Category Archives: Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to Books of Bible

The Power and Action of Jesus: Exploring the Gospel of Mark and its Timeless Message

We are going to read through the book of Mark.  As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am referencing my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

The book of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. About 93% of the material in Mark is covered by Matthew and Luke, but Mark does give more vivid details in his brief account. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the superhuman power of Jesus. Christ is presented as God’s Son in action, demonstrating His divinity by His miracles. Mark tells more of what Jesus did and less of what Jesus said. Like a motion picture camera, the author rushes from one dynamic scene to the next. he uses “immediately” about 40 times to make the transitions. Judging from only a few references to the Old Testament, his translations of Aramaic expressions, and the themes of power, it is safe to say that Mark’s gospel was aimed at those who lived outside Palestine. 

Very early tradition states that Mark, the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), wrote this Gospel. We know that since John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10) he may have been a Levite (Acts 4:36). Many scholars believe that Mark was the young man described in Mark 14:51, 52. Mark traveled with the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Act 12:25), but Mark turned back (Acts 13:13). For this reason, Paul refused to consider taking him along on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-39). Since both Paul and Barnabas had strong opposite feelings about the matter, they decided to go different directions, Paul with Silas and Barnabas with Mark. However, much later, Paul felt differently about Mark (II Tim. 4:11).

As we read and study the Gospel of Mark, we will not only seek to understand the word in context of the times, but also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in these scriptures. Prepare us to receive, learn and grow. Help us to understand Your word in proper context and also how to apply it to our lives today.  Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to Galatians

We are going to start a walk through Galatians.  As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

Galatia was a Roman province… It is now southern Turkey. The purpose of this Epistle was to eradicate the doctrinal errors which had been recently introduced by hostile Judaizers and to urge the Galatian Christians to hold firmly to what they had been taught by Paul at the beginning. The people were generally impressionable, fickle, and quick-tempered… Paul had started these congregations on his first missionary journey (Acts 13 and 14) with considerable success, proclaiming “a door of faith” open to them (Acts 14:27). Then he revisited them on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-6) and again on his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23). In the meantime, Judaistic teachers had subverted his work by teaching a new type of legalism to these innocent Gentile believers. 

I will caution that what Paul was addressing in Galatians is often misunderstood, consistent with his other letters and with Peter’s warning in 2 Peter 3:15-16.

15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 

We need to take caution jumping to popular conclusions people claim about what Galatians has to say about our relationship to the Law of God through Moses. (Read more… Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean Today?)

As we read and study Galatians, we will not only seek to understand the word in context of the times, but also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in Galatians. Prepare us to receive, learn and grow. Help us to understand Your word in proper context and also how to apply it to our lives today.  Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to the Book of Jeremiah

We are going to start a walk through Jeremiah.  As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am referencing my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

Jeremiah came from a priestly family in Anathoth, a suburb of Jerusalem. He is the author of the longest prophetic book and his career lasted more than 40 years during the reign of Judah’s last five kings and continuing on after that. Jeremiah was called at an early age to confront people who chose false gods ahead of God. They refused to repent despite his warnings. Ultimately, the temple was destroyed along with Jerusalem and the people were brought to Babylon. Jeremiah had a very difficult and turbulent life. It was characterized by conflict and rejection by the people he was trying to lead back to God. His life is a great example of complete faithfulness to God despite personal desires or circumstances. 

As we read and study, we will not only seek to understand the word in context of the times, but also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in this book. Prepare us to receive, learn and grow. Help us to understand Your word in proper context and also how to apply it to our lives today.  Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to 1 Corinthians

We are going to start a walk through 1 Corinthians.  As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

Corinth was an important cosmopolitan Greek city located on a large isthmus about fifty miles west of Athens. It was one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. Only Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch had more people. Corinth was on a major trade route and had a thriving economy, and the vices of East and West converged there. Greeks, Romans, Jews, and a mixed multitude of sailors and merchants flocked to this crossroads… By the end of the second century, Corinth had become one of the richest cities in the world. 

