Assurance is a rare and precious commodity in today’s world. Even though no one is sure about much of anything today, assurance is real. Christian assurance is rooted in facts, in objective reality, in the real life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We will spend the next 15 weeks here with Omaha Bible Church, and Pastor Patrick Abendroth. Follow along with them in 1 John, which is a small book in the Bible that is packed with dynamite.
This series of sermons is a superb example of bible training. You will see how to read the Bible, how to understand the deep truths it proclaims. This is the stuff of life, of courageous Christian living in the face of a world rebelling against God in every way imaginable.
It is my prayer that you will be encouraged in your Savior Jesus Christ. If you live near Omaha and are looking for a church home, attend a faithful “bible training” church like Omaha Bible Church.
Speaking at the 2016 Ligonier National Conference, here is Southern Seminary President Al Mohler. He addresses the importance of the factual, actual, historical acts of the gospel.
This week starts a new series on the gospel. We will be posting individual addresses from the 2016 Ligonier national conference every Friday, which will take us through the next six months of Fridays. This week’s address is by W. Robert Godfrey, addressing current cultural trends in light of God’s purposes in creation.
For my first post here at Bible.training, I would like to point you to a modern classic on reading the Bible (as well as other disciplines necessary for growth in the Christian life). Don Whitney wrote Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life in the early 1990s. I have used this book repeatedly as a class framework for the Adult Bible Fellowship class in my home church. Dr. Whitney revised it recently, to update the material to speak more directly to opportunities, challenges, and concerns of a new generation who have been raised in a technologically rich environment from their youngest years. You can read Dr. Whitney’s description of the revised edition here.
Concerning God’s Word
You will find encouragement, motivations, and enticements to push you in reading the Bible. Whitney is eminently biblical in his counsel, showing you the whys and wherefores which will get you in God’s Word regularly. Helpfully, he recognizes that we can interact with the biblical text in several ways. Specifically, he spends time on three main means:
Hearing God’s Word
Reading God’s Word
Studying God’s Word
Time, a Plan, Your Head and Heart
As an example why I recommend this book, Whitney proposes three helps for our Bible reading which are direct, practical, and attainable.
Make the time to read your Bible
Find a reading plan to ensure you become familiar with the entire Bible over time
Meditate on a portion of what you read every day
He does not place you at the foothills of a huge mountain and then offer reason upon reason why this endeavor is nigh impossible. No, he equips you for the climb and ascends with you for a lifelong adventure in the wonders of God’s Word. I understand… if you’re not used to reading the Bible regularly, why would you bother with the effort to begin? Whitney will walk you through many questions like this, providing insights along the way which will truly encourage you as you seek to grow in knowing our great God revealed in Scripture.
You can catch a sense of Dr. Whitney’s love for God, the Word, and people by reading his biographical encouragement on reading the Bible daily. You can read what he says here.
I’ll have much more to say concerning the Bible in the coming years (DV), but Dr. Whitney says it better and more fully than I will ever achieve. Please, take up his book and read.
