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1 A modern story about the Bible

[edit] A modern story about the Bible

VANUATU, September 20, 2004 — Millions of TV viewers across North America were introduced to the South Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu this month, when the ninth edition of the reality TV series, Survivor, kicked off their fall season. "It is a land with a fascinating history of cannibalism," said the show's host as he described the 83-island country during the opening episode, "where rituals like sorcery and black magic are still a part of daily life."
"The tribes of Vanuatu take their spirituality very seriously," he added later.
British Columbia resident Dave Dever, has experienced first hand just how seriously the locals of Vanuatu take their spirituality.
For years, Dever has made it his personal mission to raise the money to purchase and deliver Bislama-language Bibles to the people of Vanuatu. (Bislama is a form of Melanesian Pidgin, declared by the country's constitution to be their national language.)
Inspired by the story of Scottish-born missionary, John Paton -- who went to the island of Tanna (now part of the independent republic of Vanuatu) to preach the gospel in 1858, Dever and his wife Abby, took their first trip there in June of 2001.
Bought Bislama Bible from the Bible Society of Vanuatu
"I bought a Bislama Bible at the Bible Society of Vanuatu [in order to learn] the language better," says Dever. "I took it with me and I showed some of the natives my Bislama Bible." Dever says they kept meeting people who were in awe of their Bible - the largest single document ever written in Bislama - and they left with the overwhelming impression that most of the islanders had never seen the Scriptures in their own language before.
"It kept impressing on our hearts that there was a need there," Dever says. Just how much of a need would soon become evident, for as Dever was to learn, Vanuatu is home to a thriving religion known as Jon Frum, an active cargo cult whose devotees strive to accumulate Western consumer goods through magic.
Returning home to Canada, the Devers remembered the people of Vanuatu who needed Bibles of their own, and began a Bislama Bible fund. Soon, they were planning a second trip; this time, to deliver 705 Bislama-language Bibles, purchased through the Bible Society of the South Pacific.
A special Bible for a special person
In September, 2002, Dever personally handed out the Bibles he and his wife had saved to purchase. But he had set one Bible aside - as a special gift for a friend he had met on a previous trip. When he learned of that man's death, Dever says he believed that God intended for the Bible to be gifted to someone else.
In a written account of his experience, Dever recalls, "It became clear to me that it should be given to the cargo cult chief, Isaac Wan. This was a challenging prospect, as Wan lived at the base of the volcano -- where ash continually fell, and the ground shook violently.
"I was told that it was impossible to meet the chief, as he was completely closed to the things of God. But I went to the volcano, and God opened a door. I was able to meet with Wan; he received my gift with joy, and a new friendship was born.
"I have recently learned that one of his sons is reading him this Bislama Bible." When the Devers returned to Vanuatu in July, 2003, they purchased and distributed 229 Bibles. They hope to deliver another 571 in December. "That would give us a total of 1,500 [Bibles distributed] for the three trips," Dever says.
Dever is not a wealthy man. A labourer all his life, he insists he is an "ordinary person" who happens to believe he has been called by God to give out Bibles to those too poor to purchase them on their own.
"The word of God brings hope; eternal hope to those who are thirsty," says Dever. "We want to share this hope that we have been given with the world."

Let us think of our intelligent plain man mentioned as an inquirer coming for the first time to the reading of the Scriptures.<Book of Hebrews> He approaches the Bible without any previous knowledge of what it contains. He is wholly without prejudice; he has nothing to prove and nothing to defend.

Such a man will not have read long until his mind begins to observe certain truths standing out from the page. They are the spiritual principles behind the record of God's dealings with men, and woven into the writings of holy men as they `were moved by the Holy Spirit.' As he reads on he might want to number these truths as they become clear to him and make a brief summary under each number. These summaries will be the tenets of his Biblical creed. Further reading will not affect these points except to enlarge and strengthen them. Our man is finding out what the Bible actually teaches. High up on the list of things which the Bible teaches will be the doctrine of faith.