Paul believed that Corinth was a strategic center o influence and there was already a large Jewish presence (see Acts 18:4). But Corinth was full of sin. It was one of the most wicked cities of ancient times. Degradation, immorality, and heathen customs abounded…

Paul stayed in Corinth for eighteen months (probably A.D. 52-53). The congregation was established by Paul during his second missionary journey (see Acts 18:11; 1 Cor 2:1-2)…

After about three years, Paul was in Ephesus, approximately 200 miles due east, across the Aegean Sea. Both cities were on a busy trade route. Communication flowed freely between them. Paul received unfavorable news about the Corinthian congregation from members of the household of Chloe (1 Cor 1:11) and other friends (1 Cor 16:17). They reported that there were divisions and much sin in the congregation. There was gross immorality (an incestuous relationship), lawsuits between Christians in front of unbelievers, many practical problems in living the Christian life, marriage problems, difficulties concerning meat offered to idols and matters of conscience, abuses in taking the Lord’s supper, disorderly conduct in the formal assemblies for worship, confusion about the role of women in the church, and heresies about the afterlife, which produced a tremendous response from Paul to teach the truth about the resurrection…

As we read and study 1 Corinthians, we will not only seek to understand the word in context of the times, but also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in 1 Corinthians. Prepare us to receive, learn and grow. Help us to understand Your word in proper context and also how to apply it to our lives today.  Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to the Book of Isaiah

We are going to start a walk through the book of Isaiah. As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

Isaiah is one of the longest and most important books of the Old Testament. The prophet began his career during a time of relative peace and prosperity under Judah’s kings, Uzziah and Jotham, but before long, conditions deteriorated, especially on the international scene. During Ahaz’s reign Assyria became a superpower and deported Judah’s sister kingdom, Israel, in 722 B.C., but Ahaz saw Syria and Israel as greater threats. Isaiah tried to reassure Ahas, asking only that he have faith in God, but Ahaz refused. Later, in 701 B.C., during Hezekiah’s reigns, Assyria ravaged the Judean countryside, and Jerusalem itself almost fell. Again, Isaiah preached a message of hope for a repentant Judah who would trust in the LORD. 

… [skipping a few lines]

To view Isaiah merely as a preacher about events during his lifetime is to have only half of the picture, because he is perhaps best known for his prophecies about the intermediate and distant future. Isaiah 1-39 deals primarily with events during the prophet’s lifetime, but the latter part of the book is all concerned with the future. Isaiah 40 begins a major section that looks ahead to Judah’s return from Babylonian exile in the sixth century B.C. The later chapters also peer beyond Isaiah’s day, but the time period covered is more difficult to determine. The New Testament finds in many of these passages, including some in the first part of the book, prophecies about the Messiah. The most striking of these relate to Jesus’ miraculous birth (Isa. 7:14) and His suffering and death (Isa. 53). 

As we read and study Isaiah, we will have to keep in mind the combination of prophecy and preacher, present day and future, that is recorded in this valuable book of history. We will also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in Isaiah. Help prepare us to receive and learn and grow. Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to the Letter to the Romans

We are going to start a walk through the letter to the Romans. As a way to get started, I wanted to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it.

Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome from Corinth, knowing that he would soon come their way. He had always wanted to visit Spain (Rom. 15:28) to the west. However, he also knew that he would visit Jerusalem first (Rom. 15:31), and that was a foreboding thought! Paul was summarily arrested in Jerusalem, and after a long, involved process, was forced to appeal his case to be heard in Rome by Caesar himself. After all, it was only fitting that the Apostle to the Gentiles should appear in the capital of the world. 

The Epistle to the Romans above everything else is an explanation of how God justifies the sinner. 

… [skipping a few lines]

The verb [justify] is a legal term meaning to declare someone as just or righteous and to recognize him as such.   It refers to one who is not subject to condemnation. 

One thing to keep in mind with all of Paul’s letters, however, is that Paul is often misunderstood. He is probably one of the most misunderstood people in all history, and certainly in the Bible. While he clearly taught about being justified by God, he did not teach against the law of God as many accuse him. In fact, he was quite often defending himself to that end during his ministry.  Read carefully and test what scripture is really saying. Test what you have been taught by pastors and churches against what the scripture actually says. Test scripture against scripture. Do not redefine what scripture says to fit in the perspective you may have been taught previously.

2 Peter 3:14-18

14Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own firm commitment, 18but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help us to have discernment and wisdom in reading and testing scripture. Let the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts and minds in understanding properly Your word. Help us rely on Your word rather than the many opinions of men. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Introduction to Books of Bible, Peace / Rest, Persecution / Glorifying God

Introduction to the Book of Esther

We are going to start a walk through the book of Esther. As a way to get started, I wanted to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it.

