When was the last time someone said...

[and yet another sermon from years ago presented to the Warrens Baptist Church]

January 10th 2003

I try to search out what God would have me speak.

When I ask The Lord what He wants, I honestly and literally ask:

“Lord what would you have me bring before Your church?”

I try to make sure that it’s for everyone of the members of the Warrens Baptist Church. I trust that if the Lord had someone else in mind then He can worry about getting that person through the door.

The Lord is true and faithful.

The message that I bring I believe is for everyone here, so I wrote it that way.

When I was almost done the Lord pointed out that there were some parts of this message that may be hard for some of you to hear.

I guess I would like to make sure that all of you as “individuals” understand that this message is for each of us and for us as a “group”.

What I have to say is intended for each and every one of you, not for just any one singular person.

The only members of this Church that I will be using as an example is all of us as a whole and/or myself in particular.
If you feel that this message is just for you than that is between you and the Lord. I had nothing to do with it.

How’s that for passing the buck?

When was the last time someone said “I want to be just like you”?

When was the last time that someone said “I want to be just like you” and meant it?

When was the last time someone said “I want to be just like you” meant it, and was not related to you?

What makes us want to be just like Jesus?
Do we really want to be “just like Jesus”? Do we really?

Do you really want to set yourself up “like Jesus” to be abused, to be scorned, to be publicly ridiculed; to watch friends and family turn their backs on you and run?

Do you really want to set yourself up by giving everything good and being everything good to someone that you know is going to betray you and worse, loving that person all the while?
Do we really deep down in our hearts want to be like Jesus? We should; but do we really?

We automatically say I want to be “Just like Jesus” and on the surface I believe every true Christian really wants to be “Just like Jesus”
its when you start getting down to the particulars that we start to hesitate.

You will find that there is almost always at least one area -usually many- that we really don’t want to be “Just like Jesus”.
You will also find that those “areas” are different for every one of us.

This is different than “not being perfect”. This refers to “places” in your heart where you don’t “want” to change.

Often we aren’t even aware that we feel that way. Often it starts with simply not understanding. We might say: “I want to be just like Jesus but I see no reason to stand behind a pulpit and preach. Jesus never stood behind no pulpit!” True, but He did stand on a mountain over thousands of people -and their families- and preached.

I am not saying that you actually have to stand behind a pulpit or preach to thousands “to be like Jesus” but it’s the idea that in this one area you might be unwilling to do that if you were called to.

Jesus wasn’t up there on that mountain because He likes to entertain. He was up there because it needed to be done; and it needed to be done because: (are you ready for this?)

God said so. Oh you know there are really many reasons but that’s what it comes down to. These people needed to be fed spiritually and physically and Jesus did whatever it took to feed them.

Look closely first at the life of Jesus, then at your own life. Look for the differences. Then look for any part of Jesus that you don’t want to do or be like.
There can be all kinds of problems with your Christian walk – with your life in fact- because of one small little area where you don’t want to be like Jesus.

When was the last time someone said they wished they could be more like you? Did they really mean it?

Please turn in your Bibles to Galatians chapter five verse16

You have heard many people speak about Galatians chapter five my self included. You’re going to hear it again; sort of.

There are just a couple of points that I want to make and it will be better if you can see it for yourself. There are all kinds of ammo here for making sermons out of, but there is just one point that I want you to concentrate on when everything is said and done.

Ok, Galatians 5:16:

16But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

17For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

24Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.

One of the best things about standing up here (behind a pulpit) is that I learn so much!

There are a lot of things in the
“no-no” file that we need to make sure that we don’t have in our life and a whole list in the “must have” file that we should be working on getting.

First, -and this is just to the side- but notice that verse 22 ends just before you get to the end of the verse.
Now in case you did not know they added the verse numbers long after the verses were written.
I think it’s interesting to see that verse twenty-three starts with the last two things on the list:

“gentleness, self control; against such things there is no law”.

That almost sums up the whole thing doesn’t it?

Notice that I do say “almost” because to me it doesn’t quite give me the image of “happiness” that I’m looking to convey. In fact (or however); the first two on the “Must have” list do convey the image of “happiness” that we usually think about: Love, Joy.

It would be kind of difficult to not be “happy” and have both love and joy; don’t you think?

It is however, possible to have love and not be happy, isn’t it?
Is it possible to have joy and not be happy? Well, that depends on what you define as “happy” doesn’t it.

