The Bible Speaks to You James Early

089 – How can we dig deeper into the Bible?

Have you ever felt like your Bible study is sort of flat? The passage you're reading is just words and there's nothing new to get from it?

This week's episode will give you some ideas about how to get some fresh inspiration from your Bible study by taking a deep dive in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

Lectio divina

This week I have a conversation with Eric Nevins, who explores a Bible study method called lectio divina. Eric  graduated from Trinity with a degree in Bible Studies and also went to divinity school at Trinity. Eric is the creator of Christian Podcasters Association and the Halfway There Podcast.

This week Eric answers talks about the importance of reading a Bible passage more than once to get more out of it. In fact, he recommends reading the same verses eight days to reflect on, ask questions, and ponder all that's going on in the passage.

Here are some of the questions we explore together:
Is Bible study of the head or the heart?Is it just an intellectual exercise or is to help us experience the presence of Christ in our lives?What is the role of curiosity when reading the Bible?Are we willing to ask God for help and healing?When we study the Bible how can we imbibe the spirit of Christ, feel the presence of the Holy Spirit so it’s not just a learning exercise but something we experience and can practice in our daily lives?How do we take these deeper lessons we learn from our study and apply them to our daily lives? When do we have to change our beliefs?Why is it scary to change your beliefs?What to do if your in the Bible study doldrums?Eric talks about the slow, meditative process of studying a Bible passage until the idea starts to show up and become part of your life.

Check out the show notes page to read the Bible references in today's episode: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/089.

Enjoy!

Please share with friend.

James Early
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

088 – Have you ever thought of yourself as a prophet of the Lord?

What does it mean to be a prophet? Do you have to predict the future and call down fire from heaven?

Basically, to be a prophet you need to:
Hear God's voice and follow His directionsNot promote your own personal opinions and perspectivesShare God's message in the way He tells you toUse your spiritual eyes to see what's going on Judge righteous judgment instead of judging by the outward appearance of thingsBe humbleBe bold in your trust in and obedience to GodHave a Jesus mindsetIn this week's episode, It explore the story of how the prophet Elisha established peace between the kings of Syria and Israel. It's a pretty dramatic story. You can find it in  2 Kings 6:8-23.

Watch out for false prophets!

But there are also false prophets in the Bible, those people who told the people what they wanted to hear instead of what God was saying. Jesus calls them wolves in sheep's clothing who have the intent of destroying the sheep and being in power.

There are also false prophets today. They predict who is going to be elected president. And they predict the exact dates when Jesus will return as well as the end of the world. Even when these dates come and go, with their prophecies unfulfilled, they still proclaim their prowess as prophets and a lot of people believe them. Jesus told us not to believe these people.

Can anyone be a prophet?
Is it possible for everyone to be a prophet or is it just for a select few? 
Here’s how Moses answered that question, 
"Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”  (Numbers 11:29  ESV)

I go into a lot more detail in this week's episode.
Never assume that you are not capable of being a prophet of the Lord 
Earnestly cherish your God-given ability to hear God’s voice, see what He reveals to you, and follow His guidance. Put yourself in His service, whatever it may be. It’s about humility. It’s about letting go of your personal opinions and perspectives and only doing and saying what God tells you to.

There are lots of Bible references this week. Check them out in the show notes at: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/088.

If you have any questions or comments about this topic, I'd love to hear from you. You can contact me here.

Have a great week. Please share this with a friend.

Until next week...

Blessings,
James


Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

087-When someone accuses you of making a mistake, what is your first reaction?

All too often it is to justify our actions, make excuses, blame someone else, or run for cover.

The Bible is full of this kind of behavior. It started all the way back with Adam. Instead of taking responsibility for eating the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve.

What if Adam had actually gone to God and repented for his sin before God came looking for him? Obviously, that didn't happen, but it gives us something to think about.

In this week's episode, I talk about 
Our reluctance to repent and the solutionWhy we need to accept responsibility for our thoughts and actionsThe best way to repentWhat repentance really isGod's forgiveness is always available for youThe important thing is to strive toward admitting your mistakes as soon as possible after you make them.  

Repentance and forgiveness go hand in hand.

To read all the Bible quotes in this week's episode, check out the show notes: thebiblespeakstoyou.com/087.
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

086 – Have you ever wondered what happened on the day of Pentecost?
What would it have been like to be in the room when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples?
What would it have been like to hear Peter preach to the crowd?

The Day of Pentecost is important for so many reasons.

First, the disciples were obedient to Jesus

He had told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. They were there 10 days. But they were faithful.

It was this obedience that set the stage for things to happen the way they did.

Second, the disciples were in unified

They were together, not just geographically, but spiritually in the same place as well.

They weren't debating theological points. They were united in their love for Jesus as the Son of God and rejoicing in his resurrection.

Third, they were baptized with the Holy Spirit

Not only were they inspired beyond measure, they started speaking in different languages. This was symbolic of the fact that the Gospel would be preached in every country around the world.

Fourth, Peter seized the opportunity

He preached to a crowd  and tell them about Jesus. About 3,000 people believed what Peter said and accepted Jesus as the Messiah.

Not bad for one sermon!

How does the Pentecost apply to you and me today?

How can we be more obedient to Jesus? You can't live in disobedience to Jesus and expect to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit.

How can we support unity in the body of Christ? Are you willing to set aside some of your theological opinions and appreciate other Christians who may disagree with you on somethings?

