Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Read Your Bible, Pray Every Day

... if you want to grow

Copyright © 2017 Dag Heward-Mills

First published 2017 by Parchment House

1st Printing 2017

Find out more about Dag Heward-Mills at:

Healing Jesus Campaign

Email:  evangelist@daghewardmills.org

Website:  www.daghewardmills.org

Facebook: Dag Heward-Mills

Twitter:  @EvangelistDag

ISBN :  978-1-68398-342-2

All rights reserved under international copyright law.  Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce  any part of this book.

Contents

CHAPTER 1: Read Your Bible: What is the Bible?

CHAPTER 2: Read Your Bible: The Origin of the Bible

CHAPTER 3: Read Your Bible: Twenty Reasons Why Some Writings Were Included or Excluded from the Bible

CHAPTER 4: Read Your Bible: Four Reasons Why the Bible Can Be Trusted

CHAPTER 5: Read Your Bible: How to Interpret the Bible

CHAPTER 6: Read Your Bible: The Ten Major Messages of the Bible

CHAPTER 7: Read Your Bible: Twenty-Nine Reasons Why the Bible Is Superior to Every Other Book

CHAPTER 8: What Great Men Said about the Bible

CHAPTER 9: Pray Every Day: Why People Do Not Pray Every Day

CHAPTER 10: Pray Every Day: The Key of Watching and Praying

CHAPTER 11: Pray Every Day: How to Watch and Pray

CHAPTER 12: Pray Every Day: The Qualities You Need

CHAPTER 13: Pray Every Day: In the Right Way

CHAPTER 14: Pray Every Day: Jesus Promised Great Things

REFERENCES

CHAPTER 1

Read Your Bible: What is the Bible?

The Bible is the written Word of God. You must develop Confidence in the Greatest Book of All Time – the Bible.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20, 21

1. The Bible is a prophetic revelation.  

The Bible reveals the nature of God to man.  It explains the origin of man.  It gives meaning to man’s existence on earth.  

It reveals the future destiny of all creation.  Above all, it reveals God’s merciful plan of redemption to us.

Knowing this first, that NO PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20, 21

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners SPAKE IN TIME PAST UNTO THE FATHERS BY THE PROPHETS, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Hebrews 1:1, 2

2. The Bible is the good news of salvation. 

The gospel is the good news of Christ’s saving power for us.  The Bible is the only book that shows how man can be saved. The Bible contains His message of eternal salvation for all who believe in Christ, and eternal damnation for all who rebel against the gospel.

For I am not ashamed of THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

3. The Bible is God’s warning to us.    

The Bible is not a discussion of ideas and theories.  It is an authoritative declaration of the facts.  The truths that are expounded are awesome and non-negotiable.  The aura surrounding the Bible is partly due to its authoritative and irrevocable truths.

Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.  For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;  HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE, IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Hebrews 2:1-4

4. The Bible is full of words of inspiration.

This is what differentiates the Bible from every other book.  The Bible claims to have inspiration and motivation from God.  In other words, it was virtually written by God through the hands of mortal men.

All SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2 Timothy 3:16

5. The Bible is a direct cutting message from God. 

Thousands of people are converted when the simple truths of the Bible are shared.  I was changed by the Word of God when I encountered it.

For THE WORD OF GOD IS QUICK, AND POWERFUL, AND SHARPER than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

6. The Bible is God’s wisdom for our prosperity.  

God’s method for prosperity is not by clever ideas and human tricks.  It is through His Word.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: FOR THEN THOU SHALT MAKE THY WAY PROSPEROUS, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua 1:8

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Proverbs 4:20-22

7. The Bible is the explanation for the origin of the creation, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars  and the planets.  

In the beginning GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters

Genesis 1:1-2

8. The Bible gives the truth about the future, heaven, hell and eternity.    

And I SAW THE DEAD, SMALL AND GREAT, STAND BEFORE GOD; and the books were opened:and another book was opened, which is the book of life:and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:and they were judged every man according to their works. 

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:12-15

9. The Bible is the explanation for the origin of the human race.

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7

10. The Bible is the instruction manual for marriage. 

WIVES, SUBMIT YOURSELVES unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Ephesians 5:22-25

11. The Bible is the good news about Jesus Christ.  

The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of ALL THAT JESUS BEGAN BOTH TO DO AND TEACH, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

Acts 1:1-2 

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

John 1:24-25

Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

Revelation 1:19

12. The Bible is the greatest book ever written.  It contains history, biography, poetry, proverbial sayings, hymns, letters, rules, laws, parables, riddles, allegories, prophecies, making it the most remarkable book ever written. 

13. The Bible has 66 different books. Some of these books are considerably large whilst others are very short.  

14. The Bible points out the sins of mankind.   

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them

Romans 1:28-32

15. The Bible is a wisdom book for life under the sun.

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Ecclesiastes 12:1

16. The Bible is used and is relevant in every country of the world.  

It is a book which all races, nations, tribes, countries can relate to. It is not material which is adapted to any one nation or group of people.  

And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many PEOPLES, AND NATIONS, AND TONGUES, AND KINGS.

Revelation 10:10-11

17. The Bible is used and has been relevant throughout the centuries. 

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 21:33

18. The Bible is a powerful and life-changing book. 

The Bible is not an amulet, a charm, a fetish, or anything to work wonders by its very presence alone.  It does not claim to be such; it does claim that if one will study and practice its teachings he will see wonders worked in his life both now and in the hereafter.

19. The Bible was not written chronologically and yet fits together perfectly.   It was given, here a little and there a little, to many men through eighteen centuries (Isaiah 28:9-11): but regardless of this it, forms a perfect unity.

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; HERE A LITTLE, AND THERE A LITTLE:

For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.

Isaiah 28:9-11

CHAPTER 2

Read Your Bible: The Origin of the Bible

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.

Deuteronomy 4:2

The Canon

Many so-called inspired writers claimed to be inspired of God.  There were many letters and books that were available to God’s people.  There was therefore the need to define the officially accepted writings of inspired men.  These officially accepted books and writings are what are known as the Canon of scripture.

The Canon means “the body of sacred writings that are accepted as genuine and inspired.”  The Old Testament Canon is the list of Old Testament books and the New Testament Canon is the final accepted list of New Testament books and writings.

An important truth you must not overlook is that the Church did not create the Canon or the books that we call Scripture.  The Church simply recognized the books that were inspired by God and publicly approved of them.

Notice what F.F. Bruce said:

When at last a church council - the Synod of Hippo in AD 393 listed the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, it did not confer upon them any authority which they did not already possess, but simply recorded their previously established canonicity. (The ruling of the Synod of Hippo was re-promulgated four years later by the Third Synod of Carthage.)

Since that time, there has been no serious questioning of the twenty-seven accepted books of the New Testament by Roman Catholics or Protestants.

As far as the Old Testament is concerned, the Christian Church and the Jews share the same Canon of scripture.  Although the Christian Church has the same Old Testament Canon, the number of books differs because:

i. The Christian Church divides the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles into two books each.

ii. The Jews consider the Minor Prophets as one book whereas the Christians consider them separately.

iii. The order of the books in the Christian Bible is different from the order in the Jewish law.  

