LHIM Everything

LHIM Everything

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LHIM Everything episodes

  • Rahab

    There are many heroes we look up to in the Bible – Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and of course, Jesus – just to name a few. But who are the unsung heroes? This week we kick off a new series which will take a closer look at some important, but obscure figures who made a significant impact on biblical history. We start off with Rahab, a woman whose dubious reputation did not stop her from declaring her faith in Yahweh, in word and deed, when it mattered most.

    Joshua 2:1 Two spies are sent by Joshua to Jericho and stayed with Rahab, a prostitute.

    Joshua 2:2-3 The king of Jericho sends for Rahab.
    Joshua 2:4-5 Rahab lies to the king’s men.
    Exodus 1:15-21 The midwives lied to Pharoah to save babies from slaughter.
    Joshua 2:6-7 Rahab hides the spies on the roof and diverts the king’s men.
    Joshua 2:8-11 Rahab declares her fear for Yahweh and that Yahweh is the one true God.
    Joshua 2:12-14 Rahab makes an agreement with the spies.
    Joshua 2:15-16 Rahab helps the spies escape and gives them instructions.
    Joshua 2:17-20 The spies pledge to save Rahab and her family from destruction.
    Joshua 6:12-17 The Israelites march into Jericho.
    Joshua 6:22-23 Joshua sends for Rahab and her family.
    Joshua 6:24 Jericho is destroyed.
    Joshua 6:25 Rahab and her family are spared and make their home in Israel for generations to come.
    Matthew 1:1-5 The genealogy of Jesus includes Rahab.
    Hebrews 11:31 Her faith, courage, and trust in God make Rahab a significant biblical figure.
    James 2:25 Faith alone does not justify a person. James uses the example of Rahab hiding the spies as faith being completed by works.

    The post Rahab first appeared on Living Hope.
    45 min
  • Rahab
    There are many heroes we look up to in the Bible – Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and of course, Jesus – just to name a few. But who are the unsung heroes? This week we kick off a new series which will take a closer look at some important, but obscure figures who made a significant impact on biblical history. We start off with Rahab, a woman whose dubious reputation did not stop her from declaring her faith in Yahweh, in word and deed, when it mattered most.
    Joshua 2:1 Two spies are sent by Joshua to Jericho and stayed with Rahab, a prostitute.
    Joshua 2:2-3 The king of Jericho sends for Rahab.
    Joshua 2:4-5 Rahab lies to the king’s men.
    Exodus 1:15-21 The midwives lied to Pharoah to save babies from slaughter.
    Joshua 2:6-7 Rahab hides the spies on the roof and diverts the king’s men.
    Joshua 2:8-11 Rahab declares her fear for Yahweh and that Yahweh is the one true God.
    Joshua 2:12-14 Rahab makes an agreement with the spies.
    Joshua 2:15-16 Rahab helps the spies escape and gives them instructions.
    Joshua 2:17-20 The spies pledge to save Rahab and her family from destruction.
    Joshua 6:12-17 The Israelites march into Jericho.
    Joshua 6:22-23 Joshua sends for Rahab and her family.
    Joshua 6:24 Jericho is destroyed.
    Joshua 6:25 Rahab and her family are spared and make their home in Israel for generations to come.
    Matthew 1:1-5 The genealogy of Jesus includes Rahab.
    Hebrews 11:31 Her faith, courage, and trust in God make Rahab a significant biblical figure.
    James 2:25 Faith alone does not justify a person. James uses the example of Rahab hiding the spies as faith being completed by works.The post Rahab first appeared on Living Hope.
    45 min
  • 4: How to Determine Content and Application

    Notes Download

    “If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I’ve ever learned as a Christian? Here it is: Never read a Bible verse. That’s right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph at least.”1

    What to Look For

    • author
    • audience
    • occasion
    • purpose

      • Two Tasks

      1. Figure out what a text meant to its original audience
      2. Figure out what it means to you today

        3. Understand Then Apply

        • get the author’s point before asking about application
        • what’s the author’s train of thought
        • do not ask, “How does this affect my life?”
        • do not ask, “How does this fit into my theology?”
        • just focus on getting what the author is conveying in his own historical context
        • paragraph style bibles help with this tremendously whereas verse paragraphs make it hard to see what is connected to what
        • look up words and phrases that you don’t understand like a Sabbath day’s journey, high places, a talent or a mina
        • in most cases a simple internet search will provide the answer
        • a paper study bible or some apps will provide footnotes with helpful information

