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THE
WORD FIRST 1
Corinthians 15:3
"For what I received I
passed on to you as of first importance: that
Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures,"
1 Thessalonians 2:13
"And we also thank God
continually because, when you received the word
of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it
not as the word of men, but as it actually is,
the word of God, which is at work in you who
believe."
Romans 15:4
"For everything that
was written in the past was written to teach us,
so that through endurance and the encouragement
of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Hebrews 2:3
"how shall we escape
if we ignore such a great salvation? This
salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,
was confirmed to us by those who heard him."
1 John 4:19
"We love because he
first loved us"
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LET THE HOLY SPIRIT BE YOUR
TEACHER Luke
12:12
"
for the Holy
Spirit will teach you at that time what you
should say."
John 14:26
"But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind
you of everything I have said to you."
1 Corinthians 2:12
"We have not received
the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is
from God, that we may understand what God has
freely given us."
James 3:17
"But the wisdom that
comes from heaven is first of all pure; then
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of
mercy and good fruit, impartial and
sincere."
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READ ALOUD Deuteronomy 31:11-13
"
when all Israel
comes to appear before the LORD your God at the
place he will choose, you shall read this law
before them in their hearing. Assemble the
people--men, women and children, and the aliens
living in your towns--so they can listen and
learn to fear the LORD your God and follow
carefully all the words of this law. Their
children, who do not know this law, must hear it
and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as
you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan
to possess."
Nehemiah 8:1-8,18
"
all the people
assembled as one man in the square before the
Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring
out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD
had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of
the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law
before the assembly, which was made up of men and
women and all who were able to understand. He
read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced
the square before the Water Gate in the presence
of the men, women and others who could
understand. And all the people listened
attentively to the Book of the Law
Ezra praised the LORD, the
great God; and all the people lifted their hands
and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they
bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their
faces to the ground
The Levites
instructed the people in the Law while the people
were standing there. They read from the Book of
the Law of God, making it clear and giving the
meaning so that the people could understand what
was being read
Day after day, from the
first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of
the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for
seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance
with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Romans 10:17
"Consequently, faith
comes from hearing the message, and the message
is heard through the word of Christ."
Colossians 4:16
"After this letter has
been read to you, see that it is also read in the
church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn
read the letter from Laodicea."
1 Thessalonians 5:27
"I charge you before
the Lord to have this letter read to all the
brothers."
I Timothy 4:13
"Until I come, devote
yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to
preaching and to teaching."
See also: Josh. 8:33-35; 2
Kin. 23:2; Jeremiah 36:6; Acts 13:15.
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MEDITATE Psalms 1:2
"But his delight is in
the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates
day and night."
Psalms 19:14
"May the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing
in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my
Redeemer."
Psalms 143:5
"I remember the days
of long ago; I meditate on all your works and
consider what your hands have done."
Psalms 119:148
"My eyes stay open
through the watches of the night, that I may
meditate on your promises."
I Timothy 4:13-15
(KJV)
"Till I come, give
attendance to reading, to exhortation, to
doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in
thee
Meditate upon these things; give
thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may
appear to all."
II Timothy 2:7
"Reflect on what I am
saying, for the Lord will give you insight into
all this."
Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is
right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent
or praiseworthy--think about such things."
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FRESH
BREAD Romans
12:2
"Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is--his good, pleasing and perfect
will."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has
gone, the new has come!"
John 6:58
"This is the bread
that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate
manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread
will live forever."
Revelation 2:17
"He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some
of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white
stone with a new name written on it, known only
to him who receives it."
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TAKE
IT AS IT IS Acts
4:13
"When they saw the
courage of Peter and John and realized that they
were unschooled, ordinary men, they were
astonished and they took note that these men had
been with Jesus"
Ephesians 2:19
"Consequently, you are
no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow
citizens with God's people and members of God's
household,"
Acts 20:27
"For I have not
hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of
God."
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LEARN
CUSTOMS Luke
2: 27, 42
"Moved by the Spirit,
he went into the temple courts. When the parents
brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the
custom of the Law required."
"When he was twelve
years old, they went up to the Feast, according
to the custom."
John 18:39
"But it is your custom
for me to release to you one prisoner at the time
of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the
king of the Jews'?"
Acts 25:16
"I told them that it
is not the Roman custom to hand over any man
before he has faced his accusers and has had an
opportunity to defend himself against their
charges."
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CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT! 2 Timothy 2:15
"Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a
workman who does not need to be ashamed and who
correctly handles the word of truth."
1 Peter 1:10-11
"Concerning this
salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace
that was to come to you, searched intently and
with the greatest care, trying to find out the
time and circumstances to which the Spirit of
Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the
sufferings of Christ and the glories that would
follow."