Here is a breakdown of the Jewish Old Testament Canon which is divided into the Law (Torah), The Prophets (Nebhim) and The Writings (Kethubhim).

Section 1:

Section 2:

Section 3:

The Law          (Torah)

The Prophets       (Nebhim)

The Writings   (Kethubim)

Genesis

A: Former Prophets

A: Poetical Books

Exodus

Joshua

Psalms

Leviticus

Judges

Proverbs

Numbers

Samuel

Job

Deuteronomy

Kings

B: Latter Prophets

B: Five Rolls

Isaiah

Song of Songs

Jeremiah

Ruth

Ezekiel

Lamentations

The Twelve

Esther

Ecclesiastics

C: Historical Books

Daniel

Ezra - Nehemiah

Chronicles

WHY THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE WAS DEFINED

1. The Jewish people established their Canon of scripture, which we call the Old Testament.  Christians accept this Old Testament Canon primarily because Jesus accepted it.  

The Jewish sacrificial system was ended by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.  Even though the Old Testament Canon was settled in the Jewish mind long before 70 AD, there was a need for something more definitive.  The Jews were scattered and they needed to determine which books were the authoritative Word of God because of the many extra scriptural writings and the decentralization.  The Jews became a people of one book and it was this book that kept them together.

2. Christianity started to blossom and many writings of the Christians were beginning to be circulated.  The Jews needed to expose these Christian writings vividly and exclude them from their writings and their use in the synagogues.

3. The New Testament Canon became necessary because of the emergence of heretics.  Heretics were people who held opinions and practiced things which were contrary to accepted beliefs.  For instance, Marcion 140 AD developed his own Canon and began to propagate it.  The church needed to offset his influence by determining what the real Canon of New Testament scripture was.

4. Many eastern churches were using books in services that were definitely incorrect.  It called for a decision of what made up the Canon.

5. The Edict of Diocletian 303 AD, declared the destruction of the sacred books of the Christians.  Who wanted to die for just a religious book?  They needed to know!

CHAPTER 3

Read Your Bible: Twenty Reasons Why Some Writings Were Included or Excluded from the Bible

When a writing is not part of the Bible it is called a non-canonical writing.  The more well known rejected writings are the books of the Apocrypha as well as other writings.  They are not accepted as canonical and therefore have been excluded from the Bible.  What was the basis for their inclusion or exclusion from the Bible?  Were they just haphazardly thrown in or were there very sound reasons for their inclusion in the Bible?

Below are several reasons why some of the writings were accepted or rejected for inclusion in the Bible.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20, 21

1.  Many books and writings were accepted because Jesus Christ accepted them and quoted from them.  

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Luke 24:44

From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Luke 11:51

Our Lord’s endorsement of these books is more than enough to justify their inclusion of these writings as Holy Scripture. In the upper room Jesus told the disciples “that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms concerning Me.” (Luke 24:44)  With these words “He indicated the three sections into which the Hebrew Bible was divided - the Law, the Prophets, and the “Writings” (here called “the Psalms” probably because the Book of Psalms is the first and longest book in this third section).”

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:35

“…from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah.”  

Jesus here confirms the extent of the Old Testament. Abel, as everyone knows, was the first martyr (Genesis 4:8).  Zechariah is the last martyr to be named (in the Hebrew Old Testament order.  Having been stoned while prophesying to the people “in the court of the house of the Lord! (2 Chronicles 24:21).  Genesis was the first book in the Hebrew canon and Chronicles the last book.  Jesus basically said “from Genesis to Chronicles,” or, according to our order, “from Genesis to Malachi.”

2. Some of the books were accepted because they were authoritative.  Some books were not authoritative and were believed not to have come from the hand of God.

3. When a book was not written by a holy man of God or a prophet, it was rejected.  The Scripture says that holy men of God spoke the words of prophecy as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.  We cannot accept books and writings that do not come from holy men of God who were moved by the Holy Spirit.

4. Writings were accepted because they were authentic, genuine and original.  The Church Fathers had the policy of “If in doubt, throw it out!”  This enhanced the validity of their discernment of canonical books.

5. Some writings were accepted because they were powerful and dynamic.  Writings that did not come with the life transforming power of God were not included.

6. Books that were received, collected, read and used by the people of God were accepted.  The Apostle Peter recognized, received and used the writings of Paul as scripture. (2 Peter 3:16).  The fact that Peter recognized the writings of Paul gave credence to the letters of Paul.

7. Books that were excluded from the Jewish Canonical Scripture were rejected.  Such books were therefore excluded from the Christian Old Testament.  You will notice that the Christian Old Testament is the same as the Jewish Torah (The Law), Nebhim (The Prophets) and Kethubhim (The Writings).

8. Jesus and the New Testament writers never once quoted from the Apocrypha and other unacceptable writings.  However, there are hundreds of quotes and references to almost all of the canonical books of the Old Testament.  This is a fact that is even more striking when we realize that Paul, who even quoted twice from heathen poets, did not quote from the Apocrypha.

9. The last Old Testament prophet predicted that the next messenger coming to Israel from God would be the forerunner of Christ (Malachi 3:1).  Most of the apocryphal books were written during the period of Malachi and Christ.  These apocryphal writers were not the forerunners of Christ and therefore were not considered as significant enough for inclusion.

10. Divine authority is not claimed by the apocryphal authors; and by others it is virtually disowned. 

These five books of Jason I shall try to summarize in a single work; for I was struck by the mass of statistics and the difficulty which the bulk of the material causes to those wishing to grasp the narratives of this history.

2 Maccabees 2:23, 24 (The New English Bible)

At this point I will bring my work to an end.  If it is found well written and aptly composed, that is what I myself hoped for; if cheap and mediocre, I could only do my best.

2 Maccabees 15:38 (The New English Bible)

11. Some of the writings were rejected because they were at variance with Bible history.  Such inaccuracies were not acceptable in the Bible.

12. Some unacceptable writings, as well as the Apocrypha, are self-contradictory and in some cases opposed to doctrines of Scripture.

13. The Apocryphal books were not a part of the ancient versions of the Scripture.  They were first added after 300 AD.  The Laodicean Council in 363 AD rejected them as being uninspired, thus proving that by that time some were claiming inspiration for them.

14. The Apocrypha is unacceptable because even the Roman Catholic Church did not accept it as canonical for 1,546 years.  One wonders why they included the Apocrypha after so many years. 

15. Jewish historians did not regard the Apocrypha as Scripture.  Josephus (AD 30-100), a Jewish historian, explicitly excludes the Apocrypha, numbering the books of the Old Testament as 22.

16. Jewish philosophers did not regard the Apocrypha as Scripture.  Philo (20 BC - AD 40), an Alexandrian Jewish Philosopher, quoted the Old Testament prolifically and even recognized the threefold division, but he never quoted from the Apocrypha as inspired.

17. For the first four centuries after the death of Christ, no canon or council of the Christian church recognized the Apocrypha as inspired.

18. Many of the fathers of the early church spoke out against the Apocrypha; for example Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Athanasius.

