TNG How the Bible Can Change Your Life

Best-selling author, speaker and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarland, best-selling author and apologist Dylan Burroughs together bringing you truths for a new generation.

This is TMG radio in Colossians chapter 4 verses five and six. The word of God's is walk in wisdom that you may know how you ought to answer each person, each and every man giving an answer to all people, welcome to TMG radio Alex McFarland here with Dylan Burroughs and in the next couple of shows were going to talk about Tom. Overall you know some of the things that differentiate between one person whose spiritual life is thriving, and maybe another person who, while they may be born again Christian spiritual life is kind of anemic and in this show today were specifically going to talk about the role of the Bible in the life of the Christian and I would say Dylan that if if you talk about what makes the difference between somebody who spiritual life is is consistent is growing there there able to reflect Jesus Christ.

They're able to rein in temptation Zenda the carnal flesh that wars against the spirit. I mean if there a thriving, fruitful, joyful, Christian and the difference between one who is someone who is not at least one of the very tangible difference makers.

Let's call it the X factor. The secret sauce that's a great Christian life versus one that struggles at least one of those deal breakers is where the Bible is in their heart and life the priority to which they give the word of God. Dylan, would you agree. Oh, certainly see that throughout Scripture. For example, Psalm one talks about the person who delights in the law of God day and night you look at the example of Jesus that when he was tempted in the wilderness after 40 days of fasting, 3 Temptations Came His Way.

Three times he responded with Scripture. So when we are filled with Scripture when we are equipped with the truth of God.

We can respond to temptation and we can delight in the Lord and grow in him in a way that other people simply cannot exactly and let's talk about the role of the Bible and understanding the Bible because on Dylan. I was in upstate New York over the past weekend and what a joy it was to be up there and have a number of seminars we did at a church.

But Smitty came up and this is your how can I understand the Bible if there's anything I need to know.

It's how to understand the Bible in second Timothy two verse 15 very woman versus just be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth through interesting that we are commanded to handle God's word accurately and to know God's word and unfortunately the spirit of God comes alongside to be our tutor. You know, if you read Ephesians 411 and 12 and in first Corinthians, it says that God gives pastors and teachers, but also is does the spirit of God indwells the believer, in his first John 227 says, will teach you all things, yet this idea that the Bible is quote too hard to understand goes back a Long Way, Dylan. It was my privilege to talk with Will Graham.

One night at the coven will Graham was talking about when his grandfather, the late Billy Graham met with Winston Churchill and I at one point it was my privilege to talk with Russ Busby, Russ Busby was the photographer for the Billy Graham ministry for many years and he was there when Billy Graham spent an afternoon with Winston Churchill and they talked about a lot of things prayed together and down, you know, Churchill shortly before he died in 1965.

They were talking about.

Even then, that people can understand the Bible. The Bible is too tough to read and no Churchill said of the young generation quote must everything be predigested does the Bible have to be reduced to pablum.

That's a sugar pill a fake medicine and another was reducing something to pablum was a euphemism for oversimplification, and here's what Churchill said and this was in the 60s, I refuse to believe that modern man who split the Adam and is exploring space is unable to cope with the grandeur and glory of the King James version."

Now, Churchill was old school tough guy save the world from Hitler, obviously. And that's a woman story, but he in his final months of his life was saying that the young people of Great Britain needed to rediscover the Bible and they could understand and I bring that up because the Bible one of the great Reformation doctrines, we celebrated the Reformation Lester the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and I want to throw out a big word here, and Dylan all offer a back to you but the word is the perspicuity of Scripture that the reformers like Luther and like Churchill who just quoted. They believe that the Bible was perspicuity's 90s that what in the world setting. It means understandable that the message of the Bible is understandable and accessible for all people and we need to believe that as we come to the word of God that everybody can read and internalize God's word.

Now there's some passages that are challenging but the spirit of God, who gave these words the spirit of God that drew you toward Jesus the spirit of God that regenerates the believer. So when we call on Christ to be born again. That very same Holy Spirit can open your understanding to the word God wants you to know his word and Dylan is not encouraging that when we come to the Bible, the author of the book will come alongside us to help us grasp the meaning of those words and we need to believe that and come to the Bible and read it, knowing that God our teacher wants us to learn it right. And it's interesting because there is a difference between reading a book and sitting down and reading a book with the author's presence with you at that moment.

