Category: Devotional Thoughts

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Bible Reading in the New Year (Pt.3)

December 16, 2016 by • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Andrew • Tags: , •

By Pastor Andrew Gordon

Originally posted in the New Year season of 2015. 

This is the final installment of a group of posts concerning Bible study in the New Year. I hope that these posts might give you some practical tools to discipline yourself unlike the typical New Year’s resolution. In this post I will share examples of how I structure my time in the word.

In “Bible Reading in the New Year (Pt.2)” I explained that I try to go through one book at a slower pace to listen to what God is saying at the verse and paragraph levels, while at the same time reading larger chunks of scripture to try to grasp what God is saying through the overall flow of a book and scripture as a whole. Here is what that looks like for me:

3-4 days a week I am in a book studying smaller chunks of the Word. I try to be going through a book rather than randomly picking a new passage each day. This helps to really get to know the purpose and flow of the book. I read the passage once, then go back through it again. This is how I set up my page for taking notes:

Bible Study Notes

The observations help you move toward the author’s Big Idea–what did this writer try to communicate to his audience? Then the Big Idea helps you move toward a Theological Principle. In other words, each passage teaches us something about who God is that is applicable for all times. So the Theological Principle helps us see specific applications for our own lives.

The other 3-4 days, I read a chunk of scripture. This is often 3-5 chapters. Take notes about the main themes, repeated concepts, and what you’re learning about God and his people through the passage.

Note: In 2017, we are going through the Journible for the Gospel of Mark. The set up is different than the note page above, when I was going through James. But hopefully with several different examples, you will find a method that works best for you. 

You can decide how this looks, but I usually do not go back and forth everyday between small passages and large ones. Normally, I let the structure of the smaller passages dictate when I break from that to longer reading. For instance, maybe I want to get through a section in Mark before I go back to Genesis for a few days. Maybe you will want to split it between the first half of the week and the second. It’s up to you. If you are trying to keep up with the Bible-in-a-Year plan and the Journible, there will be some built in “catch up” days. After all, it gets easier and easier to quit altogether when you have a stack of unfinished days to check off the list.

In all of this, I cannot over emphasize the importance of prayer in this process. Each day, open with a prayer of praise to God, confession of sins, and a request for insight and wisdom from your Bible study that day. After studying and meditating on the Word, pray that God would help you apply it in meaningful ways throughout your daily life. Look for opportunities to specifically plot out how you will apply it, and ask God for his help.

Memorize the Word

“I have stored up your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). This is one of the best ways to understand the passage. It will also bring the passage to your mind throughout the day to fight off temptation with the Word of God like the example of Jesus in Matthew 4 in the wilderness. Start with one verse at a time. or even work through a chapter over a longer period of time. Repetition and being full of the Bible will help shape you in a Christlike way into a person who bears the fruit of the Spirit.

For memorization I use note cards, repeated writing, and multiple readings of the passage. There are also helpful apps available for your devices. I find the app FighterVerse is particularly helpful.

Submit to it!

Look for specific areas of your life where you can apply what you are learning. God’s Word will push you to grow and change. But if you are not submitting to that growth and change, you will soon come to believe that you do not need it and will fall away. But if you submit to the Word you will experience this type of clarity:

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).

–To see what we are doing at WBC in 2017, check out this post here. 

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Bible Reading in the New Year (Pt.2)

December 14, 2016 by • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Andrew • Tags: , •

By Pastor Andrew Gordon

Originally posted in the New Year season of 2015. 

This is the second part in a quick series on establishing habits and rhythms of reading and studying God’s Word in a meaningful way. Our New Year’s Resolutions often bite the dust early, but how can we change that trend when it comes to Bible reading? In part 1, I wrote about several reasons why we should read and study scripture regularly. Today’s post will hopefully provide you with some practical ways to develop good habits this year in the Word.

How do I get into a routine of reading and studying the Bible?

“Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8).

Routines can be of great value, but sometimes, actually training or disciplining ourselves to establish them is difficult. I hope this section is extremely practical for anyone who is just starting to set aside a time and a place for Bible reading and prayer all the way to the one who is established but needs some encouragement. How can we discipline ourselves for godliness?

1) Find a place. One of the important things about studying the Bible is finding a place where we can shut out distractions. If you are going to hear from God, the last thing you need is to be hearing from the TV, radio, and smartphone all at the same time. So find a place where you can avoid distraction. Keep it consistent for a while, but be willing to switch it up on down the line.

