What's the Difference?

Have you ever wondered what the difference between various Bible translations really is? Or why it even matters which version you use as long as it’s a Bible?


Let’s take a moment to evaluate. There are two different types of Bible translations. The most widely accepted is the “dynamic equivalent,” or thought-for-thought version. This type of translation takes the original Greek and Hebrew texts and translates the thoughts and concepts into English while leaving out certain words or metaphors that may not be understood by the modern audience. While there are indeed some very decent and reliable dynamic equivalents, they do not compare with “formal dynamics” or literal translations, which translate the exact, or nearly exact, words from one language to another. Among these is the widely acclaimed English Standard Version, or ESV.

Within the past fifteen years or so, a new craze has taken flight in America’s Christian culture with the use of The Message Bible. What is The Message? Well, it’s a very liberally translated paraphrase of the original texts that attempts to make the Word of God more accessible and comprehensible to the modern reader. It does this, however, at the expense of many foundational elements in the Word. Eugene Peterson, the lone author of the work, downplays demonic activities and homosexuality and attempts to convey an overall more “friendly” tone.

Allow me to give you an example. Many of you are already familiar with Ephesians 6:12. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” That’s in the ESV. Now, notice how earnest the text is in conveying the seriousness of the fight—“rulers,” “authorities,” “cosmic powers,” “darkness,” and “forces of evil.” Weighty, right? Let’s turn to Ephesians 6:12 in The Message. “This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.” Tell me, does this seem to be nearly as convincing as the word-for-word version? Does it speak with the same solemnity and gravity? No, not really.



Quiz Time!

Alright, now, this is all well and good, but still, what does it really matter? So this popular new version is less intense, but it’s still the Bible, right? Maybe. We all agree that the Bible calls us not to conform to the world. Now, I’m going to read you two quotes at a time and I want you to decide which one is from The Message.

1. a) “With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things.”

b)“[I have] more joy in one ordinary day than they get in all their shopping sprees.”

Which quote would you identify as coming from The Message, as coming from a supposed version of the Bible? The answer is “b”—yes, who knew the Bible talked about shopping sprees? The other one was from William Wordsworth.

2. a) “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way…to finding yourself, your true self.”

b) “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Which of these “find yourself” quotes could possibly have been taken from The Message? The answer was “a,” from Matthew 16:25. The second one was Gandhi.

3. a) “Nature always wears the colors of the Spirit.”

b) "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches."

Nature? Wind? What kind of “spirit” is this—is it even in the Word of God? The answer, evidently, is yes, “b” is found in Revelation 3:22. “A” was Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I’m sure you are getting the point. The Message sounds a lot like these other worldly men—so much so that it actually serves to water down the true message of Scripture. So what do we do?

Let’s go back to our options. We’ve got dynamic equivalence, which would be your Message, Living Bible, and TNIV. Then we have the translations that are, in a manner of speaking, split between the two, such as the NIV and the NAB. Finally, we have our formal equivalence Bibles, the most accurate and reliable reads we have without simply learning Greek and Hebrew. These would be your NASB and ESV.

While the NASB is highly accurate in nature, it doesn’t flow as well in its read. The ESV, on the other hand, is totally reliable as well as being completely readable.

The website affirms that “The ESV is committed to the principle of ‘word-for-word’ translation, as the translation philosophy that most accurately conveys the Bible’s own understanding that ‘all Scripture is breathed out by God’ (2 Timothy 3:16), or as Jesus said, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4).”

Choosing to read and use the ESV over other translations allows for a more accurate, profitable, and serious study of the Word that shall stand firm forever. Why settle for anything less?





Bibliography

"How is the ESV Different from Other Translations?" ESV.org: Official Website of the English Standard Version Bible. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

The Message. Colorado Springs: NavPress Group, 2002. Print.

Ryken, Leland. Choosing a Bible understanding Bible translation differences. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2005.  Print.

Having a Form of Godliness

How familiar has this scene become in America's comfortable, non-confrontational churches?

