Book: Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture

Today’s Book is brought to you by Kregel Publishing’s Academic & Ministry Division. They sent me a coffee cup once, but I’m not drinking out of it while I do this review to make sure there is no bias in the process. As is frequent: free book in exchange for writing an unbiased review.

When I first start writing book reviews, I treated them like we were graded on the Customer Service Survey at Chick-fil-A: anything less than 5-stars was a failure. Since then, I have shifted my grading scale: 3-stars means the book accomplished what it set out to do, but was not spectacular, 4-stars stands out a little, and 5-stars is an outstanding work. 3-star meets the need, 4-star exceeds the need, and 5-star meets all relevant needs and most relevant wants.

So, now, a 5-star book coming across my desk is rare. It has to be a book that either greatly exceeds all other books I know on the matter or one that finally addresses a need. And it has to be a real need. Someday I will write my Theology of Robotics book, but I doubt that will meet any real need, except for some Data somewhere.

Today, though, one is on my desk that addresses what I have felt as a need in many churches and Christian lives. That book is Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture by Jeffrey D. Arthurs. Dr. Arthurs is Professor of Preaching and Communication at Gordon-Conwell Seminary, where I would have gone to school if I could have stomached living in Massachusetts. (Well, if I could have afforded the medical insurance, actually.)

In Devote Yourself to the Public Reading of Scripture, Arthurs presents his case that the Bible needs to attain a more central role in our corporate gatherings as churches. By this, he does not mean we are neglecting Biblical Theology or even a commitment to know the Bible. His point is this: we do not spend enough of our effort in the simple practice of presenting the plain Word of God.

The typical Evangelical church service, which is his (and my) primary experience, devotes very little time to reading the Bible aloud. Arthurs presents that part of our problem is that when we do read the Word, we do not read it well. Devote Yourself first addresses the “why” question, and then delves into guidelines for “how” the Word can be read, and read well.

I like this book. Arthurs presents very basic oral interpretation guidelines on reading Scripture in public. Devote Yourself does not push the far envelope on being dramatic, though a few basic reader’s theatre type ideas are presented at the end. The overall thrust is this: learn to read aloud and learn to read aloud well.

The included DVD shows demonstration of technique and provides almost all one needs to have an oral interpretation class focused on Scripture. This moves the book from “I read it, and I think I get it,” to “Ah! I read it, I see it, and I can do it.”

In all, this is a practical little book that I hope finds its way into more hands. If we will begin to read Scripture well, then people will respond as I was told when I suggested we should start a sermon series by taking a Sunday and just reading through all of one short Biblical book: “That will be too boring.” Scripture should never be presented in a boring manner: either in explanation or in reading.

I highly recommend this one. It’s good for preachers. It would be great for middle/high school students who need to get started in Public Speaking practice. Get a copy.

Free book in exchange for the review. No, I don’t get a cut if you buy 1 for every pastor, homeschooler, and speaker you know. But you should do it anyway.

Down with the Ship, Up with the Courage: Acts 27

Apologies for last week. Sometimes you master the calendar; sometimes the calendar masters you. And then the Alexandrian/Koine Greek comes along and kicks you while you’re down.

Paul has been back-and-forth with the Roman authorities on the eastern fringe of the Empire. He appealed to Caesar, which our understanding of Roman History gives us as Nero Claudius Caesar, last of the Julian-Claudian Roman Emperors—yep, his family finalized the transition from Republic to Empire, and then he ended their dominance of that country. Nero is not exactly remembered as being a very good judge for anyone, but Paul knew certainly being turned loose, without any protection, in Judea would be a disaster for him.

So, off to Rome he goes. This chapter of Acts, Acts 27, is mostly the travel record of Paul moving from Caesarea on his way to Rome. A good commentary or Bible Atlas/History book will help you fill in details about the ship, its passageway, and where the various cities and islands mentioned in this chapter are. Those tools are really helpful in study.