2) Find 5 minutes. If you are not regularly in the Word, and your day is jam-packed; don’t try to start with getting up an hour earlier than you always do. That is a recipe for failure by way of the snooze button. A very wise man once told me to set my alarm just 5 minutes earlier for a week or two or even a month. Use that time to read a passage and meditate on it as well as prayer. Your body will not miss the five minutes of sleep, and you will find you desire more time in the Word. Then after a set period of time, add 5 minutes. Eventually you will be in a routine of up to a half hour, hour, or more.

[Aside: Do I have to do it in the morning? Of course not. But I find that there is too much value in the morning to justify moving it to another time during the day. I want to open my day with God being the first voice I hear in a world of news, sports, Twitter, and Facebook.]

3. Meditate. I’m not referring to some mystical search for inner peace. But sit with the passage asking what God is teaching the original audience about himself and about mankind. Then seek out applications for how you can apply what you are learning. Pray that God will open your eyes to the text and its meaning. The meaning in scripture can be difficult and deep, but it’s never hidden.

4. Choose what you read with purpose. I will go into some more specifics of my practice in the next post. However, in short, I try to make sure I am doing two things in my study of the Word. First, I want to always be studying on a verse by verse basis, walking slowly through a book. Secondly, I want to be reading chunks of scripture to help myself see the bigger picture of God’s revelation as a whole. You can decide what days work best to do which. But try to build some consistency. God is teaching us things in each verse and paragraph as well as in the flow of his revelation on a large scale. For the days you read longer portions, there are plenty of Bible-in-a-year plans out there you can easily find via Google or apps like YouVersion.

5. Find a Friend. We are not walking through the Christian life alone, and reading God’s Word is no different. Find someone in your life that you can trust to challenge you to stay in the Word. This person should be able to ask you at anytime what God is teaching you. This will challenge you to both be in the Word and be able to answer the question well. If you are married, stick with your spouse in this or a close friend of your same gender. When two are paired, and one falls, the other can pick him/her up.

Note: In 2017 at WBC, we will be offering a Bible-in-a-Year plan for reading big chunks. For the shorter, deeper study, we will being going through the Journible for the Gospel of Mark. Click here for more information. Since many of us are doing the same thing, it shouldn’t be hard to find a partner for encouragement and accountability.

In the coming days, I will add an example of what my routine looks like. Remember, this is very important to our spiritual lives. But start small, and commit to grow.

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Bible Reading in the New Year (Pt.1)

December 12, 2016 by • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Andrew • Tags: , •

By Pastor Andrew Gordon

Originally posted in the New Year season of 2015. 

In just a few weeks, many people will go to the gym for the first time in 11 months. Others will have a brand new diet to commit to long term…you know, at least 3 weeks. And many of us will commit to reading through the Bible this year. Some of us will make it a week or so longer on our Bible reading resolution than our diet and exercise plans. Some of us, starting in Genesis, will make it to Leviticus and will get bogged down in the Law before quitting.

Getting in the Word daily takes discipline, but it is vitally important to our lives (Psalm 1). What better time to establish new habits and routines than January 1? But how do I make this resolution stick? Over the course of 3 posts, I will suggest (1) why we should be in the Bible on a daily basis followed by (3) how to establish these rhythms, including (3) examples from my personal practice.

Why is it important to read the Word daily?

If asked, almost every professing Christian would say that it is important to read the Bible regularly. However, fewer could explain why. I would venture to predict that those who cannot explain why they should be reading and studying the Bible would be the same ones who struggle to do it on a regular basis if ever.

In Psalm 19, David begins by praising God for how he has been revealed in creation. The glory of God is clearly displayed for us all in the wonders of creation. In verse 7, David takes a turn from creation and dives in to worship of God for his Word. “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7, ESV). David understood that though the “heavens declare the glory of God” (v. 1), God’s Word reveals his glory as well. See, creation fills us with wonder. But it should fill us with greater wonder that the God who created all of that would desire to have a relationship with us. What’s more, he reveals the way to have that relationship through his Word.

David rightly knew that the Word of God holds the message of eternal life. The Word teaches us how to live as God’s people. God does not leave us guessing. Since the God of the universe has chosen to speak to us, through the Bible, are we compelled to listen? Don’t we want to hang on every last word? If you need convincing, try reading Psalm 1 or the great song of the Bible, Psalm 119.