          • Have an Open Posture Toward the Text

          • accept that you are going to disagree with the scriptures from time to time
          • also accept that sometimes your understanding of the scripture is flawed
          • recognize that you are imperfect in your understanding, morals, theology, and understanding of life
          • adopt a posture of obedience
          • pray, “God please change me by what I read”
          • the role of God’s spirit to inspire, convict, encourage, etc.
          • The spirit is both lurking beneath the surface of scripture and hovering over it as you read
          • pray and ask God to show you what to do in light of what you just read

            • Covenants

            • covenant is an agreement between God and the people with clear expectations and commitments from both
            • old covenant
              • God established this with Israel at Mount Sinai after he brought them out of Egypt through Moses
              • they would follow his Torah (instruction or law) as taught by Moses
              • he would take care of their fertility and protect them
              • new covenant
                • God established this with the Church at the cross
                • they would follow Jesus and his apostles’ teaching on how to live
                • God would make them (even non-Israelites) his people, forgive their sins, allow himself to be known, and put his law (as taught by Jesus) in their hearts
                • he would resurrect them to eternal life in the age to come when he establishes his eternal kingdom

                  • Application Rules

                  1. “A text cannot mean what it never could have meant to its author or readers” (p. 77).
                  2. “Whenever we share comparable particulars with the first-century hearers, God’s word to us is the same as his word to them” (p. 78).

                    3. “The great caution here is that we do our exegesis well so that we have confidence that our situations and particulars are genuinely comparable to theirs. This is why the careful reconstruction of their problem is so important” (p. 79).

                    Application Problems

                    1. The problem of extended application (1 Cor 6.1-6)
                    2. The problem of particulars that are not comparable (1 Cor 10.24-11.1)
                    3. The problem of cultural relativity (Rom 16.16; 1 Cor 16.20; 2 Cor 13.12; 1 Thess 5.26)
                    4. The problem of task theology

                      5. Three Questions to Help with Extended Application

                      1. Does extending the application contradict other scriptural statements?
                      2. Does extending the application align with general principles taught in scripture
                      3. Does extending the application align or contradict with the example of Jesus or the apostles?

                        4. Moral vs. Custom

                        • “[O]ne should be prepared to distinguish between what the New Testament itself sees as inherently moral and what is not. Those items that are inherently moral are therefore absolute and abide for every culture; those that are not inherently moral are therefore cultural expressions and may change from culture to culture.”2

                          • Novel Doctrines

                          • If you’ve found a way of putting together verses to build a new doctrine no one in twenty centuries of Christianity has ever expressed, chances are, you’ve made a mistake
                          • See Restorationist Manifesto (Appendix 2-3) for simple methods of doctrinal synthesis and evaluation

                            • Review:

                            • When reading scripture, look for clues about authorship, audience, occasion, and purpose.
                            • Figure out what a text meant to them first, then figure out what it means to you.
                            • Pray! Ask God to change you by what you read. Seek his wisdom in applying scripture to your particular situation.
                            • Understanding covenants is necessary to figure out if a particular command in scripture applies to you today.
                            • It’s easiest to apply scripture when your situation lines up closely with the biblical situation.
                            • Recognize that scripture has a limited application. Don’t extend application beyond the original intention.
                            • Sometimes our situations are so different that the best we can do is extract the principle behind a particular instruction. However, applying that principle in a new situation takes wisdom.
                            • Some instructions in scripture are culturally embedded and obeying them literally would result in new problems.
                            • Building general doctrines from biblical texts is sometimes problematic since scripture often addresses particular situations.
                              1. Dan Kimball, How (Not) to Read the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020), 39.
                              2. Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 85.
                              The post 4: How to Determine Content and Application first appeared on Living Hope.
                              43 min
                            • Focus on Reaching Others

                              What does God want?

                              Genesis 1:26-28   God’s original and ultimate purpose for humanity

                              1 Timothy 2:1-4   What does God want?

                               2 Peter 3:9   Why hasn’t Jesus returned yet?

                              John 3:16   Why did God give His Son? Why did Jesus give his life?

                              Colossians 1:27   With the holy spirit, we have Christ within enabling us to be in the image of God with His morals, motives, and desires.

                              2 Corinthians 5:14,15   Controls, constrains, compels, or motivates as it did for Peter, Andrew, John, James, and Paul.

                              16   Our understanding of others is no longer based on external, superficial criteria such as social status, race, gender, wealth, or physical appearance.