The place of weighty importance which the Bible gives to faith will be too plain for him to miss. He will very likely conclude: Faith is all - important in the life of the soul. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Faith will get me anything, take me anywhere in the Kingdom of God, but without faith there can be no approach to God, no forgiveness, no deliverance, no salvation, no communion, no spiritual life at all.

By the time our friend has reached the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the eloquent encomium which is there pronounced upon faith will not seem strange to him. He will have read Paul's powerful defense of faith in his Roman and Galatian epistles. Later if he goes on to study church history he will understand the amazing power in the teachings of the Reformers as they showed the central place of faith in the Christian religion.

Now if faith is so vitally important, if it is an indispensable must in our pursuit of God, it is perfectly natural that we should be deeply concerned over whether or not we possess this most precious gift. And our minds being what they are, it is inevitable that sooner or later we should get around to inquiring after the nature of faith. What is faith? would lie close to the question, Do I have faith? and would demand an answer if it were anywhere to be found. Almost all who preach or write on the subject of faith have much the same things to say concerning it. They tell us that it is believing a promise, that it is taking God at His word, that it is reckoning the Bible to be true and stepping out upon it. The rest of the book or sermon is usually taken up with stories of persons who have had their prayers answered as a result of their faith. These answers are mostly direct gifts of a practical and temporal nature such as health, money, physical protection or success in business. Or if the teacher is of a philosophic turn of mind he may take another course and lose us in a welter of metaphysics or snow us under with psychological jargon as he defines and re-defines, paring the slender hair of faith thinner and thinner till it disappears in gossamer shavings at last. When he is finished we get up disappointed and go out `by that same door where in we went.' Surely there must be something better than this.

In the Bible there is practically no effort made to define faith. Outside of a brief fourteen-word definition in Hebrews 11:1, I know of no Biblical definition, and even there faith is defined functionally, not philosophically; that is, it is a statement of what faith is in operation, not what it is in essence. It assumes the presence of faith and shows what it results in, rather than what it is. We will be wise to go just that far and attempt to go no further. We are told from whence it comes and by what means: `Faith is a gift of God,' (Eph 2:8) and `Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (Rom 10:17) This much is clear, and, to paraphrase Thomas à Kempis, `I had rather exercise faith than know the definition thereof.'

From here on, when the words `faith is' or their equivalent occur in this chapter I ask that they be understood to refer to what faith is in operation as exercised by a believing man. Right here we drop the notion of definition and think about faith as it may be experienced in action. The complexion of our thoughts will be practical, not theoretical.

In a dramatic story in the Book of Numbers faith is seen in action. Israel became discouraged and spoke against God, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. `And they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.' Then Moses sought the Lord for them and He heard and gave them a remedy against the bite of the serpents. He commanded Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole in sight of all the people, `and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.' Moses obeyed, `and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived' (Num.21:4-9)

In the New Testament this important bit of history is interpreted for us by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. He tells them that it is by believing. Then to make it clear He refers to this incident in the Book of Numbers. `As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life' (John 3:14-15).

Our plain man in reading this would make an important discovery. He would notice that `look' and `believe' were synonymous terms. `Looking' on the Old Testament serpent is identical with `believing' on the New Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same thing. And he would understand that while Israel looked with their external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.

When he had seen this he would remember passages he had read before, and their meaning would come flooding over him. `They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed' (Ps.34:5). `Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us' (Ps.123:1-2). Here the man seeking mercy looks straight at the God of mercy and never takes his eyes away from Him till mercy is granted. And our Lord Himself looked always at God. `Looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the bread to his disciples' (Matt.14:19).Indeed Jesus taught that He wrought His works by always keeping His inward eyes upon His Father. His power lay in His continuous look at God (John 5:19-21).