I want to point you to one verse in the midst of this chapter that I think is worth noting. Take a look at Acts 27:25. Paul is telling the soldiers, the crew, the passengers, and his fellow prisoners that they have nothing to fear in the storm. Only the ship will be lost, but God is going to keep them all alive. He then tells them to do one thing:

Keep up your courage.

The Evangelistic Baptists in the crowd may now, collectively, cover their ears and throw a fit. Why? Because there are a group of us that would think Paul’s appropriate response to the situation would be to line out a Gospel invitation and hand out response cards. After all, we never know about tomorrow, do we?

Except in this case, Paul does know. He actually knows about the next couple of weeks, as the rest of the chapter gives us, there were at least fourteen nights to deal with in this storm-drenched saga. And no lives are lost at all.

Instead of pushing for a storm-promise response, Paul focuses on the need of the moment. The men involved in the situation (and possibly ladies, hard to be certain) need to focus on their survival. They need to trust that something or someone will carry them through.

In this case, they need to trust God. In the midst of the chaos, though, is no time for the likely superstitious Mediterranean sailors to add to their pantheon of gods. Paul chooses the right course in keeping them in the moment. His course reflects the importance of the Gospel message.

First, it reflects faith: Paul has been told by God that everyone will make it to a “certain island.” He shows his own faith in God’s words by not hedging and pushing some to think they may not make it. We do not get that type of message these days and so have to behave slightly differently, but how often do we act like we have no faith that God will provide the right opportunity?

Very often we Christians attempt to argue people into the Kingdom because we lack the faith that God can and will persuade them himself. If we witness with faith, it will include trusting that if we present the whole Gospel, the love and the truth, God can handle persuading people of the reality of the Gospel. Rare is the case where “I lost an argument with a hot-headed angry Christian” is the summary of a person’s testimony.

Second, Paul’s course of action reflects worship. Worship requires recognizing the greatness of God and the holiness of God. A corollary part of worship is not encouraging people into false worship. Paul could have pushed everyone on the ship to say a quick prayer in Jesus’ name for safety. Instead, he holds that back.

We as Christians in America need to consider this: Paul urges the people on the ship to virtuous necessary action: have courage and do your jobs well. He does not ask that they carve a quick “God Bless the Ship” into the mizzenmast or quickly print a Psalm on the topsails. We should be as concerned about whether or not someone who campaigns with “God bless America” on their lips actually knows thing one about God as we are with the person who refuses to bring God into their campaigning at all. Likewise with any celebrity or other person, including ourselves. Our problems are not skipping “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Our problems began with the people of God not acting like it and get worse when we Christians expect lost people to act more like Jesus than we do.

There are certain virtuous necessary actions that we can and should call all those around us to do. However, artificial prayer is not one of those.

Finally, Paul’s course of action resounds with grace. He does not shout gleefully that he can drown and go to heaven, therefore the rest of the ship can just sink for all he cares. He knows that God has repeatedly told him he will go to Rome—so there is no doubt he will survive. Yet his concern is not for himself alone, but for the whole of the ship. A bloomin’ lot of lost people, pagans, and a few Romans that likely were involved in threatening to whip him back a year or two ago.

What is our concern? Oh, well, if things go real bad, there will be a Rapture and I’ll skip the ugly parts? Oh, well, let the North Korean nuclear weapons hit the West Coast, the Iranians hit the East Coast, and we’ll live happy in the middle? While I do not wish to debate either of those options (I think one more likely than the other), is our attitude in either Christ-like?

Now, there is appropriate wisdom in preparation. There is appropriate comfort in hope of the life to come. However, we ought not celebrate the death of the lost.

In all, while the ships are going down around us, keep your courage up. In due time, God will use you to draw others to Himself.

And that’s the point, really, isn’t it?

