The Stop, Look, Listen Family Bible Study User Manual
Contents
1. drove up and down many dangerous hills looking for the cryptic addresses I had People began to offer to throw stones at the police jeep and cursed us as we drove by Everyone we asked for directions played dumb because they don t want to be tagged as informers this is because they assumed we were there to arrest someone We finally found Althia an unwed mother next door to a fruit stand whose owner had just sworn there was no such person in the area Althia has been writing us for two years telling us she doesn t understand salvation Lon story short Althia and karl her live in partner gave their lives to Christ and promised me they would soon be married directed them to Pitfour church and told them there will be a nice wedding present waiting The grand climax was next We had been searching for Heather the one who works on the Logos ship and has badly needed a mattress all day long Carlton had to attend to some police business and we decided to leave the money for the mattress with someone and call it a day got back to my hotel room and cried out to the Lord Father Heather really needs this mattress Please help me find her someone else may not get the job done The phone rang as was praying Jimmy This is Heather just got your letter sent a month ago saying that you are coming have been so discouraged but today have been skipping through the streets showing your letter to everyone This was only the be2. Luke 2 19 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every rhema that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Matthew 4 4 Highlighting a rhema may mean that you have been tested in a particular area and have some confidence that you have passed the test Or it may mean that you want to mark a passage which God used to speak to you in a personal way The purpose here is to pass it on as a legacy to someone else Unfortunately untaught believers have misused the concept of a personal word from God to justify things they imagine they should RHEMA do and have used this as a means of appearing deeply spiritual They have not been taught how to take every thought captive 2 Corinthians 10 5 They have not been taught to try the spirits 1 John 4 1 They have not been taught to confirm every truth in the mouth of two or three witnesses Mat 18 16 Don t let the foolishness of some believers rob you of the experience of God s word speaking to you personally Remember our view of the word rhema is not an essential of the Christian faith Let s be careful how we instruct others on issues which are not prerequisite to orthodox doctrine My brethren be not many masters knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation James 3 1 If your previous teaching doesn t leave room for this understanding of rhema you might prefer to refer to verses that have spoken to your spirit as my favorite verses or verses that eve
3. alone in the Temple The Christian historian Eusebius called James the Bulwark of the People In older days the laws of men have often been based on God s law LAW God s Law was given to show us what pleases God The law is a tutor servant who walks with us and brings us to Christ by convicting us of the things we have done which are offensive to God Gal 3 24 Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law Mat 5 17 There are documented cases of people who were harassed by suicidal thoughts because they had violated a Law which required the death ae ty and did not obtain a covering for that offense through the lood of Jesus For example And they shall say unto the elders of his city This our son is stubborn and rebellious he will not obey our voice he is a glutton and a drunkard And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones that he die so shalt thou put evil away from among you and all Israel shall hear and fear Deut 21 20 21 Make a note of every place where James refers to the Old Testament Law Notice how often he contrasts it with Jesus words of the New Covenant Do you know of any passages where Jesus compared the two The Bible is filled with wisdom on how to avoid disease MEBOdICAL For example will put none of these diseases upon thee which have brought upon the Egyptians for am the LORD that healeth thee Exodus 15 2 Scientists didn t discover it unti
4. and share what you are learning from the Bible with the rest of us A Safe Haven for Kids The Bible Marker Club Donwloadable skits and projects Join the club and meet new friends from all over the world The Stop Look Listen Bible Blog http stoplooklistenbible blogspot com Join other Bible lovers as we attempt to pool the insights we are gaining into an online database of wisdom What would it be like if Christians from all over the world got together and had an online Bible study What if they were able to research a passage together and assemble the results into a downloadable form that others could continue to polish Are you ready to shake every branch in these sixty six books Then come join us and welcome aboard Ordering our Materials The study materials on this site were created to equip you to understand Scripture They were NOT created to make money Our materials can be downloaded freely in Acrobat PDF format so that you and our friends overseas can have instant access to quality resources We also offer printed copies at cost Some of the material has been printed in paperback form and we have to pay the printer for each copy Other material is printed on our printer and held together wiht plastic spiral binding The cost of shipping and binding is built into the suggested donation amount Every donation helps us to hand out free material overseas We are trying to find a way to get quality Bible mater
5. for ourselves and to be ready to abe an answer to skeptics that these categories validate the Bible regardless of what they have been taught We have inserted some of these icons into the Bible text to get you started You may want to draw some of your own in the margin in order to record an insight which we have overlooked Of course there are other categories which could be listed such as classic literature biographies character qualities commands etc add your own to the list As you are reading ask yourself Are there any inscriptions ARCHAEOLOGY carvings tablets or other evidence which provide background for the facts in this book _ 3 e You may want to research the so called Ossary of James a burial box which was supposedly discovered in 2002 The inscription on the box said James son of Joseph brother of Jesus This writing was found later to be a forgery and the discovery was proven to be a hoax This is a good example of why we need to be careful when researching topics which claim to give us new light on the Bible e The foundations of ancient synagogues have been uncovered in Israel If you will research the objects found in these synagogues you will learn a lot from items such as the Seat of Moses e Find out where the pinnacle of the Temple was What could you see from up there Archaeology books are filled with discoveries which confirm the Bible and no discovery h