In full accord with the few texts we have quoted is the whole tenor of the inspired Word. It is summed up for us in the Hebrew epistle when we are instructed to run life's race `looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.' (Hebr 12:2) From all this we learn that faith is not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune God.

Believing, then, is directing the heart's attention to Jesus. It is lifting the mind to `behold the Lamb of God,' and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him, after each brief excursion away from Him the attention will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to its window.

I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act which establishes the heart's intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we can know it too, and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that a habit of soul is forming which will become after a while a sort of spiritual reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part.

Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all. While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves--blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.

Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said, `I will set my throne above the throne of God.' Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.

All this may seem too simple. But we have no apology to make. To those who would seek to climb into heaven after help or descend into hell God says, `The word is nigh thee, even in the word of faith.' The word induces us to lift up our eyes unto the Lord and the blessed work of faith begins.

When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are sure to meet friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth. The sweet language of experience is `Thou God seest me.' When the eyes of the soul looking out meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on this earth.

When all my endeavour is turned toward Thee because all Thy endeavour is turned toward me; when I look unto Thee alone with all my attention, nor ever turn aside the eyes of my mind, because Thou dost enfold me with Thy constant regard; when I direct my love toward Thee alone because Thou, who are Love's self hast turned Thee toward me alone. And what, Lord, is my life, save that embrace wherein Thy delightsome sweetness doth so lovingly enfold me?' (So wrote Nicholas of Cusa four hundred years ago. Nicholas of Cusa, The Vision of God, E.P. Dutton & Co. Inc., New York, 1928. - This and the following quotations used by kind permission of the publishers.) I should like to say more about this old man of God. He is not much known today anywhere among Christian believers, and among current Fundamentalists he is known not at all. I feel that we could gain much from a little acquaintance with men of his spiritual flavor and the school of Christian thought which they represent. Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by the evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same train of thought, a kind of `party line' from which it is scarcely safe to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion and our most strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that everyone around us is saying--and yet to find an excuse for saying it, some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more,at least a new illustration.

Nicholas was a true follower of Christ, a lover of the Lord, radiant and shining in his devotion to the Person of Jesus. His theology was orthodox, but fragrant and sweet as everything about Jesus might properly be expected to be. His conception of eternal life, for instance, is beautiful in itself and, if I mistake not, is nearer in spirit to John17:3 than that which is current among us today. Life eternal, says Nicholas, is `nought other than that blessed regard wherewith Thou never ceasest to behold me, yea, even the secret places of my soul. With Thee, to behold is to give life; 'tis unceasingly to impart sweetest love of Thee; 'tis to inflame me to love of Thee by love's imparting, and to feed me by inflaming, and by feeding to kindle my yearning, and by kindling to make me drink of the dew of gladness, and by drinking to infuse in me a fountain of life, and by infusing to make it increase and endure.' (The Vision of God)

Now, if faith is the gaze of the heart at God, and if this gaze is but the raising of the inward eyes to meet the all-seeing eyes of God, then it follows that it is one of the easiest things possible to do. It would be like God to make the most vital thing easy and place it within the range of possibility for the weakest and poorest of us. Several conclusions may fairly be drawn from all this. The simplicity of it, for instance. Since believing is looking, it can be done without special equipment or religious paraphernalia. God has seen to it that the one life-and-death essential can never be subject to the caprice of accident.

Equipment can break down or get lost, water can leak away, records can be destroyed by fire, the minister can be delayed or the church burn down. All these are external to the soul and subject to accident or mechanical failure: but looking is of the heart and can be done successfully by any man standing up or kneeling down or lying in his last agony a thousand miles from any church.

Since believing is looking it can be done any time. No season is superior to another season for this sweetest of all acts. God never made salvation depend upon new moons nor holy days or sabbaths. A man is not nearer to Christ on Easter Sunday than he is, say, on Saturday, August 3, or Monday, October 4. As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation.

Neither does place matter in this blessed work of believing God. Lift your heart and let it rest upon Jesus and you are instantly in a sanctuary though it be a Pullman berth or a factory or a kitchen. You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.