Nerd Note: It’s interesting to see the term Euro-quilo translated as “Northeaster” in the English text. This word is a hybrid word of Greek and Latin, with the Greek for East Wind and the Latin for North Wind (and the Aramaic loan word for “wide'”) jammed together. There seems to be little evidence, except for one location in Africa, that this word was commonly used in the written language of the day.

Yet it was apparently known among sailors. I take this as evidence of Luke’s presence in the situation. Had he been writing from a distance, he would have used more commonly known words for strong winds and storms. Instead, he used what the sailors called it. Why? Because that’s what imprinted somewhere between throwing the cargo overboard and falling to pieces on the rocks. This is a Euro-quilo. And I don’t ever want to see one again.

Sermon Wrap-Up February 24

Good morning! Here are the sermons from yesterday at Almyra First Baptist:

Morning Audio is here

Evening Audio is here

Morning Outline and Video:

The Giver and the Gifts: James 1:16-18

Central Theme: God's Gracious Gifts

I. Do not be deceived--there is plenty to camp out on here: being Christian does not mean being an idiot

     A. By being deceived in world issues

     B. By being deceived in spiritual matters

          1. Not everyone who thinks they have had a God-driven encounter really has

          2. discernment is critical: and that is not just knowing right from wrong, but right from almost right--and WHY!

II. God is the giver of good gifts

     A. Every good thing

     B. Every perfect gift

     C. All minor things: life, breath, food,

III. Immutability of God

     A. No changes: always reliable

     B. No shifting: always in the right direction

IV. The greatest Gift

     A.  God's exercise of His will to bring forth...believers

     B. He accomplishes this through His Word, the Word of Truth...Jesus

     C. That we may be first in redemption, leading to the redemption of all creation

V. Apply as needed

     A. Be brought forth--submit to God

     B. Know the Word of Truth

     C. Learn to discern

Evening Video and Outline

Following Daily: Mark 8:34-38

Central Point: Following Christ is a challenging gift

I. Separate the Crowd from the Disciples

     A. Lots of people like some of what Jesus had to say

     B. Very few actually like all of what Jesus had to say

          Politics: Would Jesus really be in favor of what you think He would? Or the other side?

          Religion: Our need to be right on unclear things and our willingness to compromise on clear ones.

II. This is Life and Death

     A. If Jesus deemed life not worth more than obedience

     B. Then why do we?

     C. Seeking even our own survival is counterproductive

     D. We should seek obedience

     E. Everything else follows from that

III. Shame is part of the game

     A. Our world will shame us

     B. If we are not living in such a way as to draw criticism from the ungodly

     C. Then what are we doing?

IV. We cannot give anything for our souls

     A. But Jesus Did

     B. worship

     C. Surrender

Book: Good Mood, Bad Mood

As frequently is the case around here, this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for the review. Cross Focused Media is the gracious partner for this one.

In the opening scenes of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Spock is on his home planet of Vulcan. He is being tested on his knowledge and logic, like any good Vulcan will excel in. He freezes up when the computer asks him a simple question:

“How do you feel?”

Failing to understand the question, Spock asks his mother about it. She reminds him of his half-human heritage, and he realizes that he must interact with humans to understand emotions, including his own. Otherwise, he will never grasp that portion of himself: the human side that feels.

For good or for ill, we are not Vulcan. And part of the human experience is emotion. Sometimes good, sometimes not-so-good, and sometimes downright awful. Into this experience comes Dr. Charles D. Hodges’ book Good Mood, Bad Mood. It looks like this:

Good Mood, Bad Mood started out as a book about Bipolar Disorder, but then grew to address both depression and the various forms of bipolar disorder. It is generic medical advice, so the first question is whether or not the author is capable of dispensing that advice. Charles D. Hodges is a physician and licensed family therapist. He has been practicing medicine for nearly four decades. While he is not a psychiatrist/psychologist, I consider his background an excellent starting point for examining the medical issues in the book.

