Jump Start # 2853

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Reading between the lines—that’s an expression that is based upon the impression one gets from reading a person’s writings. The author wrote such and such, but “between the lines” he was really writing about something much greater. Movies and music are the same way. A simple catchy tune from the ‘60s turns out to be a protest song against the Vietnam war. Reading between the lines. Here is what is said, but between the lines we learn what was really intended. The author masked the real meaning in a cute story or in metaphors and only those that know, know. And, in search of what is between the lines, often becomes much more important than what an author actually wrote.

Now, all of this brings us to God’s word. Are there things between the lines in the Bible? Does God intend for us to find simple things that have much greater meaning than the obvious? Great questions.

First, in some ways that is what the parables are. They are simplistic stories but they have a much deeper spiritual meaning. The story of the prodigal is not about dysfunctional homes, run-a-ways and the problems of giving young people too much wealth. It’s about God, grace and forgiveness. There isn’t a lot of “between the lines” digging one has to do to see that. The context brings that out. Jesus wasn’t a story teller. He was leading people to God. He was showing His audience what the Kingdom of Heaven was like.

Second, we must be careful with the “reading between the lines” concept. It can become an obsession and we go digging for the hidden and the unknown and miss the obvious. We can be on the hunt for what no one else finds and run through the weeds of speculation and ideas that God never intended. This can be true in the parables where we try to determine what every bird, every rock and every tree means. A person asked me once, what I thought the pigs in the Prodigal story represented. I told him, “pigs.” It’s easy to assign ideas to things that the text never intended.

Third, God’s word, as our passage reminds us today, is designed to be a light. The purpose is to illuminate and show, not conceal. The problem with “the reading between the lines” concept is that not everyone sees those things and not everyone walks away with the same impressions. Art is that way. Go to a major gallery and listen to the experts tell you about the artist’s struggle with the injustices of the day. The picture becomes a major thrust against the political systems of the day. That’s what we are told. I see red lines and green paint and oceans and I don’t see those “between the lines” lessons. I don’t know the artist. I don’t know his story. All I see is a painting. Either I like the colors and the image or I don’t.

God’s message is intended for all. There is a historical context that helps to understand what’s going on, such as the destruction of Jerusalem in Lamentations or the rise of persecution in 2 Peter. Even symbolic language such as Revelation, points us to a central idea. It’s not fuzzy. It’s not ambiguous. There are not multiple possible meanings.

Fourth, God’s book isn’t to be read like other books. Some authors purposely try to trick the reader. Mysteries are written this way. Some do have hidden meanings that are not revealed. God wants to be clear. When the Ethiopian was reading Isaiah he was not sure who the section of Scripture was talking about. The preacher Philip explained to him what was going on and how the passage was describing the Messiah. Clarity, understanding is what the readers of God’s word were after in Nehemiah’s day. It’s hard for a group of people to be of one mind, one heart and one voice, when they do not understand the message the same. We can find ourselves in real danger when we begin to “read between the lines” of God’s word. “God says this, but actually, He meant this.” Before long, the words do not carry much importance.

Now, what’s behind this Jump Start? Trouble brewing at the congregation I worship at? Someone tried to read between the lines of a recent Jump Start and accused me of something? Reading between the lines. It’s none of those things. Actually, this idea came from an interview I listened to about the song, “Puff the magic dragon.” For years, “reading between the lines,” have assumed that this song was about smoking dope. It does mention strings and sealing wax and puffing that dragon. It sure can look like that. The songwriter said it’s nothing more than a song about a little boy and his make believe dragon. That’s it. That got me thinking about the Bible. Reading between the lines in the Bible. No trouble with Jump Starts. No trouble at the congregation. Just an idea about a song that got me thinking about the Bible. That’s it.

God told his chosen to preach the word. They told others, like Timothy, to preach the word. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. God’s word is understandable. It is clear. It is precise. What’s between the lines? Just white space…that’s all.

We need to focus upon what the Bible says rather than what it might say or doesn’t say.

Roger

Jump Start # 2446

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamb to my feet and a light to my path.”

