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For The Greatest Good

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ May 8th, 2008

For centuries, Romans 8:28 has been a favorite Scripture: “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God” (NASU). Many find great comfort in it. Unfortunately, many do not understand this Scripture and doubt God when tragedy strikes their lives. In fact, it is one of the most misunderstood, misused, and misapplied verses in the Bible. This verse is used to say that everything in life is going to work out for you if you love God, but this is not what is being taught. A close examination and deeper understanding of this verse, however, gives us even greater comfort, because what is happening in our life is contributing to the greatest good in existence.
To begin with, we need to understand what this verse isn’t saying. First, we must understand that God is not the source of tragic events in our lives—this is the claim of Calvinistic predestination. This doctrine makes God guilty of everything that happens including the evil that is in the world. What an insult to God! Tragedy is part of life and the natural world. Second, we must understand Christians will not be spared pain and suffering in the life (cf. Romans 8:18). Third, we must understand any tragedy we face need not separate us from the love of God because that love will be seen in the end (cf. Romans 8:35-39).
Now, let’s look at what the verse means. The phrase “according to His purpose” is an adverbial phrase (in the Greek language). This means it must modify a noun. The only noun is “works.” This means God is doing good works to accomplish His purpose. This does not mean everything is going to be pleasant and work out all right; it is saying that God will use your life for the good of His purpose—even your sufferings. In other words, if we trust God He will even use our sufferings for good. Perhaps the best translation of this verse is found in the Revised Standard Version (RSV): “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 has nothing to do with God making good things happen. It has nothing to do with God preventing bad things from happening. It has everything to do with trusting God to use everything in our lives to contribute to His purpose—the greatest good of all.

Bible Eating Nutrition Guide

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ May 6th, 2008

Okay, I haven’t been as faithful posting to this blog as I originally intended, but I will do better. My goal is to write two posts every week in addition to my bulletin article, but I have been a little lazy the past couple of weeks–please forgive me.


I don’t know why I like to compare Bible study to eating. Perhaps it is because I really enjoy both of these activities (I probably enjoy the eating a little too much). I think the comparision is useful though, because the Bible is our spiritual food and we need to consider how to have good nutrition spiritually so we can be healthy Christians.


Often, a food pyramid is used to teach healthy eating habits. The general idea is the most important part of our nutrition (i.e., whole grains) forms the foundation of the pyramid and supports the rest. Moving up the pyramid you find the next most important groups (Fruits and vegetables). Then you have Dairy and Meats. Finally, you have at the very top things that are bad for you if you consume too much of them (i.e., fats, oils, and sugars). This pyramid idea has been and is being disputed, but that’s okay. The goal of this post is not to teach healthy eating habits. Lets look at how this applies to the Bible.


If I were to make a pyramid for Bible nutrition (which I guess I did), it might look something like the pyramid to the right (Click on the pyramid for easier reading). The following explains each section of this pyramid.

Good Bible Translations: This must be the foundation of proper Bible study–it is what we are studying! Too many people get caught up in using Bible study tools and guides and lose sight of what they are actually trying to study. This is the only part of the pyramid that is necessary to understand God’s will. I believe word-for-word translations are best (KJV, NKJV, ASV, NASU, RSV, ESV) because God inspired the Bible word-for-word (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Paraphrase and dynamic equivalent translations take more liberties with God’s word and get in the way of Bible study. Also, I am not a fan of study Bibles. These are just commentaries inside your Bible. It is food someone else has chewed and spit it out for you to consume. Don’t eat pre-chewed food. Its gross and wrong. There is, however, one study Bible I am interested in learning more about: The New Inductive Study Bible. Instead of being a commentary, this one acts as a guide to Bible study giving you instructions on how to study each book of the Bible (if you have one of these study Bibles please let me know what you think of them). In addition, a Greek New Testament or Greek Interlinear is very useful. The Bible was inspired in its original languages and by studying them we get a more accurate, colorful, and in-depth study of God’s Word.


An Exhaustive Concordance: This is a tool that points you back to the Bible. It merely gives every occurence of a word letting you examine topics and study how the Bible writers used a particular word. Watch out! Some concordances are not exhaustive (i.e., they do not give every occurrence of a word). The occurrences displayed by these concordances have been chosen according by some guy and he/she thinks is important. This can give you an inaccurate picture of topics and word use. Don’t let some guy dictate your Bible study, get an exhaustive concordance.


Greek Lexicons/Grammar: If you want to study the New Testament in its original language you are going to need these tools. Grammars in particular will be useful. Studying the Greek involves looking at more than what the word means. The grammar of Greek is very detailed and precise (more so than English).


Bible Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Atlases: These give you historical information about people and places in the Bible. All the information you really need to know, however, is already in the Bible.