Now, as to content: Good Mood, Bad Mood is a Christian-worldview centered look at two of the most commonly declared mental health issues in America today. I say “declared” instead of diagnosed, because while I know many people with actual medical diagnoses of either depression or bi-polar, I know at least twice as many who declare they have those issues, because “I have the same symptoms.” Even without talking to a doctor about it.

Hodges presents Good Mood, Bad Mood not only to address those who “declare” themselves afflicted but those whose doctors have diagnosed the problem as well. His goal is to speak to some of the general causes of emotional difficulty that are often mis-labeled as depression. And then, when anti-depressants don’t work, they are relabeled as bi-polar disorder and then the medications really don’t work!

The primary takeaway in Good Mood, Bad Mood that I found was that emotional health issues that seem to persist need to be addressed with a team effort. The sufferer’s doctor, pastor, and self must work together to address the issue, as it could be based in true medical issues, spiritual issues, or self-will issues.

Most ministers would find Good Mood, Bad Mood a critical primer for their emotional help toolbox. It will help express ways in which the minister can assist those who are dealing with basic emotional health trouble. Christian believers that are struggling with depression and bi-polar will also benefit from the guidance for examining the spiritual aspects of their frustrations.

Unless, of course, you’re a Vulcan. Then you only need this to understand those illogical humans in the crew.

Free book in exchange for review.

Leaders of the People: Leviticus 22

There’s not really a better time to put this out there, so I’ll connect it all with Leviticus 22. First, remember what Leviticus is about: if a holy God is going to dwell among unrighteous people, then certain issues need to be dealt with. Sin must be avoided as much as possible and atoned for when it cannot be avoided. Otherwise, the overwhelming holiness of God will destroy the people.

Throughout these explanations, the Law has referred to a group of people who are supposed to aide the people with their obedience. These people are responsible for offering sacrifices, teaching the people, and verifying infectious diseases. They are the priests.

When we get into Leviticus 22, we see some important information about the qualifications of those priests. It was clear then that a priest must live a life focused on holiness, even at the cost of being a part of some of the normal life and behavior of the people of Israel. It was also clear that, at times, priests fell short and needed to offer the same sacrifices as anyone else.

Given that we do not live in Old Testament Theocratic Israel, how does this apply to us?

Put simply, we ought to apply this to our religious leaders. Not that we should be overly particular about what funerals they attend or whether or not they eat shrimp. Instead, our focus should be on the principle at stake in the chapter in Leviticus: do our religious leaders reflect the holiness of God?

First contemplation: is that leader in a relationship with God in the first place? This ought to be a given, but somehow we miss this one at times. There should be evidence and testimony that an individual actually has faith in God before we account them as a religious leader. You think we don’t? Take a look at how often churches borrow from business or entertainment without considering the difference. How many modern churches have undertaken new projects based on the latest movie? How many churches have reorganized their administrative issues based on the latest business advice?

Religious leadership can gather wisdom from outside the spiritual realm, but must ultimately find its guidance from a relationship with God.

Second contemplation: is that leader striving to live righteously in their relationship? There is almost no end to the stories these days of people taking the pulpits and teaching lecterns of Christianity and spreading lies. Now, at the moment the lies of false teaching are not exactly in view—a growing disciple should be catching some of these based on their own knowledge and growth. These are the lies of self-aggrandizement which have no place in religious leadership. These are the times when people lie to make themselves seem like more than they are.

Whether it’s a lie of background or behavior, it is wrong. And should be the end of someone’s pulpit career. At the very least, until there is a public statement of repentance that matches the publicity of the lies. That is, simply, mandatory.

The third contemplation: does the person who claims leadership use it for their sake or for the glory of God? As an auxiliary question, do they seek their benefit or that of the people they serve? The priests of Leviticus were entitled to certain benefits, but those were to enable them to focus on service. Not to enable a life of luxury or superiority.