When God speaks, his power is put on display. Through reading his written word and humbly accepting it, we are yielding ourselves to his power to transform us more into the likeness of Christ. We open ourselves up to be the people he has called us to be in terms of holiness and evangelism. We learn the heart of God so that we might love what he loves and hate what he hates.

If you believe that God is glorified through creation, then you have to see him through his Word!

The Bible is sufficient for the Christian life. This means, we do not have to rely on God to audibly speak to us or add to what he has already revealed in scripture. In 2 Peter 1, Peter says that it is by the knowledge of Christ and his promises. These are found in scripture. James teaches us to look into scripture to evaluate ourselves and to live in light of what we find (James 1:22-25). God’s Word is sufficient for our lives, and God wants us to know him through the words he has spoken.

I hope this post will set up the two to follow. We should not just be sitting under preaching of the Word. Rather we should be mining the depths of God’s revelation. Next, I will post some help in establishing some patterns. Later, I will add a 3rd post with some examples of how I read and study God’s Word.

Until then, I invite you to check out this post on how NOT to read through the Bible this year here.

Lastly, This post from last week helps set up how WBC plans to work through Bible study together in 2017.

2017 Bible Study Plan

December 8, 2016 by • Devotional Thoughts, Discipleship, News • 0 Comments

In 2017, we want to cultivate a culture of personal Bible study in our church. For the first time in several years we are going to offer a Bible-in-a-Year Plan. This plan has built in catch up days in case you get behind. This particular plan has you reading from four different parts of the Bible each day. This promotes growing closer to God by gathering a greater understanding of his revelation at the big picture level.

However, great growth comes from studying and going deeper in smaller passages as well. One way we are going to promote this is by going through a devotional together as a church called a Journible The concept of a Journible is very simple. You write out the passage for that day on one side of the page and write your notes on the page across from the verses. The Journible includes a few questions to help you think through your study as well.

We will be going through the Gospel of Mark together. The study will take about 27 weeks with a “catch up” days each week and a whole week in the middle to catch up. The church will provide the schedule through the Journible, a list of “Digging Deeper” questions to help you make the most of your study, as well as a copy of the Bible-in-a-Year Plan if you want to do both. If you would like your own copy of the Journible, they cost $10 a piece (we know that most of you can handle that cost, but if that is a problem for you, please talk to one of the pastors).

We will order the Journibles in time to get them in by the New Year. There is no need to sign up if you want to participate in the reading plan or want to follow along the Journible plan without buying the book. The schedules and extra materials will be available at church. Please sign up using the bulletin insert this Sunday or email Pastor Andrew if you would like us to order you a Journible.
pastorandrew@winfieldbaptistchurch.com

Click here to check out more info on Journibles.

Click here for the Reading Plan

For more help on studying the Bible, Pastor Andrew wrote a 3-part blog series a couple years ago for New Years which gives ideas, tools, and encouragement for daily devotions. Those will be re-posted on the website over the next few weeks.

Please don’t hesitate to ask questions.

Blessings on your Bible studies in 2017,

-Your Pastors

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God’s Word and the Church Buffet

December 30, 2014 by • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Mark • Tags: • 0 Comments

By Pastor Mark Toole

There are many different stances on the traditional buffet.  Many think it is a gross endeavor for multiple reasons; the fact that the food may have been sitting there for a couple of hours, and of course the young child that uses their hands for getting the food onto their plate rather than the utensil provided, just to name a couple.  But many are like me.  We see the experience of walking into a buffet as no other experience in the world.  Paying a nominal fee at the door so that I can eat unlimited portions of a seemingly unending amount of choices?  This far surpasses the normal restaurant experience of being forced to choose one specific meal, with its limitations, from the menu.  Choosing the steak over the ribs, instead of the Parmesan chicken, and forgoing the Cajun shrimp pasta is one of the hardest decisions I have to make.  This is because I want it all.  My desire is to have my steak and eat it to.

That’s why it is awesome when we can walk into a restaurant and eat all of the above without paying for each individual meal!  But it is a truly terrible thing when we take this “have it all and have it your way” approach to what we take from God’s word, but that is exactly what has been happening to our church culture.  When I use the word “culture” I am speaking of the bigger culture that is the United States, and even the world as a whole, but I am also speaking of the specific culture that is our local churches, even here in West Virginia.  We have a tendency to look at things that are happening throughout the world and think that they will never happen to us, but it is becoming more and more apparent that we are not impervious to the growing influence of secular culture.

