How Long does it take to read the Bible

Getting A Taste of The Word Of God

 

FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER 2:1-3

“ DO YOU HAVE A TASTE FOR THE WORD OF GOD?”

CHARLES e WHISNANT, PASTOR/ PREACHER/ TEACHER / THEOLOGIAN

FIVE COMMANDS FOR THE BELIEVER:

1. Have hope in God.

2. Keep holiness in your life-style.

3. Always reverence God.

4. Learn to love one another as Christian brothers and sisters.

5. Crave that desire to get into the Word of God.

HOW CAN WE CRAVE THAT DESIRE TO LOVE THE WORD

1A REMEMBER YOUR LIFE SOURCE:

‘WHEREFORE” (2:1) As a result of the Gospel being preached to you, you have been born again. This is the single greatest miracle that has ever happened to you. Since this abiding eternal word of God was the power that transformed your life, long for it, desire it as you would milk. The Word is the seed that gives us life.

Philippians 2:16; Isaiah 55:10-11; Hebrews 4:12; John 15:3; Romans 10:17, John 20:31, Psalms 19:7-9 and I Thessalonians 2:13.

The Word of God will perform in the Christian exactly that which is written.

2A GET RID OF YOUR SIN:

“HAVING LAID ASIDE: i.e. change life-style. Instead of giving expression to the elements which characterize their carnal nature they should hunger for the Word.

“PUT OFF, THEN....” Free yourselves from, then. Get rid of the attitudes and habits which are harmful to others as well as to yourself.

Here is Peter’s command: Put off wrongful practices.

1B ALL MALICE: General wickedness, good for nothingness. Romans 1:29; Acts 8:22; I Corinthians 5:8; 14:2.

2B ALL GUILE: Deceit; “to catch with bait” Romans 1:29; 2 Corinthians 7:16, 1 Thess 2:3

3B ALL HYPOCRISIES: Insincerity. The masking of inward evil by an outward show of righteousness. Mark 12:15; Galatians 2:23 and Matthew 23:28

4B ALL ENVIES: Envy. Hatred of others for what they have that you do not have but wish you did. Romans 1:29

5B ALL EVIL SPEAKING: All slander, with intent to harm another person’s status or reputation

We are to lay aside whatever guile, insincerity, and false appearances we may have, and to put on the simple honesty and openness of children.

3A ADMIT YOUR NEED: VS. 2

‘LIKE NEWBORN BABES.” Like an infant. Like a just now born baby you are to desire the milk. The baby desires the milk of his mother. Why? Because it is the profoundest need it has. Baby recognized needs. When the baby cries, you know what it needs.

The term milk, does not speak of the elementary Christian teaching, but rather something to be eagerly desired for nourishment.

Too many Christians have been stuffed with the world’s pleasures so that the Word has no room in their lives. They have lost or have little appetite for the Word of God.

Have you ever seen so many weak Christians today? It is just amazing how easily Christians are lead astray by the pleasures of this world and life’s struggles. Diseased Christians: when the spirit becomes weak for a lack of nourishment, it will fall to the disease.

We really need the pure spiritual milk of the Word, which is the nourishment of God.

You need to read the Bible, not only out of duty, or education, or for a lesson of God. It shows up just how much you believe and obey what you read, and listen to the Holy Spirit.

One can look at your life style and see if you are really craving the Word of God. It shows up.

4A PURSUE YOUR GROWTH:

“THAT YOU MAY GROW THEREBY.” The diet of a believer is the Word of God. It fits the new life. The new life is spirit, and the diet of this new life must be without guile, the unadulterated, pure word of God.

“GROWTH” the Word will cause you to grow. A Christian is to grow. Acts 2:32; First Timothy 4:6; Second Peter 3:18.

Spiritual growth and development are required of us. You can not be a genius if you do not work at it, you can not be a genius if you do not discipline yourselves to learn. You are not born a genius if you do not develop your giftedness as as a Christian.