Now, the further issue in this case is not only those who ought not be religious leaders, but those who enable them. Working through restorative efforts for one who is repentant is not the same as enabling. However, the problem arises when one allows, or worse, encourages a known charlatan into a position of influence.

That is just plain wrong. If we want to see the judgment of God on the churches in our life, then we should continue feeding a steady stream of liars, cheats, and deceivers into the pulpits and lecterns around us. Those who are lesser leaders should guard zealously the charge we have, as well as the influences over our own leadership.

And the body as a whole must guard itself. There are fakers and crooks out there, and we must, together, refuse to give them an audience. Refuse to buy the books, the movies, the podcasts…whatever it takes to cut it out. Ultimately, we are responsible for this and the negative impact it has on our efforts to show forth the Kingdom of God.

Sermon Wrap-Up for February 17

Morning Audio Link is here

Evening Audio Link is here

Morning Outline & Video

James 1:9-15

Introduction:

I met a traveller from an antique land

Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,

Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown

And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,

The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:

‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,

The lone and level sands stretch far away:

(remember Ozymandias=Ramses II)

Percy Bysshe Shelley

I. The Situation

     A. Some are poor

     B. Some are wealthy

     C. All are frail

II. All will fade away

     A. Through the passage of time

     B. Through the impact of trial

III. Trials will come

     A. What do we have to lose when they come?

          1. The poor man

          2. The rich man

     B. Where do trials come from?

          1. Some from God

          2. Some from Satan

          3. Some from a sin-soaked world

IV. Responses to trials:

     A. Getting carried away

          1. Giving into our own desires

          2. Being destroyed

               This can be from anger, lust, gluttony, fear

     B. Standing Firm:

          1. Holding to the Lord God--seeking His wisdom!

          2. Perseverance---receiving the crown of victory

V. Actions:

     A. Salvation

     B. Service

     C. Study

     D. Sufficiency

Evening Outline and Video:

John 1

Major Emphasis: The Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ

I. His work in the Creation of all things

II. Fully and completely God

III. God in Flesh: The Dwelling Place of God in the fragile tent of human flesh

IV. Why?
A. To face death

B. To demonstrate obedience

C. To show humanity what God is truly like

V. So what?

A. Stop rejecting the love of God

B. Live like Jesus: understand the needs around you

C. Be present

D. Do not attempt to mail the faith in to others, but gather with

Book: Renee of France

Today’s Book Review sponsored by Cross-Focused Media, who provided an e-copy of this book for review.

Renee of France by Simonetta Carr is in the series “Bitesize Biographies,” a group of, you guessed it, short biographies on various individuals across Christian history. They are published by Evangelical Press, so one can assume each will feature individuals more in line with Evangelical theology than any other.

Renee of France is one of those. Her story is one I was not familiar with before reading this book. It was fascinating to learn of her life and her interactions with both the Catholic authorities during the 16th century and the Reformation leaders in the same time frame. Here is a fascinating woman: questioning kings, corresponding with theologians, and even challenging the words of Popes.

This is a story that I would have heard without needing to write this review. Renee of France is a victim of the Great Man method of history study: we learn certain few men who influenced the time, but many of the smaller stories are not well-known. In truth, that is a shame and I am glad to see biographies coming out that help work to balance that equation.

On to the writing: I have read various biographies, geared toward the general Christian market. Renee of France is not the strongest interest-holding one I have read. My fascination and willingness to read through was based more on my own ignorance of her life than on the writing style grabbing my attention. The years seemed to drag at points, but I suppose that life feels that way at times anyway.

In all, for a Bitesize Biography, the information amount was good—certainly one would like more info, but that would run against the intent of the series. Renee of France does not fly by in terms of reading speed, but neither is it a drudge. More middle-of-the road.

Will we add this to future homeschool curriculum? Likely it will hit the digital shelf for junior high/middle school. The events and subject matter are a little too heavy for elementary.

Renee of France works as an introduction to what was, I am certain, a challenging life.