In the movie “The Castle” (1997) Darryl Kerrigan gets a letter from the local council telling him his house is about to be “compulsorily acquired”……he explains to the family that that means the house is about to be “acquired compulsorily”.

In a later scene Darryl’s lawyer Denis Denuto tells the court that it’s the “vibe” of the law that’s important, not necessarily the actual words.

How should we interpret the Bible?  Should we read the scriptures and consider the audience of the text, their culture and the times they were written in or do we assume that “the vibe” of what is written has a superior meaning.  Or should it be both? Does it depend on the literary style of the text?

2 Timothy 3:16 – “All scripture is God breathed……” (NIV)

If we take a historical – cultural approach to interpreting Bible verses we then observe the text and ask questions such as:

• who was this written to? an individual? a nation?
• where were they living? what was their culture like?
• what point in history were they living? what else was happening in the world?
• what rules and traditions did they live under?
• what style is this written in? historical? poetical? instructional? is it a dream?
• what were their values?
• what purpose was the writer writing?

In doing so we learn to be observant and and read the text carefully in it’s completeness.  We probe issues, things which don’t make sense at first can usually become incredibly complex.

Next, we should ask – “what are the differences between the Biblical audience and me/us?”.  Reflecting on this question will help us see the theological principle in the text.  Understanding and living these theological principles will reveal more of Christ to us and through us.

Our goal as believers in Christ is to find the meaning of Bible text not create it for ourselves.

The big problem I have with a strictly allegorical approach to interpreting scripture is the potential for meanings to be brought out of a text by someone in a “fast and loose manner” (described by Klein et al, 2004). If a Bible chapter is read out word for word, then the preacher goes on to talk for 30 minutes about “the vibe”, with no relevant connections to any of the basic theological principles of the passage, people miss out on the richness of God’s intent.

I’m sorry, but in that case “the vibe” just does’t cut it….

It can be hard to discuss Bible verse interpretations with someone who is saying ” I read this verse and God told me that…….”, but we need to be gentle and gracious and faithful to God’s word and help explain the meaning if their interpretation is clearly in error.

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37.4 (NLT) Someone I know once quoted that verse as if it was a promise from God that He would make something possible based on the fact that it was a personal desire of theirs – despite the sinful fulfillment of that desire being described in many other places in the Bible.

Again, sometimes the vibe isn’t right…..

We must be observant when reading scripture.  All those involved and understand that God inspired the actual writers of those words and the editors over the years who have translated and published etc etc, inspired them all by the power of the Holy Spirit – a power which we can still have difficulty fully comprehending.

Darryl’s mate, lawyer Mr Hammill summed it up at the end of the court session when he asked the judges to consider the original intent of the people who wrote the law and what they had in mind when writing it.  We should do the same.

We should read the Bible knowing it comes from God.  It contains words written to many people over hundreds of years, but with the knowledge and intention that you and I are reading it now, in our culture and in our time, and in our own situation -  and we can have our hearts and minds opened to His very voice, through the Holy Spirit and have the fullness of Jesus Christ revealed to us through those words.

Nepal (MNN) ― It began a few years ago when Mission Aviation Fellowship hoped to start a flight ministry in Nepal. But that may not be exactly what God had in mind, says MAF Pilot Tim Chase.

Tim Chase: Bible dedication, Nepal

Speaking from Nepal, Chase says, “We came here originally to start a flight program, and about a year and a half into the process things weren’t going very well…. So my wife and I had to think. We asked, ‘Why did the Lord send us here?’”

It became clear to Chase when he visited the Nepal Bible Society. Chase says, “They wanted to have some electronic Bibles, but they didn’t have the ability to do it. So when I came in the door and said, ‘Do you want to try to do something like this?’ they were really excited.”

Chase had worked for IBM for 10 years before joining MAF. He says it took about nine months to convert files and customize software, but the project is now complete. Two new products were just dedicated: “A ‘Go Bible’ so they can have two Nepali Bibles on cell phone technology, and also an e-Bible program that [allows them] to have the Nepali Bible along with a commentary and a dictionary, all in Nepali.”

About 350 people celebrated as Chase demonstrated two electronic versions of the Nepali Bible on November 30, 2010. After the service, the enthusiastic crowd purchased 100 copies of e-Bible on CD and another 70 on flash drives. The number has since climbed dramatically. Go-Bible is available via download from the NBS Web site .