We are always hearing “watch your diet.” But in the spiritual sphere they are toothless, flabby, milk-imbibing infants in their ideals. Lord, deliver me from ever being satisfied with where I am spiritually. God help me never to be satisfied with my spiritual place. First Corinthians 3:18

You are in real spiritual danger when you get content with your spiritual progress folks.

5A JUST SURVEY YOUR BLESSINGS: VS. 3

“IF SO BE YE HAVE TASTED THAT THE LORD IS GRACIOUS.” Psalms 34:8,

‘I JUST DO NOT HAVE TIME’ IS A FALSE IDEA . WE ALL HAVE THE SAME AMOUNT.

Counseling

If I am  preaching or teaching  the Word of God weekly:  As I do and currently in  the book of Proverbs, Romans, Luke and First Peter, they  are filled with  enough of  God’s wisdom and instructions to give the Believer all they need to live holy, righteous, how to made sound decisions, how to love one another, how to spend money, how to work, etc. only if they will apply the Word, and  if they would listen and obey they could live a godly life.

Proverbs 1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Usefulness of Proverbs

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

² To know wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of understanding,
³ To receive instruction in wise behavior,
Righteousness, justice and equity;
⁴ To give prudence to the ^[a]naive,
To the youth knowledge and discretion,
⁵ A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
⁶ To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸ Hear, my son, your father’s instruction
And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;
⁹ Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head
And ^[b]ornaments about your neck.
¹⁰ My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
¹¹ If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait for blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
¹² Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;
¹³ We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
¹⁴ Throw in your lot ^[c]with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
¹⁵ My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,
¹⁶ For their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
¹⁷ Indeed, it is ^[d]useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any ^[e]bird;
¹⁸ But they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
¹⁹ So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors.

Wisdom Warns

²⁰ Wisdom shouts in the street,
She ^[f]lifts her voice in the square;
²¹ At the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
²² “How long, O ^[g]naive ones, will you love ^[h]being simple-minded?
And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing
And fools hate knowledge?
²³ “Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
²⁴ “Because I called and you refused,
I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
²⁵ And you neglected all my counsel
And did not want my reproof;
²⁶ I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
²⁷ When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸ “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently but they will not find me,
²⁹ Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord.
³⁰ “They would not accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
³¹ “So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way
And be satiated with their own devices.
³² “For the waywardness of the ^[i]naive will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
³³ “But he who listens to me shall ^[j]live securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

Bible Baptist Seminary, Arlington TX 1966-1969

Rivers of Joy Baptist Church July 27 2014

 

Just How Well Do We Know How To Prepare a Sermon

THE PRACTICE OF HOMILETICS.

1. Homiletics (Gr. homiletikos, from homilos, to assemble together), in theology, is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist.
2. homiletics comprises the study of the composition and delivery of a sermon or other religious discourse. It includes all forms of preaching, viz., the sermon,
3. It may be further defined as the study of the analysis, classification, preparation, composition and delivery of sermons.

Preaching requires an understanding of oratory: Augustine explains his homiletics in Book IV of DDC. He describes it practically in relation to the classical theory of oratory, which has five parts:

1. The choice of the subject and decisions of the order (inventio)
2. The structure of the oration: (dispositio)
3. The arrangement of words and figure of speech elocutio)
4. Learning by heart (memoria)
5. The delivery (pronuntiatio)

He constructed this theory in four parts:

1. the basic principles of rhetoric
2. a study on the rhetoric of Scriptural texts
3. n analysis of styles and
4. some peculiar rules of rhetoric for sermons ).

Three styles of sermons

1. (genera tenue / docere [to teach];
2. genera medium / delectare [to amuse];
3. genera grande / flectere [to ersuade]),

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homiletics

Augustine stresses the importance of principle and discipline at the same time.

1. Preachers need to practice again and again so that they can use these styles in any situation of preaching .
2. But they should pay attention to the priority of order.
3. Continuous and diligent study of the Bible is more important than mere memorization, that is to say, they should pursue wisdom more than knowledge
4. The best is the combination of wisdom and eloquence as seen in the Pauline letters and prophetic writings
5. Yet, he does not praise eloquence itself; rather he prefers a concrete proclamation than a showing off of rhetorical technique

 

1. It is truth, not rhetoric, that preachers try to deliver

What is Rhetoric

1. A body of rules which serve in order to produce texts ‘according to the rules of art’ (either written or spoken)

Purpose of Rhetoric
The purpose of rhetoric is to

1. persuade:
2. intellectually (docere) and
3. emotionally (delectare, movere).