Manners and Customs Books: These tell you about the life during the time of Bible writers and heroes. It also explains some of their actions that can seem odd to us. Again, all the information you really need to know about these things is already in the Bible.


Commentaries: These are the fats, oils, and sugars of Bible study and should be used sparingly and as a last resort. Commentaries are the work of another’s Bible study. They can be inaccurate and misleading. They are like highly processed foods–they are not nearly as good for you as going to the source.

Lame Christians

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 30th, 2008

Think of a time when you sprained your ankle or tore a muscle. Suddenly, tasks you didn’t think about before now take tremendous effort and pain (e.g., crossing a room, going up a flight of stairs, getting in and out of a car). For some the Christian life seems to be as difficult. They make a commitment to attend worship, but when Sunday morning comes, the task seems loathsome. They determine to read their Bibles every night, but are too tired when it is time. Why is it that so many make choose to take the name of Christ, but do not follow through by living the life? The problem is some Christians are lame.

In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah asks the Israelites: “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” In his question, Elijah uses an ancient figure of speech most Bible translations have interpreted for us. Literally he is asking: “How long will you limp between two opinions?” It draws to mind a people torn between two masters. They would follow Baal until God showed them the consequences. Then they would limp back to God for a little while. Soon they would begin to long after Baal again and start limping towards him. Their life was a misery of limping between two masters. While limping between Baal and God, they could not devote themselves completely to God. They needed to make a choice.

Today, some Christians limp back and forth, refusing to make a choice. They want to serve God, but they never really give up their old ways of living. They stay up late on Saturday and are too tired to come to worship, much less Bible class in the morning. They slowly start to drift away. Then, all of a sudden they make a decision to be a better Christian. For a few days, weeks, even months their spiritual life improves—more prayer, more study, and better attendance. After awhile, however, they lose their fervor and start slowly drifting away again. This cycle repeats over and over and over again. How long, oh Christian, will you limp between two opinions?

If we want to be more than lame Christians we must devote our lives completely to God. This means attending worship even when we do not feel like it or are tired. It means taking the time to pray and study God’s word even when we think we have no time. Once we make the commitment and stick to it, Christian living will come easily. We will lose that limp and walk tall.

Bait and Switch #3—Worship

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 24th, 2008

The last bait and switch we will look at in this series of articles is the switch made in God’s desired worship. This series could go on nearly forever but we will end it with this last topic. The primary reason most people attend church is to worship God. For some worship is a ceremonial and highly ritualistic event. For others it is an exciting emotional There are even those whose worship is much like a rock concert. The question is what does God want? We are told in John 4:23-24, a true worshipper must worship in Spirit and in truth. Here we have an instruction for how to be a true worshipper of God. Now if there are true worshippers, there must also be false worshippers otherwise the distinction would not be necessary. Lets examine just one aspect of our worship—music.

The New Testament clearly commands us to sing (cf. Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 14:15). This singing is to be done with the mouth in a joyful manner that will teach, encourage, and edify one another. It is to be a congregational event with everyone participating equally. Unfortunately man’s additions (i.e., musical instruments, choirs, solos, etc.) get in the way of this purpose. Musical instruments are not mentioned or authorized in the New Testament. Musical instruments do not teach or edify. In addition, the entire congregation cannot play musical instruments—not everyone has the skill, talent, or inclination. Choirs and solos highlight and praise individuals not God. All of these hinder the pure purpose of music in worship.

History clearly testifies to the fact it was over six centuries after the time of Christ that musical instruments were introduced into Christian worship. Why so long? It wasn’t because they didn’t have instruments. Musical instruments existed since the time of Jubal, Cain’s near descendant (Genesis 4:21). It wasn’t because they didn’t know how to play instruments. The priest played instruments in the Old Testament Temple worship. It wasn’t because they didn’t enjoy musical instruments. People of that time were just as fond of music and instruments as people are today. So what was the reason? The only reason that makes sense is they avoided musical instruments in worship because they knew it went against the will of God.

The focus in denominational worship is not on what God wants; it is one what man wants and enjoys. Pianos and organs are used letting people hide their voices in the overwhelming sound. There are praise bands to make music palatable for the younger generations. There are choirs enabling the majority of the congregation to just sit back and be entertained. None of these examples are in keeping with the worship God instructs us to observe in the New Testament.

The bait offered by denominations is Godly worship, but it is switched with man’s worship. This is a serious issue. In Amos 4:4-5, God talks about those who are multiplying their transgressions by worshipping Him incorrectly. In Amos 5:21-23, God says He doesn’t even want to hear worship that is done incorrectly. God has not left it up to man to decide how to worship Him; we must obey His instructions to be true worshippers.