Last week marked an anniversary that is little remembered outside of those who love religious history. October 6th, is the anniversary of the death of William Tyndale, the English translator of the Bible. His death was violent, cruel and offensive. He was strangled and then burned at the stake. His crime was putting God’s word into the English language and making it available to the common man. It wasn’t the pagan infidels that executed Tyndale, but the powerful arm of the Catholic church. Tyndale’s work in translating the Bible was but one of many doors opening up to the reformation movement that changed Europe and eventually led to puritans fleeing to America and the establishment within our constitution of freedom of religion.

It is hard for us today, when we have Bibles by the dozens in our homes, on our phones, on tablets and in the song book racks at the church house, to imagine a time when people did not have the word of God. Worse, the powerful and corrupt church banned the citizens from having a copy of the Bible. Among the books that were forbidden and outlawed, was the Bible. The church controlled the message and the mind of the people. The less they knew, the more the church could get away with things. Corruption and power became the core ingredients among the hierarchy of the church. No one could question what they did because no one had access to the word of God. These powerful leaders became more than the voice of God, they in many ways acted as if they were God.

Men like Tyndale, who knew what they were doing was against the law and who could very well lose their lives, understood that the Gospel was to be preached to every person. Every man and woman had the right to know God’s saving message. Tyndale, Luther, Zwingli, Hus and a host of others, spread throughout Europe risked everything, including their very lives, to open the eyes and hearts of a darkened world to the wonderful word of God. These men were courageous. When caught, their writings were burned, they were abused and executed. The church tried to stamp out, much like Saul of Tarsus tried to stamp out Christianity, what these men were doing. But somehow, likely through the providence of God, their writings trickled through the cracks of the hands of opposition. A movement stated. Like a prairie wildfire it spread over the world. And, today, although we do not realize it, having Bibles in our hands and in our language is traced back to the early work of these courageous believers.

It’s hard for us to imagine sitting through sermons or Bible classes without a Bible in hand. It’s hard for us to imagine not being able to read God’s word each day. The word of God changes our lives. It brings hope to those who are fearful and discouraged. It convicts us and drives us to the cross of Jesus. It shows us the way that God intended. When we step away from God’s word and we start making our own ideas law we soon find that we have left the path of the Lord. It is sad to see so many churches today, filled with people who have no clue what the Bible says. In many ways we are just the opposite of those dark days of Tyndale. In his time people didn’t know because they didn’t have the Bible. Today, people don’t know because they don’t care to read God’s word. They are satisfied to let a church tell them what is right and what is wrong.

One lesson we ought to see in the life of Tyndale is the courage to stand up, take risks and do what is right. He loved the Lord more than his own life. He knew what could happen. Others had been executed before him. Yet, onward he marched in translating God’s word into the English language. He feared not man, church nor government. He stood with what was right. His spirit, similar to those apostles in Jerusalem who were told to no longer preach Jesus, continued to do that very thing.

Our times may call for such courage again. To not fear government, man, nor punishment. To stand for what is right. To do what is right. To not be silenced because it is not popular or politically correct. To walk with God’s faithful have always walked. Sometimes that put them in fiery furnaces, lion’s dens and in prisons, yet they did not stop doing what was right. Our souls are greater than our lives. God’s word is greater than us. When secular politicians make claims that churches will have to accept what they want, rather than what God wants or face the consequences, it’s time for us to stand up, and declare, bring on the consequences because we have drawn a line in the sand with God and it is with God that we stand.

Will Tyndale be in Heaven? That’s up to God. I’d like to think so, but I don’t know. A greater question is, will you be in Heaven? You have what Tyndale always dreamed of, having God’s word easily available in your language. Do you use it? Do you read it? Do you follow it?

A sad anniversary in religious history, but a grand accomplishment that we appreciate even today!