 

1. DOCERE: using LOGOS (appeal to reason)
2. DELECTARE: using ETHOS (appeal to character)
3. MOVERE: using PATHOS (appeal to emotion)

Structure
A speech, according to the classical pattern, has four parts:

1.EXORDIUM (prooimion, introduction, Einleitung)
2.NARRATIO (diegesis , narration, Erzählung)
3.ARGUMENTATIO (pistis, argument, Beweis)
4.PERORATIO (epilogos, conclusion, Schluß)

 

 

Should we say “Rev. Charles, or Pastor Charles or just Charles

 

Should you call your preacher or minister or elder “Pastor?” Or “Reverend”

Reverent means “worthy to be revered, entitled to reverence.”  “a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.”

• (initial capital letter) (used as a title of respect applied or prefixed to the name of a member of the clergy or a religious order):
• The Reverend (Rev.) is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. 
• In the 20th and 21st centuries it has been increasingly common for reverend to be used as a noun and for clergy to be referred to as being either a reverend or the reverend (I talked to the reverend about the wedding service.) or to be addressed as Reverend or, for example, Reverend Smith or the Reverend Smith. This has traditionally been considered grammatically incorrect on the basis that it is equivalent to referring to a judge as being an honorable or an adult man as being a mister.^[

 

PASTOR:

• As a verb:  to serve as the pastor of:  “He pastored the church here for a number of years.”
• Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pstor, shepherd; see p- in Indo-European roots.]

pas·tor (pstr)

n.

1. A Christian minister or priest having spiritual charge over a congregation or other group.

2. A layperson having spiritual charge over a person or group.

3. A shepherd.

tr.v. pas·tored, pas·tor·ing, pas·tors

To serve or act as pastor of.

---

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin pstor, shepherd; see p- in Indo-European roots.]

Dictionary Definition: pastor

pastor

P`ASTOR, n. L. from pasco, pastum, to feed.

1. A shepherd; one that has the care of flocks and herds.

2. A minister of the gospel who has the charge of a church and congregation, whose duty is to watch over the people of his charge, and instruct them in the sacred doctrines of the christian religion.

pastoral

P`ASTORAL, a. L. pastoralis. Pertaining to shepherds; as a pastoral life; pastoral manners.

• 1. Descriptive of the life of shepherds; as a pastoral poem.
• 2. Relating to the care of souls, or to the pastor of a church; as pastoral care or duties; a pastoral letter.
• Piety is the life and soul of pastoral fidelity.
• P`ASTORAL, n. A poem describing the life and manners of shepherds, or a poem in imitation of the action of a shepherd, and in which the speakers take upon themselves the character of shepherds; an idyl; a bucolic.

P`ASTORATE, n. The office, state or jurisdiction of a spiritual pastor.

A pastor is someone who has spiritual care over a congregation.  The English word occurs only once in the Bible in Eph. 4:11, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.”  The word in Greek is poimen and literally means shepherd.  Poimen occurs 18 times in the New Testament.  For example,

• Matt. 9:36, “And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd.”
• Mark 14:27, “And Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’
• Luke 2:8, “And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night.
• John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
• Heb. 13:20, “Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord.”

Therefore, a pastor is a shepherd of God’s flock who is to instruct, teach, and protect the people under his charge.  Pastors are elders (1 Tim. 5:17), and as such cannot be women as the scriptures declare in Titus 1:5-7 and 1 Tim. 2:12-13.