6. him but some doubted Matthew 28 16 17 It is comforting when you realize that the Apostles of the Lord who had walked with Him for three years still had doubts The most well known of these of course was Thomas Folks have rebuked Thomas for doubting and sometimes they rebuke others for doubting but Jesus did not rebuke him The Gallagher Gazette 2005 A D Summer Friday morning we held devotions at St Edward s Prepatory School This was especially exciting because we were told of something special the Lord had done there recently It seems that the school had planned to have a Teacher Appreciation Day but something happened so that it could not work out The 4th through 6th graders decided that something must be done so they came to school at 6 30 am that morning to fast and pray for their teachers instead After four years as a Christian school teacher would have to say that I d never heard of something like this before wish our Christian schools had this sacrificial attitude I ve noticed that people who have nothing tend to be more compassionate than those who have everything We moved on to open a clinic at Canterbury Kerry Russell showed up as the clinic was closing His Rastafarian friends had carried and pushed his wheelchair uphill through the narrow alleys between the sheds This is a place you don t want anyone to know you are from It is a valley with only one entrance and filled with corrugated tin b
7. references Look for passages that illustrate what is happening in the chapter e Alternate translations are inserted in the text like this We have tried to especially spotlight any cognates or English words which are similar to their Greek derivatives e References to God are bolded like this Lord Jesus Christ e You may want to cut or fold the category half sheets on the dotted line provided so that you can see the Bible text alongside of the categories e A list of the resources used as well as footnote references can be found at the back of this study guide Basic Suggestions for Learners and Teachers You will of course want to go through all the material yourself before sharing it with anyone else Here are some ideas that have worked for us e Start out by reading a Bible chapter a few times until your eyes begin to spot repetitive words and ideas Underline those words we haven t underlined them all so that you can find some of them on your own Quite often the most repeated word is a key to the chapter e Read the introductory material provided at the beginning of the book of James e Never skip over hard words like upbraideth without finding out what they mean Look for alternate translations in the New American Standard version the New King James the NET Bible or the Amplified Bible e Go through the categories listed in the next section and ask yourself if any of the concepts in the chapter can be il
8. she could not eat or sleep and that her stomach hurt felt the Lord impressing me to ask her if there was anything bad going on at home Monica immediately grabbed me and hugged me shouting God has sent you to me How did you know that God has sent you We were able to pray and take back ground she had given to the deceiver and gave her detailed instruction on how to stop being a fixer and surrender her home to the Lord Jesus Christ She wouldn t let go of me for awhile telling me how much she loved me and how God had sent me Needless to say I was a basket case for awhile There was no time to waste as a young girl named Judy had been looking at me through the window all e long and her eyes were getting desperate She finally showed me the palms of her hands and revealed first degree burns and shreds of skin hanging loose Dear God how she had stood there so patiently feeling unworthy to ask for help I snuck her into the doctor and God heard my prayer because he prescribed Furacin which was used in Vietnam to heal napalm burns It is a miracle drug I showed Judy how to keep the wound clean and change the bandages She will have her hands back in a month or so but came close to losing them to gangrene Sunday had not told anyone but the Lord of my great desire to preach at Pitfour Gospel Chapel wanted Him to confirm it When we go we defer to the respected preachers who come with us and allow them to preach secretl
9. the chapter three times and underline key words Read the Introduction A Use the Worksheet to assign AL projects to the group ON Look for any cross references or places where similar ideas are illustrated in other books of the Bible Read the Focus sheet to discover major categories found in the chapter Add your own notes or discoveries to the Bible Study pages Use the Listen Sheet to ask God How does any of this apply to me How to Saturate Yourself in Scripture Underline Repeated Words Often the Holy Spirit uses two or three witnesses to confirm His words j JAMES CHAPTER TWO Drawing a line between contrasting concepts or phrases makes the purpose of the 10M brethren have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord chapter stand out vividly of glory with respect of persons Acts 10 34 2 For if there come unto your assembly synagogue a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment Luke 15 2 16 19 21 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay brilliaftt clothing and say unto him Sit thou here in a good plgCe and say to the poor Stand thou there or sit here under my ootstoo Luke 11 43 14 7 11 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves and are begime judges of evil thoughts 5 Hearken my beloved brethren Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich i