19. Jerome (340-420 AD), the great scholar and translator of the Vulgate (4th Century Latin Version of the Bible), rejected the Apocrypha as part of the canon.  

He disputed across the Mediterranean with Augustine on this point.  He at first refused even to translate the Apocryphal books into Latin, but later he made a hurried translation of a few of them.  After his death, and literally “over his dead body,” the Apocryphal books were brought into his Latin Vulgate directly from the Old Latin Version.

20. Many of the Reformers and even Roman Catholic scholars through the Reformation period rejected the Apocrypha.  

Martin Luther and the reformers rejected the canonicity of the Apocrypha.

CHAPTER 4

Read Your Bible: Four Reasons Why the Bible Can Be Trusted

1.  The Bible can be trusted because promises made generations earlier have been kept.

Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: THERE HATH NOT FAILED ONE WORD OF ALL HIS GOOD PROMISE, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

1 Kings 8:56

2.  The Bible can be trusted because God stands by His Word until it comes to pass.

For I am the Lord: I WILL SPEAK, AND THE WORD THAT I SHALL SPEAK SHALL COME TO PASS; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.

Ezekiel 12:25

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:18

Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

Jeremiah 1:12

3. The Bible can be trusted because it is unchanging in a changing world.

But THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

1 Peter 1:25

4. Heaven and earth will pass away but the Word of God will remain forever.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my WORDS SHALL NOT PASS AWAY.

Matthew 24:35

CHAPTER 5

Read Your Bible: How to Interpret the Bible

It is very important to interpret the Bible correctly whilst you are having your quiet time.  The Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God therefore He is the one who can lead us into the correct understanding.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20, 21

Nine Keys to Interpreting the Bible Correctly

1. Read the text in its context.

• Each word must be read in the context of other words in the verse.

• Each verse must be read in the context of the chapter.

• Each chapter in the Bible must be read in the context of the whole book.

• You can make the Bible say almost anything you want it to.  Anything that is taken out of its context becomes an oddity.  

For instance, you can make the Bible say, “There is no God.”  You may ask, “How do you make the Bible say that there is no God?”  Just take these four words of Psalm 14:1 out of context of the other words and you will have a false message.

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God...

Psalm 14:1

When you put the phrase, “There is no God,” back in context, you get a different message: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”  In other words, it is not a case of “there is no God”, but a case of the fool saying in his heart that “there is no God”.

If you take some Scriptures from the book of Song of Solomon out of context you may even think the Bible is discussing pornography.  However, within its context you will discover a beautiful message of the love that God had created.

2. Do not spiritualise meanings of words.

If you take the language at its face value, you will save yourself from deception.  When the Bible says in Matthew 8:17, “By his stripes we are healed,” there is no need to spiritualise the meaning of the word “heal”.  The word “heal” is easily defined in the dictionary.  I have reproduced below the meaning of the word “heal” from a dictionary.

heal  v. 1. (often foll. by up) become sound or healthy again. 2. cause to heal. 3. put right (differences etc.). 4 .alleviate (sorrow etc.). healer n. [Old English: related to whole]

There is no reason to spiritualise or allegorise the meaning of any word.  As you can see, the word “heal” can also mean to alleviate sorrow.  In the context of Matthew 8:17 you will notice that Jesus was not trying to alleviate sorrow but He was healing the sicknesses of the multitudes.

When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and HEALED ALL that were sick:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Matthew 8:16, 17

3. Believe what you read.

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Exodus 14:21, 22

When the Bible says that Moses stretched out his rod over the Red Sea and the sea parted, you must believe that that is what happened.  If you spiritualise it you will immediately stray into deceptive waters.

4. Find out the meaning of Hebrew and Greek words from which the English version was translated.

Whenever text is being translated from one language to another, there are difficulties in getting the correct words to fit.  We encountered such difficulties when we were translating my books from English to French.  I cannot imagine the difficulties the Bible translators encountered when they were translating the Bible from Hebrew and Greek to English.

Interpretation of what God is saying will be clearer when you have the privilege of understanding the language from which the Bible was translated.  Going into the Hebrew and Greek is just an attempt to clarify the meaning of what is being transmitted.

5. Interpret punctuation marks properly.

Punctuation marks like full stops, commas, colons and semi-colons have important meanings.  When you leave them out you will be subject to error.  For instance, a colon means that text ahead explains further what has been said.

6. Understand the background (person, place and time).

It is important to understand the background of the writer.  It is even more revelatory to know the time and place of the writing of that letter.  For instance, when Paul said to be subject to authorities, he was writing to the Romans.  The Romans were being ruled by a very oppressive dictator, the emperor Nero.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

Romans 13:1-3

This instruction is interesting when you understand the circumstances under which believers were operating.  God was showing that it was wisdom to be subject to authorities.  It is interesting to note that Christianity flourishes more under tyrannical rulers than under democracy.  Perhaps this was part of God’s wisdom to make people believe in Him.

If you also consider that Paul was writing from prison when he said that we should rejoice in the Lord.     

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.

Philippians 3:1

However, we can misuse this concept of background and get into error.  For instance, I was once speaking to a lady.  She said to me, “I don’t see why I should not commit fornication.”  I was a bit taken aback.  She continued, “I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”  “But the Bible says that it is not right,” I said.  She answered, “But the Bible was written a long time ago.  In those days such things were not accepted but society has changed.”  This young lady was throwing out the Scripture because she wanted to do her own thing.  But God’s Word is timeless.

Knowing the background, that is; the place, time and writer is not to throw out unbreakable scriptures but rather to throw more light on them.

7. Consider secular material that throws more light on Scripture. 

For instance, historical, archaeological, geographical and cultural materials can give more insight into what the Word of God is saying. 

 8. Interpret the Scripture by Scripture.

Interpret each passage in the light of the Bible teaching as a whole.  Scripture cannot contradict itself; God cannot contradict Himself.  When you see different parts of the Bible which seem to be difficult to understand do not struggle with isolated scriptures.  The Bible must be interpreted in the context of other parts of the scriptures.

If you read certain parts of the Old Testament, you may think that God is interested in slaughtering large numbers of people.  But if you look at it in the context of other parts of the scripture you will discover that God loves all men and wants all men to be saved.

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8, 9

You will also discover that God hates the sin of murder.

These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:  A proud look, a lying tongue, and HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD,

Proverbs 6:16, 17

9. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you His Word.

Ultimately God is the one who can teach you His Word.  He has given us the Holy Spirit for that purpose.  Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you His Word.

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.

John 16:13

CHAPTER 6

Read Your Bible: The Ten Major Messages of the Bible

As you read the Bible regularly, God will show you the overall messages that He has for mankind.  These messages can be gleaned from the Bible.  There are eight major themes that run through the entire Bible.

1. GOD’S HOLY CHARACTER

A. God is your Creator.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  SO GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Genesis 1:26-30

B. God will provide your needs.

But my GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

C. God is holy.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  And one cried unto another, and said, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD OF HOSTS: the whole earth is full of his glory.  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:  And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah 6:1-7

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 Peter 1:15, 16

D. God is loving.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD IS LOVE.  In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:8-10

E. God is just and has two sides:  His goodness and His severity.

Behold therefore the GOODNESS AND SEVERITY OF GOD: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Romans 11:22

2.  GOD CREATES THE WORLD

A. God is the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:1, 2

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Colossians 1:16, 17

B. God created the universe by speaking it into existence.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Hebrews 11:3

C. God is the giver of life.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

D. Man is created in God’s image.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...

Genesis 1:26

E.  Man was given dominion over Earth.

...and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth...