NBS leaders then honored Tim & Karen Chase for their role in developing these tools and presented them with a framed letter of appreciation. The NBS General Secretary Elder Tej Bahadur Jirel said, “With the generous help of Mission Aviation Fellowship, we are able to provide a software product that will greatly help Nepali Christians in the study of the Scriptures. This site will be updated with current information as we learn more from our users’ experience with the program.”

Chase says having an electronic version of the Nepali Bible is strategic. “A lot of Nepali people are living outside of Nepal. Some of them are living in the Middle East where it might not be popular to carry around a hard-copy Bible.”

This allows people to read the Bible in a less threatening manner. He also says the electronic version of the Bible allows them to share the Gospel by sending Bible verses to people via SMS text or e-mail.

Chase says the e-Bible for PC will have a specific target: “Pastors and Bible school students who, up until this point, have been doing a lot of their studying in English, which isn’t their first language. Having this tool available will give them a lot of power that they haven’t had in the past.”

Chase is now praying that a Nepali support team will be developed to maintain these valuable tools.

While MAF is known for aviation, MAF also provides distance learning technologies to help train indigenous pastors who otherwise would not have access to biblical teaching or leadership training. Through partnerships with other organizations, MAF supplies digital biblical reference and study materials, helps establish learning centers, and provides cutting-edge learning solutions that support the growth of the church. You can learn more about MAF-Learning Technologies.

Sermon on the parable of the Prodigal Son:

The College of Christian Theology Bangladesh (CCTB) located in Savar Dhaka, is training men and women in theology and Christian ministry to serve their home communities.

CCTB Lecture Room

With 700 TEE (Theological Education by Extension) students, the aim is to develop and equip national leaders for the Christian church in Bangladesh.  Students who complete the Diploma of Christian Ministry and Diploma of Theology can then progress to a Bachelor of Theology and Master of Arts in Christian Studies.  Both B.Th and MA are residential courses.  CCTB also offers discipleship courses which can be used to teach and equip new Christians.

CCTB Library

“The greatest need that the church in Bangladesh has right now is for national leaders, for pastors who will lead their people.” says Nikhil Halder from the Mohakhali Baptist Church.  He said that one difficulty for the church in Bangladesh was that people were not aspiring to lead the church – “maybe out of 100 people we will have 1 person who is feeling called to lead – but the church cannot afford to pay them enough and that person needs to feed their family, so what do they do?”.

We need to pray that the Lord will call leaders to lead the church in Bangladesh and that training and discipleship courses will continue to be available to ensure they have solid Biblical foundations and can teach others.

While the courses available from CCTB are not expensive in western terms they are still out of reach for many in the church.  Some scholarships are available but students are still required to fund a portion of their courses even when the church who sends them is contributing towards fees and costs.

CDC, Gazipur, Dhaka

Christian Discipleship Centre in Gazipur is also training church leaders and runs a residential 1 year discipleship course which CCTB accepts as entry to their Diploma courses.

A common need shared by these training organisations is for resources in the Bangla language.  Different groups are translating what they need and while some are willing to share there doesnt appear to be a platform established for the sharing of resources and information.

Hosea 4.6 – “My people are perishing for lack of knowledge”

Jesus

• John 15.16 – You did not choose me, I chose you”

Paul

• Romans 8.28 – “and we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
• Titus 1.1 - Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness

The Gospel Coalition

• Chronology of articles on “Love Wins” teaching
• http://carm.org/1-tim-24-2-pet-39-and-universalism
  

Interview with Rob Bell  - actually admits to not believing in Hell – here

John Macarthur

• answers “What is the doctrine of election?”
• answers a young girls question – “Why didn’t God choose everybody to be saved?”
• interview with Don Mayhue, Phil Johnson – “Election and Predestination“
• answers “What does the Bible teach about election?”
• video – 2010 Shepherds Conference Q&A

JI Packer

• Election: God chooses His Own

RC Sproul

• video – “Does God really want all people to be saved?”

Tim Keller

• sermon – What is the doctrine of election?

Mark Driscoll

• article – “Predestination: Duck, Duck, Damned?”
• video – “Election and Grace”
• video – Predestination?

Scott Thomas

• Acts29 Network: “Theological Clarity and Application” – list of “things to know”

Wikipedia

• Predestination
• Doctrine of election
• Universalism
• Calvinism
• Arminianism