THE BOOK THAT BREATHES WITH LIFE

The Book that Breathes with Life.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." 2Tim3:16-17 (ESV)

"That breath transmits life today, as surely as when the Holy Spirit breathed the Book into existence. It is also dynamic, and I love to relay its life to others - especially to help build believers in Christ, to help them grow in His loving fullness." (Hayford)

Public reading. Scriptures were hand copied and expensive. Church services included reading portions of Scripture. Christians worked to memorize the words.

"Now when this epistle (Colossians) is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea (Ephesians)." Col 4:16

"What then do I ask of you? That each of you take in hand that part of the Gospels which is to be read in your presence on the first day of the week or even on the Sabbath; and before that day comes, sit down at home and read it through; consider often and carefully its content, and examine all its parts well, noting what is clear, what is confusing, what seems to assist the position of the adversaries but really does not. And, in a word, when you have sounded every point, then go to hear it read. From such zeal as this there will be no small benefit both to you and to me." (John Chrysostom, died 407 AD)


OT + NT = Scripture

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb 4:12


Free At Last!

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John8:31-32

"but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name." John 20:31

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor 6:11

"And a woman who has a husband who does not believe, if he is willing to live with her, let her not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband; otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy." 1Cor7:13-14

In Judaism the family was joined to the covenant through the father. But in the church, the family is holy if either spouse is a believer (compare 2 Timothy 1:5). This does not mean that all are saved, but that all are touched by the faith of the Christian believer. The family is a spiritual unit: if one member is a Christian, the whole family is set apart by God's grace. [The Christian believer is to bless the whole family by invoking God's loving touch upon eacn one.]


Power For Victory

"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." James 1:12-13

Trial, temptation, and struggle hold high promise and hope if seen from the Lord's perspective. Scripture gives us that insight.


Breathing deeply

a) Read the Bible daily to listen. Read as you would a newspaper - to hear and learn. Read especially Isaiah, the Psalms, the Gospel of John, and also Revelation.

b) Pray the Bible joining your concerns with His promises. Note the promises in Romans 8. We tend to see only the problems and the warnings. Some are unaware of the precious promises of God.

c) Trust the Author. The Holy Spirit is faithful to prompt us. [Note our God Jehovah is a Trinity and The Holy Spirit is presently in our world and working.]

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." John 16:8-11

"Our shock at evil testifies to the predominance of good. Headlines we consider terrible wouldn't be headlines if they described usual events. The atheist who points out the horrors of evil unwittingly testifies to good as the norm. When we speak of children dying, we acknowledge that they usually don't. When a natural disaster hits, 99 percent of the world remains untouched." Randy Alcorn, (Multnomah, 2009)

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." ~Samuel Johnson, 18th-cenutry British author

We must allow the light of Christ to shine in us and through us.