                              1 Corinthians 2:13   Spiritual lens – How does God see people?

                              1 Corinthians 5:17   Our morals, motives, motions now align with Gods’.

                              1 Corinthians 5:18   Ministry of reconciliation – helping people to come to God or to come back to God through Christ

                              19   Word of reconciliation – Romans 10:17

                              20   Ambassadors for Christ

                              21   Our qualifications

                              2 Corinthians 6:1-2   Right now is the acceptable time.

                              Ephesians 6:19-20   Pray for open doors.

                              Psalm 37:3-5   God will give you His desires if you seek them.

                              Psalm 73:25-28   We must maintain God’s desires.

                              The post Focus on Reaching Others first appeared on Living Hope.
                              45 min
                            • 3: How to Read the Bible in Context

                              Notes Download

                              Exegesis

                              Hunger for Scripture

                              Two Questions

                              1. What did it mean to the original audience then?
                              2. What does it mean to you today?

                                3. Context, Context, Context

                                1. immediate context
                                2. canonical context
                                3. historical context
                                4. geographical context
                                5. cultural context

                                  6. Immediate Context

                                  • Philippians 4.13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
                                  • Putting this verse in context:
                                    • Philippians 4.10-14
                                    10   I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

                                    Canonical Context

                                    • Leviticus 11.4, 7
                                      • 4 But among those that chew the cud or have divided hoofs, you shall not eat the following: the camel, for even though it chews the cud, it does not have divided hoofs; it is unclean for you. …7 The pig, for even though it has divided hoofs and is cleft-footed, it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
                                    • To whom were these statements originally made?
                                    • Leviticus 11.1-2
                                      • 1 The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the Israelites: “From among all the land animals, these are the creatures that you may eat.

                                      Historical Context

                                      • Jeremiah 29.11
                                        • For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
                                      • What were the historical circumstances in which this statement was originally made?
                                      • Jeremiah 29.1
                                        • These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

                                        Geographical Context

                                        • John 2.13
                                          • The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
                                        • Does this mean Jesus was south of Jerusalem?
                                        • Actually, here “up” refers to elevation, since Jerusalem is on a hill. People go up to Jerusalem regardless of the direction from which they approach.

                                          • Cultural Context

                                          • Abraham and Sarah (nomadic)
                                          • Solomon (palace life in the united kingdom of Israel)
                                          • Daniel (palace life in Babylon)
                                          • Jesus (Galilee and Judea under Roman occupation)
                                          • Paul (major Greco-Roman cities)

                                            • Chronological Snobbery

                                            • Originally coined by C. S. Lewis, this refers to the judgmental attitude that looks at people in ancient history as unsophisticated, primitive, and inferior.
                                            • Ancient people were not dumb. They were no smarter or dumber than we are.
                                            • Some of their technology was rather sophisticated.

                                              • Literal vs. Figurative

                                              • Didymus the Blind (ad 313-398): “Abraham entered then into Egypt allegorically by adapting himself as one of the perfect to the imperfect in order to do good to them instead of holding on to virtue as a privilege, as has been said above, but in showing her to all as his sister, in humility, so that by contemplating her they might come to love her. But observe how it is said that the officials saw her. There are in fact in the ranks of the allegorically viewed Egyptians some men who are purer, who have a great capacity for perceiving virtue. And they not only perceived her, but they introduced her to their superior, that is, to the reason that governs them, and they praised her” (On Genesis 228).1
                                              • Sadly, Didymus overlayed the historical narrative of scripture with lessons about treasuring wisdom that were obviously not present in the text
                                              • Figurative sections of scripture like Isaiah 55.12 and Revelation 12.4 are fairly obvious.
                                              • Generally it’s good to interpret the historical, legal, and epistolary portions as literal unless there’s a good reason not to

                                                • Review:

                                                • Exegesis is the process by which one studies, understands, and explains what a texts means.
                                                • The two questions you must ask when studying the bible are (1) “What did this mean to the original audience?” and (2) “What does this mean to me today?”
                                                • Most errors in exegesis are the result of failing to read the immediate context.
                                                • Getting a grip on the context of the original writing greatly improves exegesis, including immediate context, canonical context, historical context, geographical context, cultural context, and technological context.
                                                • While reading historical narratives, law, biographies, and epistles you should privilege literal interpretation over figurative, recognizing that exceptions can happen.

                                                  • If you don’t understand something, just keep going. Figuring out the big picture can help immensely to understand the minutiae.