Most of us have been to the funeral of someone who was a wonderful Christian and meant a great deal to us. There is tremendous Joy in the knowing that they have “gone on” to be with Jesus.

I just don’t think that what we are feeling when we know that we will have to continue on without them, can be called happy can it? No, we are understandably feeling sorry for ourselves.

We are mourning the loss of having them with us close by. Now compare that to the funeral of someone we love but who nonetheless refused salvation. That is a total loss.

Can you see the difference? The whole world should see the difference!

A Christian funeral has Joy as part of the service! A worldly funeral has no place for joy. A Christian life should have Joy as part of the “service”! A worldly life has no place for it.

In Acts chapter 5 (you don’t have to turn there but feel free to read it later for yourselves- )you can read a little story about the apostles –Who have been preaching and generally leading people to Jesus when they get arrested, thrown in jail. An angel releases them, and the next day the apostles are found teaching in the temple. They are rearrested and almost killed but a Pharisee named Gamileal convinces them other wise: Acts 5:40:

40They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

These guys were beaten and suffered shame; - don’t forget the humiliation that went with the beating - and were rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer it! This is not a quiet joy! This is Rejoicing!

When was the last time you “Rejoiced”? Never mind the rejoicing over being worthy enough to be beaten but when was the last time you rejoiced for any reason?

When was the last time someone said I want to be like you?

If you would, will you please turn in your Bibles to Acts 16:22. Acts chapter 16 verse 22.
This is part of the story of Paul and Silas who as they were traveling picked up a “groupie”. Well in way.
What they had was a slave girl who basically had a demon that would allow the girl to act as a fortune teller.

The masters of the slave girl were in fact making a “fortune” off of her too…..until Paul came by.

The girl sort of short-circuits.

She starts following them around crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”(repeat and get loud and theatrical and you will get the idea).

Well anyway… Paul finally gets annoyed turns around and casts out the demon, which in turn annoys the slave girl’s owners to say the least, and they then arrest Paul and Silas:

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

22The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

So here is the scene: Paul and Silas have been beaten with sticks, thrown into prison, secured in chains, and left in the dark with all the other prisoners. Naturally they break out in to song.

That’s what you and I would do isn’t it?

We would be so pleased with God that he has allowed all this to happen that praises to His name would just burst forth from our lips!

Our Joy at having so suffered while just trying to do what He asked; our Joy from being able to suffer so unfairly at the hands of the very people we were just trying to heal; and give the love and salvation of Jesus too; that all our praises to God would just naturally come out in song right?

I know exactly how I would have reacted before today, and probably today too for that matter:

“God ! How could you let this happen? What did we do wrong? Why are you letting us suffer so? Oh Please Lord save us!”

That’s what all my fellow prisoners would have heard. Notice please that what I would have done sounds an awful lot like despair.

When I sound like I am in despair, how many people are going to say to me “I want to be just like you”?

Understand that there certainly is a time and a place for it. When that is honestly how you are feeling and you need mercy, guidance and understanding we should certainly go to the One who loves us most. How much better is it though when we are comfortable enough to just trust Him?

You can read letters from Paul that starts out with Joy and greetings goes on to impart wisdom and teaching and then ends with an invitation to come and see him because he’s under arrest and every one has left him, alone.

What happens to Paul when it seems that none of the people that he has been sharing his life with will stick around now that he really needs them? Does he give up? Does he quit? Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t recall any letters that say no one seems to care so I give up.

No letters that say "What’s the point?"

Does he feel any of this? I think so. When I read the letters from Paul I do kind of get the feeling that there are times when he feels depressed and disappointed. Paul just doesn’t let it control him.

Paul keeps going, keeps doing what needs to be done, what the Lord has for him to do. Here it is: Paul doesn’t let despair or anger or any of the things on the “no-no” list take away his faith in Jesus. Paul doesn’t let it take away his Obedience or his trust in God. Paul doesn’t let the world take away his Joy.

I wouldn’t mind being more like Paul.

My goal is to be more like Jesus but I think Paul would be a good halfway point for me.

When was the last time someone said to you “I want to be more like you.”?

I, at this time, gauge how good my Christian walk with Jesus is by my work.
What I mean is: While I look for the kind of fruit that the bible says should be evident in a Christian, I am also looking through the eyes of my co-workers at my place of employment.