10. THE STOP Look LISTEN FAMILY BIBLE STUDY USER MANUAL For use with individual Stop Look Lisetn Study Guides http www stoplooklistenbible com Copyright 2006 All rights reserved Quoted materials are the property of the respective copyright holders Welcome to the Wilderness Allow us to introduce ourselves as your fellow travelers We are the Gallagher family God has called us into the Wilderness where we have no real alternative but to make His Word a priority We want to share some of the secrets of consistent Bible study which the Lord has used in our walk with Him We certainly have no right to speak from a position of strength our strength is only in the Lord Nor do we have any desire to impress you with our limited knowledge of the Bible All we can really do is to place some tools in your hands as you travel further into the Wilderness armed with nothing else but your Bible The purpose of this guide is to help the reader relate the Bible to real life It is impossible to communicate to others that which you haven t experienced yourself The classic example is the Scopes trial where William Jennings ee was publicly humiliated in court as he tried to defend a Bible he hadn t read Each one of us is on trial every day Ye are our epistle written in our hearts known and read of all men 2 Corinthians 3 2 God is calling us all into the Wilderness where Paul Moses Elijah David Daniel John the Baptist and Jesus spent
11. ake a look at the Focus sheet and explain how it relates to what you are studying Step 4 Add your own notes The Bible Study pages display the KJV text with alternate translations and basic cross references You might want to photocopy these pages for group handouts or show students how to include notes in the margins of their Bibles There are some notes included in order to jump start your investigation of the chapter Don t forget that the whole idea of this guide is to provide ove for you to keep a record of what you discover There is plenty of space provided for your own notes Try drawing lines between opposite ideas to make them stand out This is also useful for pinpointing ther related concepts such as what words like therefore are referring to Often you will discover a chiasm the letter Chi looks like an X in Greek which reveals two concepts being contrasted 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter 12 Can the fig tree my brethren b ive beyries either a vine figs so can no fountain both yield saltwater and fresh Finding your way around in the Bible text e The King James Version is used because it lends itself to textual comparison e The space alongside of the Bible text is for your notes e Old Testament references are highlighted like this e Exhaustive cross references have purposely been left out so that you can add your own Many Bibles list only general
12. as ever contradicted the Bible GEOGRAPHY e For example List the cities regions or geographic features of each book Take note of other Bible incidents which happened there Look up the meaning of each name These locations are very significant because of what happened there God continually refers to locations in the Bible to illustrate His message to men In many cases it is impossible to understand a passage properly without knowing the geography behind the story James wrote to the scattered tribes of Israel Here are some of the major locations of the Jewish diaspora Asia Minor Egypt Greece Italy Spain Syria HISTORY l To quote Goodrick again Bible study is not so much the examination of a text as it is an examination of an historical event The text you examine was addressed to somebody for some reason at some particular time and place That very real place with those real people n very real history must be understood before that book which contains them can be understood as it ought to be Alphonse de Lamartine said History is neither more nor less than biography on a large scale Can you find any history books available which can shed light on the book of James For example Read Josephus to get the full story on the murder of James Hegesippus says that James lived according to a Nazarite vow that he wore a linen garment and was often found on his knees praying
13. ceive His own e The Bible is the inerrant Word of God e God is three persons in one Being How many of these does the book of James refer to If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godliness He is proud knowing nothing but doting about questions and strifes of words whereof cometh envy Strife railings evil surmisings 1 Timothy 6 3 4 But in vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men Mat 15 9 If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether speak of myself John 7 17 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears 2 Tim 4 3 Gods NAME 4 Lad The name of God used in a given passage is one of the keys to understanding it You will grasp the emphasis as you begin to visualize why one particular name is used over another The same is true when you study passages where God changes a person s name and contrasts it with their old name The Names of God Jehovah Jireh God who provides Jehovah M Kaddesh God who sanctifies Jehovah Nissi God is my Banner Jehovah Rohi God my Shepherd Jehovah Rophe God of Healing Jehovah Shalom God of Peace Jehovah Shammah God who is always there Jehovah Tsidkenu God of Righteousness A
14. donai Lord Christ Annointed One Many other titles could be added Ancient of Days Prince of Peace Lion of Judah etc Look for an unusual title found in James chapter 5 jesus l T We use this category to track any reference to Jesus including passages which remind us of His sayings Jesus is referred to as the Word John 1 1 and He can be found throughout the Scriptures And beginning at Moses and all the prophets he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself Luke 24 27 Christ is also found throughout the Bible as the Rock the Spring of Living Water the Word the Manna the Brazen Serpent the Red Heifer the Scapegoat and dozens of other examples There are also several people who are called types of Christ This is because their lives contained some aspect of the life of Christ Joseph is a type of Christ Also look for Christophanies which are appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament Notice the words James uses to describe Jesus How many times does he call Him Lord What does Lord mean Did you discover the passage which James called Jesus Royal Law There is no better way to learn how to pray than to study the prayers of the Bible A careful study of the prayers in the Bible will show you that the answer to a prayer is directly related to the words used in the prayer This is why Jesus taught us specifically how to pray Make a note of any prayers you find in the b
