Making sense of the Bible

        In the quest to make sense  of the Bible, it is so important to see God acting.  Many people are preoccupied with ' what does it say for me'  and miss the real story-line.


      When our mind is open to this perspective, we read so often of God  - - creating, speaking, redeeming, reconciling, saving, judging, sanctifying  etc.  It may be to a wandering person, a wandering nation, or a wayward church, God is seen as proactive. He is the initiator and the sovereign operator as Jesus said to Pilate " You could have no power at all against me, unless it be given you from above" John 19


           This highlights His holiness and righteous judgments, and also His love and grace.
It is true we must respond to the entreaty of God, but let us not read the Bible with the blinkers of self improvement. We are challenged often to change, but this is only possible by God's grace.


John McKee

Exploring the Scriptures by J Phillips

Bible Compass

Book Sample

Searching for the purpose

 It is most helpful in studying the Bible,  if we can discover the purpose of the writer. This is not a matter of imagination, but a simple yet careful observation of what the writer says.
        For  example John wrote his gospel, not as an historical record but as he says himself  "these things are         written that you might believe that Jesus is  the Christ..."  John 20.
       Again  he begins 1 John  " these things I write that your joy might be full".
        Peter gives his purpose at the end of 1 Peter 'exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand.'
           Luke ' sets in order' the narrative of Jesus.

The real danger is adding to the holy Scriptures as much as taking away from them!

J . McKee
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compass

The bible is to be the compass to direct us the right way!!
Sometimes we need a compass to find our way through the bible !!

Let the compass point to north ( ie upwards )  -When we read this book with God's honour in our minds, it is a safe starting ground.

Let us learn to read it on our knees and find the sweetness of God revealing himself.

jrm

The Bible has been treated as a book of literature, as a book of rules, as a book of history, a book of examples etc and all this is true yet as such it remains only a book. The word that is important, as we navigate through the 66 books, is the word "revelation". More than revealing the journey of humanity, it is rather God revealing Himself to His creatures, His people. This revelation comes in various ways - creation, prophetic utterance, writings upon stone, the experiences of people etc

The initial illumination to Adam and Eve became obscured, but God did not give up. He revealed His personal relationship with Abraham. He revealed His holy character through the law given to Moses. He displayed His great mercy in the person of King David. He outline His wrath against idols in the writings of Iasiah.

Beautifully interwoven in all these Old Testament revelations, is the glimpes of the coming Messiah. And when He came, as none other, He 'revealed' the Father. To read the Gospels just as biographies of Jesus is to miss much of the moral intent of God being revealed. By the Holy Spirit, the apostles were taking off more of the wrappings to reveal the glories of the Son of God

Finally John glimpses the revelation of God as revealed in the Lamb, the consumator of the ages.

This is no ordinary book. Let us pray ' Lord open my eyes to see you in these pages'

JRM

Facing Reality

We are comfortable.........we are educated..........we are cared for.................we are eloquent...............we are confidant................we are experienced............

but the simple, fundamental questions of life often leave us bewildered, frustrated or disorientated.

'Where did I come from?'

'Why am I here ?'

'Where am I going?'

'What is important?'

I propose not to give the answers, rather to lead you to the one who can.

Firstly let Him speak of Himself:

"I am from above....."

"I am"

"I am come that they might have life....."

"I came not to do mine own will but the will of Him who sent Me."

"I go unto the Father"

" I do always those thing that please the Father."

Uniquely so , Jesus knew who he was, where he came from, why he was here and where he was going. Our understanding of these thing can only be discovered as we have connection with HIM.

Until next time keep searching.....he will give the answers!

J. McKee