When you are moved and inspired by the Holy Spirit, God will also provide an opportunity to share this inspiration with others. Be like Peter and seize this opportunity.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Day of Pentecost and what it means to you.

To see the show-notes for this episode, go to thebiblespeakstoyou.com/086.

Thanks for listening. Please share with a friend.


Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

085– Why is your identity in Christ so important?

First, let me ask you: How do you see yourself? Usually we start with what we see in the mirror. How tall we are, how old, how much we weigh, what color of eyes, hair, and skin.  

But is that who you really are, the unique combination of all these material parts and conditions?  No! There's so much more to who you are.

How else do you see yourself? Do you identify your self by your nationality, your ethnic background and culture, where you were born and where you live now, where your parents and ancestors came from, where you went to school, your job and salary, etc.? 

And then, of course, we identify ourselves by our past, good or bad. We let the trauma and the drama of circumstances define us with certain emotions and feelings. We accept the labels the world puts on us and begin to identify with what others say about us.

We cling to all these ways of identifying ourselves because we think the condition of our body, our culture and heritage, the emotional events, failures, and achievements of our past, our bank account, our job, etc. define us.  
But they don’t define us. They are more like a story board of what has happened to us. But they are not our identity. Sometimes they hint at who we are but other times they’re more like a counterfeit of who we really are as God’s children.
As a kid, I was very conscious of my body, especially my very blond hair. I thought that was my identity.

But when I was about 16, I got serious about my faith and started reading the Bible. I started learning about the way God originally created me in His image and likeness, and how God saw me. This was a very different view from what I saw in the mirror and how I saw myself in my mind.

I found a lot of hope in something Paul wrote in one of his letters to the Corinthians: He’s talking about what happens when you accept Christ into your life. 
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  (2 Corinthian 5:16, 17  ESV)

You are a new creation

This is Paul's promise. Why then do we hold onto the things that are not who we are in Christ? We can let go of them. Christ washes them away. When we discover our identity in Christ, we realize our identity in the past is not who we really are. In Christ, we are so much more.

So, how do you see yourself? 

It’s really not the best question. We should ask how does God see you. Or better yet, ask God directly, “God, how do you see me?”
Have you ever been afraid to ask that question because you think God will only see all the mistakes you’ve made? We need to remember that God doesn’t count our trespasses against us. (2 Cor 5:19) Why do we hold onto them so fiercely.

How does God see you?

How does God see you? The way He originally made you. We get a glimpse of this by the way Jesus saw people like you. He looked at people with compassion. He said we are the light of the world, the salt of the earth. We have much value.

Discovering your identity does not happen in a moment. It’s a lifelong process of discovery and putting into practice what you discover.

Your identity in Christ is intact. It is complete and whole in the heart and the hands of God.

For all Bible quotes this week, check out the show notes at thebiblespeakstoyou.com/085

Blessings,
James
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)

084 – Have you ever noticed in the Bible how quickly God's healing power can come?

A while back I read through the book of Mark. It seemed like every other verse had the word "immediately" in it. Everything happens so fast. There's a quickening pace in Mark you don't find in the other Gospel writers.

In this week's episode I focus mainly on the first chapter of Mark. where the immediacy of Jesus's mission bursts upon the scene with his baptism, temptation in the wilderness, and the beginning of his preaching and healing.

Here are a few of the examples:
When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, "immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” (v. 10)  Jesus  heard a voice from heaven declare, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (v.11) There was no delay in God’s response to this event.
The very next verse says, "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.” (v. 12) 
When Jesus calls Andrew and Peter to follow him, “immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (v. 18) They didn’t hesitate a moment to respond to Jesus. 
When Jesus saw James and John, “immediately he called them,” and they followed. (v. 20) Jesus didn’t waste time deliberating what to do. He knew instantly whom to ask and when to ask them.
Jesus goes to Capernaum “and immediately on the Sabbath he entered into the synagogue and was teaching.” (v. 21) He just went in and started. He waited for no man’s approval. He just did what God impelled him to do with no delay.

God's healing power for a sick man
While he’s there, a man with an unclean spirit taunts him, and Jesus doesn’t try to reason with the man or ignore him. He instantly rebukes, not the man, but the unclean spirit. He wastes not one second in wielding his Sword of Truth and the man is healed. (vv. 25, 26)
What was the result? “And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” (v. 28) And they didn’t even have social media!
God's healing power for everyone

That night, when the Sabbath was over, the whole town comes to the house bringing their sick folks. Jesus healed them right on the spot. He didn’t tell them to go home and pray or read the Scriptures. He healed them right there and then. (vv.32-34)
I give several more examples in this week's episode.

The immediacy of evil's attempts to destroy Christ

But the response from those who opposed Jesus could be just as immediate. 
When Jesus healed a man the Pharisees immediately plotted to kill him.Jesus explained that the devil immediately tries to take away the word of God someone has just heard.When Jesus finished praying in Gethsemane, immediately Judas came to betray him.How can we experience more of the immediacy of God's power to heal?
The key is having the same awareness that Jesus did, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. When we are conscious of God’s presence and supremacy here on earth, as in heaven, regardless of what the outward appearances are, we can respond as Jesus did, because “we have the mind of Christ.” (1Corinthians 2:16)

The more we become aware of God’s immediacy, the more we’ll experience God’s presence in our lives and the more we will be inspired to take action when and how God directs us. 

Take a moment right now and drink in the immediacy of God’s love and presence and power to heal.

Thanks for listening. 

Blessings,
James Early
Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=8FJVXHLZPVZ8U&source=url)