Here are the reasons why I reject the wearing of religious titles:

1. There is no New Testament authority for the practice.

• Though there were many gospel preachers in the first century, not one of them accepted and wore a religious title. I cannot read where Paul was ever called “Reverend Paul,” Peter was ever called “Archbishop Peter,” James was ever called “Pope James,” Timothy was ever called “Pastor Timothy,” or John was ever referred to as “The Right Reverend, Dr. John.” The wearing of religious titles is a practice that arose centuries later. They were never worn with the approval of God by those in the Lord’s church. Consequently, I refuse to go beyond the things which God has revealed that we should do in our worship of Him (2 Jn. 9-11; 1 Cor. 4:6; 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 22:18-19).

2. Wearing religious titles is expressly condemned.

The Lord Jesus forbade the practice when He said,

• But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ (Matt. 23:8-10).
• The wearing of religious titles to elevate one brother above another was soundly condemned by Jesus. The practice is contrary to the spirit of Christianity that “all ye are brethren.”
• Long ago Job said, “Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away” (Job 32:21-22).

nfralapsarian or Supralapsarian? Theological Definition of peccata voluntaria,

As one emphasizes the historical narrative the other the purpose and sovereignty of God, yet both are inseparable.

Nadalapsarian (reject both views).

Theological Definition of peccata voluntaria,  

Proverbs  1:3 

to receive instruction
in wise dealing
in righteousness,
justice, and equity;
Proverbs 1:3

 

peccata:

sins; once actual sin (peccatum actuale, q.v.) is distinguished from original sin (peccatum originale, q.v.), it must be further defined according to the kinds of actual sin that are committed. A basic distinction can be made between (1) peccata voluntaria, voluntary sins, which are the result of positive human willing, and (2) peccata involuntaria, involuntary sins, which do not arise out of malice but out of ignorance, fear, and the like. The Protestant scholastics, following the Reformers, reject the medieval and Roman Catholic distinction between peccata mortalia (q.v.) and peccata venialia. In place of these, they distinguish sins further into peccata commissionis and peccata omission is, sins of commission and omission, and peccata cordis, oris, et operis, sins of heart, mouth, and action (i.e., thought, word, and deed). SEE homo.

Richard A. Muller. Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology (Kindle Locations 2649-2653). Kindle Edition.

Charles e Whisnant, Expositional Teacher & Bible Preaching and attention giving to Theological Content June and July 2014

 

These photo shots of me are from the video sermons we had in in June and July.  All of our worship services are in the same room.

Education and sound theology.

COMMENTS MADE ABOUT Creation:

Until then you can Google how scientific theory works, It’s all over the net. But until then please understand that the Big Bang Model (BBM) and the sound theory that the universe is expanding does not disprove God in any way. It actually reinforces the Creation story, if it is read in the literary sense . It proves that the universe had a beginning as the ancient writer of Genesis (Probably Moses) recorded. Also if you are basing your belief in the literal interpretation of Genesis, that God Created the universe in six solar days, that would become very problematic since He didn’t Create the sun until the 4th day, and also since days mean nothing to an infinite being.

Also keep in mind that many theologians and scholars disagree with the literal interpretation of Genesis that fundamentalists have adopted. Even the Church Fathers such as Thomas Aquinas wrote that the creation story, and the first chapters of Genesis shouldn’t be discerned in the literal sense. So guess what? No Talking snake either .

I would add this the above comment:

In the beginning God!  And in the end of this world, God

will still be. The age of the world is not as important as knowing God is the Creator of all things.  God is God and My His Word All things are controlled. It is much easier to believe God with one word created the Universe than for Him to take 13 million years to do it. .

God Is Sovereign

THE ATTRIBUTE OF THE SOVEREIGNTY WITH GOD

ROMANS 9:16-23

CHARLES E WHISNANT, PASTOR/TEACHER

THE BIBLE IS CLEAR ABOUT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN SALVATION

1. Jonah 2:9 “Salvation is of the Lord.”
2. I Corinthians 15:10 “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
3. Philippians 2:13 “For it is God which works in you both to will and do of His good pleasure.”
4. Acts 13:48 “And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”
5. Titus 1:11 “…..the faith of God’s elect.”
6. John 15:16 “…ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you.’”
7. Ephesians 1:3 “…..we who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.”
8. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you. Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation …”
9. 2 Timothy 12:9 “Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to to our works, but according to His own purposes and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world begun.”