The Bible Trainer.com

Would you buy one?

Are you interested in a eCourse on the Book of Revelation that is delivered via mp3’s, video, and ebooks?

How much would you pay for this?

What should the content be?

Here is what I am thinking in the way of content at the moment, but it is not final.  Your input is needed.  PELASE COMMENT on this post to leave feedback or email me directly, justindri@gmail.com

1. Overview about the book of Revelation

a. Who is John?

b. When was the book written?

c. How to properly study the book of Revelation.

2. Messages to the Seven Churches in Revelation

3. The Heavenly Door

4. The Heavenly Throne

5. The Twenty-Four Elders

6. The Four Beasts

7. The Seven-Sealed Book

8. How does the book of Daniel tie into the Book of Revelation?

9. The Seven Seals from Revelation

10. The 144,000 Witnesses

11. The Seven Trumpets

12. In Between the Sixth and Seventh Seal

13. The Two Witnesses

14. The Middle of the Week

15. The Sun Clothed Women

16. The Dragon

17. The Man-Child

18. The Archangel

19. The Jewish Remnant

20. Vision of the Four Beasts

21. Vision of the Ram and the He-Goat

22. Vision of the Kings of the North and the South

23. The Beast out of the Earth

24. The Seven Vials

25. The Seven Dooms

26. The Seven New Things

Is this something you would be interested in?

What format would you prefer to learn about the book of Revelation in?

What would it be worth to you?

Thanks and please do comment or send me an email directly, justindri@gmail.com

One way I use to memorize Scriptures in the Bible is by writing them down in a small spiral note book.

Once you have your notebook begin to go through the Bible and find Scriptures that you would like to memorize.  Sometimes I would hear a preacher preach on a specific set of Scriptures that caused me to write a verse or two from that sermon in my notebook so that I could later memorize it.  See here.

Once you have some Scriptures in your notebook, I recommend starting with five.  Begin to read them throughout the day or at least every morning.  I have begun reading them out loud to my son as we eat breakfast in the morning before we go to day care.  After you feel good about those five, add five more, and so on.

You will find the more you read them the more they creep into your memory without you even knowing it.  In fact, I find when I am preachign the Scriptures within my notebook roll off my tongue quickly and easily.  They become apart of your everyday speech as well.

This method might not work for everyone but for someone like me who has never been great a memorizing anything it has worked well.   

In Christian circles this question comes up quite frequently. 

What is God’s will for my life? 

Haven’t you asked yourself that very same question many times over?  This question isn’t just for young people but Christian’s of all ages.

Why Do We Ask This?

One reason is because we want to be obedient to the Lord in our life right?  We also have been told from a young age, and it is true, that God has a plan for our lives, right?  If there is a plan for our lives we want to be sure we are following that plan.  Since the Lord doesn’t birth us with a road map about our life we need to be thinking about this plan in order to ensure we are going in the right direction.

No More Agenda

One great evangelists said that the first thing we need to do when considering God’s will for our lives is to clear our heads of our own agenda.  If we enter into a time of prayer with our mind already made up what good was the prayer? Why even pray?  There is no sense in praying for guidance when you don’t really want an answer.  In order to find God’s will for your life you must clear your head of your own agenda and pray that God would show you His plan for your life and the surrender your plan to Him.    Jesus said you must lose your life in order to find it.  That Scripture is easy to read but hard to follow.

One way to know what God’s will is for you life is to know what is NOT God’s will for your life.  If the decision you are about to make falls into one of these two categories you can be sure that it is not God’s will for your life.

1.    Anything that does not align with Scripture is not God’s will for your life. 

Consider King David looking down from his palace and lusting over Bathsheba.  David was a married man but yet wanted what was not rightfully his.  The act that he was pondering did not line up with Scripture nor did the murder he later committed in order to try and cover up what he did.  Our own experiences should tell us that there was a moment where David was thinking about what he was about to do and should have realized that it does not line up with God’s plan for his life because it was contrary to Scripture. 

2.    If your decision does not bring glory to God it is not God’s will you life

Secondly, not only was it contrary to Scripture but it did not bring the Lord glory.  This man, David, was God’s anointed.  He was God’s chosen vessel on earth to represent the Lord as the ruler over the Lord’s people Israel.  His decision to commit adultery and then eventually murder the women’s husband not only goes against Scripture but it also defames the name of the Lord. If your decision defames the name of the Lord as it did in David’s case, it is not the Lord’s will for your life. 

God’s will for your life will always be in line with Scripture and it will never defame the name of the Lord.  God will get the glory in your life if you are walking in his will.

In closing, consider this Scripture.

John 6:28-29

28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

The first step in our journey to be in God’s will for our lives is to believe in the one whom the Lord sent.  If we believe in the one whom He sent our focus is no longer on ourselves but on Christ.  When our focus is on Christ no matter what happens in our life our faith is built up because it is founded upon the rock Christ Jesus.  We may not always have a clear plan and direction from the Lord when we pray, but if we are focused on Him we will have the faith to step out and know that God is interested in the details of our lives and is guiding us along even when we don’t know it.

