I have never noticed these verses before . . . .

I have begun reading the Bible through again lately.

In the past I have usually concentrated on a verse or passage at a time, conducting an in depth study of each section. More recently, I have been teaching pastors and leaders in our conferences that it is important to read the Bible everyday. That way, I tell them, the Word becomes the teacher instead of us just grabbing what looks good and pressing it into our preconceived mold. In order to identify with these leaders more closely, I have recently decided to go back to the daily reading pattern.

One day, meanwhile, in a conference in Botswana, as I was teaching about the importance of knowing the Bible as a Christian leader, it occurred to me that being a pastor was a lot like being an insurance salesperson. It is generally assumed, I said, that as new employees are hired, they are handed a company manual which they are required to read thoroughly so they are familiar with all the obligations and benefits of the company's policies. Then I ask, if the salesperson were to flip through the manual, groaning and moaning, "this is too hard" and "how am I supposed to remember all this?" and "oh, I just don't agree with this," then marches out to sell insurance according to their own made-up-policies, which would be called BOGUS INSURANCE, does that salesperson keep his job? Always the answer comes back a resounding, "No!" So what about the pastor/leader in the church who preaches and teaches BOGUS BIBLE? I'm talking about those who don't even know what it says, let alone understand what it means, yet they regularly get up and pontificate their opinion to a congregation. Then, I ask, "Does he or she lose his or her job?" "Well, uh, no," the pastors usually reply. The fact is that pastors and leaders keep right on teaching a BOGUS GOSPEL.

As I read through the Bible I realize over and over again how true this is about a lot of what I have been teaching and preaching. How can we "rightly divide the word of truth"? What must I do so I am speaking the "oracles of God" and not just my opinion when I stand to minister?

In our sessions we teach leaders to observe, or, read, read, and then re-read again. Then to look at the context and what it is tied to. Don't you hate it when someone takes something out of context that you have said and quotes it to say something you did not intend? I wonder how God feels when we take the Scripture out of its context, giving another meaning to the Scripture. To observe means to look carefully at the nouns, verbs, connecting words, repeated words, illustrations, progression of the text, the atmosphere or emotion of the text, and so on.

I found a couple verses recently that I knew I had read before, but I did not really know what they meant. So I took out my tools of observation and added the English-Greek interlinear New Testament and looked more closely.

Hebrews 4:12, 13
For the word of God is alive and active. sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

I have Italicized two words in this text because they are the same word in Greek, logos or word, yet they are translated as two different words, first as word, then as account. This vocabulary word can mean the Bible, the spoken word, speech, or to reckon, or give an accounting of, etc. Because the one word is used twice in the same text, I was wondering if they wouldn't have the same meaning. All my life I have heard the first logos interpreted, and have interpreted it to mean, the Bible, or the Word. But here it makes more sense to use the meaning to reckon in both instances, since the second one is already interpreted that way. "It is the reckoning or calling to account that is alive and active . . . that judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." This becomes clearer when we understand this, that the reckoning or demand for accountability is the meaning of word in verse twelve and account in verse thirteen. As I observed and also used a Bible study tool, I was able to find a deeper meaning. I also ask for the help God is always ready to give, which leads me to better understand the meaning of the text as I study it.

So if we were to rewrite these verses, they could possibly say:
Hebrews 4:12, 13
For the reckoning or judgment of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Now, if we know how to use the interlinear Bible (so simple to access where there's an Internet connection available) and can look up the meaning of the words in the text, it becomes very easy to see what the text is saying. But what if neither the Internet nor study tools were available to use, what does the man or woman do to find the meaning of the text?

Recently, I was looking at a couple obscure verses in Luke and I just observed them with no help from Bible study tools:

Luke 17:24, 25 says,
"For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."

It is even more clear in 12:49-50:
"I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!"

These are my observations.
I would be curious to know if you see more in this text than I have.

+ When Jesus comes again, He will seem to be a huge lightening bolt. [in 17]
+ The purpose of His coming [in 12] is to bring fire.
+ Lightening and fire indicate judgment: destroying what is bad and purifying what is good.
+ In 12 Jesus wishes He could already kindle a fire to judge those who are in opposition to Him.
+ The Pharisees must have really been a handful! But I also recall his refusal to call down fire on the Samaritans when the disciples felt insulted by them.
+ The second half of both these texts starts with the word but. This means there is something that must happen here an now before the judgment can be made in the future. 'That is going to happen BUT this needs to happen first.'
+ The purpose of Jesus' suffering or baptism is to bring about the salvation of mankind before the judgment is established and administered.
+ Jesus has His priorities straight. Before judgment takes place, He knows that He must suffer or undergo a baptism. This is in order for there to be a mercy on behalf of those who deserve judgment.
+ He is under tremendous pressure to pay the sacrificial price that appeases God. This is so that His kindness can bring us to repentance [Romans 2:4].
+ He does not yield to the temptation to cremate those enemies of God . . . yet.