Roger

Jump Start # 1823

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Tony Malito is a car salesman who advertises on Louisville radio stations everyday. He is known as “the dealer for the people.” His radio commercials rhyme, they are funny and he has a unique voice. You know when Tony’s on. At the end of his car commercials, and this is true for most car ads, in print, on TV or the radio, is the disclaimers. In a low, very rapid tone, all the details of the deal are announced. On TV, and in print, you will see the disclaimer in very small text. Contest often do the same. They reveal a disclaimer. This protects the company legally and sets the conditions of the deal.

Years ago, a friend and I worked up a series of sermons based upon the concept of disclaimers. You won’t find a printed disclaimer on the backside of your Bible. But there are things people learn, see and experience after they become a Christian that was not revealed to them. We called the series, “What they didn’t tell me when I became a Christian.” People didn’t purposely hide these truths from you and I, it’s just one of those things that people failed to mention. I ran across those sermons the other day. I want to use these for a Jump Start series.

One of the first disclaimers that no one told us about is the fact that some days the Bible seems dry as dust. No one wants to admit that. We are afraid if we were to say that out loud in a Bible class that we’d be taken to a small room in the basement and we would never be seen again. We wonder if there is something wrong with us for feeling this way. The latest novel, we plow through in a couple of nights. We can’t put the thing down. But to read a chapter of the Bible, some days is so hard. Our minds wander. We can’t stay focused. We can’t remember what we read. Is it supposed to be this way? Why didn’t someone tell me about this?

We know the power, beauty and the source of the Bible. As our passage states today, God’s word is what directs us and guides us. It shows us the way to go. It is a lamp and a light in a dark, dark world. Yet, there are sections of the Bible and there are days, reading the Bible is like eating dry toast. It can seem bland.

There are several misconceptions about the Bible that shapes and forms our attitude about it.

First, the Bible is not God’s “Chicken Soup for the soul.” The Bible is not a devotional book. The Bible is not a collection of cute stories that have happy endings. The Bible is not intended to be light, easy and every one lives happily ever after. The Bible isn’t written like a novel. Nor, as some claim, is the Bible a love letter. I used to write my wife poetry and love letters when we were dating. They were not like the Bible. Paul stated, as a matter of fact, that he was shipwrecked three times. No details. No pounding emotions. No hold on to your seat. No thrilling, emotional driven, breath-taking literary masterpieces. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was scourged. Three words. Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ movie, dedicated nearly twenty minutes to the scourging. It showed Roman guards trying to decide which whip to use. We saw blood. We saw the painful expressions upon Christ’s face. It was drawn out and stretched out. Three words in the Bible.

The Bible is designed to introduce us to God and to build faith in Christ. It helps us to think correctly. It is the will of God revealed.

Second, the Bible is more than just a collection of interesting expressions. You get the impression sometimes that the Bible is intended to give us great, short statements that we can paint on old barn wood and decorate our homes with. Or, it’s something to be stenciled on walls. If we are not careful, all we read are the nice, cute sayings from the Bible. Just reading verses here and there, can easily give us a warped theology that doesn’t see the complete picture. You can’t put God on a bumper sticker. We need to read the Bible in context. We need to read paragraphs and chapters and get the background so we understand why it says what it says.

Third, another misconception is that we shouldn’t need any help to understand the Bible. The Ethiopian needed help from Philip. He didn’t know who Isaiah was talking about. We don’t send college students home with a book and then say read it and you will be given a test. A professor explains the principles and teaches things. God sent preachers and teachers and apostles into that first century world to preach and explain His word.

So, reading the Bible begins with having the right attitude. You are not reading a newspaper. Just hitting the high points won’t work. Every word, every sentence is from God. Read slowly. Take it in. Let it soak. Think about it. Think about the people who first heard these words. Think about the times. Think about the order of the words. Think about your life.

You do not read the Bible to prove a point. You are not trying to find a loophole, justify yourself or look for a way to answer an argument. That’s not the point of the Bible. Reading it that way misses what it is about.

You can’t read the Bible hit and miss and hope to know anything about it. Find a plan. Pick out a book of the Bible and plow through it. Read it with a notepad and pen. Underline things. Write questions in your notebook. Stay with it. When you find things that you do not understand, ask someone who might know. Have them show you how they came to that conclusion. Have them help you to learn to study.