                                                  1. Sheridan, Mark and Thomas C. Oden, eds., Genesis 12–50 Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture 2. ICCS/Accordance electronic edition, version 2.8. InterVarsity Press: 2002, Downers Grove.
                                                  The post 3: How to Read the Bible in Context first appeared on Living Hope.
                                                  0 min
                                                • Stewarding Your Time

                                                  Time is something we all have been given the same amount of but don’t all use the same way. God wants us to be mindful of how we use our time so that we make the most of the time that we have been given.

                                                  Ephesians 5:15-16

                                                  “Watch carefully” — This means to pay careful attention or be keenly aware of something.
                                                  “Unwise/wise” — Wisdom and foolishness are an important matter of interest here. There is a way to live that is wise, and there is a way to live that is foolish. Each day, we can consider how we choose to live.
                                                  “Making the best use of the time” — The Greek word means “to buy up,” and in the context, it means to make the most of every opportunity. To buy up time means to metaphorically purchase that time for a purpose, and that purpose is to do “the will of the Lord” (v. 17).
                                                  “The days are evil” — This refers to the fact that “the days” are filled with darkness and are characterized by the activity of this present evil age in which we live.

                                                  Romans 13:11-14

                                                  We must be those who are aware of the “time.” It is time for us to be alive and active with respect to the good news and our trust in the Lord Jesus, not dormant and complacent. Now is the time to put on the “armor of light” and “the Lord Jesus Christ.”

                                                  Psalm 90:12 — We want to obtain a heart of wisdom!

                                                  Proverbs 6:1-5 — There is a right time to act and not wait.

                                                  How do we make the best use of our time?

                                                  1. Set proper priorities.
                                                  2. Strive to grow.
                                                  3. Seize the opportunity.

                                                  The post Stewarding Your Time first appeared on Living Hope.
                                                  48 min
                                                • 2: What You Need to Know About Your Bible

                                                  Notes Download

                                                  The Bible is not a single book, but a collection or library of sixty-six books.

                                                  1. Genesis
                                                  2. Exodus
                                                  3. Leviticus
                                                  4. Numbers
                                                  5. Deuteronomy
                                                  6. Joshua
                                                  7. Judges
                                                  8. Ruth
                                                  9. 1 Samuel
                                                  10. 2 Samuel
                                                  11. 1 Kings
                                                  12. 2 Kings
                                                  13. 1 Chronicles
                                                  14. 2 Chronicles
                                                  15. Ezra
                                                  16. Nehemiah
                                                  17. Esther
                                                  18. Job
                                                  19. Psalms
                                                  20. Proverbs
                                                  21. Ecclesiastes
                                                  22. Song of Solomon
                                                  23. Isaiah
                                                  24. Jeremiah
                                                  25. Lamentations
                                                  26. Ezekiel
                                                  27. Daniel
                                                  28. Hosea
                                                  29. Joel
                                                  30. Amos
                                                  31. Obadiah
                                                  32. Jonah
                                                  33. Micah
                                                  34. Nahum
                                                  35. Habakkuk
                                                  36. Zephaniah
                                                  37. Haggai
                                                  38. Zechariah
                                                  39. Malachi
                                                  40. Matthew
                                                  41. Mark
                                                  42. Luke
                                                  43. John
                                                  44. Acts
                                                  45. Romans
                                                  46. 1 Corinthians
                                                  47. 2 Corinthians
                                                  48. Galatians
                                                  49. Ephesians
                                                  50. Philippians
                                                  51. Colossians
                                                  52. 1 Thessalonians
                                                  53. 2 Thessalonians
                                                  54. 1 Timothy
                                                  55. 2 Timothy
                                                  56. Titus
                                                  57. Philemon
                                                  58. Hebrews
                                                  59. James
                                                  60. 1 Peter
                                                  61. 2 Peter
                                                  62. 1 John
                                                  63. 2 John
                                                  64. 3 John
                                                  65. Jude
                                                  66. Revelation

                                                    67. The Old Testament includes 39 books, written in Hebrew and Aramaic.

                                                    1. History [Torah, Judges, Kings, Exilic]
                                                    2. Poetry [Philosophy, Songs, General Wisdom, Subversive Wisdom, Romance]
                                                    3. Prophecy [Pre-Exilic, Exilic, Post-Exilic]

                                                      4. The New Testament includes 27 books, written in Greek.

                                                      1. History [Jesus, Church]
                                                      2. Epistles [To Churches, Pastoral, General]
                                                      3. Prophecy [Apocalyptic]

