Transformative Power of Engaging with the Bible
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1) "In the Bible, there's a lot of strange names like Philistines, Amalekites, Hittites, Amorites, Jebusites, Moabites, Canaanites, Israelites, and then the Termites, you know, that old joke. But those are some nations and groups of people from the Old Testament, and they were all about the same size. None of them were really large. Have you ever wondered why there's no Moabites or Amalekites living these days? And have you ever noticed there's hardly any Philistines at work or living in your neighborhood? The only one that's still around are those Israelites, the Jews. And why did Israel survive and not the others? Not only did Israel survive, but in the subtitle of his book, The Gift of the Jews, Thomas Cahill asked this question, how did a tribe of desert nomads change the way the world thought and felt? And they not only survived, they changed the world. What is it that distinguished Israel from all those other peoples who no longer exist?" [19:36] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2) "That book was unlike any other book that existed before because it contained ideas that had never hit the world before. The Tanakh says, instead of there being all these little tribal gods everywhere, there was one God, and that God is holy and just and loving and good, and He created all things and plans on redeeming all things. That was radical. That was brand new stuff. And that book, unlike the other mythologies and religions, was a book that was created by the people around Israel, said that human existence is not just an endless cycle over and over and over again, but it is actually a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And there's going to be an end to this story, so there's something to look forward to. That was radical thinking back then." [21:01] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3) "People have died for this book, they've lived for this book, some have gone to foreign continents to get to know the culture and to know the tribes, and they've spent years devoting their whole lives to studying language so they can give people the book. It's going on all over the world right now. And every year, 20 million copies of the book are bought in the United States. Nothing's a close second. It is the number one hit. The average home in our country has three of these books. A lot of people cheer the Bible, they buy the Bible, they give the Bible, they own the Bible, but most don't read the Bible. Polls show that people admire the Bible, but they don't read it, and they really don't know it." [26:19] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4) "Now, let me give you a little caution. There were some people in Jesus' day who read the book and accumulated Bible knowledge and memorized it. The Pharisees read the book, but they missed Jesus completely. And today, some of the meanest, most unchristian attitudes come from people who know the book. Jesus said, you search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life. See, here's the danger. The Bible does not give us eternal life. The written word points us to the living word. This book is not the ultimate word of God. Jesus Christ is. Now, we need to read it. We need to know this book. It is inspired by God, and it is vital in our walk with God." [27:49] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5) "The purpose of the book is to know Jesus and let him change our lives and give direction for our lives. Paul writes this scripture, and some of you have memorized this. He says, This book is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, correction, training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God might be proficient, equipped for every good work. This book is so that we can become a different kind of people, be God's people. God uses this book to change us. So I want to show you very quickly how the Bible might make a difference in your life. I'm going to give you an acrostic of three letters, R-A-P. R is reflect. Read the passage, and not just read it, but reflect on it. Spend time with it, think about it, meditate, chew on it like a cow chews the cud, just chewing on it." [29:12] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6) "We all need to be renewed. We all need to be washed. And we're all a little bit dirty. So let Scripture into your mind. Let it penetrate. It's not about information. It's about transformation. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. God's goal is not for you to get all the way through the Scriptures. God's goal is for the Scriptures to get all the way through you. So I come to God and I say, okay, God, I want to live this stuff. I want to reflect on it. I'm going to apply it, which leads to the P, which is, of course, pray. Pray as you read and reflect. And you can pray something like this. Lord, you know that I cannot transform my thought patterns on my own." [36:34] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7) "A major study was done and found that Bible engagement is the number one catalyst of spiritual growth. There's not even a close second. I heard of a blind man in London who taught himself how to read Braille with his lips. And he'd been in a fire and so scarred his lips that he couldn't read them anymore. And so he tried to read. Well, he was crying out, Lord, I can't read your word. And then his tongue accidentally touched the Braille bumps. And his tongue could feel them. And he touched the bumps again with his tongue. And then he just left. Clicked the whole page. And he learned how to read the Bible with his tongue. And he's been through the entire Bible four times with his tongue. Do you have a desire for the word like that?" [41:36] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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2) "That book was unlike any other book that existed before because it contained ideas that had never hit the world before. The Tanakh says, instead of there being all these little tribal gods everywhere, there was one God, and that God is holy and just and loving and good, and He created all things and plans on redeeming all things. That was radical. That was brand new stuff. And that book, unlike the other mythologies and religions, was a book that was created by the people around Israel, said that human existence is not just an endless cycle over and over and over again, but it is actually a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And there's going to be an end to this story, so there's something to look forward to. That was radical thinking back then." [21:01] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3) "People have died for this book, they've lived for this book, some have gone to foreign continents to get to know the culture and to know the tribes, and they've spent years devoting their whole lives to studying language so they can give people the book. It's going on all over the world right now. And every year, 20 million copies of the book are bought in the United States. Nothing's a close second. It is the number one hit. The average home in our country has three of these books. A lot of people cheer the Bible, they buy the Bible, they give the Bible, they own the Bible, but most don't read the Bible. Polls show that people admire the Bible, but they don't read it, and they really don't know it." [26:19] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4) "Now, let me give you a little caution. There were some people in Jesus' day who read the book and accumulated Bible knowledge and memorized it. The Pharisees read the book, but they missed Jesus completely. And today, some of the meanest, most unchristian attitudes come from people who know the book. Jesus said, you search the scriptures because in them you think you have eternal life. See, here's the danger. The Bible does not give us eternal life. The written word points us to the living word. This book is not the ultimate word of God. Jesus Christ is. Now, we need to read it. We need to know this book. It is inspired by God, and it is vital in our walk with God." [27:49] (42 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5) "The purpose of the book is to know Jesus and let him change our lives and give direction for our lives. Paul writes this scripture, and some of you have memorized this. He says, This book is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, correction, training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God might be proficient, equipped for every good work. This book is so that we can become a different kind of people, be God's people. God uses this book to change us. So I want to show you very quickly how the Bible might make a difference in your life. I'm going to give you an acrostic of three letters, R-A-P. R is reflect. Read the passage, and not just read it, but reflect on it. Spend time with it, think about it, meditate, chew on it like a cow chews the cud, just chewing on it." [29:12] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6) "We all need to be renewed. We all need to be washed. And we're all a little bit dirty. So let Scripture into your mind. Let it penetrate. It's not about information. It's about transformation. You don't have to be a Bible scholar. God's goal is not for you to get all the way through the Scriptures. God's goal is for the Scriptures to get all the way through you. So I come to God and I say, okay, God, I want to live this stuff. I want to reflect on it. I'm going to apply it, which leads to the P, which is, of course, pray. Pray as you read and reflect. And you can pray something like this. Lord, you know that I cannot transform my thought patterns on my own." [36:34] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7) "A major study was done and found that Bible engagement is the number one catalyst of spiritual growth. There's not even a close second. I heard of a blind man in London who taught himself how to read Braille with his lips. And he'd been in a fire and so scarred his lips that he couldn't read them anymore. And so he tried to read. Well, he was crying out, Lord, I can't read your word. And then his tongue accidentally touched the Braille bumps. And his tongue could feel them. And he touched the bumps again with his tongue. And then he just left. Clicked the whole page. And he learned how to read the Bible with his tongue. And he's been through the entire Bible four times with his tongue. Do you have a desire for the word like that?" [41:36] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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