So what do I mean what I talk about the Bible as being the church buffet?  Much like the restaurant buffet, where I can walk through the line and put the steak and mashed potatoes on my plate, but walk right past the cauliflower and lima beans, we have begun to go through the Bible and take out and apply the things that we agree with, while we discard the things that contradict what the overwhelming culture says is true, and frankly, contradicts the way we would like to live our lives.  By doing so, we are creating a “Christianity” of convenience, rather than a Christianity centered on Christ through the truth given to us in His word.

One of the predominate truths that is being compromised in the church for the sake of convenience is the church’s stance on homosexuality.  As reported by Albert Mohler on The Briefing, there has been a new wave known as “The Third Way.”  With this movement, churches are declining to take a stance on whether or not homosexuality is sinful, but rather are looking to coexist in light of differing views on the issue.  This new position was spurred on by New Hope Community Church in La Mirada, California when one of the pastors of that church was faced with the decision of sticking to a truth he had held to for years or accepting his now openly homosexual son and his new lifestyle.  The pastor, driven by his love for his son chose to support the homosexual lifestyle, but did not want to force that opinion on the church so he devised “The Third Way.”  The Third Way is a stance that more and more churches are turning to, saying that they are a congregation that neither endorses nor condemns “homosexuality but viewing it as a matter about which sincere Christians can honestly disagree in the same way Christians differ in their understanding of the Bible’s teaching about divorce and remarriage in the 21st-century context.”  Those are very dangerous words.  We are not to interpret the meaning of scripture in light of our cultural context.  When we talk about being culturally relevant, we are discussing relevant application to the unchanging truths of God’s word; not changing the truths of God’s word to fit our culture.

We may look at New Hope Community Church and see that they are based in California and expect that kind of thing from a church in California as it is a very “liberal” state, but many of us would be surprised that the same idea is permeating our churches, specifically through our younger generation.  Parents, as a youth pastor, I see and hear these kinds of conversations from your students all the time.  Culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality has led to a growing number of “openly gay” relationships in our schools.  Our students have been put in a situation of either supporting their peers (maybe even their close friends), or being labeled intolerant.  Many of the students are conforming to society’s acceptance of this lifestyle because they may not know what the Bible says on the issue, or they may buy into the buffet of God’s word and be willing to throw away that truth thinking that it is archaic and should no longer apply to people.  They have fallen victim to the same emotional sentiment that the pastor at New Hope Community Church has; they love their friends and are choosing “support” over truth.

What we must understand is that the Bible is very clear on the issue of sexual immorality.  There is no room for “interpretation” when we look at what the Bible has to say about homosexuality and other sexual impurities.  When we look at passages such as Romans 1:18-32, which says,

“But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness…. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.  So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.  That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.  Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

Or 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and 1 Timothy 1:8-10, it is very clear that God’s word does not leave any wiggle room on the issue of sexual immorality and that it includes homosexuality under the umbrella of sexual sin.  These passages can be summed up quite simply by Leviticus 18:22, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman.  It is a detestable sin.”  The minute we choose to reject any one of God’s truths in His word, not limited to, but including this truth, we have rejected the very truth Jesus spoke in John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Instead of responding in acceptance of a lifestyle that is so obviously opposed to God’s call to righteousness, we should love and support those who have chosen this lifestyle by sharing the truth of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Don’t blindfold them so that they cannot see their sin, but help them to see the freedom from their sin that is offered through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  He has the power to set us free from the bondage of our sinful nature through the outpouring of His grace and mercy.  Sharing the truth of the forgiveness of our sin and the freedom from our sin that only God can offer through His Son, Jesus, is the most loving and supportive thing we can do for those we know who have submitted to their sin nature in the form of homosexuality.  As for those who have traded in the inerrant word of God for their own edited version, we should continue to share the dangers of this with them as well, allowing them to know that the same truth Jesus speaks in Matthew 6:24 in regards to greed and the love of money applies to God vs. the love of the world, or acceptance of secular culture; “No  one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other…”