15. e LORD and that thought upon his name Malachi 3 16 Wisdom is good with an inheritance Ecclesiastes 7 11 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear Why another Bible study guide The world says that the Bible is not relevant They don t see any connection at all between the Bible and their daily lives Our job is to prove to ourselves first and then to others that the Bible is accurate scientifically historically medically etc You can use this knowledge to prepare an answer for people who are brought across your path You will find that you have something to say that makes sense and causes people to take Christianity seriously 1 Peter 3 15 That we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God 2 Corinthians 1 4 and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Proverbs 11 25 Master Category List Knowledge Categories We have found it helpful to look for the following categories when attempting to understand any passage of Scripture The first iis we call the Knowledge enti These are the kinds of things that we all studied in school Keep in mind that the world has been taught that these subjects can be used to disprove the Bible see 1 Cor 8 1 Our goal is to prove the truth of these things
16. e didn t understand it Our particular view of eschatology is not an essential element of the Christian faith other than the fact that Christ is coming again There are also current events in Israel which are foreshadowed by passages such as Isaiah 11 Ezekiel 37 39 and Jeremiah 51 Can you discover any e where James seems to be referring to etic teaching or a prophetic event public prop PROVERBS There are dozens of people in the book of Proverbs who illustrate g9 good and bad character qualities Once you discern the traits of these characters they give you greater insight into the biographies of Scripture James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament A careful inspection will reveal many passages in the book of James which remind us of the book of Proverbs e You can learn more about Esau when you compare Prov 12 27 and Gen 25 30 e It is fascinating to see a Proverb put into action the way Abigail did See Prov 15 1 and 1 Sam 25 23 31 e Read Psa 51 and make a note of the year of suffering David spent agonizing over his sin Compare this with Prov 24 16 e Josiah was a good king but lost his life because he did not understand the wisdom of Prov 26 17 see 2 Chr 35 20 e Joseph lived out Prov 11 26 by using his wisdom and compassion Gen 47 25 to provide for the people Proverbs People Look for these people all through the Bible Here s a short list Adulterer Angry Man F
17. else in the Scriptures The Listen sheet prompts you to ask God to reveal the things in this chapter which apply to you Use this sheet to come up with some ideas to bring your study to a conclusion The Focus sheet is where you will find background information on any Knowledge or Wisdom categories discovered in the chapter The Study Sheets are for your personal use The Worksheet is a condensed version for use with groups A good way to get a group involved is to begin the lesson with the sample skit found at the back of this book Match assignments to those in the group who are best able to handle the job You may also want to photocopy the sample newspaper pages for handouts Divide students into groups of reporters who are on assignment to report on two or three of the major topics covered in the chapter Encourage them to come up with ideas for Want Ads Lost amp Found etc As an alternative give them a microphone and ask them to report the news on Jerusalem s Channel 7 station WOW Don t forget commercials for used camels etc Smaller students will love doing this from inside a cardboard box with the bottom cut out and knobs and dials drawn on the front The audience will love passing the remote around and changing the channel or muting the news Younger people might be asked to do something easy such as counting how many times a particular word is found in the chapter Another student could be asked to t
18. ew questions to make sure you are a good guy Sure mon Have you ever lied stole anything taken God s name in vain lusted or dishonored your parents shortened version In a few minutes Garnett saw his need for a Savior and was born into the Kingdom of Light brought him to the pastor and Garnett mentioned that he had been watching this church for weeks and that he would ies attending on Wednesday night Pray for Garnett to stay close to the Lord and the brethren Tuesday We visited the interior of the island Dr Sam Wooldridge formerly of MAF estimated the cost of development and explained various things clinic dorm housing hydroponic gardening which could be done in the area Sam teaches jungle survival and has traveled the world helping to find investors and assistance for missionaries Wednesday was invited to visit my friends at the police station Little did know what would transpire Superintendent of Police Ivan Brown who lost both arms in a machete attack years ago asked if there was anything they could do to assist me mentioned there were some people whom had met on the last trip who needed various things and one who was on the verge of salvation He assigned Corporal Carlton Stirling one of my favorite people in the world a four wheel drive land rover and gave him the commission to carry out my orders had secretly prayed this would happen but didn t want to be the one who pushed it Carlton and
19. ginning The mattress cost was 13 900 00 242 00 USD Carlton tried to negotiate in Patois for a cheaper price No way He called friends who knew the owners No luck The store was closing soon and there was nobody who could authorize a discount asked Carlton to count my bundle of US and Jamaican bills and breathed a prayer kicking myself for buying a phone card and some coffee for friends in the states couldn t believe it when Carlton said 240 00 looked through my wallet and found two single dollar bills and laid them in his hands Yessssssssss We got it wish you could have seen Heather skipping around the store with her hands in the air shouting Thank you Jesus In our early years we were taught that only certain people are called to be missionaries We have discovered that God can provide a covering and the right circumstances so that anyone who is willing can go Pray about going with us Contact us at jimmy stoplooklistenbible com for information on how you can be involved in a future mission trip www stoplooklistenbible com Come visit us on the web There s something here for everybody e The Story of how we got our Bible e e How to Repair Relationships e How to know you are forgiven e How to prepare for Spiritual Warfare e Bible Study Methods e Free booklets and tracts to download e Free downloadable Study Guides e Mission trips Check out our forums