“People go to their place of worship and sit down comfortably, and think they must be Christians, when all the time all that their religion consists in is listening to an orator, having their ears tickled with music, and perhaps their eyes amused with graceful action and fashionable manners; the whole being no better than what they hear and see at the opera—not so good, perhaps, in point of aesthetic beauty, and not an atom more spiritual. Thousands are congratulating themselves, and even blessing God that they are devout worshippers, when at the same time they are living in an unregenerate Christless state, having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. He who presides over a system which aims at nothing higher than formalism is far more a servant of the devil than a minister of God.”                                                                                          Charles Spurgeon, from Lectures to My Students

"O Lord, do not forsake me." Psalm 38:21

"Do not forsake me in my joys, lest they absorb my heart. Do not forsake me in my sorrows, lest I murmur against You. Do not forsake me in the day of my repentance, lest I lose the hope of pardon, and fall into despair; and do not forsake me in the day of my strongest faith, lest faith degenerate into presumption. Do not forsake me for without You I am weak, but with You I am strong. Do not forsake me, for my path is dangerous, and full of snares, and I cannot do without Your guidance." -C.H. Spurgeon

Time

Question: does anyone else find themselves looking back and wondering what on earth they spent the last few hours doing? Let me explain.

On an average day, I run about my life fretting as to how on earth I’m going to get everything done. It’s hard enough to complete all of the obligatory to-do’s on my list, but then there are those extra things that seem to be such great ideas or would make doing this other thing so much easier and I’m so enthusiastic and I know that completing these extra tasks will bring so much satisfaction and, and—

However, at the end of the day, I find that I have barely completed my obligations and have absolutely no time for the extras—why? Theoretically, the priorities didn’t take up all that much time, yet I still find time to be lacking.

I’m finding more and more that what draws me away and consumes my time most are all the little things that like to fool me. The short “breaks” here and there add up. Momentary distractions become hours of waste over time. Yet somehow it’s subtle and it slowly sucks me away from a sea of other worthwhile activities.

The greatest example, I believe, for most people, of neglected work is devotions. How incredibly easy is it to find that you have run out of minutes in the day to sit down and spend time solely with your Savior and God? It’s as simple as over-sleeping by ten minutes, sometimes. If I miss that one block of time that I’ve planned to set aside, any hope for it at all that day seems to be lost.

It would seem that an evaluation of the use of one’s time is the best way to measure their level of self-control and self-discipline.

"I Will Sing of the Lamb"

At our evening service at Cambridge Presbyterian Church, we sang a hymn that I'd never heard before but that I absolutely love.

I will sing of the Lamb,
Of the price that was paid for me,
Purchased by God,
Giving all that He could give!
Here now I stand
In the garments of righteousness;
Death has no hold, for in Jesus I live.

I will sing of His blood
That flows for my wretchedness,
Wounds that are bared
That I may be healed;
Power and compassion,
The marks of His ministry:
May they be mine as I harvest His field.

O, I will sing of the Lamb.
O, I will sing of the Lamb.
My heart fills with wonder,
My mouth fills with praise!
Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Once I was blind,
Yet believed I saw everything,
Proud in my ways,
Yet a fool in my part;
Lost and alone
In the company of multitudes,
Life in my body,
Yet death in my heart.

O, I will sing of the Lamb.
O, I will sing of the Lamb.
O, why should the King
Save a sinner like me?
Hallelujah, hallelujah.

What shall I give
To the man who gave everything,
Humbling himself
Before all he had made?
Dare I withhold
My own life from his sovereignty?
I shall  give all for the sake of His name!

O, I will sing of the Lamb.
O, I will sing of the Lamb.
I'll sing of His love
For the rest of my days!
Hallelujah, hallelujah.


Stuart Townend

Update

Hey, ya'll!

Well, I'm sitting in a youth hostel in Oxford, England, despite the fact that we should be on a plane home right now. We're scheduled to leave on Sunday, though, so please pray that we will experience no further delays. This will certainly be the most memorable and exciting Great Britain/France tour in CHS history--a 15 day trip turned to a 20 day trip with valcanoes and ash and broken coaches thrown in. But we'll certainly manage.

Prayers:
-No further delays
-The arrival of and arrangements for medicines for those who need it
-Paitience on the part of everyone
-Calmed worries for those who are nervous

Thanks:
-That we have a plane that's scheduled to fly out
-For such gracious teachers and chaparones who are putting up with us and making all sorts of arrangements
-For the host families who are willing to take us on so unexpectedly

Hello from Scotland!