                                                        4. Genres

                                                        • historical narrative: Genesis, Exodus (first half), Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts
                                                        • biography: Ruth, Ezra (partial), Nehemiah (partial), Esther, Jonah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts (partial)
                                                        • law: Exodus (second half), Leviticus, Deuteronomy
                                                        • poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations
                                                        • prophecy: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Revelation
                                                        • wisdom: Job, Psalms (partial), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
                                                        • epistles: Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude, Revelation (partial)
                                                        • apocalyptic: Daniel (partial), Zechariah (partial), Revelation

                                                          • Subgenres

                                                          • parables (2 Samuel 12.1-7)
                                                          • riddles (Judges 14.14)
                                                          • aphorisms (Proverbs 15.1)
                                                          • monologues (Job 3.3-26); Matthew 5-7)
                                                          • dialogues (Genesis 4.9-15)

                                                            • Additions to the Text

                                                            • chapters
                                                            • verses
                                                            • paragraph headings
                                                            • book introductions
                                                            • cross-references
                                                            • textual notes
                                                            • translation notes
                                                            • study notes
                                                            • italicized words
                                                            • capitalized words
                                                            • red words

                                                              • How References Work

                                                              • 1 Kings 3.4 = First book of Kings, chapter 3, verse 4
                                                              • separator between chapter and verse can be a colon, a period, or even a superscript font
                                                              • 1 Kings 3.1-4 = verses 1 through 4 of chapter 3 of 1 Kings
                                                              • 1 Kings 3-4 = chapters 3 through 4 of 1 Kings
                                                              • we use a semicolon to separate between chapters and a comma between verses (1 Kings 3.4, 7, 15; 16.1-20; 18)
                                                              • we use an “a” or “b” to mark the first half or second half of a verse (1 Kings 3.4b)
                                                              • we use an “f” to include the verse following the starting verse (1 Kings 3.4f = 1 Kings 3.4-5)
                                                              • we use an “ff” to include all the verses to the end of the chapter (1 Kings 3.4ff = 1 Kings 3.4-28)
                                                              • we often abbreviate book names to their first syllable.

                                                                • Ways to Read the Bible

                                                                • paper bible: any “standard” version
                                                                  • (NRSV, ESV, NASB, CSB, etc.)
                                                                • website: biblegateway.com, biblehub.com
                                                                • app on your phone: YouVersion, Bible.is
                                                                • app on your computer: Logos, Accordance

                                                                  • Review:

                                                                  • The Bible is not a book, but a library of 66 books.
                                                                  • The Bible breaks into two main divisions: Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).
                                                                  • The Bible contains different genres that affect how we read, including historical narrative, biography, law, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, epistles, and apocalyptic.
                                                                  • Even within genres, we can find subgenres like parables, riddles, aphorisms, monologues, and dialogues.
                                                                  • Although God inspired the text of scripture, other additions of publishers are subjective and devoid of divine authority.
                                                                  • Reference styles vary but follow the format of book => chapter => verse.
                                                                  • The Bible is available as a bound book, on websites, on phone apps, and on computer apps.

                                                                    •  

                                                                    The post 2: What You Need to Know About Your Bible first appeared on Living Hope.
                                                                    0 min
                                                                  • 1: Why Should You Read the Bible for Yourself?

                                                                    Notes Download

                                                                    The Bible survives in more manuscripts than other ancient documents.

                                                                    Author
                                                                    Title
                                                                    Surviving Manuscripts
                                                                    Tacitus
                                                                    Annals
                                                                    33
                                                                    Thucydides
                                                                    History of the Peloponnesian War
                                                                    96
                                                                    Herodotus
                                                                    History
                                                                    109
                                                                    Livy
                                                                    History of Rome
                                                                    150
                                                                    Sophocles
                                                                    Tragedies
                                                                    193
                                                                    Pliny the Elder
                                                                    Natural History
                                                                    200
                                                                    Plato
                                                                    Tetralogies
                                                                    210
                                                                    Julius Caesar
                                                                    Gallic Wars
                                                                    251
                                                                    Demosthenes
                                                                    Speeches
                                                                    340
                                                                    Homer
                                                                    Iliad                                                                            
                                                                    1,757
                                                                    Various
                                                                    New Testament1 
                                                                    5,795

                                                                    The Bible is available in more languages than other books.