Colossians 2:2
"My purpose is that
they may be encouraged in heart and united in
love, so that they may have the full riches of
complete understanding, in order that they may
know the mystery of God, namely, Christ,"
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AVOID "PROOF TEXTS" 2 Corinthians 4:2-4
"Rather, we have
renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use
deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On
the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly
we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in
the sight of God. And even if our gospel is
veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
The god of this age has blinded the minds of
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God. "
II Peter 1:20-20
Above all, you must
understand that no prophecy of Scripture came
about by the prophet's own interpretation. For
prophecy never had its origin in the will of man,
but men spoke from God as they were carried along
by the Holy Spirit.
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USE THE "2 or 3 RULE" Deuteronomy 19:15
"One witness is not
enough to convict a man accused of any crime or
offense he may have committed. A matter must be
established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses."
Matthew 18:16
But if he will not listen,
take one or two others along, so that `every
matter may be established by the testimony of two
or three witnesses.'
2 Corinthians 13:1
This will be my third visit
to you. "Every matter must be established by
the testimony of two or three witnesses."
1 Timothy 5:19
Do not entertain an
accusation against an elder unless it is brought
by two or three witnesses.
Hebrews 10:28
"Anyone who rejected
the law of Moses died without mercy on the
testimony of two or three witnesses."
See also: Deuteronomy
17:6
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NT
OVERRIDES OT Hebrews
1:1-2
In the past God spoke to
our forefathers through the prophets at many
times and in various ways, but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed
heir of all things, and through whom he made the
universe.
Hebrews 8:6-7,13
But the ministry Jesus has
received is as superior to theirs as the covenant
of which he is mediator is superior to the old
one, and it is founded on better promises. For if
there had been nothing wrong with that first
covenant, no place would have been sought for
another
By calling this covenant
"new," he has made the first one
obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will
soon disappear.
See also: Hebrews 9:8-15;
10:9; 12:22-24
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SEEK MERCY, NOT JUDGEMENT Romans 2:1
"You, therefore, have
no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else,
for at whatever point you judge the other, you
are condemning yourself, because you who pass
judgment do the same things."
Hebrews 4:12
"For the word of God
is living and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to
dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it
judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart."
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QUESTION, QUESTION, QUESTION Acts 17:11
"Now the Bereans were
of more noble character than the Thessalonians,
for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if what Paul said was true."
Revelation 22:18-19
"I warn everyone who
hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If
anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him
the plagues described in this book. And if anyone
takes words away from this book of prophecy, God
will take away from him his share in the tree of
life and in the holy city, which are described in
this book."
1 Timothy 6:3-5
"If anyone teaches
false doctrines and does not agree to the sound
instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly
teaching, he is conceited and understands
nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in
controversies and quarrels about words that
result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil
suspicions and constant friction between men of
corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth
and who think that godliness is a means to
financial gain."
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DOUBTFUL
DISPUTATIONS Isaiah
59:4
"No one calls for
justice; no one pleads his case with integrity.
They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they
conceive trouble and give birth to evil."
Romans 14:1
"Accept him whose
faith is weak, without passing judgment on
disputable matters."
Galatians 5:19-21
"The acts of the
sinful nature are obvious:
discord,
jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions and envy;
, and the
like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who
live like this will not inherit the kingdom of
God."
2 Timothy 2:23
"Don't have anything
to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because
you know they produce quarrels."
Titus 3:9
"But avoid foolish
controversies and genealogies and arguments and
quarrels about the law, because these are
unprofitable and useless."
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BUILD
UP, NOT TEAR DOWN Romans 14:19 (English-NASB)
"So then let us pursue
the things which make for peace and the building
up of one another."
1 Corinthians 10:23
(English-RSV)
"All things are
lawful," but not all things are helpful.
"All things are lawful," but not all
things build up.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
"Therefore encourage
one another and build each other up, just as in
fact you are doing."
Romans 15:2
(English-NIV)
"Each of us should
please his neighbor for his good, to build him
up."
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SEEK TO DRAW CLOSER TO JESUS John 5:39-40
"You diligently study
the Scriptures because you think that by them you
possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures
that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to
me to have life"
Luke 24:27
"And beginning with
Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them
what was said in all the Scriptures concerning
himself."
Acts 8:35
"Then Philip began
with that very passage of Scripture and told him
the good news about Jesus."
2 Timothy 3:15
"
the holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
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MEMORIZE Psalms 119:11
"I have hidden your
word in my heart that I might not sin against
you."
2 Peter 3:1-2
"Dear friends, this is
now my second letter to you. I have written both
of them as reminders to stimulate you to
wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the
words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and
the command given by our Lord and Savior through
your apostles."
II Timothy 2: 8-9
"Remember Jesus
Christ, raised from the dead, descended from
David. This is my gospel, for which I am
suffering even to the point of being chained like
a criminal. But God's word is not chained."
Jude 1:17
(English-NIV)
"But, dear friends,
remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ foretold."
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PUT
IT INTO PRACTICE II Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
James 1:21-23
"Therefore, get rid of
all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent
and humbly accept the word planted in you, which
can save you. Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
Luke 11:28
He replied, "Blessed
rather are those who hear the word of God and
obey it."
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All scripture NIV unless otherwise
noted, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. All rights reserved. |
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