We're up in Newmilns, Scotland right now, staying with host families from one of the local churches. Monica and I are staying with a lovely family--Paul, Pam, and seven-year-old Abi--and are just about to leave to have dinner with Kendrick, Sam, and Kyler and their host family. I must admit that I was incredibly nervous in the days leading up to our stay, since we had no idea what kind of family we'd be with or who of our friends would be be in the same house, but God has blessed me and we're all getting along famously, though it's a bit embarassing that I fell asleep after breakfast while I was journaling and then again on the car ride home from Culzean Castle and Park.

Speaking of journals, I'm going to have to type up a few exerpts from my journal when I get home. I know that it'll be late, but, hey, ya work with what ya got.

Oh, but Scotland is positively stunning--the farther north you go, the more beautiful the land becomes (not to mention the more cold it becomes). The drives are incredible. Rolling green hills, grazing sheep, and old castles and mansions. Better than both France and England. How can anyone deny the existence of a Holy and Great Creator?

As we're approaching our final days here, I want to ask you guys to pray for safe travels as a group, no wasted time as individuals, and a smooth transition back into school on Wednesday as teachers, students, and parents.

Off We Go

Hey y'all,

At long last the time has arrived for us to head off on our grand adventure in Great Britain. Whoever reads this, I'd like to ask you to pray for our group. Pray for the Lord's protection and His constant presence as we explore the history of His church and the people who chose to step out and defend His Word. Ask that He will reveal Himself in new and more profound ways--that this trip will deepen each student's faith and desire for Him and that we will also be unashamed of the gospel and our Savior as we have the opportunity to interact with various other people. Finally, pray that this will be an opportunity to grow closer as a class and as a school as the juniors and seniors embark on this journey together. May we in all things glorify and honor the Name of Christ--soli deo gloria.

An Act of Humility

I stumbled across this more recent, second document concerning John Piper. Posted on March 28, Piper announced his decision to step down from the pastorate at Bethlehem Baptist Church for eight months in order that he might nurture and rekindle his relationships with his wife and family in addition to rooting out the sin of pride in his life. The humility and wisdom it took to step down from such a public platform for these reasons seems so rare in the current Christian church culture of America, and the act has captured my sincere respect.


John Piper's Upcoming Leave
As you may have already heard in the sermon from March 27-28, the elders graciously approved on March 22 a leave of absence that will take me away from Bethlehem from May 1 through December 31, 2010. We thought it might be helpful to put an explanation in a letter to go along with the sermon.

I asked the elders to consider this leave because of a growing sense that my soul, my marriage, my family, and my ministry-pattern need a reality check from the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, I love my Lord, my wife, my five children and their families first and foremost; and I love my work of preaching and writing and leading Bethlehem. I hope the Lord gives me at least five more years as the pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem.

But on the other hand, I see several species of pride in my soul that, while they may not rise to the level of disqualifying me for ministry, grieve me, and have taken a toll on my relationship with Noël and others who are dear to me. How do I apologize to you, not for a specific deed, but for ongoing character flaws, and their effects on everybody? I’ll say it now, and no doubt will say it again, I’m sorry. Since I don’t have just one deed to point to, I simply ask for a spirit of forgiveness; and I give you as much assurance as I can that I am not making peace, but war, with my own sins.

Noël and I are rock solid in our commitment to each other, and there is no whiff of unfaithfulness on either side. But, as I told the elders, “rock solid” is not always an emotionally satisfying metaphor, especially to a woman. A rock is not the best image of a woman’s tender companion. In other words, the precious garden of my home needs tending. I want to say to Noël that she is precious to me in a way that, at this point in our 41-year pilgrimage, can be said best by stepping back for a season from virtually all public commitments.

No marriage is an island. For us this is true in two senses. One is that Noël and I are known inside-out by a few friends at Bethlehem—most closely by our long-time colleagues and friends David and Karin Livingston, and then by a cluster of trusted women with Noël and men with me. We are accountable, known, counseled, and prayed for. I am deeply thankful for a gracious culture of transparency and trust among the leadership at Bethlehem.

The other way that our marriage is not an island is that its strengths and defects have consequences for others. No one in the orbit of our family and friends remains unaffected by our flaws. My prayer is that this leave will prove to be healing from the inside of my soul, through Noël’s heart, and out to our children and their families, and beyond to anyone who may have been hurt by my failures.