And if you've ever had the privilege of being with an author who has written a book and listen to them tell the story of how it was made or what they meant or what they were going through the time.

It's a special opportunity to hear from the writer of a story and we come to Scripture. It's interesting that we do have access to the author through the spirit of God he can give us wisdom and insight into understanding and I like that passage in second Timothy 215 you shared Alex that said that we are to be a worker who does not need to be ashamed. Now Scripture can be understood, but it's not necessarily simple, we have to put some effort into it, we have to ask difficult questions sometimes do some research to little historical study to determine what God would have us to know of his word and how we would apply today and so in a few moments really come back from our break to talk about certain questions to consider of a text of Scripture that will help us to better understand what it meant in its original setting before we take the time to understand what it means today so when we come back we'll talk more about these questions to consider the text and stick with us here at truth for new generation would be right back. If you're a Christian parent.

You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum.

The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids Jesus everything the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series.

You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net. For centuries the Bible has inspired humanity and shape the very world we live in. But how do we know this book is the word of God, not merely the words of man, what we believe about the Bible is based on what we believe about source. The God who speaks explores the evidence of the Bible's inspiration and authority to some of the world's most respected biblical scholars have essentially a geolocation, so it's true to say that Paul wrote Romans is equally true to say that God's decision. We saw this and that sets the Bible apart from most everything else in the ancient world and its religious pantheon of gods and goddesses. The God who speaks is a feature-length documentary from the American family Association available now with the God who speaks.all the main days. A day and I met TG radio talking about the Bible that X factor in the life of a thriving Christian and before we continue to talk about what questions we ask of the text and accurately understanding dimension that were so excited about a brand-new book that just came out. Dylan and I worked on it. Dr. Tony Beam of North Greenville University worked on it with this, but it's called life answers and it's really Dylan something I'm excited about because if there's one thing for years people have asked us is do you have an apologetics curriculum like a small group study or Sunday school curriculum weave by God's grace written a lot of apologetics books defending the faith, but the life answers book is written and it's perfect for Sunday school class. It's written at about 1/7 to 8th grade level.

So while adults can read it, young people can get it to, but in the life answers book is what we go over we go over things like God. How do we know God exist. We give the Trinity how do I understand as best as a human can the Trinity. How do I defend that God is father-son Holy Spirit.

What about truth does truth exist. What about the some of the hard subjects like why is there pain-and-suffering in the world.

What about hell if God is love. Do people really go to hell that reject Christ and Jesus the resurrection. It is a wonderful intro to apologetics. It would be good for a Christian who wants to know how to defend their faith or maybe to have a small group and bring the skeptic bring a person with doubts and issues. The book is called life answers making sense of your world.

It is a wonderful Sunday school curriculum.

Perfect for all ages. We want to send you this book for your gift of at least $25 to help the multifaceted ministries of TNG trees for new generation. You can God get this online at the website truth for a new generation.com or you can write to us PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404.

It will help you and you may be for your church.

Churches are using this in large groups small groups the life answers curriculum and apologetics. We know you will not be disappointed Dylan back to talk about the Bible.

Have you ever read in an introduction to a book or in some Bible still be an introduction about the Bible and it says you know it is the mind of God the Word of God. You know it is with us in this life. It will be open in the judgment and it warns any who would trifle with its holy precepts, but I love this line. This tribute to the word of God. It often says this. If you've ever seen one of these suits in a Gideon Bible but it says God for its author truth for its content without any mixture of error.