20. hlight names of places in Blue Highlight personal insights in Yellow Highlight prophecies in Purple Highlight references to the Old Testament in Orange Step 2 Study the background Read the Introduction Sheet These sheets are designed to save you the trouble of researching the background of the book This will help you to relate what you are reading to the events going on at the time the book was written A compilation of dozens of Bible Encyclopedias Bible dictionaries web sites commentaries text evidence and every reference imaginable has been condensed into a few pages for you Remember we are oy here to get you started soon you ll be doing your own research and discovering insights and facts that we have missed GY Step 3 Using the Study Sheets You will notice that there are half sheets at the beginning of every chapter Some versions of this guide require you to cut or fold the half sheets so that you can use them side by side with the Bible text Use the Stop sheet to list key words and word studies This is also a poe place to answer the questions Who What Where When and Why The Look sheet reminds you of other passages where the material found in the chapter is revealed It is often said and very true that the Bible is the best commentary on the Bible One of the best ways to get insight is to ask yourself Has anything like this happened somewhere
21. ial into the hands of those who need it Our challenge is to do this as economically as possible esource Materials ames Stop Look Listen Paperback 20 00 GBC Binding 15 00 Am Forgiven Combating Intruding Thoughts Booklet 4 00 Israel Locations amp Related Scriptures Booklet 4 00 arfare Counseling amp Discipleship GBC Binding 10 00 Individual Bible Study Workbooks GBC Binding Large over 25 chapters Study Guides specify which book Genesis etc 25 00 mall Study Guides specify which book Matthew etc 20 00 Thank You The Gallagher Family 11272 FM 1565 Poetry Texas 75160 Books marked with an asterisk are available in paperback all others have spiral binding All purchases enable us to make these materials available at no cost to grateful students as we serve on the mission field Make checks payable to Jimmy Gallagher Credit card or PayPal payment is available on our website at http www stoplooklistenbible com catalog html
22. ible Cursed be the man before the LORD that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho he shall e the foundation thereof in his firstborn and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it Compare Joshua 6 26 with 1 Kings 16 34 Although 1 Corinthians 12 8 is still in the Bible we might as well mention that there are some folks out there today who falsely claim to have the ability to utter prophetic words There are even so called christian mind readers and fortune tellers making merchandise out of the body of Christ Deut 18 22 gives a clear cut answer to people who presume to speak in the name of the Lord but are in fact speaking from their own imagination Messianic Prophecies These are passages which foretold the birth life death and resurrection of Christ People are fascinated by the fulfillment of o and they will be especially interested when you show them prophecies which Jesus fulfilled Here are some examples they pierced my hands and my feet Psalm 22 16 So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver Zechariah 11 12 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off but not for himself Daniel 9 26 Eschatological Prophecies Don t be afraid of this big word it just refers to things which will happen in the last days No one knows the day or the hour of the Lord s return See Mat 24 26 Even John Calvin refrained from writing on the book of Revelation because he said h
23. iel 12 3 The Stop Look Listen approach to Bible study The guide has been prepared to help families discover meaningful time in the Bible orale It was not designed for seminary students although some students may find this material helpful To quote from Goodrick s indispensable Do it Yourself Hebrew and Greek The mortality rate for those studying original Bible languages is horrendous Students spend enormous segments of time and energy memorizing vocabulary lists declensions and conjugations only to forget them in a few years through lack of use Goodrick says that what is needed is a halfway house for those who are climbing the mountain This guide is intended to be a halfway house where climbers can find a place to collect their thoughts and prepare themselves to go further up the mountain This guide focuses on leading you to discover daily manna rather than teaching hermeneutics the art of interpreting words In any case students of hermeneutics will be able to use this material as a foundation for their work Here are some more important ideas from Goodrick 2 Too often the Bible he means to some people is nothing more than a repository of doctrinal propositions supporting the already systematized theology of the student Goodrick goes on to say that a well rounded approach to Scripture grows in an honest reader s mind as his understanding of the Word grows He urges us not to only use the Bible to proof text ou
24. is accuser said but that there was not one tree in the entire Bible which he had not shaken to see what would fall from the branches May God give us all that kind of determination It really is a question of whether or not we believe that it is worthwhile to know this Book on such an intimate basis Our assignment will have been accomplished if you find the things the Lord has hidden specifically for you in the book of James We pray that the Lord will confirm those things you are about to discover in the mouth of two or three witnesses passages for more on confirming truth with Scripture see rhema in the category list Keeping a Record of the Journey How much would it have meant to you if you had been given a personal notebook of Bible wisdom by your parents or grandparents That may never have happened but here s your chance to make it happen for someone else This guide is a good way to p your family members started in keeping a record of the spiritual lessons they are learning It aes without saying that you or someone you know will face at least one major crisis in life Deut 8 2 shows us that this can happen to show us what is in our hearts You never know when someone is going to need to know something you have learned It makes sense to have a place to put your notes so that you or someone you love can find them when that crisis shows up and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared th