After almost ten years working at the same place, there is no doubt in my mind that I have completely confused my fellow co-workers. I have “messed up” so bad and so many times over the last ten years that if some of them may wonder if I really am a true Christian, they have good reason too.

I will often be reminded of some really un-Christian like behavior that I have committed and the shame will renew itself until I remind myself that I have already been forgiven.
As I look back at the last ten years or even the last week I can tell by how I handled the situations that have come up, just how my walk with Jesus was at that time and how good a witness I was at that time.

I can see the many times where it would be no wonder that no one there would want to be like me. I can see the other times though, when I rejected the flesh and lived by the Spirit. I can see the times when I was able to show to my small part of this world why life with Jesus is much better than life without.

When someone gives his or her life to Jesus, when someone gives that prayer that says "Jesus I am a sinner and I beg for your forgiveness. I will give to you my life and try to live it how you want me to. You can do with it what You want to.” When they confess that to the world no one can mistake it. Everyone will notice that something is different.

What is it that they notice? Jesus? Yes but let’s be more specific. The song says they will know we are Christians by our love. That is true but what will really make them notice, will really show them that life with Jesus is better, is our Joy.

I was very young when I noticed it in my parents and asked for what they had. I was so young, that I don’t completely remember that first initial joy. I do know though, the Joy of walking with the Lord compared with trying to walk your own way.

It’s the love that will show the world we are Christians but Joy will make them want to be like you.

Who doesn’t want to have love and Joy? Paul and Silas had no idea that their joy and their walking with Jesus was going to do all the bad it did or all the good either. Not specifically. Paul and Silas and you and I do know that as Christians there will be persecutions and there will be miracles. There can be love, Joy and all of the fruits and gifts of the Spirit throughout.

I don’t know about you but I would rather be able to praise God during the hard times of my life; during the lonely times of my life, during all of my life; than not.

Do you still have the Joy you had at your conversion? If not, where did it go? Is there somewhere in your life that you don’t want to be like Jesus? Is there something that you don’t want to do? It will be the first thing to take it. Or do you just feel that you are entitled to be without Joy?

Once again I’m not saying that you have to be dancing and singing all the time. I’m talking about the Joy of being a Christian. The Joy that Says I have a true and real friend with the Son of the Most High God. He cares for me and takes care of me. Because of Him; I am called a fellow heir of heaven itself! No matter what happens to me I will rejoice in the Lord for He has made me glad!

John 15:10 reads:

¹⁰“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Where is your Joy that -like the song- says “No matter what! It is well with my soul!”?

When is the last time someone marveled at your Joy in a tough situation and said “I want to be like you”?

Another Sermon Out of Retirement...

The following is a sermon given at the Warrens Baptist Church in March of 2003. There are a couple of things that I would like to point out.

As we discussed earlier, I use different versions of the Bible for different things. For my personal use I prefer the New American Standard or the New King James versions, but for the day of this sermon I used the New International Version for the comfort of my listeners.

For the purpose of this website though, I have substituted the New Living Version for clarity and ease of understanding.

Also I mention my Dog, Two Cats, Fish, Turtle, and Hermit crabs. In the last 3 years my dog “Bear” is no longer with us due to an ailment the Veterinarians still don’t recognize, he has not been replaced.

One of the two cats left us (natural causes) and was replaced later.

The last of the hermit crabs died long after we were told they would live. The turtle was released back into it’s natural habitat were he was picked up to begin with.

Out of 5, we have one fish left…barely. The cat’s have been “eyeing” him lately…

03-23-03

If you would please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Isaiah chapter 58 verse one. Isaiah 58 verse one. In the Old Testament it’s Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and then Isaiah and Jeremiah.

While your looking for Isaiah chapter 58. I have tried for a very long time to keep my life simple. The motto I repeat to myself most is the K.I.S.S. motto: “Keep it Simple Stupid”

There is a certain amount of freedom in simplicity. I like to do things right the first time. If I don’t believe I will be able to it all and do it right the very first time, I will wait until I can. You would call that Procrastinating. I call it being a Perfectionist.

I am also admittedly very lazy, which will explain why I want to do it right the first time, and being lazy, I want to accomplish my goals with as little effort and in as little time as I possibly can. In my opinion, that makes me an efficiency expert! I suppose some of you might disagree with that.