The difference between this leave and the sabbatical I took four years ago is that I wrote a book on that sabbatical (What Jesus Demands from the World). In 30 years, I have never let go of the passion for public productivity. In this leave, I intend to let go of all of it. No book-writing. No sermon preparation or preaching. No blogging. No Twitter. No articles. No reports. No papers. And no speaking engagements. There is one stateside exception—the weekend devoted to the Desiring God National Conference combined with the inaugural convocation of Bethlehem College and Seminary in October. Noël thought I should keep three international commitments. Our reasoning is that if she could go along, and if we plan it right, these could be very special times of refreshment together.

The elders have appointed a group to stay in touch and keep me accountable for this leave. They are David Mathis, Jon Bloom, Tom Steller, Sam Crabtree, Jon Grano, Tim Held, Tony Campagna, and Kurt Elting-Ballard. Five of these have walked with Noël and me over the last two months, helping us discern the wisdom, scope, and nature of this leave. They brought the final recommendation to the elders on March 22.

I asked the elders not to pay me for this leave. I don’t feel it is owed to me. I know I am causing more work for others, and I apologize to the staff for that. Not only that, others could use similar time away. Most working men and women do not have the freedom to step back like this. The elders did not agree with my request. Noël and I are profoundly grateful for this kind of affection. We will seek the Lord for how much of your financial support to give back to the church, to perhaps bear some of the load.

Personally, I view these months as a kind of relaunch of what I hope will be the most humble, happy, fruitful five years of our 35 years at Bethlehem and 46 years of marriage. Would you pray with me to that end? And would you stand by your church with all your might? May God make these eight months the best Bethlehem has ever known. It would be just like God to do the greatest things when I am not there. “Neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

I love you and promise to pray for you every day.

Pastor John

Same Old Thing

But the greatest triumph of all is to elevate this horror of the Same Old Thing into a philosophy so that nonsense in the intellect may resinforce corruption in the will. It is here that the general Evolutionary or Historical character of modern European thought (partly our work) comes in useful. The Enemy loves platitudes. Of a proposed course of action He wants men, so far as I can see, to ask very simple questions; is it righteous? is it prudent? is it possible? Now if we can keep men asking "Is it in accordance with the general movement of our time? Is it progressive or reactionary? Is this the way that History is going?" they will neglect the relevant questions.
-C.S. Lewis
  The Screwtape Letters, Letter 25

The Language of Love

“The language of love and the language of seduction are the same. The one who wishes a girl for a wife and the one who wishes her for only a night both say the words, “I love you.” Jesus has told us to discern between the language of seduction and the language of love, and to know the wolves clad in sheepskin from the real sheep.”
–Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ

Christ Gave Thanks

While they were still eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.” Mathew 26:26-29

Whether from here or from one of the other gospels, these verses have been familiar to me from a young age. Every week I hear them spoken by the pastor just before communion, and I’ve read them many times as I’ve worked my way through the gospels. In all reality, I’ve nearly memorized them without even thinking about it. However, with that kind of familiarity comes a numbness, a near immunity to the weight of what is said here. It wasn’t until just recently that I caught anew some of the significance as I heard the words read aloud by another speaker.

…Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it…He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it…

Similar passages are found in three other places throughout the New Testament, and all of them say that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it; that He took the wine, gave thanks, and offered it.

Think about that. Jesus knew this was no ordinary Passover being celebrated in the same way as every other for the past thousand years since the angel of the Lord spared the Israelites because of the blood of the pure lamb. This could not have been your ordinary “come, Lord Jesus, be our guest” prayer of thanksgiving. He knew better than anyone that this celebration was a profound symbol of what He would suffer in just a matter of hours—that the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine meant mangled flesh and shed blood—but He deliberately gave thanks. Why?

As Jesus was hanging on the cross in agony, one of the criminals taunted and insulted Him, but the other spoke to Him in sincerity, saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Jesus answered Him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

For the salvation of a criminal, He gave thanks.

“Righteous Father, though the world does not know You, I know You, and they know that You have sent Me. I have made You known to them, and will continue to make You known in order that the love You have for Me may be in them and that I Myself may be in them.” (John 17:25-26)

For His own relationship with the Father, He gave thanks.

For His future relationship with us, He gave thanks.

“Here are My mother and brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3)

For His adopted family, He gave thanks.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

Looking forward to eternal fellowship with us, He gave thanks and broke the bread and offered the wine.