25. l 19614 but God revealed to Moses that a baby s blood doesn t clot properly until it is eight days old Leviticus 12 3 Make a note of passages which describe a sickness unto death John 11 4 a sickness of chastisement 1 Cor 11 30 and a sickness to the glory of God John 9 3 Which one do you think James may be referring to in Chapter 5 The evil spirits did not appreciate David s harp music and the Music Accuser will likewise leave when you have melodious music in your home The Bible is full of music Keep an eye out for passages which have been used as lyrics in Christian hymns Compare James 5 13 to other passages which tell us to encourage each other with melodious music See Eph 5 19 and Col 3 16 For example And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh justified in the Spirit seen of angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory 1 Tim 3 16 This passage is traditionally thought of as a hymn sung by the early church Paul quoted it with the confidence that his readers would recognize it SCIENCE Be alert to passages which supposedly prove that the Bible is scientifically inadequate The Bible can hold its own and has never been proven to contain any scientifically invalid passages For example What about Cain s wife Rabbits chewing their cud Millions of years needed to prove ev
26. l errors in the Bible are corrected by sister passages others are explained by cultural scientific grammatical or historical investigation so we aren t left wondering what the answer is There are plenty of so called experts who use these scribal errors to tear down the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Scriptures Don t make yourself look like a fool by trying to defend a textual variant The Bible makes a point of showing the effects of a father s blessing BLESSINGS or lack thereof on his children s lives Be careful to take notice of God s blessings and how to obtain them Make a note of how blessings he ted in Bible families Pray the words of an appropriate verse of Scripture over each family member as you close your family Bible time Pray that these words will become real in their lives I wish above all things that Johnny Susie may prosper and be in health even as his her soul prospers 3 John 1 2 Track down any Pee which are mentioned in the book of James What does James say wi happen when we bless God but fail to bless others as Jesus commanded us Mat 5 44 CROSS REFERENCES Always ask yourself Has this concept been alluded to or illustrated elsewhere in the Bible You will notice that babies and geniuses learn by comparing one thing to another Graduate students are given the Miller Analogies Test to measure their ability to match oie they have learned with something they are unfami
27. liar with Sometimes you will need to go bed thinking on this and may find it coming back to your thoughts all day o If you persevere Prov 2 1 5 the answer will come This is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in your Bible study 2 Peter 1 20 tells us that no Scripture is of its own interpretation Peter was telling us that if we see some meaning in a passage then we should confirm that truth with the witness of other Scriptures We would be wise to examine every word in Scripture so that we rightly divide what we are reading 2 Tim 2 15 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness of mind and searched examined the scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17 11 Search examine the scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me John 5 39 We base sound doctrine on the Words of Christ When sound doctrine is taught people give their lives to Christ When the DOCTRINE commandments of men are taught in place of doctrine Christians and non Christians alike are confused Here are some of the major doctrines of the Christian faith e Mankind was created in God s image e Adam s sin brought depravity on mankind e Jesus Christ is the Son of God e Jesus was born of a virgin e Jesus death paid the penalty for our sins e Jesus Christ rose from the dead e Jesus is coming again to re
28. lustrated historically scientifically medically etc You absolutely must relate Scripture to life or you will just be reading words e Make up your mind that there is something in the chapter that can speak to your life If you don t apply what you learn and purpose to act on it then you are wasting your time See James 1 23 25 e Now you are ready to share what you have learned with others You will have better results if you lead your family or group into a discussion of the chapter rather than giving all the answers away Assign helpers to look up cross references and assist with skits or T Ask little ones to color a picture you may photocopy the pictures in o the back of the book which illustrates the lesson and to tell you what they think about the material covered Include everybody e Keep it short We ve included a lot of material in these pages If your audience is losing interest then stop and pick up from there next time It might be best at that point to wrap up the lesson by asking one of the questions from the Listen page Find a way for your audience to take something away from the class Show them how they can ean a journal of the things they are learning or how to make meaningful notes in the margins of their Bibles Don t let this be the end of the story Pray for each one by name before and after class that God will use what they have learned to speak into their lives Your path to meaningful Bible study Read
29. much time Come into the Wilderness with your Bible and listen while the Lord reveals His Word to you Some will say But isn t it enough to know that we are saved Why do we need to dig so deeply into the Bible Answer But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil Hebrews 5 14 God doesn t use anyone greatly until He has tried them in the Wilderness Wouldn t it be a good idea to keep track of what you are hearing there Heb 2 1 so that it will never be lost He will surely hand pick you for assignments which take you out of the Wilderness into the Promised Land Many thanks are due to those who have patiently taught and guided us over the years Dr Robert Picirilli Dr Stanley Outlaw Pastor Adolfo Robleto Bryan Moore the engineer behind GodSpeed Pastor Joe Lambert Rev Bill Gothard Pastor Woody Proffitt Missionaries Archie and Sarah Mayhew Many others could be mentioned who were patient with us while we practiced being in the ministry not to mention the many pastors and church members who trusted us to deliver the pure Word of God in spite of our weaknesses Finally we pray that you will open your spirit to diligently inquire of the Lord The answers you have been seeking may be just a couple of verses away May God add His blessing as you seek to thoroughly understand His Word Your Fellow Travelers The Gallaghers Dan