Genesis 1:26

3. SATAN DESTROYS THE WORLD GOD CREATED

A. Lucifer is lifted up in pride and rebels against God.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Isaiah 14:12-15

B. Lucifer, an angel in Eden, falls into sin.

Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 

Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Ezekiel 28:13-17

C. Lucifer turns the world into a wilderness.

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?

Isaiah 14:16-17

D. Lucifer, now called Satan attacks God’s creation, Adam.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1

E. Lucifer, now called Satan attacks God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Matthew 4:3

4. MAN FALLS INTO SIN

A. Man interacts with the devil and is contaminated forever. 

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1

B. Man falls into sin.

And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.  And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.  Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  And unto Adam he said, BECAUSE THOU HAST HEARKENED UNTO THE VOICE OF THY WIFE, AND HAST EATEN OF THE TREE, OF WHICH I COMMANDED THEE, SAYING, THOU SHALT NOT EAT OF IT: CURSED IS THE GROUND FOR THY SAKE; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;  Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:13-19

C. Sin entered into the world and through sin death came.

For if BY ONE MAN’S OFFENCE DEATH REIGNED BY ONE; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Romans 5:17, 18

D. Death shortened the life of mankind.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

5. GOD CHOOSES ISRAEL

A.  God chose Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

NOW THE LORD HAD SAID UNTO ABRAM, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.  And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.  But my covenant will I establish with ISAAC, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Genesis 17:19-21

And JACOB went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.  And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Genesis 28:10-15

B. God used Joseph to deliver Israel from starvation and famine.

C. God used Moses to deliver His people from bondage and teach them His laws.

D. God’s people Israel, like the Church, kept going astray to serve other Gods.

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:  And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.  And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.  What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?  And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:  And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.  For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Isaiah 5:1-7

6. GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

...There is none righteous, no, not one. 

Romans 3:10

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death...

Romans 6:23

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:16, 17

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God... 

John 1:11, 12

Christians are released into a new life of blessings in Christ Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:3-14

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

2 Peter 1:3, 4

7. THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES INTO THE WORLD

A. Jesus Christ prophesies about the Holy Spirit.  

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

John 7:37-39

B. Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

C. The Holy Spirit arrives on earth and people begin to speak in tongues.

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:4

D. The Holy Spirit anoints the preaching and thousands are saved. 

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

Acts 2:41

Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Acts 4:4

E. The Holy Spirit causes the salvation of multitudes.

And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

Acts 5:14

F. The Holy Spirit causes the salvation of entire cities.

And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

Acts 13:44

8. JESUS CHRIST BUILDS HIS CHURCH

A.  Christ will build a church, an army of believers who will win the lost at any cost.

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:18

B. Every single believer is a member of the army and is created specially to do good works for the Lord.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

C. The Church is fearless, powerful, anointed and full of God’s authority.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 14:12

D. Christ gives all believers a duty to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19, 20

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 1:8

9. THE ETERNAL JUDGMENT OF NATIONS, SINNERS AND CHRISTIANS

A. God will judge all nations. Jesus spoke of the judgment of the nations.

And before him SHALL BE GATHERED ALL NATIONS: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:32

B. God will judge all Christians.

For we must all appear before THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10

C. God will judge all sinners.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Revelation 20:11

10. ETERNITY: A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Revelation 21:1

CHAPTER 7

Read Your Bible: Twenty-Nine Reasons Why the Bible Is Superior to Every Other Book

Most people do not understand the uniqueness and superiority of this great book.  It is a book like no other book.  If someone asks you for the meaning of the word unique, you might as well say it means “Bible”.  Unique in the dictionary is defined as: the one and only.  It also means: to be different from all others, having no like or equal.

1. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN THE FACT THAT IT IS THE MOST RELIABLE HISTORIC DOCUMENT OF ALL TIME.  

When we do not have the original historical document, we must establish how reliable the copies are.  This is done in two ways:

I. The more identical manuscript copies of the original we have, the more sure we are that the copies reflect what is in the original document.

II. The shorter the time interval between the copy and the original, the more sure we are that the copy reflects what is in the original.

“There are more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.  Add over 10,000 Latin Vulgate and at least 9,300 other early versions (MSS) and we have more than 24,000 manuscripts copies of portions of the New Testament in existence today.”

“No other document even begins to approach such numbers and attestation.  In comparison, the book “Iliad” by Homer is second to the Bible and it has only 643 manuscripts that still survive.  The first complete preserved text of Homer dates from the 13th century.”

John Warwick Montgomery says that “To be sceptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”

Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, who was the director and principal librarian of the British Museum says, “…besides number, the manuscripts of the New Testament differ from those of the classical authors, and this time the difference is clear gain.  In no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of the earliest extant manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament.  The books of the New Testament were written in the latter part of the first century; the earliest extant manuscripts (trifling scraps excepted) are of the fourth century - say from 250 to 300 years later.”

“This may sound a considerable interval, but it is nothing to that which parts most of the great classical authors from their earliest manuscripts.  We believe that we have in all essentials an accurate text of the seven extant plays of Sophocles; yet the earliest substantial manuscript upon which it is based was written more than 1400 years after the poet’s death.”

Kenyon continues in The Bible and Archaeology: “The interval then between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed.  Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established.”

2.  THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER BOOKS BECAUSE ARCHAEOLOGY HAS CONSTANTLY CONFIRMED ITS HISTORICAL ACCURACY AND VALIDITY.

“Nelson Glueck, the renowned Jewish archaeologist, wrote: “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference.”  He continued his assertion of “the almost incredibly accurate historical memory of the Bible, and particularly so when it is fortified by archaeological fact.”

William F. Albright, known for his reputation as one of the great archaeologists, states: “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition.”

Albright adds: “The excessive scepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, certain phases of which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited.  Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history.”

3. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS UNITY AND CONTINUITY. 

Over forty authors wrote sixty-six books over a period of 1,500 years.  Many never saw the writings of the others and yet there is no contradiction between any two of them. 

It is very unlikely, if not impossible, to collect any group of books of any other forty men on any subject and find that they agree, as it is with the Bible. 

