History of Inductive Bible Study

Inductive Bible Study System?

I was teaching at a conference this last weekend and it hit me, I have been doing this for quite a while, since I was in High School! I am looking back at doing Inductive Bible Study seminars, research and teaching for more than 30 years now! Wow!

So, now you can have our basic seminar, and there is more in my Book:

http://www.intothyword.org/pages.asp?pageid=56846

The link at the bottom is the classic curriculum I developed in...wow 1978…to show how to better understand and study the Bible! Because, the obedience and faith is a trust relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that we learn and grow from our efforts of getting into the Bible, seeking God's counsel and applying His true-Truth and precepts to our lives and churches. And to do this we have to get into the Bible and to get into the Bible we have to know how to pull from it and not read into it. And for 30 years this also has been used to train tens of thousands of pastors on how to teach the Bible, prepare basic sermons and for them to know, grow and lead others to God's rich pastures in the Word.

For me, this started back in 1978, as a request to get my act together and do something important, from my uncle Francis Schaeffer. He told me, "...the most important thing you could ever possibly do it to teach people how to study the Bible, so they will know God’s true Truth." "Why" I said, he replied, "because more people even pastors have no idea how to read a book let alone the Bible that is why there is so much bad teaching and apathy out there, so you must show them?" But I do not know how I said…Schaeffer replied, "find out…" Thus, I undertook this quest to examine and research the top Bible teachers and methods and see what they do, how they work, what does and what does not work. And with Schaeffer’s guidance this was not hard to do. I also examined the Scriptures and put this into practice and come up with the best honest technique to know and teach the Bible.

And it is nothing new, I found out Plato used these same questions to examine life, religion and philosophy, and Francis Beacon may have coined the term “Inductive” Logic, And so it goes, since the Disco age to today, still loving it!

I had a pastor come up to be yesterday at that conference and insist that Kay Author came up with this and it is flawed and does not teach anything and only pools ignorance. Well, I know Kay, and she is a great person, but no, she did not come up with it, nor did I. I explained that The Inductive Bible Study method is not new, it has its roots in science and the logic of induction as well as the Reformation and even predates the New Testament. It is meant to examine the facts by observation, then interpretation, retesting for accuracy and then an application.

It is designed to get real effectual information from reality and real truth and not lead in a person’s flawed rationale. Aristotle came up with this scientific method to show real philosophy and science and it was old when he came up with his “rules for the logical reasoning”. Others like Galileo, who was a devout believer, applied it to his Bible reading, as he said that faith and reason go together and back each other up, and then used it for astronomy. Augustine also said that, and used this approach to his studies. And Isaac Newton in his “Rules of Reasoning” also used this method and he too was a devote Believer and went to test it out on the Bible first and foremost. Roger Bacon, around 1256, of a devout Franciscan Order came up with a cycle of observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and verification. He conducted his experiments in precise detail, examining the Bible and then nature and order with the ideas of finding fact not inserting flaws of reasoning into science or into faith. And many others like René Descartes used this and of course John Calvin in his Bible discovery phase, 1536–1538, used these insights and rules of inductive reasoning to outline out the true doctrines of the faith and continue the Reformation.

This begs the question, why are we as a Christian community not thinking hard about God’s Word as they of old? Why do we deny reading "from" the Bible and insist reading "into" the Bible? Instead of gleaning and applying what God has to say, we read in what we want it to say! We have more tools and reason, so let’s get busy and dig into God’s Most precious pasture land, His Word the Bible! BTW, I Googled that pastor and he is, you guessed it, liberal, a low view of the Bible and his church has no Bible studies or outreach and looks dead as a doornail…go figure..I guess he had a good excuse, in his mind, to not to know the Word and do as we are called… well a bad excuse in reality!

http://70030.netministry.com/articles_view.asp?articleid=66163&columnid=3801

Believe!?

Read John 11:38-57

Jesus, being upset over the death and loss of His friend, was deeply moved and went to the tomb that was in a cave with a stone rolled over it. Jesus said, roll the stone away. But, Martha made mention of the smell that would be there, because he had been dead for four days. Jesus responded, I told you, you will indeed see God’s Glory; do you not believe? So, they rolled away the stone and Jesus thanked the Father for hearing prayers and for the ability of people to believe, and then shouted out Lazarus come out! And, he indeed came out enveloped in his grave clothes and Jesus asked that he be unwrapped.

When God works, either people will see it and believe or else they will ignore it, rationalize it away, or just choose not to believe. He never forces us; whether we have faith or we resist Him will be of our choosing, but our ability to choose and have faith is His gift to us (2 Cor. 3:15-16).

How do you know that you believe?

Not a superficial idea or a creed or even confidence; rather that it is deep and a part of you? Faith comes not just from our profession; it has to also come foremost from our possession! Profession is our utterance that we have it such as our creeds and theology; possession is how it has rooted in us depicted by how we demonstrate it. That our faith is beyond our initial response, that it has grown from emotions to minds to hearts to hands to deeds is an existential, deep-core transformation. Our faith in Christ saves us; but to know for sure if we have truly been saved and if we do glorify our LORD is found in the exhibit of one’s Christianity in one’s life. No, not that works save us; rather, works—or better said, the living out of the Gospel demonstrates what is also in us. If there is no demonstration of Fruit, character, and/or faith, then the probability is that the “emperor has no clothes on” (Rom. 12; James 2:14-26).