30. n faith and heirs of the ki gdom which he hath promisedito them that lovefhim 6 But ye have despised the poor Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before the judgment seats 7 Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called Mat 25 45 8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself ye do well Lev 19 18 Mat 19 19 22 40 Gal 5 14 LISTEN LOOK for Sister Passages AS and Apply Truth Ask yourself Has anything like this been illustrated somewhere else in the Scriptures Highlight Old Testament quotes If you don t apply what you are reading and act on it you are just reading words Ask questions Do I treat people equally Focus on Wisdom Look for Doctrine History Science Laws Biographies Promises Blessings Prayers Prophecies and meanings of words Warfare Prayer Put on God s Armor as you pray Pray specifically against Satan s work in your life Take back any ground you have given to him Invite God to reveal anything else you need to know about this passage Fall asleep at night asking Him to show you how this chapter fits into the rest of Scripture 2008 Stop Look Listen Bible Am I Forgiven e Prepare yourself for Spiritual Warfare e Take back ground Satan is using to torment you e Defeat your doubts and fears This free little booklet has been collected from the notes
31. of Archie and Sarah Mayhew The Mayhews spent many years in Ivory Coast Africa They learned unique skills which can open the Scripture so that it can be applied to areas such as assurance of salvation Do you know someone who is not sure they are saved Do you know someone who thinks that God has given up on them This book is worth its weight in gold Get some copies to hand out everywhere you go Here s the first page of Chapter One Satan s First Attack You never were saved in the first place There are five basic ways that the devil attacks people and once you know how he attacks and see the answer to those attacks you will be strengthened This is the first way that the devil attacks You never were saved in the first place Your experience with the Lord was not the same as that of others You are not born again So begins the heartbreak and confusion that Satan so dearly loves because he knows that it will hinder your service for God A good brother or sister will stand up in a testimony service and say If you doubt your salvation you are not saved Notice that phrase but some doubted Once you understand that doubts are normal you will not need to fear your doubts Well let s look in the Scriptures to see if that statement is true or not Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them And when they saw him they worshipped
32. olution Genetic mutation etc etc etc The answers are in the Bible and are also addressed in the Stop Look Listen Bible series Keep reading As you do your homework unbelievers will be able to tell that you have carefully researched and validated your answers Can you think of any examples from the world of science which teach us the kind of patience spoken of in the book of James Wisdom Categories This second group we call the Wisdom categories These are the kinds of things we need to build up our spirits rather than our minds see 1 Cor 2 14 APOLOGETICS Apologetics is the science of refuting those who claim that the Bible is full of errors Over thousands of years and who knows how may scribes and copyists some scribal errors have been found in various manuscripts However there are no scribal errors which affect the doctrines of the Bible When the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1948 the 2000 year old scroll of Isaiah validated the accuracy of our previous copies of Isaiah For example e James 4 5 appears to be quoting a non existent Old Testament reference Check out the possibilities for yourself so that you are ready to give an answer on this apparent discrepancy e James 5 3 seems to be saying that gold can rust until you check the original language e James 5 17 seems to have added six months to the story of Elijah s drought until you acquaint yourself with Hebrew idioms Most scriba
33. ook of James Since James was known as a man of prayer there are plenty of insights on the power of prayer in this letter Find of examples of prayers which ask God to meet physical needs List some prayers asking for protection How did Bible characters ask God to change His mind How did they ask for God s favor Did God answer the prayer e Look for practical tips which James gives us on how to pray and how not to pray e God wants us to pray specifically James 4 2 3 e What is the prayer of faith in James 5 15 Compare this with Rom 14 23 and Psa 66 18 PROMISES Look for covenants in the Bible Many Bible scholars have devoted their lives to tracing God s dealings with His people to covenants that were made I do set my bow in the cloud and it shall be for mS a token of a covenant between me and the earth Genesis 9 13 For example Look for sen oe in the book of James where God says He will do something That s a promise Promises always have two sides if you do this will do that What happens if we don t keep our promises does God still keep His To God a promise is a promise is a promise PROPHECY Prophetic Words There are many occasions in Scripture where God gave someone a prophetic word which predicted that certain events would happen and they happened This is important because it shows that these prophecies were accurate and as such they validate the inerrancy of the B