Nine Facts about the Unity and Continuity of the Bible

1. The Bible was written over a 1,500 years span. 

2. The Bible was written over 40 generations. 

3. The Bible was written by over 40 authors from every walk of life: 

§ Moses, a political leader, trained in the universities of  Egypt

§ Peter, a fisherman

§ Amos, a herdsman

§ Joshua, a military general

§ Nehemiah, a cupbearer

§ Daniel, a prime minister

§ Luke, a doctor

§ Solomon, a king

§ Matthew, a tax collector

§ Paul, a rabbi

4. The Bible was written in different places:

§ Moses in the wilderness

§ Jeremiah in a dungeon

§ Daniel on a hillside and in a palace

§ Paul, inside prison walls

§ Luke, while travelling

§ John, on the isle of Patmos

§ Others in the rigors of a military campaign

5. The Bible was written at different times:

§ David in times of war

§ Solomon in times of peace

6. The Bible was written during different moods:

§ Some writing from the heights of joy and others writing from depths of sorrow and despair

7. The Bible was written on three continents:

§ Asia, Africa and Europe

8. The Bible was written in three languages:

§ Hebrew: The language of the Old Testament.  It was called “the language of Judah” in 2 Kings 18:26-28 and in Isaiah 19:18, “the language of Canaan”

§ Aramaic: This was the “common language” of the Near East until the time of   Alexander the Great (6th century BC - 4th century BC)

§ Greek: The New Testament language.  This was the international language at the time of Christ

9. The Bible includes in its subject matter hundreds of controversial subjects.  A controversial subject is one, which creates opposing opinion when mentioned or discussed.  Biblical authors spoke on hundreds of controversial subjects with harmony and continuity from Genesis to Revelation. The result is one unfolding story: “God’s redemption of man!” 

What F.F. Bruce said about the Bible

“Any part of the human body can only be properly explained in reference to the whole body.  And any part of the Bible can only be properly explained in reference to the whole Bible.”

“The Bible, at first sight, appears to be a collection of literature - mainly Jewish.  If we inquire into the circumstance under which the various Biblical documents were written, we find that they were written at intervals over a space of nearly 1400 years.”

“The writers wrote in various lands, from Italy in the west to Mesopotamia and possibly Persia in the east.”

“The writers themselves were a heterogeneous number of people, not only separated from each other by hundreds of years and hundreds of miles, but also belonging to the most diverse walks of life.  In their ranks we have kings, herdsmen, soldiers, legislators, fishermen, statesmen, courtiers, priests and prophets, a tent-making Rabbi and a Gentile physician, not to speak of others of whom we know nothing apart from the writings they have left us.”

“The writings themselves belong to a great variety of literary types.  They include history, law (civil, criminal, ethical, ritual, and sanitary), religious poetry, didactic treatises, lyric poetry, parable and allegory, biography, personal correspondence, personal memoirs and diaries.”

4. THE BIBLE IS MORE DISTINCTIVE THAN EVERY OTHER BOOK EVER PUBLISHED.  

The Bible is superior to other books in its origin, formation, doctrines, principles, claims, moral tone, histories, prophecies, revelation, literature, present redemption and eternal benefits.

5. UNLIKE OTHER BOOKS PUBLISHED, THE BIBLE HAS A VAST INFLUENCE IN THIS WORLD.  

The Bible has blessed millions of people of every generation.  The Bible has contributed to the creation of the greatest civilizations on earth.  It has given man the highest hope and destiny.

6. THE WISEST MOST GODLY AND HONEST MEN IN THIS WORLD ACKNOWLEDGE THE BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD.  

Only infidels and ungodly people reject the Bible.

7. UNLIKE MANY OTHER BOOKS, THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN BY HONEST AND GODLY MEN.  

This is because it condemns all sin and records the sins and faults of its writers as well as others.  This is something evil men would not do.  Even good men would not do this unless they were inspired to do so to help others.

8. THE BIBLE MEETS ALL THE NEEDS OF MANKIND.  

All man’s present and eternal needs are met by the Bible.

9. THE BIBLE HAS BEEN PRESERVED THROUGH THE AGES.  

Whole kingdoms and religions have sought in vain to destroy it.  God has made the Bible indestructible and victorious.

10. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR TO OTHER BOOKS BECAUSE THE HEAVENLY AND ETERNAL CHARACTER OF ITS CONTENTS PROVE IT TO BE OF GOD.

11. THE PREACHING OF THE BIBLE CHANGES THE LIVES OF PEOPLE.  

The response of humanity to this great book shows that it is of a supernatural and superior nature.

12. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS INFINITE DEPTHS AND LOFTY IDEALS.

13. THE BIBLE STANDS OUT IN SUPREMACY BY THE UNBELIEVABLE NUMBER OF PROPHECIES THAT IT CONTAINS.  

About three thousand three hundred prophecies have been fulfilled.  Predictions made hundreds and even thousands of years earlier have been fulfilled.  Not one detail has failed yet.  About 2,908 verses are being fulfilled or will be fulfilled.

14. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS MIRACULOUS NATURE.  

Hundreds of miracles are recorded in the scriptures.  Miracles happen daily among those who pray and claim Bible promises.

15. THE BIBLE IS ALONE IN ITS FLAWLESSNESS.  

The Bible is scientifically and historically correct.  No one man has found the Bible at fault in any of its many hundreds of statements of history, astronomy, botany, geology, geography or any other branch of learning.

16. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS ADAPTABILITY.  

The Bible is always up to date on every subject.  It can be applied to the lives of people who live in Africa, Asia, Europe or America.  It was useful to people who lived a thousand years ago and it is still relevant to the people who live in the twenty first century.

17. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS MORAL AND SPIRITUAL POWER.  

It meets perfectly every spiritual and moral need of man.

18. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS DOCTRINES.  

The doctrines of the Bible surpass all human ideas or principles of relationships, religion and culture.

19. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR BECAUSE IT CLAIMS TO BE THE WORD OF GOD.  

Over three thousand eight hundred times, Bible writers claimed that God spoke what they wrote.  In other words, the Bible itself claims to be the Word of God.

20. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN SECULAR HISTORY. 

Many pagan, Jewish and Christian writers confirm the facts of the Bible.  They actually quote the Bible as being genuine, authentic and inspired of God.

21. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS WORLDWIDE CIRCULATION.  

Most authors have their books circulated within communities.  You will be surprised to find that many authors who are very popular are not known at all in other parts of the world.  Not so with the Bible!

”The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book.  There have been more copies produced of its entirety and more portions and selections than any other book in history.

Some will argue that in a designated month or year more of a certain book was sold.  However, over all there is absolutely no book that reaches or even begins to compare to the circulation of the Scriptures.”

What HY Pickering said about the Bible

Hy Pickering said that about 30 years ago, for the British and Foreign Bible Society to meet its demands, it had to publish:

“One copy every three seconds day and night, 22 copies every minute day and night, 1,369 copies every hour day and night, 32,876 copies every day in the year.”

It is deeply interesting to know that this amazing number of Bibles was dispatched to various parts of the world in 4,583 cases weighing 490 tons!

22. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS WORLDWIDE TRANSLATIONS.

The Bible was one of the first major books translated (Septuagint: Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, ca 250 BC).  It has been translated and retranslated and paraphrased more than any other book in existence.

Encyclopaedia Britannica says, “By 1966 the whole Bible had appeared… in 240 languages and dialects… one or more whole books of the Bible in 739 additional ones, a total publication of 1,280 languages.”

Three thousand Bible translators between 1950-1960 were at work translating the Scriptures.

The Bible factually stands unique (“one of a kind; alone in its class”) in its translation.

23. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS CONTINUED EXISTENCE THROUGH THE YEARS. 

Being written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness or existence.  The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined.