The name of this book comes from its main character, Esther, a young Jewish girl who later became Queen of the Persian Empire. Through the providence of God, she was in position (Esth. 4:14) to prevent the annihilation of her entire nation. The Feast of Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people on that occasion. There is no organic connection between the Book of Esther and the rest of the Bible, but scholars believe that this book is our only glimpse of Jewish life under the Persians during the period between the first and second returns of Jerusalem. Although there is no mention in the Book of Esther of Palestine, Jerusalem, the temple, or the Law of Moses, the events took place within the general timeframe of officially-approved migrations of Jewish exiles back to their homeland. Esther lived during the reign of Ahasuerus (Xerxes I)  in 486-465 B.C. Early in his rule, his armies fought the Greeks for the first time. His empire extended from India to Ethiopia and included twenty satrapies, which were divided into many provinces. Jerusalem was only a tiny outpost in his kingdom. Though the name of God never appears in Esther, God’s power is implied everywhere in the book. The Book of Esther teaches that God’s providence is active in every facet of human life. We cannot escape Him. His purposes, though sometimes hidden, are far-reaching. We can be confident of God’s care and protection. 

As we reflect on the historical context of Esther, we see an example of God’s power and protection permeating throughout the historical record. God puts Esther and even Mordecai in position where they will need to be in order to protect God’s people. God is fully aware of what will confront His people. He is not surprised. He does not need to come up with a “plan B” when this situation develops. We can rest assured that God is in aware of all situations and is able to prepare a way through adversity consistent with His broader plans. This assurance should give us peace in knowing that we can trust in God even during very challenging times when we may not understand how He is working. We should focus on Him and on what role he may want us to play in addressing whatever situations we encounter. Let us not overlook that Esther had to step out in great faith, after fasting and prayer, to protect her people at significant personal risk. She had not experienced an obvious “burning bush” encounter where God told her clearly what she must do.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help Your people to find peace in knowing You are not surprised by any situation. Help us to trust in You even when we do not understand or see how You are moving in a situation. Help us to have clarity and conviction for when and how You want us to act to bring about Your will.  Thank You for Your written word which documents Your relationship with Your people, from which we can learn and be encouraged! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Government, Introduction to Books of Bible

Introduction to the Book of Nehemiah

We are going to start a walk through the book of Nehemiah. As a way to get started, I wanted to share just a touch of backstory, or context regarding the book of Nehemiah. I am copying from my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it.

Although the current Books of Ezra and Nehemiah were originally one book, and later came to be known as I Ezra and II Ezra, Jerome was the first man to call the second portion by the name of “Nehemiah.” The names of “Ezra” and “Nehemiah” were first printed in an English edition in the Geneva Bible in 1560. Nehemiah means “Jehovah comforts.” Nehemiah was the principal character of the book and probably wrote it. The book recounts the rebuilding of Jerusalem as a fortified city and the establishment of civil authority there. Nehemiah was appointed by the Persians to be governor He came with an army escort at government expense to accomplish God’s purpose. The Book of Nehemiah is a natural sequel to the Book of Ezra. It focuses much attention upon their efforts to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, despite fierce opposition from unfriendly neighbors. The Persian kings were humane rulers, unlike their predecessors, the Assyrians. The Persian Empire (539-331 B.C.) was established upon a more benign policy of returning displaced ethnic groups to their homelands. Nehemiah was a remarkable spiritual leader who could perform in practical ways. He was very sad to learn of the terrible condition of Jerusalem, but he believed that God, working through pagan kings, could bring about full restoration. He trusted God completely and would not be intimidated by anyone. The Book of Nehemiah covers about twenty-five years (457-432 B.C.). The prophet Malachi was active during this time. 

As we reflect on the historical context of Nehemiah, I am struck again by the faith and courage of a leader like Nehemiah to fully rely on God to help restore glory to His people and to Jerusalem by using pagan kings. Israel as a nation was in no position to rely on itself to be able to do much of anything. We can all benefit from reflecting on that aspect as it pertains to our situation today. We may say that our nation is far from God, and it is true. However, the people of God who live in our nation and still wish to follow and pursue Him wholeheartedly have much more influence and power than anything Nehemiah could have counted on. We can influence people and ultimately participate in elections and shift the direction of government. How can we act as though we are powerless if Nehemiah could act so boldly? The key is that Nehemiah knew that God could use even non-believers to accomplish His purpose. Like Nehemiah, we need to fully rely on God and bring our supplications and requests before Him. We need to come to Him asking earnestly for Him to bring restoration and revival.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please inspire leaders among Your people to rise up and bring us together. Please give all Your people courage like Nehemiah to overcome adversaries and rely on Your power and authority where we do not have control or even much influence in situations. Prepare Your people to hear the message of restoration and revival and respond with full commitment. Help us overcome our adversaries. Use those who do not even follow You to accomplish Your purposes and bring glory to You! Show us each the part You want us to play. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.