What this all comes down to is I don’t like chores. I don’t want there to be anything I HAVE to do everyday.

I have gone to great lengths to try to avoid it. In the end avoiding chores became too much of a chore in itself and now I have several.

I do not and did not want any kind of animals as a pet or otherwise because I do not like chores. One of the reasons that I like cars and trucks and motorcycles and tractors is that “routine” maintenance is not an every day thing.

You get gas depending on how far you drive. Oil changes are more or less every three months. You get the idea.

Animals however you have to feed and water everyday and sometimes several times a day. I now own a dog, two cats, a turtle and two hermit crabs. I told you eventually avoiding chores became too much of a chore.

Of course along with the chores I have a dog that adores me and is always and I do mean always happy to see me. Two cats who have very different personalities who play with and entertain my family. A turtle who despite tradition has proved to be pretty quick, at least at getting bigger; and two hermit crabs that have provided a wonderful education for me and my family.

Ok let’s read Isaiah chapter 58 verse one.

¹“Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Tell my people Israel^£ of their sins! ²Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to hear my laws. You would almost think this was a righteous nation that would never abandon its God. They love to make a show of coming to me and asking me to take action on their behalf. ³‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have done much penance, and you don’t even notice it!’”

I will tell you why! It’s because you are living for yourselves even while you are fasting. You keep right on oppressing your workers. ⁴What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. ⁵You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like a blade of grass in the wind. You dress in sackcloth and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the LORD?

⁶“No, the kind of fasting I want calls you to free those who are wrongly imprisoned and to stop oppressing those who work for you. Treat them fairly and give them what they earn. ⁷I want you to share your food with the hungry and to welcome poor wanderers into your homes. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

⁸“If you do these things, your salvation will come like the dawn. Yes, your healing will come quickly. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. ⁹Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Stop oppressing the helpless and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! ¹⁰Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as day. ¹¹The LORD will guide you continually, watering your life when you are dry and keeping you healthy, too. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. ¹²Your children will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as the people who rebuild their walls and cities.

¹³“Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the LORD’S holy day. Honor the LORD in everything you do, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this, ¹⁴the LORD will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you your full share of the inheritance I promised to Jacob, your ancestor. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

If you don’t know why God wants you to do – or not do- something then certainly you should just go ahead and do it; provided you are sure it’s what God wants.

Wouldn’t it be a good idea though to find out why if you can?

The most wonderful thing about the modern church is that we’ve been given the most magnificent tool for finding out what God wants and why. This is a tool that many Christians have been tortured and died trying to get and give to others.

Even today as we speak many Christians are endangering their lives to get and give this tool away. Of course I mean the Bible. In the times before Jesus the Israelites had to go to the synagogue for a reading of the scriptures. In the early days of the Christian church you had to depend on the priests of the church. Unfortunately as with Pharisees in Jesus’ day often the priests were unreliable. Now, we have only ourselves to blame.

In Isaiah 58 we have the People of the Lord who appear to be confused. They believe they are keeping the commandments of the Lord and cannot understand why He appears to not see or hear. They say, “we are doing what you told us” And God says “no you’re not”

The People of the Lord are going through the motions because that’s what they were told to do. They, apparently, don’t know why they’re supposed to do these things; but they believe they’re being faithful.

Now let’s see if I can confuse you some more. They are. That’s right they are doing what the Lord told them to do and God is rebuking them for it. How about that?

If God is rebuking them for it, how can it be the right thing? It is all a matter of heart. God is all about heart. If your heart is to do the right thing but you are doing the wrong thing, God will correct you with much love and mercy. This is proof that God is faithful even when we are not.

Now here is what they were doing wrong: They had the wrong heart.

Right about now you should be very confused. Their heart was right in that they were going through the motions because that was what they believed God wanted them to do. It was in the “how” they went through the motions that their heart was “wrong”.

They understood that fasting was a way of humbling yourself before God as if to say “You God are Greater than me.” They were correct but it wasn’t with the right heart. They were just doing their “chores”. Are we just doing our chores?

Fasting,

whether it is meals or habits or whatever we choose to “fast”, is about “bowing” before the Lord. It is about Humbling ourselves before God. It is also about reminding ourselves of our weaknesses; of how much we truly need the Lord. To remind us of how much we need His mercy.