What John Warwick Montgomery said about the Bible

“To be sceptical of the resultant text of the New Testament books is to allow all of classical antiquity to slip into obscurity, for no documents of the ancient period are as well attested bibliographically as the New Testament.”

What John Lea said about the Bible

John Lea in The Greatest Book in the World compared the Bible with Shakespeare’s writings.  He had this to say:

“It seems strange that the text of Shakespeare, which has been in existence less than two hundred and eight years, should be far more uncertain and corrupt than that of the New Testament, now over eighteen centuries old, during  nearly fifteen of which it existed only in manuscript.

…With perhaps a dozen or twenty exceptions, the text of every verse in the New Testament may be said to be so far settled by general consent of scholars, that any dispute as to its readings must relate rather to the interpretation of the words than to any doubts respecting the words themselves.  But in everyone of Shakespeare’s thirty seven plays there are probably a hundred readings still in dispute, a large portion of which materially affects the meaning of the passages in which they occur.”

24.  THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS ABILITY TO SURVIVE PERSECUTION.

What Sidney Collett said about the Bible

Voltaire, the noted French infidel who died in 1778, said that in one hundred years from his time Christianity would be swept from existence and passed into history.  But what has happened?  Voltaire has passed into history, while the circulation of the Bible continues to increase in almost all parts of the world, carrying blessing wherever it goes.

Concerning the boast of Voltaire on the extinction of Christianity and the Bible in 100 years, Geisler and Nix point out that “only fifty years after his death the Geneva Bible Society used his press and house to produce stacks of Bibles.” 

What an irony of history!

In AD 303, Diocletian issued an edict (Cambridge History of the Bible, Cambridge University Press, 1963) to stop Christians from worshipping and to destroy their Scriptures.

“…An imperial letter was everywhere promulgated, ordering the razing of the churches to the ground and the destruction by fire of the Scriptures, and proclaiming that those who held high positions would lose all civil rights while those in households, if they persisted in the profession of Christianity, would be deprived of their liberty.”

The historic irony of the above edict to destroy the Bible is that Eusebius records an edict given 25 years later by Constantine, the emperor of Diocletian, that 50 copies of the Scriptures should be prepared at the expense of the government.

25. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS ABILITY TO ENDURE CRITICISM.

What H.L. Hastings said about the Bible

H.L. Hastings has forcibly illustrated the unique way the Bible has withstood the attacks of infidels and sceptics.

“Infidels for eighteen hundred years have been refuting and overthrowing this book, and yet it stands today as solid as a rock.  Its circulation increases, and it is more loved and cherished and read today than ever before.

Infidels, with all their assaults, make about as much impression on this book as a man with a tack hammer would on the Pyramids of Egypt.

When the French monarch proposed the persecution of the Christians in his dominion, an old statesman and warrior said to him, “Sire, the church of God is an anvil that has worn out many hammers.”  So the hammers of infidels have been pecking away at this book for ages, but the hammers are worn out, and the anvil still endures.

If this book had not been the book of God, men would have destroyed it long ago.  Emperors and popes, kings and priests, princes and rulers have all tried their hand at it; they die and the book still lives.”

What Bernard Ramm said about the Bible

“A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read.  But somehow the corpse never stays put.

No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified.  What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles letters of classical or modern times has been the subject to such a mass attack as the Bible?  With such venom and scepticism?  With such thoroughness and erudition?  Upon every chapter, line and tenet?

The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions.”

26.  THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN THE NATURE OF ITS PROPHECIES.  

Wilbur Smith who compiled a personal library of 25,000 volumes writes:

“It is the only volume ever produced by man, or a group of men in which is to be found a large body of prophecies relating to individual nations, to Israel, to all the peoples of the earth, to certain cities, and to the coming of One who was to be the Messiah;

The ancient world had many different devices for determining the future, known as divination, but not in the entire gamut of Greek and Latin literature, even though they use the words prophet and prophecy, can we find any real specific prophecy of a great historic event to come in the distant future, nor any prophecy of a Saviour to arise in the human race.

“Mohammedanism cannot point to any prophecies of the coming of Mohammed uttered hundreds of years before his birth.  Neither can the founders of any cult in this country rightly identify any ancient text specifically foretelling their appearance.”

27. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS HONESTY. 

The Bible deals very frankly with the sins of its characters.  Read the biographies today, and see how they try to cover up, overlook or ignore the shady side of people.  Take the great literary geniuses; most are painted as saints.  The Bible does not do it that way.  It simply tells it like it is.

28. THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR IN ITS INFLUENCE ON SURROUNDING LITERATURE.

What Cleland B. McAfee said about the Bible

Cleland B. McAfee writes in The Greatest English Classic:

”If every Bible in any considerable city were destroyed, the Book could be restored in all its essential parts from the quotations on the shelves of the city public library.  There are works, covering almost all the great literary writers, devoted especially to showing how much the Bible has influenced them.”

What Kenneth Scott Latourette Said about Jesus

Kenneth Scott Latourette, former Yale historian, says:

“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many peoples and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount.”

A professor once remarked:  “If you are an intelligent person, you will read the one book that has drawn more attention than any other, if you are searching for the truth!” 

29.  THE BIBLE IS SUPERIOR BECAUSE IT HAS SET UNUSUAL RECORDS.

i. The Bible is the first religious book to be taken into outer space.

ii. It is also one of the (if not the) most expensive books.

Gutenberg’s Latin Vulgate Bible sold for over $100,000.  The Russians sold the Codex Sinaiticus (an early copy of the Bible) to England for $510,000.

iii. The longest telegram in the world was the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament sent from New York to Chicago.

CHAPTER 8

What Great Men Said about the Bible

1.  George Washington (1st President of the USA)

¹“It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

2.  Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the USA)

“A studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands.”

3.  Andrew Jackson (7th President of the USA)

“That Book, Sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.”

4.  Woodrow Wilson (28th President of the USA)

“You will know the Bible is the Word of God when you read it: for in it you will find the key to your own heart, your own happiness, and your success.  I beg of you that you read it, and find this out for yourselves...  A man has deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of this (the knowledge of the Bible).”

5.  Herbert Hoover (31st President of the USA)

“There is no other book so various as the Bible, nor one so full of concentrated wisdom.”

6.  Ulysses S. Grant (18th President of the USA)

“To the influence of this book we are indebted to the progress made in civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”

7.  Napoleon Bonaparte (Famous French general)

“The Bible is more than a book; it is a living being with an action; a power which invades everything that opposes its extension.”

8. Alexander Cruden (Compiled the Cruden’s Concordance)

“All other books are of little importance in comparison with the Holy Scriptures.”

9.  800 Scientists of Great Britain, recorded in the Bodelian Library, Oxford

“We, the undersigned, students of the natural sciences, desire to express our sincere regret that researches into scientific truth are perverted by some in our own times into occasion for casting doubt into the truth and authenticity of the Holy Scriptures.  We conceive that it is impossible for the Word of God written in the book of nature, and God’s Word written in Holy Scripture, to contradict one another… Physical science is not complete, but is only in a condition of progress.  Signed by all 800 scientists.”

10.  Daniel Webster (US statesman and orator)

“The Bible is the book of faith, and a book of doctrine, and a book of morals, and a book of religion, of special revelation from God; but it is also a book which teaches man his responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow man.”