Now, someone may ask, `Is not this of which you speak for special persons such as monks or ministers who have by the nature of their calling more time to devote to quiet meditation? I am a busy worker and have little time to spend alone.' I am happy to say that the life I describe is for everyone of God's children regardless of calling. It is, in fact, happily practiced every day by many hardworking persons and is beyond the reach of none.

Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs, there is within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention but be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to God again. This has been the testimony of many Christians, so many that even as I state it thus I have a feeling that I am quoting, though from whom or from how many I cannot possibly know.

I do not want to leave the impression that the ordinary means of grace have no value. They most assuredly have. Private prayer should be practiced by every Christian. Long periods of Bible meditation will purify our gaze and direct it; church attendance will enlarge our outlook and increase our love for others. Service and work and activity; all are good and should be engaged in by every Christian. But at the bottom of all these things, giving meaning to them, will be the inward habit of beholding God. A new set of eyes (so to speak) will develop within us enabling us to be looking at God while our outward eyes are seeing the scenes of this passing world.

Someone may fear that we are magnifying private religion out of all proportion, that the `us' of the New Testament is being displaced by a selfish `I.' Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? they are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become `unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole Church of God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and higher life.

All the foregoing presupposes true repentance and a full committal of the life to God. It is hardly necessary to mention this, for only persons who have made such a committal will have read this far. When the habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us we shall be ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the promises of God and the mood of the New Testament. The Triune God will be our dwelling place even while our feet walk the low road of simple duty here among men. We will have found life's summun bonum indeed. `There is the source of all delights that can be desired; not only can nought better be thought out by men and angels, but nought better can exist in any mode of being! For it is the absolute maximum of every rational desire, than which a greater cannot be.' (The Vision of God) O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon Thee all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be prepared to behold Thee in full splendor in the day whey Thou shalt appear to be glorified in Thy saints and admired in all them that believe. Amen.
***from A.W.Tozer

Alien ^talk 00:00, no date 2005 (UTC) an original article

Bible the sacred scriptures of the Holy Book consisting of the Old and the New Testaments. a total of comprising of 66 books. goto our sister web site for more information [[1]] see Tanakh from wikipedia site on the Hebrew Bible[[2]]

The Bible is the written word of God, and because it is written it is confined and limited by the necessities of ink and paper and leather. The Voice of God, however, is alive and free as the sovereign God is free. `The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.' The life is in the speaking words. God's word in the Bible can have power only because it corresponds to God's word in the universe. It is the present Voice which makes the written Word all- powerful. Otherwise it would lie locked in slumber within the covers of a book. quoted from A.W.Tozer

[edit] What do you see?

.....An old ancient Aramaic Bible (?) dating to the times of Jesus.?!.hehehe! Couldn't be that far out to say I walk where Jesus did 2,000 years ago - where the earth where Jesus walked is below me - say a few hundred feet down! BTW good story to tell like Dan Brown stuffs..goto read more[[3]]

==Truth==:What is the truth?..
Clearly defined; truth is ...not define-able according to the human mind, however there are so many levels of understanding among us - human - that the word "truth" is defined according to our observable worldviews, yet the truth is as unchangeable as the eye may try to see, locate and discover within the human mind. Clearly put:

Truth is still un-define-able even by the best of our minds.

Truth is only revealed to us as we bow down before the Ultimate reality - God- whois the Ultimate truth

The word of God defined the Word of God as

sharper than a two edged sword that cut through all barriers of misunderstanding and differentiate the real and the unreal,

the true and falsehood,

the genuine and the Counterfeits

And just as when light shines -
the truth is openly reveal in the full glory of God.