Out of love, He gave thanks and, for the joy set before Him, let His flesh be torn and His blood be shed so that He could bring us into eternity.

How much more do we now have to be thankful for?

©2009 Rebekah U.

"God Needs You"?

I don't know if you've noticed this, but the "Christian" culture of America has become more than a little bit squishy. With the proliferation of movements like the emerging church and the prosperity gospel, the preaching of the sinfulness of man and the perfect holiness of God has been replaced by feel-good messages and catchy phrases. One of the biggest misconceptions I’m hearing is the idea that God needs us. Yes, needs.

It is pure pride speaking when one believes that God needs him to accomplish His good purpose. This way of thinking leads to the calling of oneself to ministry over submitting to God’s call, and it is here that the ministry becomes self-centered instead of Christ-centered.

God does not need you. He never has and He never will. He is God. He alone is God. He created the entire world in the space of six days. He placed the sun in the sky, filled the oceans with water, and hung the stars in place. Photosynthesis was His idea. He shaped each element of each type of cell—the mitochondria, the ribosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, and the flagellar motor. He formed each and every plant and creature and designed the intricate systems that allow them to live and interact and sustain life. He destroyed the world with a flood, set the sun back, parted the sea, walked on water, raised the dead, healed the sick, and ultimately defeated death and sin by sacrificing His holy and perfect Son. He doesn’t need you. He can use anyone or anything else. In fact, He’s perfectly capable of doing everything alone. You are a worthless, wretched, filthy sinner and can do nothing on your own. You can’t even save yourself—God has to pull you out of the swamp and purify you. You have to be covered by His blood and his righteousness or else you haven’t even the smallest chance. No, He doesn’t need you. You need Him. Without Him, you are absolutely nothing.

Yes, He may choose to use you—He may even desire to use you—but He never needs to use you.

"I believe that one reason why the church of God at this present moment has so little influence over the world is because the world has so much influence over the church."
-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Why Study Your Bible?

The following is a basic outline of why and how to study the Bible, an essential aspect of growing in faith and learning to "give a reason for the hope that you have."

What makes a person who does the best Bible study?
• A person who really desires to do what the Word says
o James 1:22-25
 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

• Do you really want to know?
• Do you really want to follow?
• Do you really want to know truth?
• Through it, a Christian gets to know God personally—God is the author!!

1. It says what it says
a. Literal translation
b. Simple truth (don’t allegorize or spiritualize)
i. Ex. the whole “resurrection in His followers” concept
ii. If it is not so, it will say so (ex. Jesus’ baptism—“came down like a dove”)
c. Simile—Spirit descended like a dove
2. One correct interpretation! Many applications!
3. Be aware of the context
a. Philippians 4:13—“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength”
b. Talking about how Paul was able to be content in ant and every situation, not “Oh! God had empowered me to go out and do anything my little heart desires!”
c. Verses are close ups of a grander picture
4. Take note of to who and about who
a. Often times makes so much more sense
b. The whole the bridegroom coming like a thief in the night idea
5. Accurate definitions—look it up if you’re not sure
6. Understand that there is a difference between “the Church” and “Israel”
7. Remember that everything found in the Word is there for a purpose
a. Genesis 5:3-31—name meanings
i. Adam—Man
ii. Seth—Appointed
iii. Enosh—Subject to death
iv. Kenan—Sorrowful
v. Mahalalel—From the presence of God
vi. Jared—One comes down
vii. Enoch—dedicated
viii. Methuselah—dying he shall send
ix. Lamech—To the poor and lowly
x. Noah—rest/comfort

What is the point of Bible study? Dow we really NEED it?
Job 23:12 “I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily bread.”
Job realized the true need for it—he was also blessed with great success and wealth, but when it was all stripped away, he was not crushed because nobody could take the Lord away from him. Material things, fine, who cares, but God and His Word will always remain strong.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God stands forever.”

Job 1:20-21 “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord had taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’”

Deuteronomy 32:46-47 “He said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.’”