Finally, if we are focused on the one the Lord sent, Jesus Christ, we will be more satisfied in Him and He will receive more glory from the acts we partake in on a daily basis.  If our lives are focused on bringing him more glory and being more satisfied in Him we will no doubt be in the will of God.  You can count on it!

The following notes on Philippians 1:1-11 is from Adrian Warnock’s sermon this past Sunday June 1st.  You can listen to the sermon by clicking here.

I. HOW TO LIVE FOR THE FUTURE—Philippians 1:1-11

• Know Who You Are (verses 1-2)
  • A slave of the RISEN Jesus (NOT man) and saints—i.e. set apart and being cleansed.
  • Conduits of grace and peace.
• Know Where You Are Going (verse 6) BE SURE!
• Know Who You Are Going With — Long-term, heart-felt partnership (verses 5, 7,
• Know What You Are Meant To Do On The Way
  1. Verse 5—“In the gospel,” i.e. live in the good of it and live for its progress, don’t just keep the chair warm! What do we do in its good …
  2. Verse 3—Thankfulness that comes from remembrance.
  3. Verse 4—Prayer that is joyful and full of anticipation.
  4. Verse 9—Abounding, growing love.
  5. Verse 9—Desire to study. We will spend eternity with . . .
  6. Verse 9-10—Resultant wisdom/discernment, i.e. the ability to lovingly apply to life the things we learn.
  7. ALL of this results in verses 10-11—Purity that honors God.

II. RESULTS OF LIVING FOR THE FINAL DAY (Philippians 1:12-17)

• Verse 12-14—Confidence that comes from knowing even tough times are for our good, e.g. prison making confident!
• Verse 14—Boldness to declare this wonderful news!
• Verse 15-17—Preoccupation with the advance of the gospel above all partisanship, etc.
• Verse 17-20—Rejoicing, eager expectation, hope, “full of courage”, honor to Christ.
• Verse 21-30—Glorious indifference to our own life and its sufferings. “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22) Let’s study to be prepared to die well.

CONCLUSION
Live a worthy life and fight for the gospel—“It’s all about Jesus!”

BACKGROUND QUOTES

“Hence we have a service which is not a matter of choice for the one who renders it, which he has to perform whether he likes or not, because he is subject as a slave to an alien will, to the will of his owner . . .

[The slave is one] who not only has no possibility of evading the tasks laid upon him, but who also has no right of personal choice, who must rather do what another will have done, and refrain from doing what another will not have done.”

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Vols. 5-9, edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin, Ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey William Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Electronic Ed., 2:261 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964-c1976).

“He is not merely putting up with his circumstances, he is going beyond that, he is exulting in his suffering. He is triumphant, he is jubilant. There is a marvellous element in this, he tells them, if they can but see it. This is characteristic New Testament teaching . . . Do not waste your tears on me or on my condition, says the Apostle.”

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in Ephesians—The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, Chapter 3, p. 17 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1972).

“Death was nothing to these apostles. They had already passed from death to life. Having passed from judgment to life in Him, they were not afraid of death. They knew where they were going—they were going “to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).”

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Courageous Christianity, 1st U.S. ed., 173 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001).

Here a list of three Bible Training sites from across the web:

Covenant Seminary - they have made some of their seminary course avaliable for free online!

ChristianCourses.com - a great resource from RBC ministries.  Free to register and attend courses at your own pace.

Dimensions of the Faith Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Before Alexander the Great, the Greek language was an assortment of localized dialects. Alexander wanted a Greek language common to all peoples. It was called ‘koine’ or common. By the time the New Testament was written (mid to late 1st century A.D.) koine Greek had become the common language in Israel.

Koine Greek become more popular in Rome than Latin. One reason was Rome acceptance of all cult religions as long as the Emperor was worshipped as well. One of the titles of the Emperor was the koine word, “kurios,” ( ku/riov ) which means “Lord.” It was a divine title of the emperor! It was the main word used by the LXX (Septuagint) translators of the Old Testament when they translated the Hebrew word, YHVH.

Source:http://www.searchgodsword.org/lex/grk/

Exodus 12:14-17

vs.14–And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall deep 
it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a 
feast by an ordinance for ever.

vs.15–Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye 
shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened 
bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut 
off from Israel.

vs.16–And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in 
the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of 
work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that 
only may be done of you.

vs.17–And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this 
selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: 
therefore shall ye observe this day in yur generation by an ordinance 
for ever.

Summary

The feast of Unleavened Bread starts the day after Passover and lasts seven days. Passover takes place on the 14^th of Nissan according to the Jewish calendar, which is a Thursday according to modern calendars.  Friday is the 15^th of Nissan, the first day of Unleavened Bread.  The next day is Saturday, the Sabbath.  Sunday is the Feast of First Fruits.  Fifty days later is Pentecost.