34. ool Froward Perverse Man Greedy Liar Scorner Simple Righteous Slothful Self controlled Strange Woman Unselfish Wicked Wise There are some good examples as well God chose the Greek language to convey the New Testament RHEMA because of its precise use of words There are precise meanings for the Greek concept of a word The words ogos and rhema reveal a lot about a passage when you understand the difference in their usage Vine s Complete Expository Dictionary The significance of rhema as distinct from ogos is exemplified in the injunction to take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God Ephesians 6 17 here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture The word logos is used to describe a conception of thought as well as to In the beginning was the logos present one of the titles of the Son of and the ogos was with God God and the Jogos was God The word rhema is used to show that John 1 1 God spoke to someone in a personal way Peter remembered the rhema of Jesus which said unto him Before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice Matthew 26 75 Mary said Behold the handmaid of the Lord be it unto me according to thy rhema Luke 1 38 But Mary kept all these rhemas and pondered them in her heart
35. r favorite doctrines This doesn t mean that the reader shouldn t have denominational distinctives The problem comes when we don t think the Bible has anything else to say to us 1 Cor 2 14 reveals that Scripture is validated by your spirit You may have a gifted mind which can research the original meaning but if the result fails to touch your spirit then you have not heard from God 2 Cor 3 6 When you were saved God paar convinced you that His Word was true Is it adie He has more truth to teach you Will He only teach it to those who read Hebrew and Greek We have based our studies on comparisons of the Bible text to specific categories of knowledge and wisdom Learning to compare spiritual things with spiritual 1 Cor 2 13 is the process of learning to compare one thing with another in order to discover if it has any spiritual application Hebrews 5 13 chides us for not being skillful in the Word It says that understanding doctrine is just the beginning We need to make a commitment to become intimately familiar with each book of the Bible This is a different concept from a read through the Bible in a year calendar There are great rewards waiting for anyone who will go through one book of the Bible word by word even if it takes months until they have mastered that book Luther was mocked one day for not being a great scholar of the at er languages Luther answered this scorn by saying that there was truth in what h
36. rybody ought to know Just don t miss the fact that God s Words are spirit and life john 6 63 and can leap off the pages of your Bible and have a personal application to your life Heb 4 12 Pay attention to what God may be showing you as you study the book of James Ask God to show you any related Bible stories or passages which will make this book clear to you Do you know of any Bible characters who showed favor to the rich as James warned against in Chapter 2 Has God brought concepts from this book across your path For example have you met anyone who is like a fountain which flows with dirty and clean water at the same time Jam 3 11 Keep looking for anything which will reveal this book to you As you fall asleep meditate on verses you can remember from James God will show you what you should do about what you have learned The Guided Tour Step 1 Underline or highlight key words Read a chapter as if you had just received a love letter from the Person you love the most The best way we have found to open up a chapter is to start by underlining repetitive words Another helpful habit is to highlight key words such as the names of God along with other names of people or places etc Here are some suggestions to consider when highlighting key words in your Bible Of course you can use any color combinations you want to Highlight references to Jesus in Red Highlight names of people in Green Hig
37. uildings which have been tacked on to each other Kerry had been gunshot and explained to me that it was the fault of the whites and the police When I reminded him that he was not shot by a white man nor a policeman he said it didn t matter because the police drive by daily and shoot at his Rasta brothers told him that this was not my first trip to Jamaica and that know the police department intimately and that he could not make me believe a lie He said that my God was a liar and that the police only seek to kill the people told him that his god was lying to him and that would have a policeman call him and ony to help him with anything he needed He told me We re gonna see because they will never call me He gave me his phone number and left The next day was able to get ahold of Corporal Stirling who immediately called him and offered to help Now whose God is a liar Pray that Kerry will listen to the truth met a couple who have mate Canterbury their priority and they are following up with Kerry Saturday Our next clinic was at Bogue Hill Baptist Church Two things stand out to me first an old woman stood at the doorway for hours smiling at me She had seen the sign that said we could take no more patients and could only hope that her smile would help her gain entrance You can only ignore the face of an angel for so long After got caught up on prescriptions asked her what could do for her She told me
38. y thanked God that nobody thought of inviting them to Pitfour was speaking to a pastor who mentioned that he was going to preach at Pitfour on Sunday morning and asked me if would like to come along said Yes He then asked if I would like to preach on Sunday morning there God is so good During the service asked the people if they would commit themselves to serious Bible study Three hanes went up spoke to them of how Jesus was passing by and acting as if He would go a little further as at Emmaus and when He walked on the water told them that He is suggesting they follow Him to a deeper walk in the Word I said would not press the issue but that if anyone wanted to begin the journey there would be study sheets available after the service upon request was swamped by kids and adults afterwards and there were just enough copies for everyone Monday We held a clinic at a new village called Cornwall Court Later we held an open air service and my habit is to stand in the street and engage passersby in conversation inviting them to come in The streets were strangely empty so began walking the neighborhood with my partner Isaac We finally found the local hangout and got into a conversation with Garnett So hear there are a lot of bad guys around here No mon dey all be up on the hill Dey come down rob go back So you aren t one of the bad guys You are a good guy Yah mon Can ask you a f
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