Why do we do it?—Joshua 1:8—“Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”


What are our natural tendencies?
• Too hard
• Boring
• 2 Kings 3:14-20—ditches in the desert
• Discouraged—1 Kings 19:11-13

Basics
1. Just read it first—read it through and don’t worry about getting everything, just read it through. If you felt like you didn’t quite understand it, read it through again.
a. The major part of this truly is the consistent reading-not worrying about how much you understand. Nobody understands everything perfectly the first time they go through, but you will get some things, and the next time through you will get more; that’s why you can find people in their 80s that have it almost memorized and yet still diligently study. God made a marvelous book that gives us a challenge.
b. Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
c. Don’t focus on what you don’t understand, but what you do understand. See Bible study as a lifelong process! Jesus tells us that the Spirit will show us what we need to know.
i. John 14:23 “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Gather who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all the things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
ii. The wording and the context of is just like Joshua
d. Read expecting God to show you something—really expecting.
i. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who honestly seek Him.
e. Read with the understanding that this is how God talks to you. It is truly a conversation with God! Throughout the Scriptures, all these guys talk to God—the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah; God talks with Moses and Adam as though they are friends (‘cause they are!)
2. Start at the beginning and find the first, thought, idea, story part, etc.
a. Now what is it saying?
b. Simple meaning—don’t read into it, but take it for what it says
c. Scripture really has only one correct interpretation

3. After the interpretation is found, find applications—how does this play out in your life? Or in life in general? You may be able to find many applications in every section.
a. Again, see James 1:22-25
b. Obedience is key in this whole venture! Just studying will get you nowhere. It has to play out
c. Psalm 119—the significance of the Word

This outline was primarily composed by Ty Newton, used on the 2008 Calvary Youth Retreat.

Old Coats and New Wine

Luke 5:36-38

He told them this parable: “No one tears a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”

    Let’s begin with a bit of simple background. Now, it’s an established fact that most clothes shrink, specifically when washed for the first few times. However, they do stop growing smaller as time goes on. Knowing that, one would be a fool to take a brand new piece of cloth and sew it on to an old garment, for when the entire piece was next washed, the new part would begin to shrink while the old remained the same, thus causing the new to tear away and create a hole larger than the original.
In a similar fashion, grape juice is made and put into new wineskins where it is left to ferment; in that fermentation process, though, the wine begins to expand and thus the bag expands with it. If that newly forming wine, however, were to be put into old bags and begin to expand, the wineskins would burst, and therefore spill the wine and render it worthless.
    So many people put rules and traditions in a place that’s almost higher than their faith itself, or they try to fit other things into their faith that really don’t belong. I remember listening to one of my extended family members (a Lutheran) talking to his friend (a Catholic) about how quickly a priest could get through a mass and how fast a pastor could get through the liturgy, and I realized then that his belief system was one of tradition and knowledge than rather than a personal, thriving relationship with Christ. It was seriously sad to listen to him talk about what he thought was important in church services.
    Jesus was dealing with a similar situation here, but with the Pharisees. See, the Pharisees—a group of often snobbish Jewish leaders—thought it terrible that Christ and His followers were not holding to the custom of fasting, among other things. In other words, they were upset that He (the Son of God) was not following the rituals that they declared were necessary. Rather than humble sacrifice and obedience to God, these Pharisees thought that their rituals (many of which were not directly prescribed in the law) would save them.
    What Christ is talking about here is that the Jewish teachers were trying to fit the Old Covenant into the beginnings of the New Covenant, which, like the old cloth/new cloth and old wineskins/new wine examples, doesn’t work. Now, just to be clear here, Jesus wasn’t coming to completely wipe out the law—remember His words in Matthew 5:17-18, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” Here’s the deal, since Christ came, He has proved that the rituals and practices of plain Judaism clearly fall short of His glory and greatness. His power over death and ability to bring about salvation from sins makes the law and rituals of the past simply a shadow that came before Christ Himself. Look at what Hebrews 8:13 says (and while you’re at it, please read the entire chapter), “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”’
    Let’s go back to that new patch on the old coat for a second. The irony with that statement is that what is supposed to serve to repair one item, in the end, only serves to ruin both cloths as well as making the original hole even larger.
Christ cannot be contained within the boundaries of the old law, for it was incomplete. And we cannot force our other little ideas and beliefs into Christ, because, as Isaiah 55 says, “’My thoughts are not your thought, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”
    God came to save me, and in doing so mended the cloth just right, so that the coat would not tear away, yet why is it that I often think that I can do a better job? I know better, but I still do it. Nevertheless, I will not stop trying to give everything to God, and just know that God is God and He will always do what is right and good.