bible

It is not good for man to be alone - Genesis 2.18

Man was in the Garden of Eden, a perfect and amazing place. He was placed there by God - in verses 8 and 9 of Genesis 2, we read, "Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food.." Man has been given a task and a purpose as well, work to be done to fulfil him - "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." (verse 9). God also gives man a creative and challenging activity to do. In verses 19-20, we read, "Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field." This must have been fun and required creativity & mental challenge! (It reminds me of the Simpsons 'Garden of Eden' clip which is worth a watch!) Man was in unbroken relationship with God, his Creator and the world around him was bustling with animal and plant life, amazing colour, sweet smell and incredible new sounds. But something was missing. In verse 18, the Bible says: The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." Right in this place of perfection, there was something missing. In the place of total connected-ness to the Lord Almighty, it was the Lord that recognised that something more was needed. And man himself was also looking for something extra. In The Message version, verse 23 records man saying, "Finally!" The principle we can learn is that God knows what we need. He knows we need others and for many, he realises the need is for that one special person. In the Garden, it was God who initiated the action, God who thought man should not be alone and God who created / brought woman to man. But man was seeking. The truth is that God knows exactly who we are, the right people for our lives. He will bring those people into our lives. He places lonely people in families, he knows our every need and heart's desire. Our role, like man, is to be faithful, grateful and seek God first and foremost. And maybe you sometimes feel guilty about spending time with your wife/husband, boyfriend/girlfriend or friends, as if somehow you're not putting God first. Don't be, it's not true. The act of spending time and loving people is worship to God - it was God in the Garden who said it was not good for people to be alone :)

The Power of the Word of God - Genesis 3.1-6

In Genesis 2.16, God said, 'You may eat the fruit from any tree in the garden (of Eden), except the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If you eat that fruit, you will die.' This is a very plain and simple statement, which came directly from the mouth (The Word) of God. Jesus told us that the burden God gives us is light and not heavy (Matthew 11.30). The Word of God is the same. In reality, it's not that difficult to understand, and God gives us his help to obey it.

But Eve and Adam decided to go against the Word of God and that's where their problems started. Incredibly, when Eve was tempted by the devil, she even told him what God had said, 'You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, or even touch it, or you will die.' (Genesis 3.3). Their problem was not that they didn't know the word of God clearly, but that they decided not to obey it. The temptation was too great, they were too weak. In fact, where was Adam when this was happening? (That's another story!) But the problem was they actively decided to disobey the Word of God, and this ultimately led to their destrcution and death.

So the flipside is true. If we obey the Word of God, we can expect to have life in all its fullness as Jesus promised (John 10.10). The Word of God is like a ring of steel around your life. If you know it, speak it, read it and live it, the Word of God will protect you, keep you from falling away from God. (In Isaiah 55.11, the Bible says, "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" - the power to make it happen contained within the Word of God itself). Don't forget this. And don't forget that the tree was at the centre of the garden of Eden. We need to keep God, his Word, at the centre of our lives.

So-called 'knowledge' - 1 Timothy 6.20-21

You may have heard the stories - somebody goes to a theology course at Uni all fired up for God and comes back doubting some of the basic stuff about the Bible that they once accepted as truth through their faith. What went wrong? It's what the man Paul the Apostle called, 'false knowledge' when he warned his mate Timothy to stay away from this kind of stuff.
So what it this? False knowledge is the kind of stuff you see on documentaries on TV when people set out to 'disprove' the claims of Christians. This kind of thing is when people say 'what you Christians say doesn't have any evidence.' It's when these professor types sit down round a table and discuss stuff so deeply that they begin to doubt whether anything has any truth. These are the people that get paid loads of money to sit around, write a few books about nothing while everyone tells them how great they are.
Jesus has a radical message. He doesn't ask us to discuss whether he was right or wrong to say what he did. He may not even ask us to go round finding evidence for what he says in the Bible. What he says is - read the Word, get into the Word, pray, put Jesus first and get out there and make a difference in this messed up world.
Paul warns Timothy, 'By saying they have that 'knowledge' some have missed the true faith. Some people talk so much, seek knowledge so much that they miss Jesus. Make sure you're not one of them.
'Jesus, I'm sorry if I've doubted your Word or tried to interpret the Bible according to what I think. I'm sorry and turn away from this. Put me back on track so I can put my faith into action and do mad things for you so you can use me to change the world for Jesus.'

