It is vitally important that we realize that God inspired the scripture and it is not important what ” WE THINK, WE THOUGHT, HE SAID”
Textual Or Lower Criticism

The first step in correctly interpreting Bible text involves restoring the original text of documents which have been exposed to the hazards of successive copying and recopying. Obviously, we do not have any original manuscripts produced by Moses, David,the Prophets, Paul, Mark, Matthew, etc.

A number of scholars have devoted their entire lives to interpreting the various ancient manuscripts and writings of the church fathers in order to give us, except in a few cases still disputed, what is genuine and true to the original manuscripts.

Higher Criticism

The next step called “Higher criticism” involves asking a number of questions concerning any given text to establish the basics of when, where, why, and how the text was produced. This is precisely what we will be doing in the upcoming lectures titled “Old Testament Survey” and “New Testament Survey.”

Higher criticism involves the following considerations.

1.   Determining the authorship of a manuscript (by means of internal or external evidence) – For instance, it is significant to note that the book of James was probably written by the half brother of Jesus and pastor of the Jerusalem church.

The books of Luke and Acts were written by a well-educated physician named Luke, and this explains the detail with which he describes various illnesses in his writings.

2.   Establishing the date of its origin – It is interesting to note in Acts l9:6 when “…the Holy Ghost come on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. ” that it was 25 years after the original day of Pentecost.

3.    Genuineness – Did events or details recorded in the text actually occur? Example: The temple described in chapters 40 – 48 of Ezekiel was never built, and this caused some serious doubt of the legitimacy of the book.

4.   Destination – What was the target audience or to whom was the book originally addressed? Example: The book of Acts is addressed to Theophilus, yet no one knows who this is.

It has been suggested that Theophilus refers to all Christians (Theophilus means “loves God”), or perhaps it refers to an undiscovered city of that day; and still others have suggested that Theophilus was Paul’s attorney and that the book of Luke and Acts were written to serve as his defense during the Trial in Rome.

5.   The purpose – Why was the document written? Example: The books of Job and Psalms, as well as others, were written as Hebrew poetry.

6.   The place of writing – Example: Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while in prison.

7.   The nature of the document – Is it historical? Is it fictional? Is it prophetic? Example: The book of Revelation is considered apocalyptic literature meaning “hidden from view.”

By subjecting the text to these various steps, we begin to close the gaps separating the reader from the intent of the author.

If your having problems with finding the right material for your sermons go to www.sermonsfromthemount.com there are a lot of excellent sermons and resources there.

By Pastor Kirt Eure

Leadership Through Servanthood

Paul says that Christ cared for the church in such a manner that it “should be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).  Just as Christ would never do anything that would compromise the integrity of His bride (the church), so husbands should always behave in a manner that promotes their wives’ holiness before God.

It is quite common today for men to cajole their wives into viewing pornography or going to “strip clubs” as a means of “sprucing up their sex life.”  Sadly, many secular marriage therapy texts see this as a legitimate technique to increase sexual intimacy in marriage. Christian marriage counselors find that many who would describe themselves as believers engage in similar activity.

Husbands leading their wives in such behavior is only one example of how they contribute to their wives defilement. Husbands that flirt with other women also contribute to their wives’ defilement.

The wife, feeling neglected and lonely, may seek solace in some unhealthy way: overeating, substance abuse, or an extra marital relationship of their own. It is the wise husband that remembers that ” If he refuses to be the husband God called him to be, Satan has someone who will.”

The husband wields tremendous power, power that, on one hand, can result in great love and devotion, and, on the other , can produce generations of pain and suffering. Husbands must make a choice regarding the type of legacy they want to leave.

The writer of Deuteronomy said it best, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live”  (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Pastor Kirt Eure

Check out Part 1 – 4 of Leadership Through Servanthood

Leadership Through Sevanthood Part 1

Leadership Through Sevanthood Part 2

Leadership Through Sevanthood Part 3

Leadership Through Servanthood

Validating her beauty.  Agatha Christie, the famous English Mystery writer once commented, “An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have – the older she gets, the more interested he is in her.”

It was God’s intention that marriage partners be attractive to one another. Indeed, physical appearance is usually the first quality that attracts future mates to each other. It certainly is not a sufficient basis for a relationship, but it is , in most cases , a necessary one.

Paul states that Christ made the church radiant, “to present her to himself as a radiant church”  (Eph 5:27). Christ cares about his church in such a way that it results in beauty, glory and radiance. Likewise, husbands should do all in their power to help their wives feel beautiful and attractive.

When a wife prepares to leave for work in the morning or when she presents herself ready for a romantic dinner and asks. “How do I look?”  her husband should say, “wonderful!”  Ask any woman and she will tell you that “good,” “nice” and “fine” are simply unacceptable responses!

Kirt Eure - Leadership Through Servanthood

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Leadership Through Servanthood Part 1

Leadership Through Servanthood Part 2

Leadership Through Sevanthood 4