Discovering the will of God

Hi Everyone,

This month we are looking at the subject of Discovering God’s will for our lives. Often we view God’s will as some out-there, magical thing which we long to understand but what actually does the Bible say about it?

In light of Biblical teaching I believe we can learn that God’s will takes shape in 2 main categories – (1) His redemptive plan for mankind (2) how we outwork his salvation plan in our lives. This then can be split down into 2 more areas – (1) his general will (2) his specific will.

In line with God’s general will for our lives we can see from the teaching in the Bible that God requires 2 things from us – firstly that we become people who take hold of the opportunities we have so that we can go grow deeper in him, rooting our lives in him. Secondly he requires us to be people who take hold of the opportunities we have to share his love with those around us through meeting needs and loving our neighbour as we would love ourselves.

By understanding this part of God’s general will for our lives I believe that knowing God’s will suddenly becomes a daily focus and empowerment for our lives which we can confidently walk in rather than something which we are waiting round for to receive.

In your life, what does the will of God mean to you? What are you currently doing to outwork his will in your life? What questions do you have about his will? Through our discussions lets help one another in embracing the fullness of everything God has for us. Discuss……..

Gavin

Bible Study Resources

To help you with your Bible Study we have listed here just a few of the computer based resources that are available. If you find these useful, or have resources that have help you. Drop us a line….

Desktop Resources

e-Sword (www.e-Sword.net) – This is an amazing free Bible study resource. Its features include bibles, commentaries, dictionaries, and note taking features. It comes in desktop and PDA versions. Listed below are some of the Bibles and commentaries that are available, there are also 40+ foreign language version available.

Bible Versions (Free)

American Standard Version,  Bible in Basic English,  Contemporary English Version,  Douay-Rheims Bible (w/ Deuterocanon),  English Standard Version,  Good News Translation,  GOD’S WORD,  International Standard Version,  Jewish Publication Society Old Testament,  King James Version,  King James Version (w/ Strong’s),  King James Version (w/ Apocrypha),  Literal Translation of the Holy Bible,  Modern King James Version,  Revised Version,  Darby Bible,  English Majority Text Version,  James Murdock New Testament,  Webster Bible,  Weymouth New Testament,  Young’s Literal Translation,  Bishops’ Bible  (w/ Apocrypha),  Geneva Bible  (w/ Apocrypha),  King James Bible  (w/ Apocrypha),  Greek New Testament (Majority Text),  Scrivener Textus Receptus,  Robinson/Pierpont Byzantine Greek New Testament (w/ Strong’s),  Textus Receptus Greek New Testament (w/ Strong’s),  Westcott-Hort Greek New Testament (w/ Strong’s),  Greek New Testament (w/ Variants),  Hebrew New Testament,  Hebrew Old Testament (Tanach),  Hebrew Old Testament (w/ Strong’s),  Greek Old Testament (Septuagint),  Latin Vulgate (w/ Deuterocanon)

Bible Version (Priced)

Amplified Bible,  Complete Jewish Bible,  Holman Christian Standard Bible,  The MESSAGE,  New American Standard Bible Study Set,  NIV Family Bundle,  New King James Version,  New Living Translation,  New Revised Standard Version,  Revised Standard Version

Commentaries (Free)

Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible,  Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible,  John Darby’s Synopsis of the Bible,  Geneva Bible Translation Notes,  John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible,  Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible,  Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary,  Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary,  Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament,  The People’s New Testament (B. W. Johnson),  Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament,  Scofield’s Reference Notes,  The Treasury of David (C. H. Spurgeon),  Treasury of Scripture Knowledge,  Vincent’s Word Studies,  John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible

Commentaries (Priced)

Believer’s Bible Commentary,  The Bible Knowledge Commentary,  Baker’s New Testament Commentary,  Jon Courson’s Application Commentary—New Testament,  Key Word Commentary,  Life Application Study Bible Notes,  Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee,  The Preacher’s Commentary,  Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines.

Online Resources:

Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com ) An online Bible with search facilitiy. Available in 22 English language version, with audio.

Greek/Hebrew Dictionary (www.strongsnumbers.com) An online Greek and Hebrew dictionary, explaining the etymology of biblical words in their orginial language.

Biblos (http://biblos.com/)  A massive online resource with bibles, commentaries, atlases and much much more.

Dynamic Equivalence

Rachel did this the other night in our Connect group.  I thought it was so good, everyone should see it.  I think it’s very helpful indeed.  Enjoy and thanks Rachel.

I’m lovin’ my new Bible

A couple of weeks again I bought a new ‘wide-margined’ Bible… I’ve always wanted one and finally got round to doing it… well I love it.  This week I’ve entered my first scribblings (as you can see) and just been enjoying the wonder of God’s Word afresh.  This week as I’ve read through the life of Elijah and Elisha, as well as the book of Colossians, I seen so many things ‘again’ or in a brand new and fresh way.  It’s been exciting to see things and even ‘hear’ God’s voice through His word.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been seeing new or fresh things from God’s Word in the last couple of weeks.  Why don’t you let me know what you have got out of the greatest book you own?  As you share what you’re learning… maybe we can all learn together and get a buzz not only from the joy of learning but from the truth itself.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

John A

How lucky are you?

There are approximately 6733 languages in the world today.  371 have the whole Bible, 960 have the New Testament.  902 have a scripture portion, 1500 in progress and 3000 with nothing – that’s about 250 million people with nothing.  So if you’ve got a Bible in your language, your pretty blessed… but the question is, do you appreciate that fact???

The picture below shows me reading the Bible in Sudan… where I was doing some teaching.  I taught approximately 100 pastors, only 10 of whom had Bibles… makes ya think!!

Is the Bible the greatest book you own?

The Bible is recognised by many as the Holy Book of Christianity. Followers of Jesus believe that the Bible not only contains a record of the history of God’s dealings with people and His purposes for the world, but the very Word of God. Its contents have both inspired and divided humanity since it was put together, but it remains today the best selling book of all time, and for millions, still one of the most sought after… (over 6 billion copies sold so far).

The Bible describes itself as being ‘God-breathed’ or inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and we’re told that it’s useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.  Adam Clarke wrote that ‘every writing divinely inspired is profitable.’

But is the Bible profitable, even in the 21st Century?  In what way can the Bible help us to live dynamic and meaningful lives in a modern context?

Tell me what the Bible means to you.  Is it the greatest book you own?  In what ways has the contents of the Bible helped you to live and have you any tips to help us learn the lessons and principles of the Bible better?

I look forward to hearing from you.  Why don’t you check out the teaching series we’re running on this on www.newlife-cc.co.uk and go to podcasts… it’s under People of the Book.  Enjoy!

John Andrews