The scripture

Faulty foundation

When buying a house you ask questions about the neighborhood, the school system taxes, the roof, the heat and air conditioning system. Some people will even ask questions about the refrigerator of the stove. The foundation however is far from the top of the list. If the foundation is the top question it is coming from a person who has experienced foundation problems. Everything is built on the foundation. Just the same the scriptures are the foundation where we find out who God is, what he has done, what he is doing and so much more.

The Bible  | We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

A. W. Tozer once said, "The Bible is not merely a human book inspired by God; it is a divine book that has been given to us by God."

Inerrancy means that the Scriptures do not affirm any errors. The Bible does not endorse anything untrue. When it tells history, it tells us what actually happened. It may report on what a person said when he told a lie to someone else, but it does not endorse the lie. It is merely giving an accurate report of what the liar said. Where it speaks to science, it does not contradict God's revelation in the natural world. In sum, the Bible is entirely truthful and has no errors at all in the original manuscripts that the prophets and Apostles actually wrote. We do not today possess these manuscripts, but through the process of textual criticism, we can recover the original wording of the manuscripts with a high degree of certainty.

Infallibility means that Scripture never fails in its purpose. The Bible makes good on all its claims, including its truth claims. God’s Word never leads astray. It is important to recall that language may be used for many different purposes, and not to state facts

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:20–21 No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Deuteronomy 32:45–47 And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Matthew 4:4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

THe Word is forever

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

1 Peter 1:24–25 All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

The Perfection of scripture

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?

The reason climbing that summit is so difficult is because the mountain is so inhospitable. The reason it takes so much planning, technology, and teamwork is because the environment up there is so hostile. The temperatures can dip to -76 degrees, and often combine with hurricane force winds. At those temperatures, any part of the body will become frostbitten almost instantly. Even more severe is the lack of oxygen at those heights. The altitude is the same as international flights fly at, and there is 1/3 less oxygen up there than down here. Because the oxygen loss is gradual as people climb, they gradually begin to lose the ability to think clearly and often make huge mistakes.

Sherpas' climbing ability is the result of a genetic adaptation to living in high altitudes. Some of these adaptations include unique hemoglobin-binding capacity and doubled nitric oxide production.[17]

A sherpa is someone who has gone the path before you, knows the way to the finish line, and will walk alongside you through your journey. Much like those traveling the difficult journey up Mt. Everest

Inhospitable: We do not drift towards righiousness, we do not slide into Christlikeness.

If done properly: the Church shoud be cultivated envirement for producing stong gospel evangelist

Together, So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

“I ask you, who is the prophet saying this about—himself or someone else?

 Philip proceeded to tell him the good news about Jesus, beginning with that Scripture.

He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb is silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who will describe his generation? For his life is taken from the earth.

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Study

Luke consistently tells us that reading and understanding Scripture are not the same thing, especially for those who do not have the Christocentric hermeneutical key held in the gospel (Luke 24:25–27, 44–48; cf. Acts 13:27; Luke 6:3; 10:26).

Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Luke24:44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath 6 On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan 25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Correct, enlightened understanding of the Scriptures is a divine gift that comes only to those who, like the eunuch, admit they don’t understand (cf. 17:19, 20; Luke 8:9).

Historically, Ethiopia is the second country to have officially proclaimed Christianity as its state religion, having done so in A.D. 333.

Church tradition says that the Ethiopian eunuch evangelized by Philip in Acts 8 spread the gospel as he returned to Africa.

Church fathers as early as Irenaeus in A.D. 180 mention the eunuch evangelizing his homeland.