Although the focus of this discussion has been homosexuality, don’t miss the point; we are subject to the danger of treating God’s word and Christianity the same way we treat our buffet line.  If we are not careful, we will pick apart God’s word and take only what we are comfortable with, and this is truly dangerous.  Instead, let us have the heart of Paul as spoken in the famous passage, Romans 12:1-2, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Empty for Christmas

December 13, 2014 by • Devotional Thoughts, Pastor Andrew • Tags: , • 0 Comments

By Pastor Andrew Gordon

I am hopeful you will see this as a little more than just another “Reason for the Season” post. Those posts usually (and correctly) point out that Jesus is the reason for the season, and we must not get so caught up into the consumerism and entitlement of our society and take a moment to pause and thank God for his Ultimate Gift. Again, all of that is due this time of year. But I want to share a further reflection.

Jesus is more than just Christmas, right?

Jesus is more than just pause-worthy before our big feast, right?

Jesus’ birth is more than just one in a few billion, right?

He must be more, but what does it all mean?

I want to focus on a thought from Philippians 2 where I believe that Paul expresses beautifully what it meant and still means for God to become flesh.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Phil. 2:5-11, ESV.

I think Paul is reflecting on the first  coming of Christ in order to draw out a way of life for those who are following Jesus. It’s truly beautiful. Let’s look at what Christmas was before we look at what it means. Christmas was the event in which God became man.

There have been many well written books, articles, and posts out there about the theological and practical implications of the Incarnation. If the Incarnation is false, we lose the rest of what we stand for. You can read more on this here. Yet, I want to focus on just one aspect: The Son of God “empties” himself to humility (even shameful humility on a cross) out of obedience.

The importance of Christmas is what occurred when God literally and truly became man, sacrificing dignity while maintaining perfect deity. He emptied himself of all privilege and prestige that comes with being God. Other places, we see that God did this out of love for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Here Paul tells us that Jesus’ humiliation -becoming man and dying on the cross- is the reason the Father has highly exalted him and given him the name above every name.

Christmas begins the earthly “humiliation” of God that leads to his glory renown (v. 11). God is always worthy of all glory, but it is fully displayed to the world in Jesus Christ. The Incarnation assumes that we have no hope outside of God’s intervention. The Incarnation proves that it pleased God for this to be the way of salvation. The Incarnation sets the tone for how Christians are to think and then act.

This Christmas, let me ask you something: When we were all headed for hell because of our sin, did Jesus ask, “Why should I die for those liars, thieves, adulterers, and murderers?” No. The plan was to save sinners. That’s just not fair though! God should never have to suffer just because we messed up and chose to sin! But yes, yes he did. He did not have to suffer and die because of any external obligation. Jesus chose to suffer, because it was decided before the foundations of the world that we would be chosen in him to be holy and blameless, adopted as his sons for full inheritance (Eph. 1:3ff).

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” As people of Christ, the incarnate God, we have no choice but to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. That means as a believer I don’t get the luxury of fighting for what I have earned. It means I am willing to lay down what is “due” me for the sake of others as obedience to Christ. Jesus said that if we wish to follow him, we must take up our cross and follow him. First and foremost our witness to Christ’s example is to display the gospel in word and deed. In our culture, we sometimes interpret “cross” as “soapbox,” “rights,” or “privilege.” But Jesus, the only one with the right to take up any of those three, denied that path for cross-shaped humiliation and beckons us to follow.

You are not God. I am not God. We cannot be anyone’s incarnate Savior. But we can be what God calls us to be as a voice for the voiceless. First and foremost our witness to Christ’s example is to display the gospel in word and deed. We should also be advocates for those who are being oppressed in his name. And we do not do it because we have to. We do not do it because we are the ones oppressing them (though I am far from blameless here). We do it because, Jesus was born as a vulnerable babe, wrapped in cloths, and placed in an animal feeding trough as a foreshadow for his ministry and death. We do it because Jesus said we were to follow his lead and bear witness to what we have seen in him.

If you want to send a shoe box to a kid on the other side of the world, awesome! If you want to donate to a shelter, do it! But I want to encourage believers this Christmas season to be open to potentially messy relationships with those who are oppressed or needy. Let’s empty ourselves of any privilege we think we “deserve” this season. We do not deserve it, but even if we did; Jesus gives us a higher example to follow.

Please share your thoughts or even some tangible opportunities for other readers to take and run with to follow Christ in emptying ourselves for others this Christmas.