I love that because that's the truth about God's word is an amen. And as we come to these questions to consider of a text we want to give you examples giving idea of what to look for when you're studying the Bible reading Scripture for yourselves. The first one is obviously when you're looking at a passage who wrote it. I we don't always know the author a particular book of the Bible, but generally we do. Matthew wrote Matthew, Luke wrote Luke and so forth, is only look at a passage. For example, in Matthew, we say who wrote this book. Matthew was a disciple of Jesus Christ, a former tax collector who converted to Christianity and yet when we look at his words that he wrote it has a very Jewish flavor because of his Jewish background as a very educated flavor because he was probably one of the more educated of the disciples and it was written from the perspective of an eyewitness of the accounts of Jesus so gives a special insight that is different from leak this different from Mark. That's important in understanding the text, but there several others as well. We want to consider today and Alex let us hear some of these other questions we should consider looking at a text of the Bible to know it for our own lives today and these are fall under the heading of what we would call hermeneutics and don't like that in a big word scare you but hermeneutics is really the science and the discipline of accurately handling the word of God and in getting the word of God, of the message out of the text we don't want to project a message in we don't want to impose our assumptions on the text we want to draw out the message and I'm sure you've heard people talk about exegesis through the prefix X means out off like exit and exit out of something what we want to be exegetical Christians and one of the questions is when was it written. For instance, it's important understand the historical context of the Exodus or the book of Joshua as Israel was leaving Egypt to be led into their land because the historical dynamics of that are going to be different from the historical dynamics of Solomon when he was king of Israel in the kingdom is definitely going to be different than say the book of acts, which is the history book of the early church. So try to grasp and fortunately there are a lot of resources will help you when was it written where was it written you know Philippians, which is so full of joy. We we know that that's a book about thankfulness and joy and we discoverable it was written from a prison cell. And that's powerful in and of itself, and just the knowledge of where Paul was when he wrote some of his epistles.

That's quite significant, but to whom was it Rick who is the intended recipient Dylan them with a statement out that I learned in grad school and I want your response because we were considering you know to whom a book or passage was written. Who was the intended recipient, here's the statement that I used to hear people like Gary have a mass in Elmer towns would say all of the Bible is equally inspired, but not all of the Bible is equally applicable. Give your response to that statement will certainly every word in the Bible is inspired by God us were told in many places throughout Scripture, but in terms of application they are different ways to go about it. For example, you might look at the genealogies in the Old Testament and read a few pages and get a general application about the importance of family and the importance of legacy, but in the New Testament he could read one verse or one phrase and have more application in some context than from several chapters in the Old Testament. So from the standpoint of application. Certainly some places in Scripture more powerful than others. Yet it's all equally inspired.

Equally important for us to read from cover to cover. Still today it exactly exactly and it tells us about God. It tells us about his work in the world. It's been said that all of God's work could be lumped under one of two categories, God's great work of creation God's great work of redemption Y for a break. Stay tuned, because our look at the Bible and how we can internalize it in our lives on this edition of TNG radio will continue to know Alex is been writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great. Today is a basic introduction for the Christian faith.

It's called stand for truth. You must know for unshakable faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are one inspiration of the Bible to the virgin birth. Three. The deity of Christ for atonement.

Five. Christ's resurrection and six.

Christ's return, Alex mixes it up with humorous toys fleeing from decades of working with youth and encourages things to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward stand for truth.

You must know for unshakable faith available wherever Christian books are so first Peter 315 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have were instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarlane for the life he answers teams students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina.

The life answers.

Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams. We train speaking churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times. From a biblical perspective like is there a God is the Bible true. What about gender and moral issues. Call me at 864977 2008 and we will arrange for the life answers team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2000 eight and always be ready to lower back this syllable is announcing parliamentary for new generation radio and we been talking about the Bible and its importance in our lives today and as we consider some of these questions to ask of the text of the Bible we spoke about for them already.

Just briefly, let's have a couple more we talk about what was the siding like for the writer in the recipients of this particular part of Scripture. In other words, what was the cultural like a quick example is found in John chapter 4 the woman at the well and that time Americans and Jews did not associate with each other.

There was a lot of discrimination between the two. So when Jesus asked the woman at the well for water to drink.

That's a significant turn of events that starts a conversation that changes the entire village where they are located. Modern readers completely miss this. If you do not know anything about the culture of the time. A six.