                                                                    Author                                              
                                                                    Title                                            
                                                                    Languages
                                                                    J. R. R. Tolkien
                                                                    The Lord of the Rings
                                                                    57
                                                                    Mark Twain
                                                                    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
                                                                    65
                                                                    J. K. Rowling
                                                                    Harry Potter
                                                                    85
                                                                    Muhammed
                                                                    Qur’an (Arabic)
                                                                    102
                                                                    Joseph Smith
                                                                    Book of Mormon
                                                                    115
                                                                    Lewis Carroll
                                                                    Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
                                                                    174
                                                                    Laozi
                                                                    Dao De Jing (Chinese)
                                                                    250
                                                                    Carlo Collodi
                                                                    The Adventures of Pinocchio
                                                                    260
                                                                    Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
                                                                    The Little Prince (French)
                                                                    505
                                                                    Various
                                                                    The Bible
                                                                    6982

                                                                    The Bible sells more copies than other books.

                                                                    Author                                     
                                                                    Title                                                                 
                                                                    Sales
                                                                    Leo Tolstoy
                                                                    War and Peace (Russian)
                                                                    36 million
                                                                    Dan Brown
                                                                    The Da Vinci Code
                                                                    80 million
                                                                    J. R. R. Tolkien
                                                                    The Hobbit
                                                                    100 million
                                                                    Cao Xueqin
                                                                    Dream of the Red Chamber (Chinese)
                                                                    100 million
                                                                    J. K. Rowling
                                                                    Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
                                                                    120 million
                                                                    Charles Dickens
                                                                    A Tale of Two Cities
                                                                    200 million
                                                                    Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
                                                                    The Little Prince (French)
                                                                    200 million
                                                                    Various
                                                                    The Bible (Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek)
                                                                    5-7 billion3

                                                                    Which two sayings are in the Bible?

                                                                    1. Cleanliness is next to godliness
                                                                    2. Am I my brother’s keeper?
                                                                    3. God helps those who help themselves
                                                                    4. This too shall pass
                                                                    5. A living dog is better than a dead lion
                                                                    6. God works in mysterious ways
                                                                    7. Moderation in all things

                                                                      8. God inspired the Bible, resulting in an authoritative book for belief and practice.

                                                                      2 Timothy 3.14–17 (NRSVue4)14 continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

                                                                      Review:

                                                                      • The Bible is a fascinating book because it has way more surviving manuscripts, it is available in way more languages, and it has sold way more copies than other books.
                                                                      • The content of scripture alone should make you want to read it since it teaches about God, life, morals, and eternal life.
                                                                      • This class will help you develop the ability to discern between the genuine and the counterfeit.
                                                                      • God inspired scripture, making its contents useful for training and authoritative.
                                                                      • Even recognizing the authority of scripture and studying it assiduously does not guarantee correct interpretation.
                                                                        1. If we added in manuscripts of the Old Testament the number would jump up considerably, especially after the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the documents recovered from the Cairo genizah.
                                                                        2. If we limit ourselves to only the New Testament, the number of language jumps to 2,191.
                                                                        3. See Guiness Book of World Records, “Best-Selling Book,” accessed Nov 10, 2023, https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction.
                                                                        4. New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, National Council of Churches, 2021.
                                                                        The post 1: Why Should You Read the Bible for Yourself? first appeared on Living Hope.
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                                                                      • Focus on Hope

                                                                        As a result of the problems we face, from political tribalism to economic inflation to the decline of civility in our society, it’s easy to lose hope. Yet, for us who follow Christ, we have strong reasons to have hope. Looking to examples like Hezekiah’s deliverance from the Assyrian Empire, Jesus’ heroic suffering and death on the cross, and Martin Luther King’s belief in overcoming, we can see how incredibly empowering hope can be. God calls us to be the people of hope who shine the light of His hope into a dark world.

                                                                        1 Peter 1:3-5   God has begotten us to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ. This hope includes the righting of wrongs and the renewal of creation (Isaiah 25:6-9).

                                                                        1 Peter 1:6-9   When we face trials, hope can help us endure as it did for Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:13-19:37).

                                                                        1 Peter 1:10-12   Looking to Christ’s example, we can see the true power of hope in the face of intense and prolonged suffering (Matthew 27:42-43; Hebrew 12:1-2).

                                                                        1 Peter 1:13-16   Hope should affect how we live. It is the anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19). In addition to getting us through hard times, our strong belief in the coming Kingdom should also motivate us to pursue holiness in our lives.

                                                                         

                                                                        The post Focus on Hope first appeared on Living Hope.
                                                                        46 min

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                                                                      A weekly podcast featuring the engaging and life-changing Bible teachings of Sean Finnegan and the team at Living Hope International Ministries.