I never saw this before. Jesus was angered and disgusted with the religious leaders of His day, enough that He was wishing He could currently administer judgment to those with hardened hearts. Yet Peter [1 Peter 2:22-24] quotes Isaiah when he tells what was going on with Jesus, "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." Then Peter explains what Jesus did instead, "When they hurled their insults at Him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, He made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness . . . ."

I knew what Jesus' death had accomplished, a fundamental of Christianity, but I did not realize the constraint under which Jesus lived day and night: to not yet judge those who just would not believe, but rather to yield, with such discipline, with such understanding of purpose, to become a sacrifice, suffering a horrible death, so that that greater purpose may be reached. No wonder He prayed day and night.

I have known the teachings of the Bible all my life. Raised in a pastor/teacher's home, a Bible student and teacher for many years, yet, all of this, and more, I have found since I began reading the Bible everyday for the past several months. I look forward to finding much more as I continue to dig for the treasures that have been there all along, just for the reading.

it helps to turn it on . . .

It's our first morning back and I am fixing breakfast.

I start with soft boiling the eggs: the eggs go in a bowl of warm water and the pan, also full of warm water, goes on the stove-top burner. I turn the front burner dial to high. Then, I pop a couple potatoes in the micro, since Ron has asked for potatoes with our eggs today. I pour the oj, set the table with our own dishes -- ah the feeling -- throw bread in the toaster, and set out the various jams and honey we enjoy. Potatoes are done, so I grate them into a covered dish. That way they are still hot to eat with the eggs over top. Yum. Turn to check on the egg water. It's not boiling; it's not even any warmer. Duh. I forgot to turn on the stove switch.

In Africa, electricity is a big thing because there is so little of it. Many places we travel to do not even have access to electricity. But where it is available, there is usually one bulb burning at the end of the electric cord that hangs from the middle of the ceiling. And usually that one bulb is about 40 watts . . . or less. Because there are so many other demands here and now on the governments of these nations (i.e. corruption) just maintenance -- forget improvements -- gets low priority. The power plants that should have been upgraded 20 years ago are now overloaded and often just shut down.

There are many suggestions made for saving electricity: blanket-wrapping your geyser (pronounced gee-zer) or hot water heater, boiling only the amount of water needed in the electric kettle, etc., and of course turning off the lights. The electric company has the authority to enlist any and all in what they call power-sharing, meaning that some days the electricity in the whole neighborhood is turned off for awhile.

Just recently, a pay-as-you-use system has been set up here in Pretoria. You stop at convenient kiosks around town, pay for the amount you want to buy, and it is put on your electricity card. You take it home, punch the numbers into the meter, and you have access to more electricity.

When we first arrived in Africa, we were fascinated to find that all of the electrical outlets here have an on/off switch. When the outlet is not in use, you can just flick the switch and cut off the electricity. Wanting to be savers, and preventing electric leakage, especially when we are gone for weeks at a time, we run around our flat (the European term for apartment) turning off all the switches just before we leave.

It never fails that when we first get "home" we must remind ourselves where the light switches are, or where things go as we put them away. And at times we even forget that we must turn the electric outlet switches back on again if we want to effectively get some breakfast on the table.

a lover's checklist . . .

Oh, I know. When we say 'lover" we are suddenly in Hollywood, or at least at the theater watching its version. But I am thinking about another definition, one I want to use as a checklist for my life today.

That 'other' definition is listed by Paul in his instructions to Tim (2 T 3:1-7). He's talking, a lot, about a LOVE, but of all the wrong things.

-LOVERS of themselves
-LOVERS of money
-boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy
-without LOVE, unforgiving, slanderous, without self control, brutal
-not LOVERS of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
-LOVERS of pleasure (reminds me of the thorns in the Parable of the Sower)
-rather than LOVERS of God

Then he sums it up:

lack of love = having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Whoa.

I love how Paul always discusses the pros and cons, giving me lists to check.
The pros are listed earlier on how LOVE is to be lived.

-flee the evil desires of youth (just the evil ones and not the good ones)
-pursue righteousness, faith, LOVE and peace along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
-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.

Why do we LOVE?
-Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
-and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do His will.
-But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. (2T 2:22-3:1)

Seems to me that in all this, Paul is saying to LOVE -- love God, love your fellow man.
Sounds like a good check list to work on today.