“…If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can bury our glory in profound obscurity.”

11.  Abraham Lincoln (16th President of the USA)

“In regard to this great book, I have but to say, I believe the Bible is the best gift God has given to man.  All the good Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book.  But for this book we could not know right from wrong.  All things most desirable for man’s welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.”

12.  Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister during World War II)

“We rest with assurance upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture.”

13.  General Douglas MacArthur (A US military genius, and general commander of allied forces in SW Pacific during World War II)

“ Believe me Sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.” 

14.  John Quincy Adams (6th President of the USA)

“I speak as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, search the Scriptures!  The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life; not to be read once or twice or thrice through, and then laid aside but to be read in small portions of one or two chapters everyday, and never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity.”

15. Sir Isaac Newton (English philosopher and mathematician; formulator of the law of gravitation)

“We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy.  I find more sure marks of authority in the Bible than in any profane history whatever.”

Let me conclude with the words of Charles Dickens, the great English novelist and author of  “David Copperfield”, “Great Expectations” and “Oliver Twist”:

“IT IS THE BEST BOOK THAT EVER WAS OR EVER WILL BE IN THE WORLD!”¹

CHAPTER 9 

Pray Every Day: Why People Do Not Pray Every Day

Pray without ceasing.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

Why People Do Not Pray Every Day

To pray every day is to pray without ceasing.  To pray every day is to pray without stopping.  So why do people not pray every day?  Why is it that prayer is the most neglected spiritual discipline of our lives?  People do not pray every day because they do not pray in the night.  It is as simple as that!  If you were to pray in the night, you would pray every day.  Praying in the night is called “watching and praying”. 

1. People do not pray every day because they have to attend to many other duties of life during the day.  However, in the night, most duties do not have to be attended to.  

2. People do not pray every day because they do not have private spaces in their homes to pray.  Praying in the night or at dawn solves this problem. Whilst people are asleep, you can find a solitary place to pray.  

3. People do not pray every day because other people who need them for something during the day continuously interrupt them. Praying in the night or at dawn solves this problem.  

4. People do not pray every day because they do not have a good atmosphere for prayer during the day.  Praying in the night solves this problem.

CHAPTER 10 

Pray Every Day: The Key of Watching and Praying

The only way to pray every day is to watch and pray!  To watch and pray is to pray at night or at dawn.  It is more important to learn to watch and pray than it is to fast and pray.   This is because watching and praying ensures that you pray every day.  Praying once a year during your fast is a very dangerous practice. It is important to pray without ceasing.  If you can fast and pray throughout the year, that is equally acceptable.   

1. Jesus taught people to watch and pray. 

Take ye heed, watch and pray: . . .

Mark 13:33

2. Jesus Christ practiced watching and praying. He prayed without ceasing.

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed

Mark 1:35

And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles

Luke 6:12-13

3. Watching and praying gives you strength to be able to overcome temptations. Jesus prayed in the night in Gethsemane.  

Watch and pray, THAT YE ENTER NOT INTO TEMPTATION: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak

Matthew 26:41 

4. Watching and praying grants you divine escapes from many evils.  

Watch ye therefore, and pray always, THAT YE MAY BE ACCOUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE ALL THESE THINGS that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man 

Luke 21:36 

5. Watching and praying causes you to be spiritually ready for surprises. 

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is 

Mark 13:33 

6. Watching and praying gives you strength to overcome the flesh. 

Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. 

Mark 14:38

CHAPTER 11

Pray Every Day: How to Watch and Pray

1. To watch and pray, you must stay awake through one of the watches of the night. Whilst you are staying awake through the watch of the night, you pray to the Lord.   Three watches of the night refer to three periods of the night.   

a. There are three watches in the night. The first watch of the night is between six in the evening and ten o’clock in the evening (6pm – 10pm).  

Arise, cry out in the night: IN THE BEGINNING OF THE WATCHES pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord:

lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street. 

Lamentations 2:19 

b. There are three watches in the night  The second watch of the night is between ten o’clock in the night and two o’clock in the morning (10pm – 2am).  

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MIDDLE WATCH; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 

Judges 7:19 

c. There are three watches in the night.  The third watch is from two o’clock in the morning till sunrise (2am – 6am).

And it came to pass, that IN THE MORNING WATCH the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 

Exodus 14:24 

And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host IN THE MORNING WATCH, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day:and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. 

1 Samuel 11:11

d. According to the Roman custom, four watches were assigned in the night.

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 

Matthew 14:25 

2. To watch and pray you must be alert and notice the concerns and burdens that the Holy Spirit impresses on your heart and pray accordingly in the night hours.   

I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

2 Corinthians 8:16 (NIV) 

3. To watch and pray, you must be alert and flow with your understanding of what you are reading in the Bible.   

In the first year of his reign I DANIEL UNDERSTOOD BY BOOKS the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

AND I SET MY FACE UNTO THE LORD GOD, TO SEEK BY PRAYER and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments. 

Daniel 9:2-4 

4. To watch and pray, you must believe in the visions and dreams that you have, and pray accordingly.  Daniel saw a vision and it made him pray for three whole weeks.  

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

Daniel 10:1-2

CHAPTER 12

Pray Every Day: The Qualities You Need

1. You need DILIGENCE to pray every day.  It takes diligence to sleep early and wake up early.  If you do not sleep early, you will never wake up early.  Most people hang around and end up sleeping very late.  When you sleep late you cannot wake up to pray. When you do not sleep enough, you will be sleepy throughout the prayer time.    

That ye BE NOT SLOTHFUL, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:12

2. You need FAITH to pray every day. Only men of faith pray.  Faithless people do not pray to God.  If you are a man of faith you will be a man of prayer.  Anyone found praying for hours, alone, in a room is a man of faith.  

For EVERY ONE THAT ASKETH RECEIVETH; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Luke 11:10

3. You need PERSISTENCE to pray every day.  Sometimes you need to pray for long hours.  Some problems require “asking”, some require “seeking” and some require “knocking”!  This is because the different types of problems require different kinds of solutions. Some problems need five minutes of prayer and others need five hours.  You need to be RELENTLESS in your prayer. The devil is relentless in his efforts to destroy you. You need to be relentless in your efforts to pray.  

And I say unto you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Luke 11:9

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 17:21 

4. You need IMPUDENCE to pray every day. Impudence reveals confidence and faith in relation to God.
Being impudent means that you are bold and being daring to ask for certain things.
From today, be daring in your prayer.  Be bold in your requests! God is listening to you! God will answer your prayers!  When you are impudent you are shameless.  You have no shame and you ask anything that comes to your mind. Shamelessness reveals your openness and your closeness to God.  It takes shamelessness to pray properly.  Most of our heartfelt requests are shameful.  It is sometimes embarrassing to reveal what you really want or need.  Be shameless in your requests!  God is listening to you!  

And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his IMPORTUNITY (IMPUDENCE, SHAMELESSNESS) he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Luke 11:5-9

CHAPTER 13

Pray Every Day: In the Right Way

1. Pray every day for long hours.  Learn how to pray for a long time!  It takes time to learn how to pray for long hours. The disciples saw Jesus praying for long hours and they wanted to learn how to do the same.  