At the beginning of the feast a convocation or meeting is held to start the feast and then one is held at the end to conclude the feast.  The feast is a representation of how the Israelites needed to leave Israel in such a hurry that they did not have time to take any leaven with them for their bread. So for seven days during this feast Jews do not eat bread with leaven.  Leaven is yeast to make the bread rise.

A common tradition among Jews is to sprinkle leaven crumbs (yeast) around the house that they will then sweep up in a pile and burn outside.  The burning of the leaven crumbs is a wonderful representation of what Christ does to sin.  By His power and the help of the Holy Spirit we can eradicate sin from our lives.  The burning of the leaven symbolized this for the Jews. 

See what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 (NKJV)

7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.^[8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

The feast represents not only purging sin from our lives and our homes but also complete separation from our old selves and our sinful nature.  Israel remembered their complete separation from Egypt during this time.  The Israelites needed to be continually reminded about what they left behind in Egypt.  They needed to be reminded about their false religion, bondage, food, and of course slavery to their masters.  Egypt seemed to offer a great deal of promise but the promise land offered much more, FREEDOM!  This week long feast was designed to continually remind them of this fact.

Related Scriptures

Exodus 23:15

Deuteronomy 16:16

Leviticus 23:1-4

I have been studying the book of Acts for the past couple of months. Today I was looking for some maps related to Acts 17. Paul is now in Greece, specifically, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. He has some trouble with the non-believing Jews from Thessalonica but the Bereans and the Athenians take kindly too him. For a visual of where these cities are located see the map below.

What is the Feast of First fruits?

Summary

The feast of first fruits or the “beginning of the harvest” was celebrated on Nisan 16 according to the Jewish calendar.  This was the first day after the Sabbath during the feast of Unleavened Bread.

The priest would wave a sheaf of green barley to symbolize the Jews dedication of the coming barley harvest   to the Lord.

This feast had a great agricultural significance to the Jews after they entered the Promise Land but its spiritual significance goes far beyond grain and barley.  This feast is the feast that represents the Resurrection of the Lamb of God Jesus Christ.

See the timeline around Christ’s death on the Cross and his Resurrection three days later:

Timeline of Christ’s Resurrection

Nisan 14 – Thursday evening – Passover Lamb killed / Christ is Crucified, Dead, and Buried

Nisan 15 – Friday – High Sabbath begins – first day of Unleavened Bread – Stone of the tomb sealed

Nisan 16 – Saturday Day - Waving of the Omar (first fruits)

Nisan 17 – Saturday Evening – Christ Rises from the Dead!

The Jewish timetable has the next day starting at sun down not at midnight!  Therefore Christ’s Resurrection takes place specifically on the evening of the waving of the barley loafs to celebrate the real reason for th Feast of First Fruits. 

Other Important Events that Took place on Feast of First Fruits

a) Noah’s Ark landed on Mt. Ararat (Genesis 8:4).

b) The Jews crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 3:18).

c) Israel ate the first fruits in the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10 12).

d) Haman’s plot to kill all the Jews was foiled (Esther).

e) Jesus Christ rose from the dead (John 12:24).

Paul Ties it All Together

Paul also ties the Feast of First Fruits together by linking Christ’s Resurrection to it in 1 Corinithains 15:20-23

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.

The Bible is written with such order and such symbolism that all points to Christ.  He cares for us so much that He has been revealing himself to the world since it’s inception!  Take note of Him now!  Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.  He can relieve the guilt and pain of sin in your life today.  You must ask Him first and then watch Him work a miracle in your life!

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4

This verse and event in Acts is a fulfillment of the event Jesus spoke about in the Gospels, see March 16:17 as one example.  It is clear that God used the filling of the 120 disciples and the thousands who heard the Gospel preached for the first time that day as His way to supercharge the growth of the church.  These same disciples who were filled that day were the very same disciples who hid like a dog who just dragged toilet paper all over the house and was caught in the act by it’s owner, just fifty days prior.  By themselves they could not stand up and preach the Good News, but once they were filled with the Holy Spirit they were ready to proclaim the Gospel to all who were near and those who were far off.  This change is even more evident in the way the disciples died.  Almost all of them were martyred for proclaiming the name of Jesus to those who did not want to hear it.

My conclusion is that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary to be a forceful witness for Christ in our modern age, just as it was in the first century after Christ.  The Lord used this event as a sign to the unbelievers in Jerusalem then and He continues to use this supernatural occurrence as a sign to unbelievers today.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit does not save you and is not required for salvation but it is absolutely necessary when it comes to witnessing and living a victorious Christian life!

The applications of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the same today as it was on that first Pentecost.  The infilling of the Holy Spirit gives a believer power to proclaim Christ, witness to unbelievers, and a faith that can move mountains.