Source (book): "Faithful to the end", Chapter 9, Question 4, Page 137.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
PHOTO: Let the Voice of His Word speak directly to you!
You can read a Scripture all your life without realising its meaning, until the Holy Spirit opens it to you and brings it to life! It's the voice of His Word when He gives it to you personally or He gives it to you in an answer. He brings it to life, applies it to a situation and it suddenly becomes alive! It's no longer just mere words, or words that just run through your head, but all of a sudden you really get the point!
Have you ever read a passage and all of a sudden some verse or Scripture or word just hits you, "That's for me! That's the answer!"? God couldn't have spoken any more emphatically if He'd yelled it out or screamed it in your ear! It may have been written for somebody else 5,000 years ago, yet, all of a sudden, it hits you personally. The Holy Spirit grabbed ahold of that arrow, pulled back the bow and cut you to the heart!
He only has to speak the Word and it can unlock a whole situation and give you the key that unlocks the door that reveals the whole Truth! If there's a Scripture that fits the situation, He will give you the Scripture, the Word! He will use His Own Word to give you the answers. Thank the Lord for His Word!
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How have you experienced God speaking to you through Scripture? How does the Bible help to equip believers "for every good work"? How can the church teach its members to value the Bible and to allow it to shape their character and ministry?
How have you experienced God speaking to you through Scripture?
Yes we have experienced God speaking to us through Scripture. This occurs when we read the Bible, especially during early in the morning in the special corner of our home. This is also true when we surf the internet and read about the stories from the Bible, and commentaries of other Christians. So any time during the whole day we are experiencing God speaking to us.
PHOTO: We have experienced God speaking to us through Scripture. This occurs when we read the Bible, especially during early in the morning in the special corner of our home. This is also true when we surf the internet and read about the stories from the Bible, and commentaries of other Christians.
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https://magnifythelord.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/psalm119_130.jpg
https://magnifythelord.wordpress.com/psalms/psalm-119-introduction-understanding-the-terms-for-the-scriptures/psalm-119-stanza-17/
God has been in our mind when we encountered difficulties in making decisions to do some tasks. We are used to ask God for help, times and again, from simple things like taking driving test, to terrible tasks like taking educational examinations. From simple morning activity like walking through the Park Connector Network (PCN), praying that there is no rain during the walk, to more difficult activity, like going for a tour to places outside the country, praying for a safe and happy trip. Whether we felt that He has answered our request or not, we are sure that there is a communication link between us and God continuously.
PHOTO: There is a communication link between us and God continuously
Picture posted by Nilla on 13 May 2015
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How does the Bible help to equip believers "for every good work"?
The Word of God [1]
The Word of God helps us to maintain Christian character in an ungodly world. Paul reminded Timothy of "how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Here again, we see the key role of the Bible in shaping and stabilising us. In an unwise and coarse world, the Bible gives us wisdom from above to be godly and to experience salvation through faith in Christ in an ever-depending way.
PHOTO: In an unwise and coarse world, the Bible gives us wisdom from above to be godly and to experience salvation through faith in Christ in an ever-depening way.
Picture posted by Alianta Evanghelica on 12 January 2016
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Paul coined the term God-breathed, Greek theopneustos, to remind us that the Bible has God's breath in it, that if we care to observe carefully [4], God speaks through its words [5]. As we read the Bible regularly and seriously, we are taught, rebuked, corrected, and trained in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). As John Wesley observed, the same Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the Bible also "continually inspires, supernaturally assists" us as we prayerfully read it; hence the invaluable effects of Bible reading in our lives [6].
PHOTO: Paul coined the term God-breathed, Greek theopneustos, to remind us that the Bible has God's breath in it, that if we care to observe carefully [4], God speaks through its words [5]. As we read the Bible regularly and seriously, we are taught, rebuked, corrected, and trained in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
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The Bible has important functions in our lives - both corrective and formative, for both creed and conduct. without it, we will be no different from the wicked world. Because of the multi-faceted ministry of the Bible in our lives, John Stott is right in stating that "Scripture is the chief means which God employs to bring the 'man of God' to maturity" [7]. The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to do His Work of sanctification in the believer, as the Reformers clearly understood. They insisted that the Holy Spirit speaks primarily through the Word and that the Word cannot be understood without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Sadly, there exist today views that seem to force a choice between the Spirit and the Word. There are some whose main diet is what they understand to be Spirit-inspired visions. They hold on to their visions and promptings without checking whether these were in accordance with or contrary to Scripture. On the other hand, there are others who reduce the study of the Bible to technical and legalistic exercise without benefit of the illumination of the Holy Spirit and His assistance in applying Scripture to life. Both Groups demonstrate a failure to understand the deep connection between Scripture and the intentions and methods of the Holy Spirit.
PHOTO: The Holy Spirit uses Scripture to do His Work of sanctification in the believer. The Holy Spirit speaks primarily through the Word and that the Word cannot be understood without the assistance of the Holy Spirit. There is a deep connection between Scripture and the intentions and methods of the Holy Spirit.