The Great Sea Adventure–VBS 2008

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 21st, 2008

We’ve decided on the theme for our VBS this year–The Great Sea Adventure. We are excited to have more time and more involvement in preparations than last year and expect it to be a great VBS. Please join us as we explore some of the great sea adventures in the Bible. It will run from July 13th to July 16th from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Bait and Switch #2—Church Organization

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 17th, 2008

The second bait and switch we will look at in this series of articles is the switch made in God’s leadership of the church. It seems many religious groups today give no thought to examining the Bible’s pattern when they organize their body of believers. Instead, they follow what they think is best and logical.

The New Testament Church has a very simple organization. Christ is the head of every local church (Colossians 1:18). There are no earthly headquarters or human head (like the Pope). Each congregation is autonomous and self-governing. There is no organizational tie between congregations. The Bible uses the terms Elder, Presbyter, Overseer, Bishop, Shepherd, Pastor interchangeably to refer to a single office in the church (cf. Acts 20:17, 19; 1 Peter 5:1-3). Local churches appoint their own plurality of elders using 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9 as guidelines for the qualifications (cf. Titus 1:5). Elders have authority only over the members of the local church, not members from outside congregations (1 Peter 5:2).

Most denominations today have a complex organization like a national government. They have a central church or headquarters, regional headquarters, and other various degrees of organization until finally you come to the local congregation. The Pope is the head of the Catholic church—under him, cardinals, bishops, etc. supervise the work of many local churches. Protestant denominations have centralized headquarters, councils, societies, and officers that supervise the work of the local churches. All such arrangements violate local church independence and oversight. None of these arrangements are mentioned or authorized by the Bible—they are the product of man’s thinking and reasoning.

Even in the local congregation, the organization of most denominations is skewed from the Bible’s teachings. Often, the preacher will be the head of a local congregation and will be called a “Pastor.” He will be in charge of that church and reign supreme unless members go above his head to one of the organizations above their congregation. Many times these men will not meet the qualifications for being Pastors (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9). In addition, the Bible never approves of one man being in charge local congregation. Instructions regarding appointing elders requires more than one elder to be appointed (cf. Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5).

The bait offered by denominations is Godly leadership, but it is switched with man’s leadership. In Isaiah 55:9, God says: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Who are we to say we know better than God? We need to heed God’s plan, not man’s.

How to Eat Your Bible

by Jeremy Sprouse ~ April 14th, 2008


God has set a feast before us. Deuteronomy 8:3 tells us: “man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” God’s Word is a feast which will sustain and enrich us, but many do not seem to get any benefit from its study. The problem: they don’t know how to eat a Bible. Let’s consider a few suggestions for following a good Bible diet.

First, realize you can eat your Bible. Many people don’t believe they can understand the Bible. Some have been told they can’t by someone they trust; others think they need some expert to understand; some are confused and think the Bible is full of contradictions–ALL LIES! The Bible commands us to understand the will of the Lord (Ephesians 5:17). God would not ask us to do anything we were not capable of achieving. In 1 Timothy 2:4, we are told God wants all men to come to the knowledge of the truth. God has not set us up to fail, He has set us up for success by giving us His Word. Accept that you can understand the Bible, pray for understanding, and dive in.

Second, we need to have a consistent diet. Normal people don’t eat just one meal a week, they eat three plus meals a day (some people eat way too much). Yet, we expect to study our Bibles once a week (or less) and expect it to enrich our lives. God’s Word is absorbed into our lives and understood when we meditate on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). Paul wrote to Timothy to show him how he could be constantly nourished on the words of faith (1 Timothy 4:6). We need to be like the noble-minded Bereans and study God’s Word daily with great eagerness (Acts 17:11).

Third, be willing to give adequate time and effort to Bible study. Slow down, chew your food, and enjoy what you are eating. So often people sastisfy themselves with a quick read of God’s Word or one of those pathetically shallow devotional books. Some of what the Bible says is hard (not impossible) to understand (2 Peter 3:15-16), we need to dig in and examine the Bible. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to engage in diligent study to be a good workman who handles God’s Word accurately.

Finally, prepare yourself to “stomach” the Bible. Not everyone can accept what the Bible says because they haven’t prepared themselves to accept it. If you are used to eating meat and potatoes and you feast on spicy Indian food you are setting youself up for queasy day. In the same way, if you come to the Bible with an attitude of “I already know what I need to know, and I am not going to change anything” your Bible study will not be fruitful. Accepting the following Biblical principles will help you stomach God’s Word:

  • Don’t add to or take away, Deut. 4:2, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19; 1 Cor. 4:6
  • Don’t trust your feelings, Jer. 17:9, Prov. 28:26
  • Don’t trust your opinions, 2 Pet. 1:20-21
  • Allow the Word to correct you, 2 Tim. 3:15-17