The truth of The Bible - Jesus Says So! - John 14.26

Some people question the accuracy of the Bible. They say how can the Bible be true? Men wrote it and surely they could have got things wrong. Well, possibly, but no. How do we know? Because Jesus said so.
What do we know about Jesus. Well, he said in John 14.6 to his disciples that he was 'the way, the light and the truth.' So, Jesus is truth and truth is actually a person - Jesus!
Let's take a look again at the reading, John 14.26. Jesus is continuing to talk to his disciples to reassure them. He says that when he goes away back to heaven, God will send another helper to the disciples (and all those who believe in him), the Holy Spirit. Jesus specifically says that the 'Helper' (notice it's not 'a' helper or 'this' helper, it's 'THE' helper) will teach you everything and cause you to remember all that I told you.
So Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will teach us everything and cause us to remember everything that Jesus told. So when the Gospel writers put the story and times of Jesus to paper, they were not writing as themselves but under the direct inspiration and power of the Spirit, who caused them to remember everything. So the Bible that we read is the truth.
The Old Testament? Well, Jesus knew it, referred to it, was prophesied about in it, said everything prophesied in it would come true down to the last little dot, and 2 Timothy 3.15-17 lets us know all the Bible is for us.

A heart fired up by the Word of God?

Read Luke 24.13-35. It tells the story of 2 followers on the road to Emmaus. Jesus has died and risen from the dead and he suddenly appears next to them and walks along with them, talking and teaching them about everything that had been written about himself in the Bible!
They were so busy talking, they didn't recognise it was Jesus until they got inside their house and Jesus broke the bread. When they realised it was Jesus he disappeared!
Read verse 32. It says this, 'It felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us.' When you ask Jesus to speak to you and you take time to listen (reading your Bible, talking to another Christian or praying), sometimes you will feel that 'fire' burning in your hearts. There's nothing like it. Spend time with God today and ask him about it.

The Bible

'All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults and for teaching how to live right. Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.' (2 Timothy 3.16-17)
How well you know your Bible can make or break your Christian life - it's that important. Jesus calls the Bible the 'bread of life'! Jesus knew the Old Testament like no-one else. He taught it so amazingly that people said, 'Wow! This bloke knows his stuff not like those religious teachers.'
If Jesus knew the Bible, how much more do you need to know it? Deuteronomy 11.18 says this: 'Memorise God's laws and think about them - teach them to your children.' Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God (the Bible) is sharper than a double-edged sword. Today it's time to get serious about the Bible and your life and to start using that sword!

Is the Bible true? Part 1

Few people have read the Bible and many of your mates will say that the Bible is full of mistakes and is no longer relevant to today. But the Bible writers claimed (over 3000 times in the Bible) they were writing the Word of God, which was completely true and could be totally trusted!
Hundreds of Bible prophecies have been fulfilled completely. For example, Daniel the prophet predicted in about 538 BC (that means 'Before Christ', Daniel 9.24-27) that Christ would come as Israel's promised Saviour 483 years after the Persian emperor would give the Jews authority to rebuild Jerusalem, which was then in ruins. This was happened hundreds of years later. More than 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus!
Nostradamus and his 'work' mean nothing compared to the Bible (you don't hear that 95% of his predictions have been totally wrong!) Only the Bible is completely reliable and true - every time!

Is the Bible true? Part 2

Ever heard people say that the Bible is not scientific? They say - you can't believe the Bible because what is says goes against what the scientists say. Well now you can show them they are wrong - take a look at some of these scientific things the Bible said long before man 'proved' them to be true...
- Roundness of the earth (Isaiah 40.22)
- The relationship between rivers and seas (Ecclesiastes 1.7)
- The huge number of stars (Jeremiah 33.22)
- The importance of blood in our life (Leviticus 17.11)
What's great about the Bible is the way these things are put in simple terms so we can all understand what they mean! And that every word the Bible says is true - unlike a lot of what we hear from scientists and 'experts'!

