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silhouette person staring upward into starry sky

When we zoom out, what is the Bible story about?

What is the big picture of Scripture?

I suspect most believers would answer something like: 

  • In the beginning, GOD created all things and it was good.
  • In time, Satan tempted Eve and she and Adam sinned, corrupting GOD's creation.
  • Jesus died upon the cross so we could be forgiven of our sins.
  • Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life.
  • The end

While this answer isn't bad, it is shortsighted.

When we stop at "forgiveness," we fail to see a significant part of the beauty of what GOD has done, is doing and will do.

I want to share a different—a broader perspective with you.

But why should you care? Why does this really matter?

In short, understanding the macro level view of the Bible influences how we understand its parts.

You've probably heard the saying, "can't see the forest for the trees." This is true when it comes to understanding Scripture. So often, we make the mistake of zeroing in on a particular passage. When we examine the passage "standalone" (without adequate consideration of other Scripture), we reach one conclusion.

And this leads to incorrect understandings, inaccurate teachings, false doctrines, division, new denominations and a host of problems.

So ... can I share with you what I believe is the real big picture of Scripture? This is powerful.

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In early 2009, I began a personal Bible study regarding the practices of the early church.

At the time, I was inspired to begin this study by perceived differences between what I read in the New Testament and what I saw being practiced at the time—primarily in the church where I was meeting, but also on a broader scale.

I felt I wasn’t benefitting from our church assemblies at the time, so, from the pew, I began to use the sermon time for my private studies.

My initial focus was on what the Bible said about church meetings in the first century.

That topic didn’t take long to complete because the Bible says surprisingly little about the assemblies of the first Christians. (Download my findings here.)

At the time, I knew that there were extra-biblical Christian writings from the first few centuries. However, my focus was elsewhere, so I “filed away” a decision to return to this topic of early church practices when possible.

(The events of 2009 and Q1 2010—which I discussed in this e-book—led to our decision to begin hosting church meetings in our home.)

In 2011, I began reading the early Christian writings. I started by reading a copy of David Bercot’s fantastic book, Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up—the top book I recommend besides the Bible—which discusses differences between modern common beliefs with the views of the first Christians.

I observed that Bercot studied from Philip Schaff’s Ante-Nicene Fathers series as the source for the early Christian writings, so I got a copy. (Here’s a link to vol 1 on Kindle to vol 1 on Kindle, but you can also read the series online starting here.)

In that first volume, I read the following quote from an early Christian called Justin Martyr around 160 A.D. (while speaking with an unbelieving Jew named Trypho):

But I am far from putting reliance in your teachers, who refuse to admit that the interpretation made by the seventy elders who were with Ptolemy [king] of the Egyptians is a correct one; and they attempt to frame another. And I wish you to observe, that they have altogether taken away many Scriptures from the translations effected by those seventy elders… For you assent to those which I have brought before your attention, except that you contradict the statement, ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive,’ and say it ought to be read, ‘Behold, the young woman shall conceive.’ And I promised to prove that the prophecy referred, not, as you were taught, to Hezekiah, but to this Christ of mine: and now I shall go to the proof.

Say what?!?!

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Wedding in a Church Building

How do you date effectively (from a Christian perspective)?

How do you parent teenage kids who are dating, without going insane or worrying excessively?

How do you build a healthy marriage that fulfills your needs and fills your life with joy?

What are the keys to strengthening your marriage so that it can withstand life's storms and stand the test of time?

If you want to answer these questions and more, listen to the audio messages linked below.

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How does someone become a great Bible student?

How does a person grow to the point that they genuinely enjoy studying the Scriptures?

If you've ever wanted to become a good Bible student but have struggled to make it happen, then this lesson is for you!

In this video, I explain how you can develop a habit of regular Bible study and a hunger to want to study more. You can reach a point where you deeply enjoy studying the Scriptures. It isn't difficult.

This video covers:

  • Why Bible study matters—what the end goal should be
  • The 3 biggest challenges people have to Bible study
  • Six ways to make Bible study a priority in your life
  • An overview of The Bible Study Cycle and how it relates to spiritual growth
  • Where to start when you don't know how to begin studying the Bible
  • How to maximize the 2 general study approaches
  • I demo how to use 3 of my favorite tools for Bible study
  • Ten tips to becoming a great Bible student

Check out the video here.

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Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church series

When you search for history of the church, it won't be long before you read of a man named Philip Schaff.

source: wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schaff_P.jpg

Schaff was an 19th century church historian and professor. His contributions, without the advantages of modern technology such as the Internet and air travel, are astonishing.

Perhaps his greatest work was an eight-volume series entitled History of the Christian Church. The series covers the time period from the life of Jesus through the life of John Calvin. Though initially published about 150 years ago, the series is still in print, a testament to its quality and usefulness, given our age of ever-increasing information.

It took me four years to read through this series. I highly recommend it. But the problem is, it's so long that most people are unable or unwilling to devote the time to it.

I read it on Kindle, which allowed me to digitally highlight and make notes.

The information is so vast that I concluded a modern, easily-searchable index was needed. So I built one! And I want to give you access to it.

Get free access to my "cliff notes" of Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church series, including a topically hyperlinked index.

  • Links to read Schaff's series online
  • Key quotes from each volume
  • My personal notes (I don't always agree with Schaff)
  • An introductory video explaining how to use the tools

 

*** Note: Volume 1 is available as of this post. Subsequent volumes will be published and indexed at the links provided. ***