Reading is hard for some people. I’m meeting more and more folks who admit, “I don’t like to read.” The percentage of even college grads who never open a book the rest of their lives is alarming. If that’s you, then start listening to your Bible. Many websites will play the Bible audibly. Turn off the car radio and drive, listening to God’s word.

There are days you may not be in the mood to read the Bible. There are places in the Bible that may seem boring to you. Push yourself. You know it’s the right thing to do. Stay at it. Work at it. Try reading out loud. Try outlining chapters. Try memorizing some verses. Many ways and many methods to work on learning your Bible.

The Bible is not like a college text book. Most of us, once we finished reading through the text, studying for a test, were finished with those books. When the semester ended, we either sold the books back to the school or tossed them. Twenty years later, we do not read those textbooks. We are finished with them. The Bible is not like that. It has a power to it. It is living and active. You will read sections that you have already read a dozen times. But reading it again, you find things you missed. You see things with fresh eyes. You lower your nets and find depth, wisdom and insights that you have not seen before.

Yes, there are days that the Bible may seem dry as dust. That maybe nothing more than Satan working on us. But get in there and open it up and read, think and grow. You feed your faith by the word of God. The more Bible that is in us, the more our conscience will help us and the more we will walk pleasing God. To be a strong, thriving Christian, you must know the Bible. There is no other way.

The Bible is God’s way of talking to you. This is what He wants you to know. This is how you know Him.

Roger

Jump Start # 1084

Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

This verse is a favorite of many. It shows the function of the word of God. It shows us things. It “enlightens” us. It reveals. We see dangers that the Bible warns about. We see value in people and things that we often overlook. Through the Bible we see what God sees.

Most of our readers are well familiar with the value and concepts of the Bible. I am still a fan of an old fashioned Bible in my hand. Many are going to tablets and versions on their phones, and that makes having a Bible with you at all times possible. But to me, nothing feels or even looks like the Bible in book form. When I’m at a place to eat with my tablet, those nearby don’t know if I’m checking my email, looking at facebook or playing Angry Birds. I might be reading Scriptures, but it’s hard to tell. When I have my leather Bible, there is no confusing what I’m reading. No one mistakes it for a novel, a sports book or anything else. Only a Bible, looks like a Bible. I like that.

Since the Bible is the key to our faith. The more Bible we have in us the less fear and worry will bother us. The more Bible in us, the better our character and the stronger our resolve to follow God. It is important, at least to me, to make the Bible user friendly. The Bible, like the preacher’s notes, or your checkbook, doesn’t have to  be seen by anyone but you. Make it uniquely you and user friendly to you.

Here are some simple suggestions:

1. Use the blank white pages at the back of the Bible to write down things that you want to remember. This may include highlights of a sermon that helped you, brief definitions that you did not know and now do not want to forget, dates and facts. Those white pages are great places to list things that will help you.

2. Tape charts, short bulletin articles and other useful things in those white pages. Often in Bible classes, there are very useful things handed out by the teacher. Too often, those things get tossed at home. We find ourselves months later, wishing we had those things. Keep a file system at home. The best and most useful things, tape in your Bible.

3. Circle and underline words in the Bible text to help you see things. Often you will find repeated words in paragraph. For instance, in 2 Peter 2:7-8, in describing the effect that Sodom had upon Lot, the word “righteous” is used three times in those two short verses. This helps you to see themes and important things.

4. In the margins of your Bible, write other verse references or words that will help you. For instance, last evening, our wonderful preacher, Zack, was preaching about the lost coin parable in Luke 15. He showed that the word “Lost” is the same word that the disciples used when the storm came upon them in the boat. They woke Jesus up and said, Master do you not care that we are perishing? Perishing and lost come from the same word. To be lost is to perish. Great thought. That went in my Bible last night. I will forget that in a few months, but now when I read the parable again, I see a note in my margin. That helps explain things. Doing things like that expands your knowledge, deepens your faith and makes your Bible more useful.