One is what insights can be gained for the writer and the recipient. In other words what it mean for the people of that time and the seventh is what is my responsibility in light of what the text says with a couple more, we want to mention before you get into some fine applications. Alex tells a little bit about the eighth one here with this idea of how does this text of the Bible correlate with other teachings that we find throughout Scripture. Why is this important will is. It's important because God is consistent with the message of the Bible, written by 40 authors over 1500 year. But it's it's really the Savior, and how you can know him. The kingdom of God and how to get in that the Bible doesn't have any isolated rabbit trails that have a different message on me. There's a rich, almost endless tapestry of history and people and circumstances and vignettes. But know this, that the overall theme is the Savior, and how you can know it and that's up .9 what light does this text shed on the Bible's overarching redemptive theme. So many wonderful nuggets are in there and I think about how Rahab was a Gentile who she was a prostitute, but she did come to know the God of Israel, and even her life is mentioned in the genealogies of Jesus in redemptive history lost Gentile in a very in an unseemly profession finds Christ is saved and is mentioned in the story of of Jesus's genealogy and so I think it's important as we look at all. A passage has to say. Not only linguistically, not only historically, it does shed light on God's redemptive think that's what my friend Dr. Ken Hemphill talks about mining for gold and hate digging gold out of her mind takes work, often times discovering the truth of the passage for all that are in there takes some effort and some diligence, but Dylan, let's talk about the Bible and let's talk about our interaction with the Bible and and I want to give a testimony just say that shortly after I became a believer was in college at age 21 somehow God, in his gracious gave me an incredible love for the Bible and I would read the Bible and and I will say I wouldn't be who I am. Had I not early in my Christian life. Just in the providence of God become a diligent daily passionate reader of the Bible and I thank God for doing that in my heart because it really has made all the difference.

Tina, we are told to desire the Bible read the Bible obey the Bible presented to others. We mentioned second Timothy 215 were actually commanded to correctly understand the Bible. We don't just handle it haphazardly. We are to suffer for the Bible and many have for the translation and the the spread of the Bible. Many have suffered and even right now are, and if necessary were to give our lives for God's word and by the way, all of these points about what the believer is to do for the Bible are in my book stand courtrooms. You must never, in unshakable faith stand cordially for an unshakable faith, which a lot of people continue to use this as a basic intro to the faith. But like a babe being nursed on milk where to desire that milk of the word.

The word of God will make you the child of God, because it will introduce you to the son of God and all of this takes place under the power and leading of the Spirit of God, the Bible convert the soul James 20 says in James 18.

The Bible will give you guidance and we only that the Bible will produce within you joy the Bible can provide you with strength. The Bible can give you hope the Bible can cause you to grow in your character, your your soul spiritual growth and it really your personality and your people skills.

The Bible will will mature and grow you. The Bible will convict you of sin. The Bible will help you have a clean conscience and peace within your heart and the Bible give you comfort and so much more. Dylan, there are a lot of people that are smart, but I don't think you can be truly wise unless you know God's word and internalize that and begin to live that to take God at his word. Proverbs 17. I really do think that is the starting point of wisdom and without God's word and God himself. You can't truly be called wise. Yes in God as the source of truth is the creator of all things is the one that we turn to for wisdom and I think often of Psalm one 1911. This is, I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against God. It's one of those verses that if you grew up in church, he probably memorizes a child and yet as adults we often forget the importance of putting God's word in our heart on a daily basis so they can grow within us, so that it can come out of us during the difficult struggles we face in life and be an inspiration to us throughout our day.

We are so consumed with the things of this world.

The worries of this world that often we neglect the things that are of eternal significance that can change us and those around us Alex as he can complete our final moments today would give us a word of encouragement for those who may be of struggle to stay on track with Scripture want to get back on board and following God through his word. Start where you are and begin to read. We often encourage people that are in a new to Christianity or maybe just sort of the inner beginning to take seriously the call for spiritual growth.

The gospel of John is a great book very accessible 21 chapters you can read a chapter a day in three weeks to read the Gospel of John, which will give you the story of Jesus.

I would encourage you to begin to read the book of Proverbs that there 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. You can read it in a month very easily God's book of wisdom, but you know I think of the power of the word of God shape history Martin Luther when they were praising him for being that great reformer and he said look I did nothing. I simply taught and preached and wrote God's word. The word of God did it all. Dylan we need a reformation again and I still believe the book the blood, the blessed hope Scripture still has the power to change lives and even change the world as it is done in history before a manually proceeding with the sale truth for new generation radio talking about the word of God join us online@340generation.com with the with the next time. Thanks so much truth for a new generation in association with Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries exists to equip Christians with the biblical worldview through conferences and camps for information about upcoming events visit for a new generation.com or give us a call at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God in the number one TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland evangelistic ministries PO Box 10231 rural NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231 rural NC 27404.

Give online@alexmcfarland.com or truth for a new generation.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time. As we bring you more true for a new generation on TMG radio