We fast also as a way to discipline ourselves. To help us learn to control what is otherwise a sinful body that we are constantly at war with. I don’t just mean the kind of control that keeps us from eating too much but also the kind of control that keeps us from doing anything that we shouldn’t do, anything that might separate us from God.

Fasting is also a way of training ourselves to see the needs of others, to see the needs of our own families and the strangers on the street. Fasting is not for showing the world how we suffer for Christ or how pious and humble we are but something that is private; a personal time with the Lord.

Keeping the Sabbath, Jesus pointed out that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Some how we have changed that into meaning we no longer have to “Keep the Sabbath and keep it Holy”; or if we do, we do it as if it’s just another annoying “get in the way of what I want to do” chore. We either barely recognize that it exists or we have the wrong heart.

There are some people who are very faithful about how they tithe. They believe they should give their ten percent and they do so without fail.

Unfortunately that may be the only thing they give. If you believe in a strict ten percent to tithe of your money, how about giving ten percent of your time?

There are twenty-four hours in a day. Do you give 2.4 hours of your day to God?

If you believe that your relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in your life; if you believe that making Jesus the most important thing of your life is in fact, the best thing you could ever do, than how about spending two and a half hours everyday with the Person who has saved your life from eternal damnation?

Would that be too much to ask? Do you realize how much better your life would be if you did? How much would your life change if instead of doing chores for God, you set aside time everyday for reading that incredible “word” that he has given us?

How about doing just as Jesus did for the 33 some odd years He walked among us and go be “ALONE” with God! Seclude yourself so that there is no one else around, no radio, no TV, nothing else around just you and God getting to know one another?

We are supposed to pray without “ceasing” and I try, but often my eyes come off of God and come back to this world and to this flesh.

I know why. I haven’t been doing my “chores”.

If I can arrange my life so that I make sure that God has “first” priority in my life; If I can try to fit in the “rest of my life into the time I have with God instead of trying to fit my time with God into my life; I will receive blessings untold.

How could I not?

So what if at first my heart is wrong and I treat it as a chore? He will be faithful and eventually I will come to my senses and realize that it is no longer a chore but a blessed time that I will prize above all else.

Lets get our Priorities straightened out.

Let’s get our Hearts right with God.

Being a Christian isn’t a chore.

There shouldn’t be any part of it that is.

The disciples “rejoiced” that they were able to suffer in the name of Jesus. Does that sound like it was a chore? I don’t know about you but it to me it sounds like a relationship that is filled with the Holy Spirit. The kind that comes from truly making your life fit into your relationship with God and not from trying to make your relationship with Jesus fit into your life.

Replies, replies and Mission Statement!

It's funny and ironic how the internet has allowed me to be more in contact with my friends than ever before. Ironic because email is just faster Mail but I hardly ever wrote a letter or sent a picture before I got "On Line". I have several phones both cell and landline with almost all the numbers for all my long distance friends but we seem never able to "catch" each other home. I think in my case I was probably "on-line" with my "Dial-up" too much for anyone to get through. One of my "best buds" growing up now has traded "phone tag" for "comment tag"!
As you know, I love getting comments. The more thought provoking they are the better I like it!. Of course I am trying to stay on track with my plans for this site but I don't mind a little side trip from time to time. I also don't mind going over things again to help make things more clear. I know that sometimes my ability to communicate my thoughts isn't even close to what I would like.

You will find in the comments area on my last post some comment trading between myself and my buddy Joel. He shares a "blog" with his brother Pete called "The First Cause". You can find it at:

http://3of5hayes.blogspot.com/

It is a terrific site and I highly recommend it. It brought to light that perhaps I'm not too clear with my mission statement here and that I should try to restate it more clearly. It also got me thinking on the differences and the similarities between the "Immature" and the "Mature" Christian.

There are two main purposes I have for starting this site. One much more important than the other. The first as an instructional on the proper way with which to read the scriptures. To take away some of the intimidation that some people have of the scriptures. My hope is to help bring the wonders of daily study to those who for whatever reasons have been doing without. My second reason is that it gave me something to do with all these old sermons I have lying around!

At first I would have said that this site was originally intended for the New and immature Christian. Then I realized that you can be a Christian for a very long time and still be immature. This is part of what my friend Joel touches on in his comments. I have taken that thought even further though.