The problem with most people, the barrier we face, is that nothing can happen that does not fit our understanding and view of life and nature. Those with limited education or the over educated will not wrap their minds over supernatural things because they can’t explain it. We have to come to a point of real, convicting trust that spreads throughout who and what we are and becomes what we are, how we are, and what we think and do.

Questions to Ponder

1. Christ is our living Hope that will never fade away. How does this give you the confidence and conviction you need to get through the tough times?

2. What do you feel is missing in you now? Why can’t our longings be filled by temporary desires or pleasures, or solving our political problems?

3. How can you better come alongside and serve, listen, and be of help in good as well as dire times for others? How would this glorify God?

4. What does Jesus need to unwrap from you? Pride, anger, fear, disappointment, frustrations, loss, busyness…or? What are you going to do about it?


More here:

http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=65979&columnid=3803

“Do you believe this?”

In John 11:20-37, Jesus spoke to Martha the emphatic, all-powerful statement;

I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me will always live, even when they are dead; these people will have everlasting life!

The question to us all is, “Do you believe this?”

What matters most to God is not just our belief, as in our ideas of God or that He exists, but that our belief is the basis for our conviction, trust, and faithfulness in Him that leads to our obedience, for which we are rewarded. Having a real confession of faith is not just a statement; rather, it is a decision—to take hold of Jesus’ leading and election and make it real in our lives so we spill over and glow to others about Him. The Spirit’s illumination is the only way we can know who Christ is.

Because Christ is Sovereign, the highest in all creation, and the greatest of all who are raised from the dead. Jesus gives us His life and blood and then a new life in Him that we can enjoy now and for eternity. Christ's resurrection marked the inauguration of the covenant of grace. This also shows that this is the greatest miracle.

Because Christ is also our living Hope that will never fade away! This gives us the confidence and conviction that our loving and living God keeps His promises and secures us in Him. It is the assurance—and fact—that God has redeemed us, will bless us, and will care for us. This also means that death will not triumph over those in Christ (John 6:46-49).

The question to us and all of humanity is do you believe this? What about when you are in trouble, stressed and unable to see a way out of your situation? We have to reach out to Him; let Christ grasp you so you do not see just the sea of problems and the ocean of deluge overtaking the ship of your faith and composure in Him. Yes, this is tough; we all deal with this—certainly I do, even now…When times are confusing and we can’t see where we are going or where God wants us, something to consider and pray about is this: God is far more concerned about how we are than what we do or where we go. Our lives are a process and a journey. Our Lord’s mission is to transform our hearts and minds, the very core of who we are, so we can live in the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom with His values and purpose, regardless of any opposition we might have, including the opposition others give us. We especially need Christ in the dire times of life, which are also the times when we have the best opportunities to learn and grow. Usually, it is our own opposition that hinders us the greatest by our fears and neglect or lack of active faith.

Questions to Ponder

1. How is Jesus your source, substance, and Truth in good as well as in dire times?

2. How must He be for you to not just survive, but to thrive?

3. How do you feel that God is still at work in you and in others through you?

4. How do you think Jesus wants you to be challenged?

5. What do you need in order to learn and grow?

6. How can you better cultivate your faith and maturity? Why does the easy life not allow for such lessons?


More here:

http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=65827&columnid=3803

The Root of Pride

If it is your idea and plan to destroy your church, then have and exercise pride!

Pride is defined as the attitude that one is superior to others, even to the extent of regarding others with contempt as if they were unworthy of any relation or interaction. Pride shows the basic thinking that "I am better than you are!" Other Biblical synonyms for pride are arrogant, insolent, boastful, stiff-necked and haughty. These aspects of pride clog us up and away from our loving Savior as they restrict the flow of His character in our lives and inhibit goodness from flowing to others through us. Why is it so bad? It does not allow Jesus Christ to be the ultimate plumber and unplug our spiritual drainpipes. So, all we can do is pour our waste all over the floor of life, and refuse to allow godly characteristics to flow in our relational pipes and thus have a church like an overflowing toilet, a stinky mess that gives God no glory.

Pride is evil because it unveils and lifts our self-interests and our self-sufficiencies, which seem necessary and good. But, when we are self-sufficient, we will not only fail to see our need for redemption, but also fail to see our need for growth in spiritual matters. Therefore, self becomes the god, and any work of the One True God is muted and put aside. When this happens, all of our relationships—from church to family to work—will be distorted and eventually, utterly destroyed. A person’s pride comes between him and God and distorts the Word and work He has for them. It cancels out relationships, growth, and purpose in life. People who practice arrogance and condescension toward others will not surrender to God as Lord. They think of themselves as self-reliant, which is a slap to the face of God. Self-reliance is an oxymoron and has no place in healthy relationships!

We need to see the imperative God warns us of in regard to pride. Why? Because, we are still in rebellion against His decrees and His best for us when pride rules our thoughts and actions. We cannot see the value nor get a grasp of the promises of God until we surrender our pride and will to His preeminence. Make the determination to be His; do not allow your self-will to be in His way! Allow Christ to take you beyond your hopes and dreams (John 3:5).

What can I do?

Pay attention to yourself and how others react to you. When we are focused on seeing the failings, disappointments, corruption, and deceit in others, usually it is because we are filled with it ourselves, and we do not take the Word of God seriously. What if God judged us as we do others? So, the answer is, don't!Yet, some Christians can be some of the most critical and arrogant people on earth! As Christians, we need to be an example for Him wherever we are, set ourselves above pettiness, and let God remove our pride! Let us look at the first four big relationship killers: Don’t play these games; your church and relationships are too precious and valuable to destroy them with our whims or hurts.

More here:
http://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=48719&columnid=4545