The truth is out there - read 2 Corinthians 11.23-30

The Bible is the best selling book ever - many people have got a copy in their house. But the Bible is more than that - the Bible is the truth and it has come through the sacrifice of many people, even in England. In 1999 around 185,000 Christians were killed because of their faith. If you're prepared to suffer or even die for something, it must be pretty important.
In 2 Corinthians we hear some of the things that happened to Paul because he went round telling people about the gospel of Jesus. He was:
- lashed 39 times with a whip by the Jews on 5 different occasions
- beaten with rods 3 times
- almost stoned to death
- in ships that were wrecked 3 times, once he was in the sea all day & night
- in many dangerous situations with dangerous people
- tired, hungry, thirsty, homeless, cold with no clothes
What is God saying to you through this? Ask him.

Are you a follower? - Read Mark 1.16-20

If some bloke stopped by your school today and said, 'Right mate, come along with me. You've been working for your education but now I want you to come and work for me' and wandered off down the corridor, what would you do? Would you run to the head and say, 'excuse me sir there appears to be a lunatic on the school property - who should I call the police or the men in white coats?' or what?
Peter and his fellow fish-loving brother just followed Jesus, no questions asked. If Jesus asked you to go to Albania tomorrow, would you go? If he asked you to speak to your mate about being a Christian would you? What Jesus is asking you today is - 'are you my follower?'

Psalm 119.105, 'Your word is like a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.' (YB) Read Psalm 119.97-105

In 1 Kings 3.9, King Solomon asked God for wisdom. He could have asked God for a long life, riches or the death of his enemies but he didn't. He asked that God would help him obey God & for wisdom.
What would you have asked God for? No matter what you think will make you happy and rewarded, if it's not God then you will be wrong! Write down your 4 favourite things on paper. Now get rid of one of them - cross that one off. Do this 2 more times. What's left on your paper is probably the most important thing to you. If it's not God then it's time to change.
The Psalmist (the bloke who wrote the Psalm) was clear. He loved God's teaching, thought about them all day long & was totally guided by them. Through obeying God, he was wise and had understanding. What about you?

How can I hear from God? - Read 1 Kings 19.11-18

God wants to speak to you - so how can you hear from God and know it..?
a. We can pray. James 1.5 says we should ask God for wisdom. Verse 6 says we should believe it and not doubt. If you talk to God he'll speak to you.
b. We should listen for God's voice. 1 Samuel 3.10, Samuel said to the Lord, 'Speak Lord. I'm your servant and I'm listening.' (YB) In 1 Kings, we see that God moved past Elijah as a quiet and gentle wind. Sometimes, very often, this is how God speaks - quietly and gently. So listen!
c. Talk to other Christians - especially ones you trust and those who are wise and spiritual people. They've often been there before and can advise. Remember, it's God who has the truth so don't let people stop your dreams.
d. Reading the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God and has everything in it needed for daily living. It's all there if you look. 2 Tim 3.16 says the Bible is useful for teaching, correcting and for daily living. So use it!
e. Circumstances. Have things opened up for you? Has an opportunity come up that you weren't expecting? Put all these things together and trust God.

Does hell really exist? - Read Matthew 25.31-46

Yes! People disagree about what hell is but no true Christian can deny hell exists. 'When someone questions the fact and reality of Hell, they're questioning the authority of the Bible and Jesus Christ.'
It is a place. In Mark 9:43-48, Jesus tells people to cut off their hand rather than sin and to 'go to hell, where the fire never goes out.' There is no question in the mind of Jesus.
Second, it's forever. In Matthew 25:46 (NIV), Jesus says, "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." The Greek word for 'eternal' is the same. Since Christians will have everlasting life (John 10:28), those who don't believe will have everlasting punishment.
In Revelation 20:15, John says that anyone whose name is not in the 'book of life' is "thrown into the lake of fire". Don't let it be you, your friends or family. Pray like mad and get out there and tell people about Jesus!

Read Matthew 8.24-29

You know, reading through these notes means nothing unless you let the Word of God speak to you individually. Sure, God may use me to speak to you but you must ask God to speak to YOU. Do that today, and every day.
Many people know the song, 'The wise man built his house upon the rock.' If you don't, you're not missing out BUT the words are straight from the Bible so we need to listen to what God is saying to us.
Wise up! Listen to Jesus & obey what he says! It's so important. If you're life is based around money, friends, career, music, sport, being popular, playing the guitar - whatever, then one day you're gonna sink. If Jesus is at the centre of your life then you are going to be able to stand strong and firm. It doesn't promise to be easy. It does promise you God's help in everything and the guarantee of living forever having a 'mad one' with God in heaven!