All Christians no matter how "mature" they may be, have areas that they are ... well, not so "mature" in. So for them as well, they need to go back to the basics. We shouldn't stay on "milk" forever but neither should we jump to eating meat before we have the proverbial "teeth" with which to chew it. Even then, Spritually and physically it is still a good idea to have a glass of milk handy when feasting on Ribeye.

There are in truth several different ways to read the Bible that are acceptable considering their purposes. I have mentioned before that which "version" of the Bible I use depends on my purposes. For some "New" Christians I have recommended the "Living" Bible but with this admonition: Just Read It. Read it like a Novel. Don't go looking for secrets or code or magic. Just read it and gain the overall "Feeling" of the Word of God. Open yourself to a better understanding of the Nature of God The Father; of Jesus His Son, and of His Holy Spirit.

My main purpose for this is to start them on a habit of looking to the word. When they are ready for better understanding and open to an active application of scripture to their life, then the nature of the individual will often play a role in which "version" I recommend.
Feel free to choose your own. My two favorites are the New American Standard and the New King James but as I have stated before I have something over 20 different translations or interpretations of Scripture and I use most of them.
For basic study any of the "Best Selling" versions will do.

By the time you are ready for serious-in-depth study you will yourself have chosen what works best for you and will also realize that in truth, it really is helpful to have several versions to compare with so that you can gain a "fuller" understanding of what is being said. Using different versions at once is kind of like using a thesaurus. It isn't always necessary but sometimes it can sure be helpful.

When reading the scriptures take everything at face value and don't go looking for the Hidden Things until you have a good understanding of what is being said on the "surface".
The Bible often works in layers. There is basic truth in what is said openly and plainly while there is more truth hidden underneath. Don't go looking for the hidden until you understand what is in the open.
For example: If you read the old testament and the stories concerning the Israelites, on the surface it reads like a history book with some strange rituals and festivals thrown in. When you have read all of that and then also read the Gospels and the Life of Jesus you see all the ways that those stories written thousands of years before the Gospels all point to Jesus.
When you read about the "Passover" and the sacrifice of the lamb it is important to see and to know that every little detail had to be taken care of and fulfilled for the Israelites to be saved from the coming wrath of God. Then you can realize how God and His Son Jesus also took great care to take care of all the details so that Jesus could be the "Lamb" that provides us with salvation.

The point here is that the stories are a factual "History" and they have morals and truths that we can learn all right there on the surface. When we have those basics down, we can go back and start to see the deeper hidden truths that provide us with the "meat" that we need and yet take nothing away from the goodness of the "Milk" it first provided us with.

My goal is to take us to the meat but not before we have the teeth to chew it. From time to time there will be those situations such as we have had in the past where I may have to take a little side trip, and for the "Meat Eaters" sake, go a little deep. I am just not in too big a hurry to do that because I want to make sure I'm not "Biting off more than I can chew". (sorry, I couldn't resist that one!)

The Bible warns about leading anyone astray and I don't want to let my good intentions lead us to destruction so, I think I will let "...The Holy Spirit in that day tell (me) what to say..."
Numbers 6:24
Will.

This post will be short because some things don’t really need a lot of explanation. That is the way with the Scriptures, some things don’t really take a lot to understand.

In fact it is a good rule of thumb that when you read the Bible, if you think you understand what a verse means the first time you read it, then the odds are good that’s exactly what it meant.

Yeah, I know that sounds silly and certainly there can be exceptions but sometimes I think we “over read” the scripture; reading more into it than is really there.

In my humble opinion, that can be much more dangerous than missing whatever “hidden meaning” we think might be there.

The following Scripture is a pretty “straight forward” instruction and can be understood readily enough.

There is truth in it that we can apply to ourselves right away, but there is also a lot more that we can gain by studying further the verses before and after what I have copied here. (I’m intentionally trying to get you to look it up for yourself…Hint Hint)

Also, insight can be given by studying the individuals and groups involved; the writer and the intended recipient or recipients -which in this case is Paul and Timothy, but that shouldn’t change the meaning only clarify it more.

One last thing, The following Scripture I have used as an example for my instruction for reading the Scriptures, but the real purpose for its being here is that I have felt through the Holy Spirit that someone specific needs to be reminded of it. I pray that individual (individuals?) receives it well and to God be the Glory.

2^nd Timothy 3:16 – 4:5

¹⁶All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

¹I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead ^£at His appearing and His kingdom: ²Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. ³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.