Picture posted by Sue Cummins, The Sword of the Spirit, June / July 2015 - Vol. 80
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The faithful and regular use of the Bible will help us to be "thoroughly equipped for every good work:" (2 Timothy 3:17). Not only does the Holy Spirit use the Bible to produce Christian character, He also produces Christian ministry in a terrible world - the focus of the next chapter.
How can the church teach its members to value the Bible and to allow it to shape their character and ministry?
1. The authority of Scripture, looking to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant word of God to direct us in all pertinent matters of belief and behavior. 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Isaiah 40:8 [2]
The Bible is inerrant and infallible (2 Timothy 3:16) [3]. The Bible is the only source of knowledge of how to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no such thing as "love at first sight" in spiritual things. The believer must get to know Christ very well, and this requires the daily intake of knowledge about Christ through the Word of God, which is "the mind of Christ." [3a]
PHOTO: The authority of Scripture, looking to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant word of God to direct us in all pertinent matters of belief and behavior.
There is no such thing as "love at first sight" in spiritual things. The believer must get to know Christ very well, and this requires the daily intake of knowledge about Christ through the Word of God, which is "the mind of Christ." [3a]
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2. The Bible exposition, regarding accurate and relevant teaching and preaching of the Scriptures as essential to the spiritual vitality of the church. 2 Timothy 4:1-2; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:42 [2]
The Bible is the guide for all faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17) [3].
The Bible doctrine is the basis for divine guidance. Bible knowledge produces sanity and stability of mind. It is very important to get the Word of God into the mind before the times of pressure come. It is not too likely that an unstable person will respond to the Word of God. God deals with the pressures of life using "preventive maintenance". [3a]
PHOTO: The Bible exposition, regarding accurate and relevant teaching and preaching of the Scriptures as essential to the spiritual vitality of the church.
God deals with the pressures of life using "preventive maintenance". The Bible doctrine is the basis for divine guidance. Bible knowledge produces sanity and stability of mind. It is very important to get the Word of God into the mind before the times of pressure come. [3a]
Picture posted by Robb Brunansky on February 9, 2016
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3. A Christian's desire for the Truth, the Word of God, must be avid. A believer must give the highest priority in his life to learning Bible facts and principles. Daily Bible study leads to occupation with the Lord Jesus Christ, a daily walk with the Saviour. Bible doctrine, learned under the faith principle of applied teaching, produces confidence during the believer's lifetime. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8) [3a]
PHOTO: A Christian's desire for the Truth, the Word of God, must be avid. A believer must give the highest priority in his life to learning Bible facts and principles.
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4. The Bible is the only source of God's viewpoint. Bible doctrine is the basis for orientation to God's plan during the believer's lifetime. Without the Word of God, the believer's mind will be corrupted by Satan and will become a repository of world-viewpoint and false teaching. (2 Corinthians 11:3) [3a]
PHOTO: The Bible is the only source of God's viewpoint. Bible doctrine is the basis for orientation to God's plan during the believer's lifetime. Without the Word of God, the believer's mind will be corrupted by Satan and will become a repository of world-viewpoint and false teaching.
Picture posted by Robert Notgrass
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PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray for the Holy Spirit, to help us understand God 's Word in the Scripture. Help us to realise its meaning, applies it to a situation so that it suddenly becomes alive! Amen!"
Picture posted by Words Of Life on Saturday, 17 March 2012 at 7:45 PM
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Reflection - Experiencing God
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012
Reference
[1] From "Faithful to the end" A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, Copyright © 2014 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-241-0, PART THREE: UNLIKE THE WORLD, Chapter 9 "Christian Character in a Terrible World" (2 Timothy 3:10-17), Page 134-136.
[2] Core Values, posted by Denton Bible Church, http://dentonbible.org/about-us/what-we-believe/core-values/
[3] Core Values, McLean Bible Church, https://www.mcleanbible.org/who-we-are/what-we-believe
[3a] Importance of Bible Study, posted by Christianity in view, http://christianityinview.com/biblestudies/importance.html
[4] Wright, The Pastoral Letters, 120.
[5] Witherington, Letters and Homilies for Hellenized Christians, 360.
[6] Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testatment, 2 Timothy 3:16, 794.
[7] Stott, The Message of 2 Timothy, 103.
NIV, New International Version, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Cor.+5%3A6-8&version=NIV
2 Corinthians 11:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Cor.+11%3A3&version=NIV
2 Peter 1:20-21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+1%3A20-21&version=NIV
2 Timothy 3:10-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A10-17&version=NIV
2 Timothy 3:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A15&version=NIV
2 Timothy 3:16 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A16&version=NIV
2 Timothy 3:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A17&version=NIV
2 Timothy 3:16-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A16b-17&version=NIV
2 Timothy 4:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+4%3A1-2&version=NIV
Acts 2:42 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+2%3A42&version=NIV
Isaiah 40:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+40%3A8&version=NIV
Matthew 28:18-20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28%3A18-20&version=NIV
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