Jesus said ( himself claimed) ,

[edit] I am the way, the truth and the life..

besides the biblical writer described in those inspired words within the Bible- (Hebrews) describes..Him..as

(Hebrews 13:8}

[edit] Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Scriptural sense

[edit] Scriptural sense

is still Scriptural sense, not necessary common sense

Preachers has lots of it, however the more popular ones have more common sense .. Scripture has its own sense
don't try to make it as nonsense

When you cannot understand, don't say it's nonsense

A scriptural text taken out of its context may becomes a pretext for any kind of teachings Let scriptures interpret within its context

He upheld all things{{http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-NPPIeeRk]]..

[edit] The scripture point to Jesus as the Message as well as the divine Messenger

"In all of these, there emerges an instruction, a way of living. It is not Zoroaster to whom you turn; it is Zoroaster to whom you listen. It is not Buddha who delivers you; it is his Noble Truths that instruct you. It is not Mohammad who transforms you; it is the beauty of the Koran that woos you. By contrast, Jesus did not only teach or expound His message. He was identical with His message” - Ravi Zacharias

As preacher of the Message, it's not to water down the truth as revealed, If Jesus claimed to be divine or God, then he is either a great liar or in reality and truth, he is no less God Himself as incarnated in human through birth, death and the resurrection. Comparison to other religions is for apologetics not for preaching the message of truth.

[edit] Proofs of God

When at work or play, what do you see
Where you look and see in another face, what do you see?
Why are you not happy to behold the face of the heavenly father daily?
When you are trusting, your anxieties and fears leave and go far, far away

You believe to see (in the heart, by faith)

The canon of scriptures [[4]]

A scriptural verse from the Book of Romans

- Chapter One : 20. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Romans 1:20 (KJV)

For studies in Bibe, there are many theological seminaries around the world, but for Biblical Studies in the Bible, there remained only a few schools check for Biblical Studies [[5]]

Related web site see Proofs of God

(Also wikipedia contained a fair amount of writings on Theology, Bible, Apologetics, Exegesis, and many interesting subjects on the Bible, they are well inter-linked)

- - Bible has a secret code for readers, to the unbelievers it is foolishness, but to those who sincerely believe it is the Word of God which will make them wiser, and think clearer, see Mind

Read Gospel of John from Internet resources here [[6]]

and the famous John 3:16 [[7]] to God's own gift of life!

My God, My God why has Thou forsaken Me? [[8]]

[edit] Bible Reading from

Epistle to Corinthians

Gospel of John

[edit] Bible Reading from

Epistle to Corinthians

Gospel of John

editing Bible[[9]]

The Bible is a book written by God in diverse methods, by His handwriting on the wall, by dictating letter by letter to Moses, by communicating through the prophets and in the through the great and small humble minds of Kings, fishermen, scribes, and among common people who are believers, however the greatest revelation was in the Person of His only begotten Son, the Jesus|Messiah! Within the Bible are the gifts and hidden treaures which yet to be discovered. The Bible is the only Book that in its original origial form, it had the direction and own printing of the Image of the greatest wonder of the Universe not only from book to book, letter to letter and even the little dots and every single letter/s are individually designed to speak of the greatness of the Almighty. Who dare claim that all which the Person himself speak: of whether about life or death, whether the past or the future will all come to reality, just as surely as the very words he personally uttered at the very moment will be truth? One and only one person Jesus the Christ...

the Bible, the Enigmaand the mind all point to one direct> Proofs of God!

[edit] Criticism by some readers

The Bible have increasingly become a tool to make money.

Instead of showing Bible stories as a warning to people, some Americans have twisted the stories to give VERY HAPPY endings. And reading these bibles don't really teach moral values or anything. The Bible in America had become like a fairytale book and its up to Christians to save the Bible. - comment by Royfang

(personally the Bibles are a top all-time best seller item over the centuries..I don't see it's morally wrong or that to sell them is to enrich ppl with money! Think of it as a commodity, is it wrong to buy & sell? Beside, all other religions including the Koran and Sacred text on Buddhism are openly available for Sale on the Internet! [[10]])