REVIVAL COURSE #4
READ!!!
Hearing God's Voice in HIS Word
No one likes to talk with someone who hogs the conversation! And,
to grow, any relationship must both give and take. In the same
way, you cannot have a fire unless you feed it fuel. Take away the
logs, and the campfire goes out. So, we must have some kind of
firewood for our Revival Fire, as well! And give and take in our
relationship with God. You need to learn to listen to what HE is
trying to say to you!
WHAT ARE THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?
Holy men, down through the centuries, have collected the Words of
God and recorded them in the Book of Books or what we commonly call
the Bible. And, of this collection, the Bible speaks of itself,
saying: "Knowing this first (and foremost), that NO Scripture is of
any private interpretation (or source). For the Prophecy came NOT
in Ancient Times by the will of man; But Holy Men of God spoke
as they were moved (inspired) by the Holy Ghost!" (II Peter 1:20-21)
Thus, the Holy Scriptures are the inspired Words of God, and should
not be tampered with nor altered (Revelations 22:18-19). Moreover,
they are God's personal letters to you. What HE wants to say to you
is contained in them. So, how are you going to hear what HE is trying
to tell you, if you don't read them?
WHY DO WE NEED HOLY SCRIPTURES?
Ever try to assemble something, thinking that you knew how it went
together, only to find out that you had to turn to the book of
instructions (to straighten out the mess you had made)? Well, the
same is true of the Bible. It is God's Instruction Manual for us.
It tells us how to assemble and operate out lives. For it is written:
"And that from a child, you have known (of) the Holy Scruptures,
which are able to make you wise--even to the Salvation through Faith,
which is in Christ Jesus. For ALL Scripture is given by the
Inspiration of God. And it is profitable (beneficial) for doctrine,
for reproof (debate), for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the Man of God may be perfect, throughly furnish (equiped) for
all good works." (II Timothy 3:15-17). So, don't neglect the Bible,
or you may find that you have assembled your life into a real mess!
Moreover, it's wisdom has been a source of guidance for our
fore-fathers for centuries. They found it useful. And you will to,
if you only use it.
Moreover, the Holy Scriptures are the prime source of building up
our Faith. For it is written: "Faith comes by hearing--and (true)
hearing comes from the Word of God (Scriptures)" (Romans 10:17) So,
build up your own Faith--throw another log on the campfire! And, let
God speak to you and instruct you, through HIS Owner's Manual, the
Bible. for, if you don't, you will find that your relationship with
God will move onto rocky ground, if not get derailed!
WHEN SHOULD WE READ THE SCRIPTURES?
In Ancient Days, the Scrolls of the Torah were read to the people
only on the Sabbath. Moreover, one of the downfalls of the Catholic
Church in Mediavel Europe was that it became common practice to chain
the Bible up (and it was often not even read to the lay people). But,
with the Protestant Movement came the practice of not only publishing
and making the Holy Scriptures available to the common man, but the
foundation of all modern Education was orginally to insure that the
everyone knew enough to read and study the Holy Scriptures for
themself. Consequently, DAILY reading of God's Word is set forth in
the Bible, itself: "And it shall be that when he (ruler) sits on
the throne of his kingdom (or dominion), that he shall write himself
a copy of this Law (Scriptures) into a Book, out of those which are
before the Priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, AND HE
SHAL READ THEREIN ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE, that he may learn to fear
(respect) the Lord his God, to keep all the Words of this Law, and
these Statutes--to do them!" (Deuteronomy 17:18-19) Therefore, if
you are going to make anything of yourself in God's Kingdom, then
you had better get busy reading HIS Book! And read it everyday (if
only a page or two).
WHO SHOULD WE READ TO?
While the obvious answer is to oursleves (and, indeed, the Bible does
sound better read out loud), we need to keep in mind that
there are others around us who need to hear the Words of God. For,
God will speak to people as they read HIS Scriptures (Acts 8:27-31)
and HE will touch those who listen to it being read. Consequently,
it becomes one of our most sacred duties to read the Bible to our
children. For, it is written: "And these Words (Scriptures) which
I command you this day, shall be in your heart--And you shall teach
them diligently unto your children, and shall talk of them when you
sit in your house, when you walk (travel) by the way, and when you
lie down, and when you rise up!" (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Therefore,
not only do we need to set aside a time for our own Daily Devotion
and the Reading of the Bible (that God might speak to us, from it),
but we need to be sure that our children are getting a daily dose of
Bible stories, too! (And, keep your mind open and be alert! You
may come across others who appreciate having God's Word read to them,
such as the elderly or feeble sighted.)