5. At the beginning of books, write some background information by the title. Dates, places, what’s going on behind the scenes. This will help you understand why the book was written.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of just highlighting verses. One reason, most highlighters bleed through to other pages and it’s a mess. Secondly, it makes the verse stand out in yellow, but why? All verses are important. Years ago, a salesman at a bookstore was trying to convince me to buy a Bible that was already highlighted in multi colors by the publishers. Some pages looked like a rainbow. It was hard on my eyes with all the different colors. Once in a while, there would be a verse that was not highlighted. I asked the salesman about those verses. Aren’t they important? He didn’t know what to say. I didn’t make the purchase. I like making the Bible fit me, not what a publisher thinks is important.

Make the Bible shine bright for you. Use it. Find ways to make it more helpful for you. The more you understand the book, the more you will understand God and what God expects of you.

Roger

Jump Start # 931

Psalms 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.”

The Bible is the foundation of the Christian faith. It defines what we believe; it shows what we are supposed to do; and it reveals what is going to happen. Without the Bible we have no structure, purpose or definition. This is why the Bible is used so heavily in our sermons and classes. We want to know it, believe it, follow it and use it. We quote the Bible at weddings and refer to it in funerals. We stay up late at night reading it. When there are questions that we do not know the answer to, we get digging in the Bible to find out. Through the years the Bible becomes our friend, companion, tool, and help.

Recently, I looked into someone else’s Bible. Sometimes I will see one in the church building that someone left or if I visit someone’s home and see a Bible on a table, I’ll take a look at it. Have you ever done that? It’s a fascinating adventure. I’ll see papers stuffed in some Bibles. In some cases, too many papers. That can be hard on the binding. Old bulletins and class outlines. Sometimes there are poems that have been cut out and kept in there. Years ago I remember some people would press a four leaf clover in their Bible. That’s just the start. Flipping through someone’s Bible you’ll find verses underlined or highlighted. Sometimes there will be notes written in the margins. All of that gives insight into what is important to a person.

All of that got me thinking about my Bibles. I have a bunch. Two of them are most important to me—one is my study Bible. It’s a mess. Pages are loose and it’s a mess to look at. It looks like a truck ran over it. The binding is busted. The cover is chipping off and faded. I love that old Bible and have spent a long time with it. The other is my preaching Bible. I can’t use my study Bible in the pulpit because pages would fall out and it would be a disaster. My preaching Bible has a lot of words circled and underlined. If someone took a look at those Bibles of mine, they would see something about me. They would see what stood out with me and what I wanted to remember. I have a lot of little thoughts and quotes written on the back “white pages” of my Bible. These are things that I picked up from listening to others. They struck a cord with me and I wanted to remember them so I wrote it on those pages. I have a couple of bulletin items taped on those pages as well. Years ago I was given the Bible of an old preacher. There’s nothing in it except his name. Nothing underlined. Nothing circled. Nothing taped or written on the back pages. Clean and nice. I wish that he had jotted things in it. I would have picked up on some of the things that impressed him. As it is, there’s nothing there.

How about your Bible? What does it look like? If someone were to open it up and flip through it, what would they find? Our Bibles are our tools. Make it comfortable and useful to you. Fill it with the things that will help you. My old study Bible has charts and timelines and dates written in it.

God’s word is a lamp and a light. It’s there to help us. Use it. Become familiar with it. Make your Bible user friendly to you. Those electronic versions on our phones and tablets are very handy and useful and I have several that I like. However, nothing beats that feel in your hand of your own Bible. Get it out—flip through it. Put your notes in it. Underline. Circle words. Make it your own. The more you do that, the more you will become very comfortable with it.

I’ve heard it said that a Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to a person whose life is not falling apart. There is a connection there. Nothing beats the Bible. Raise the hood and get inside it and learn it. You’ll see, very shortly, that it has an amazing effect upon you. The more time you spend with the word, the better you become. The Bible is that way. It’s living and active and it works on an honest and good heart.

Give me the Bible…is an old hymn that we sing. It’s also the mindset and the motto of Christians.

Roger