Look at that picture for awhile. Those are the types of tools for studying - Search for Truth, of the WORD of the LORD. The diligent work person chooses certain tools - wisely. Chosen tools must have quality and durability. Tools must be precise and with a keen edge, if cutting. Keen edges, means sharp tools. Sharp tools make clean cuts, therefore, clean cuts show a desire for perfection. Perfection, is the goal of the diligent worker. Is, Search for Truth, your goal of perfection, of learning the WORD of the LORD? What do you use to study the WORD of God? Did you answer - The Bible? Is that all? What Bible? What Version? Jesus - help us to understand YOUR meaning to your perfect - WORD. Teach us to lean not unto our own understanding. Show us the precious secrets, meant for those who love you. We praise you, forever, LORD - Amen. Many people bring their Bible to Church. They follow along, when a scripture is read. Their mind is usually elsewhere. They may read scripture, occasionally. They may come to Bible study, even regularly, just following along, never taking notes. After a few years, they think they know all there is to know - about God. They come, they listen, they leave, they forget. Do you do that? When reading scripture, at home, or in church - always take notes. If you don't take notes to categorize later, much key information will go right through you. You really won't remember much. For convenience, take a small note pad, then transfer pertinent information to larger pages, and organize them in a binder. What is part of the Great Commission required of those who follow Jesus? Read Matthew 28:19. Go to all the world - and do what? Do you desire that? How can you teach, if you do not have organized notes for quick reference? How many teachers taught you without their notes? Many young people in the LORD want to give Bible studies. Unfortunately, they rely on what they can recall in their mind, which generally leads to a random, unorganized, spontaneous discourse. Nevertheless, whether you offer sincere milk, or strong meat, it's God that gives the increase. Always take notes. You will be glad you saved that valuable information. You will grow as you review them, if you took nourishing notes. A person said - I read the Bible nine times, and I still don't understand it. Does that glorify God? Do you see a problem? Do you understand the Bible? What's it all really about? Consider a Bible as a: Love story - Adventure story Guide book - Recipe book Road map - Treasure map Salvation guide Key to earnest of your inheritance Portal to foreverness Is God's WORD a mystery? Religion doctrines claim it. They also say it is very great. Great is the mystery of Godliness. It still remains a mystery. Do you believe God's WORD is a mystery? What is mystery? Mystery - from Greek myein = to be closed of the lips. From (assumed) Greek mystos = keeping silence. Mouse stems off this word (quiet as a church mouse). A religious truth that man can know by revelation alone and cannot fully understand. Something not understood or beyond understanding. Profound, inexplicable (incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for). Those were dictionary explanations of mystery. Does it give you a comfort to know that mystery is silent of information to you? Do you think it glorifies God to create beings in His image, that go through their given existence, with no comprehension of their creator? Has God ever been silent to His human creation? How long was God silent to Israel's children, while they were in bondage in Egypt? How many silent years from Malachi, of the Old Testament, to Mark of the New Testament? Mark - determined to be first collection of witnessed events. Both roughly four hundred years. Do you see a coincidence of silence, or a pattern? With "silent years" as the concept, do you see God communicating to His human host using aspects as: Numbers Consistency Non-coincidental events Repetition Man can justify the silence of God. Apocrypha books were written for the 400 silent years between the Testaments. Jesus never quoted scripture from the writings, neither did the disciples or apostles. Use your discernment. What is truth? Was God really silent the 400 years Abraham's seed was in bondage in Egypt? Was God really silent the 400 years between the Testaments? God clearly shows He is in control of all things. Since man's existence, there have been many time periods where God has been completely silent. Read Psalm 83:1. Asaph sung unto God to evoke Him to break a period of silence. Is God's WORD a mystery incapable of being understood, or is it the WORD, out of silence, spoken at certain times, as God wills? Young's Analytical Concordance defines mystery as - what is known to the initiated. But that sounds like a secret. What is a secret? Secret - Latin, se - apart, cenere - to sift. Kept from knowledge or view. Revealed only to the initiated. Something kept hidden or unexplained; mystery. By definition, secret and mystery, seem to interrelate. Is God's WORD a secret? Read Matthew 13:35. What does God say about His secrets? Read Romans 16:25. Isn't that verse beautiful? What do you think about God's secrets? A secret is information designed to be told to selected people. Read 1 Corinthians 2:7. Do you see how mystery, secret, and hidden are interrelated? God reveals His mystery of Godliness to us. He has been revealing it ever since He created man. His glorious WORD is revealed to selected people, with an ear to hear, and who are not stiff neck, in their self counsel. Read Matthew 13:11. What do you think about God's secrets - now? Read Mark 4:11 and Luke 8:10. Do you see the same messages as Matthew 13:11? God's WORD was not revealed at certain times. God's WORD was not even revealed to Prophets or righteous people, at certain times. Read Ephesians 3:5. God reveals His WORD when, where, to whom - as He will. Don't you love it? God is incredible. Read 1 Timothy 3:16. Paul says - Great is the mystery of Godliness. Then Paul immediately, clearly explains it. Never forget that the mystery of Godliness is explained. Is God's WORD still a mystery? It certainly is - to most people. They will live their entire lives not even knowing who God is, let alone understanding - His WORD. Could you have learned all of this by just reading a Bible? Would you have learned it all through preaching? Would you have learned the "Mystery of God" through revelation? If so, would you forget it? Some say - if you don't use it, you will lose it. Go teach it. There is a hungry, dying world out there. Again - can you learn about "Mysteries of God" by just reading a Bible? Maybe some of it. Many claim the Bible is the infallible WORD of God. Commentary - Most Christian Bibles, while NOT the infallible WORD of God, do indeed contain a portion of the perfect WORD of God. The King James Version is exactly what it says - a version. All versions are variants. It is a group of people's idea on what they think the scriptures are trying to say. They will add, they will omit, and they will alter - as they will. Why? Because God chooses NOT to protect His WORD - as He will. That's hard to believe - isn't it? They will add a few scriptures of their own. They leave out entire writings as it suits their fancy. They write alternative books. Seek the writings of the original authors for the unadulterated perfect WORD of God. Even some books that say original Greek and original Hebrew, are generations down from the original author. The KJV, even though an interpretational version, does contain a portion of the fundamental WORD of God. Some WORD is there, but it is hard to understand with a simple read through. Seems as if a person always remains in a continuous confusion. God is NOT the author of confusion. Read 1 Corinthians 2:11. Do you see where the Spirit of the LORD needs to be in YOU for - guidance? The living WORD of God is revealed in many modes. Here are only a few. 1. Personal revelation. 2. Through anointed messages from the five fold ministry. Apostles Evangelists Prophets Teachers Pastors 3. Scripture read-through. Read though - SLOWLY - over and over, all your life. Certain aspects of read-through are revealed each time you cover a topic. Many people only do simple fast read-through, and never get deep in the WORD of God. 4. Scripture study. Tools (Bible helps) used for this writing - Young's Analytical Concordance KJV Bible Cyclopedic Index Interlinear Greek-English New Testament Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text Bible Handbook Dictionary Greek suffixes Strong's Concordance Interlinear Scripture Analyzer Blue Letter Bible Internet teacher Bible commentators Do you see it? Nourish yourself. Praise the LORD - FOREVER brotherwilson