WHERE CAN WE GET HOLY SCRIPTURES?
In Ancient Days, only the Synagogues had Torah Scrolls. And, in
Mediavel Days, the Books were locked away in libraries, where only
the Priests or priviliged got to have access to them. But, now,
thanks to Protestantism, you can go down to your local bookstore
and buy a copy for yourself. But, what kind should you get? Well,
these days, there are so many versions and translations. It is
not so important what kind you get as it is that you get one that
you will read! If the harder versions hinder you from your daily
reading, then get an easier version. For, even the best study Bible
in the world will do you no good unless you read it. (And, while we
tend to recommend the King James Version, for many of the more
theological works quote it, it is more difficult and scholarly to
read. And, if you can afford it, a Thompson Chain Reference Bible
is a helpful study and teaching aid.)
HOW ARE YOU YOU SUPPOSE TO READ IT?
Unfortunately, all too many people assume that reading the Bible is
just like reading a normal book--so they start at the beginning and
try to read all the way through. But, the average beginner will get
bogged down in about Leviticus or Numbers, and quit! So, if you
are new to the Bible, the best place to start is in the Gospel of Mark.
Mark is the shorest and easiest to read of the Gospels, but it also
gives you the basic details of Jesus' Life here on the earth. Once,
you finish that, the next place to turn to is the Books of Acts.
Acts recounts to beginning of the Early Church and it will help you
to understand why things are as they are in the Christian Congregation.
After that, you might skip around a bit, just to see what else might
interest you (and where God may lead you to read from). Then, once
you have already read several Books, you might think about setting up
a year long devotion time (for it will take you that long, or longer,
to read the Bible, front to back, for the first time or two).
But, before we scare you off from starting (with a reading project
that is too ambitious), let us just begin a simple reading, now. So,
don't run out on me! Hang in there a bit more. And read this
following selection out loud. (Scripture sounds better, read out loud
to yourself.)
- 1. Blessed is the man that walks NOT in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stands in the Way (group) of sinners, nor sits in
the seat of the scornful (skeptic or critic).
- 2. But, his delight in in the Law (Scriptures) of the Lord;
And in HIS Law (Scriptures) does he mediatate (think about) day
and night.
- 3. And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water,
that brings forth his fruit in due season--for his leave shall not
wither, and whatsoever he does shall prosper!
- 4. The ungodly shall not be so! But, they shall be like the
chaff, which the wind blows away.
- 5. Therefore, the ungodly shall not stand in the Day of
Judgement; Nor sinners in the Congregation of the righteous.
- 6. For the Lord knows (delights in) the Way (end) of the
righteous; But the way of the ungodly shall lead him to perish.
Well, there, now we have done it! Believe it or not, but we have just
read the whole 1st Chaper of Psalms, together. Now, see! That was
easy. So, surely, you can keep reading on your own. Just set up a
time when you can read every day (or almost every day). And, don't
try to read the whole thing at once. Just a Chapter a day is great
to start out with. Just, keep it up. (You can add more Chapters
later, if you want to.)
THE NEXT STEP...
Now, with normal friends, they usually also invite you to come over and
get to know their other friends. (Yes, Party Time!) So, in something
of a similiar way, God wants you to get to know HIS other friends.
Thus, HE throws a Party every weekend for HIS friends to come and
gather at. Don't be left out!
- To get FELLOWSHIP!!! (click here):
NEED MORE DETAILS ON THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?
So, you are an aspiring Seminary Student, huh? Or, are you just
curious and would like some more information on the Holy Scriptures
and the Word of God? Well, we do have more details about it, so follow the
links below, if you want to know more:
- To get more on HOLY SCRIPTURES (click here):
FURTHER CONTACTS...???
Joining us? Didn't find what you wanted? Or, have a comment or
suggestions? Well, if you really do need to reach us, use one of the
normal means, below:
- Realm Revival Course
ZDK (Shaddox) Foundation
P.O. Box 44
Underwood, WA 98651 U.S.A.
Phone: (509) 493-1674
And, E-Mail us at: zdkf@gorge.net (Please, mark subject box
REVIVAL!)
COPYRIGHT 1999 (Net) by Daniel Shaddox. All rights reserved.
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Dated: 5-21-99 . . . Updated 6-26-99