And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, TEACH US TO PRAY, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

2. Pray every day without pretending that you are spiritual.  Avoid hypocrisy and pretense in prayer.  There is no need to pretend that you are prayerful. It is better to admit that you are not prayerful so that you can change.  

And when thou prayest, THOU SHALT NOT BE AS THE HYPOCRITES are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. 

Matthew 6:5

3. Pray every day in a private place. Private and personal prayer times are more important than group prayers.  Develop yourself in private solitary prayer.  Most of the prayers Jesus prayed were in private.  A man of prayer is a man who can spend hours alone with God.  

But thou, WHEN THOU PRAYEST, ENTER INTO THY CLOSET, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

Matthew 6:6

4. Pray every day without useless repetitions. 

But when ye pray, use not VAIN REPETITIONS, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Matthew 6:7

5. Pray every day with the attitude of thanksgiving. Always thank God in your prayers.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving. It is important to do this every day. Start with praise and end with thanksgiving.

...Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Matthew 6:9

6. Pray for the work of God every day. Pray for the kingdom of God every day. Do not be selfish!  Do not only pray for yourself. Pray for the kingdom of God! Pray for the church! Pray for the work of God. 

THY KINGDOM COME. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

7. Pray for the will of God to be done in your life every day.  If you do not pray for the will of God, circumstances will direct you away from the will of God.  Jesus prayed for three hours for the will of God to be done.  Why would Jesus have to pray for three hours for the will of God to be done if it did not matter?  It means the will of God would not have happened if Jesus had not prayed.  We experience many things that are not the will of God because we did not pray for the will of God.  From today, start praying that God’s will be done in your life.  Pray for it every day so that only the will of God will happen.   

Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10

8. Pray every day for money, for food, for clothes, for cars, for jobs, for good health and for anything that you need. God will supply all your needs.  God will  take care of you.  God will help you.  He is powerful.  He will make you rich. He will make you wealthy.  You will lack nothing because you pray every day.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

9. Confess your sins every day!  Confess your known sins and your unknown sins.  Not a single day goes by without you sinning. You need to confess your sins every day.  Even if you are the school prefect and everybody sees you as a good person, you still have sins that you need to confess. If we say we have no sin, we only deceive ourselves.  Do not think of yourself as a good person.  Think of yourself as a sinner and confess your sins every day.  Confess your sins of commission as well as your sins of omission.  

And FORGIVE US our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 

Matthew 6:12

10. Pray every day against evil. Pray every day for deliverance from wickedness and temptation.  Bind the devil every single day.  Every time you speak a word binding devils and rebuking evil spirits, something takes place in the spirit realm.  The very words you speak are powerful and they resonate through the dark realms.  Demons panic when you start binding them and cursing them in the name of Jesus.  Lift up firewalls between you and all demonic forces.  Block satanic surprises and attempts to kill you.  Bind satan! Bind devils!  Bind evil spirits!  Bind fallen angels!  Bind animal spirits! Bind entities and creatures that are hiding in the trees and shadows around your house.  Curse the works of darkness.  God is listening to your word and binding them in heaven.  

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: ….

Matthew 6:13

CHAPTER 14

Pray Every Day: Jesus Promised Great Things

1. Jesus promised to answer those who pray with faith.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, HAVE FAITH IN GOD. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, BELIEVE THAT YE RECEIVE THEM, AND YE SHALL HAVE THEM. 

Mark 11:22-24 

2. Jesus promised to give good things to those who ask Him. 

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give GOOD THINGS to them that ask him?

Matthew 7:11

3. Jesus promised to give you whatsoever you ask for.

And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME, HE WILL GIVE IT YOU. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

John 16:23-24

4. Jesus promised to do anything for those who abide in Him.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, YE SHALL ASK WHAT YE WILL, and it shall be done unto you.

John 15:7

5. Jesus promised to answer those who are persistent in prayer.

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT;

Luke 18:1

6. Jesus promised to answer those who are humble in prayer.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, BUT SMOTE UPON HIS BREAST, SAYING, GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Luke 18:10-14 

7. Jesus promised to answer all the prayers of those who bear fruit. 

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and THAT YOUR FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN: THAT WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK OF THE FATHER IN MY NAME, HE MAY GIVE IT YOU.

John 15:16

8. Jesus promised to answer those who do greater works.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and GREATER WORKS than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. AND WHATSOEVER YE SHALL ASK in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

John 14:12-14

9. Jesus promised to give you your desires when you pray. 

Therefore I say unto you, what THINGS SOEVER YE DESIRE, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Mark 11:24

10. Jesus promised to give you the Holy Spirit.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your HEAVENLY FATHER GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT to them that ask him?

Luke 11:13

References

Chapter 2

1-1 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 38 3B 8D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

2-2 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 30 2C 1D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

3-3 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 29-30 2B 1D, 2D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

4-4 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 36 3B 2C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 3

5-5 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 30 3C 1D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

6-6 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 31 3C 3D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

7-7 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 29 3A 2C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

8-8 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 35-36 4D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

9-9 Excerpts from Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible p 511 col 1,4

10-10 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 35-36 4D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 7

11-11 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 39 Part 1 4A 1C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

12-12 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 19 Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

13-13 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 41 Part 1 4A 1C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

14-14 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 35-36 4D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

15-15 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 16-17 Section 1 1C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc.

16-16 Excerpts from Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible p 511 col 1,4

17-17 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 18-19 Section 1 2C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

18-18 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 19 Section 1 3C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

19-19 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 19 Section 1 4C 1D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

20-20 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p.20 Section 1 4C 2D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

21-21 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p.21, 4C 3D Section 1 1C Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

22-22 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 22 Section 1 5C 1D Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

23-23 Excerpts from Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1, p. 23-24 6C 3B Josh McDowell Published by Here’s Life Publishers, Inc

Chapter 8

24-24 Excerpts from Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible p 243

Online Excerpts take from:

“The Bible contains the Mind of God”. blog.gideons.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Bible Introduction Names of the Bible Word”. cghckorbacom.blogspot.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Believers Canonization”. logosresourcespages.org N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Dake Inspiration of the Bible”. awmach.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Article: The Story of the Bible”. coptic.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Forum5 ntrodiscussion”.leewoof.net. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Basics Chapter_01”. lcoggt.org N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“What Happened Between Testaments”. Americanthinker.com. N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“7 Bible Holy Canon Scripture”.bible.org N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“The Bible a True and Reliable Document Internal Evidences”.academia.edu N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Archeology”.whythebible.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“The Bible historic book sacred endeavor”.myvalleynews.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“The inspired word of God”.francesandfriends.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Introduction to Bible Part 2”.biblemania.blogspot.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Learn the Faith_quotes from the Bible”.wordpress.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Apocrypha”.bible-truth.org N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Religion Apocrypha”.wwco.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“quote”.azquotes.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the bible”.bibleornot.org N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“ThomasJefferson I have always said that a studious perusal of the sacred volume will”.quotefancy.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.

“Bible”.whythebible.com N.p., 2017. Web. 13 Apr. 2017.