – 1 Corinthians 13-16
38 – 2 Corinthians 1-4
39 – 2 Corinthians 5-8
40 – 2 Corinthians 9-13
41 – Galatians 1-3
42 – Galatians 4-6
43 – Ephesians 1-3
44 – Ephesians 4-6
45 – Philippians 1-4
46 – Colossians 1-4
47 – 1 Thessalonians 1-5
48 – 2 Thessalonians 1-3
49 – 1 Timothy 1-3
50 – 1 Timothy 4-6
51 – 2 Timothy 1-3
52 – Titus 1-3 and Philemon
53 – Hebrews 1-4
54 – Hebrews 5-8
55 – Hebrews 9-13
56 – James 1-5
57 – 1 Peter 1-5
58 – 2 Peter 1-3
59 – 1 John 1-5
60 – 2 John
61 – 3 John
62 – Jude
63 – Revelation 1-4
64 – Revelation 5-8
65 – Revelation 9-12
66 – Revelation 13-16
67 – Revelation 17-20
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Crucifying the Flesh
Occasionally I come across a person who thinks he has to crucify the sin nature (flesh), or I hear of preachers who preach it. The problem with the teaching is that it cannot be done. It cannot be done because it has already been done.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
That is past tense.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
That is past tense.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)
We cannot put to death something that is already dead.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
That is past tense.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
That is past tense.
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)
We cannot put to death something that is already dead.
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Rejoice!
“But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'” (Luke 2:10)
This was not a decision of man. This was God's decision and provision.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
This was not a decision of man. This was God's decision and provision.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
“Be joyful always.” (I Thessalonians 5:16)
Joy is in the Lord. This is not optional for the Christian. It is an imperative for the Christian.
Here are some of the causes for joy:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2)
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (I Peter 1:8)
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17)
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
Joy is not a small part of Heaven nor a small part of the Christian life. If you are not there, find out why and confess the sin.
This was not a decision of man. This was God's decision and provision.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
This was not a decision of man. This was God's decision and provision.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
“Be joyful always.” (I Thessalonians 5:16)
Joy is in the Lord. This is not optional for the Christian. It is an imperative for the Christian.
Here are some of the causes for joy:
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” (James 1:2)
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (I Peter 1:8)
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17)
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
Joy is not a small part of Heaven nor a small part of the Christian life. If you are not there, find out why and confess the sin.
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