Posts by Kountze Church of Christ

There are many lessons for a Christian to learn from in the Old Testament both good and bad. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, but they were a people that didn’t always choose God. The Book of Nehemiah contains a portion of their during a time they were choosing God coming from a captivity they endured after not choosing God. Nehemiah and Ezra were dealing with a people who wanted to follow God, but didn’t know how, so in Nehemiah…

At this point we have considered six of the seven steps you may take in an in-depth bible study. Those steps thus far have been – surveying the text, analyzing the text (Contextual, formal, & detailed), synthesis, and the one we looked at last week, reflection. If the bible student has followed these steps there should be a better understanding of the text, then when they first started. This understanding may not be perfect or without flaw, but hopefully it…

Continuing our consideration of methods to an in-depth study of Scripture we come to a step that is known as synthesis. Synthesis is simply a fancy way of saying “here is the main point.” So far in this process we have been looking at the finer details of a text. In the process of analysis, we are trying to find all of the little pieces. Synthesis is where we put the pieces together and see the full picture. A biblical…

In a Biblical study if surveying the scripture is where one asks questions and makes observations then biblical analysis is where they start answering those questions. There are three forms of analysis that we will consider for our purpose of studying scripture: contextual analysis, formal analysis, and detailed analysis. Contextual analysis seeks to answer two main questions; what was the historical, cultural, political landscape during the time the text was written, and how does the text relate to the passage/book…

Last week we considered what exegesis is, and some steps you may take during a study of scripture. This week we are going to consider that first step, surveying the scripture. This is maybe the most common and easy step one will take in their studies. (Acts 2:37) Surveying the scripture is another way of essentially saying, “what are your first thoughts after your first read through of the scripture?” This is where you write down your questions, highlight certain…

Exegesis is a weird word that many Christians have not heard before. It can simple be defined as a historical, literary, and theological analysis of scripture. Ultimately it is an investigation into scripture; the process of asking questions. Most who begin this process of breaking down a text have a similar goal, understanding. Most Christians seek this same thing. They seek to understand scripture. Sometimes one just doesn’t know simply where to begin. They are not biblical scholars. But they…

The Bible can be a complicated book and hard to understand at times. Reading it in a year is a challenge and you may encounter verses, chapters, and maybe even books that are confusing. As a result, this sometimes leads us to look towards outside sources for guidance. There is nothing wrong with many of these sources, but we should not let them influence us to taking their words as gospel. Every student of the Bible, and as a Christian…

How the Holy Spirit changes us from our former life into a mirror image of Jesus is misunderstood by so many. The Bible nowhere teaches that the Spirit works directly on our hearts to make me a more spiritual person. The Spirit does change us, and the Bible clearly shows how this happens. It is true that the Spirit is part of our walk with the Lord. It is true our growth as a child of God involves change and…

William T. Turner was captain of the Lusitania when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat in May, 1915. He was one of the few officers saved (obituary note from Montreal Gazette, 6/24/33). The Atlantic writes in an article that Turner was “relieving captain” of SS Ivernia when it was torpedoed by a German U-boat on New Year’s Day, 1917, and he once again survived (James Gould, 5/7/15). Turner was a man renowned for heroics and not a coward, which…

Jesus has a way of remaining consistent even under the most chaotic of circumstances. In the eighth chapter of Luke, we have a small, but mighty, account of the Lord calming a storm on the sea. Previously to the storm, Jesus instructed His disciples to go across to the other side of the lake. They began their trip but shortly after, the followers watched as water poured into the boat with mighty gusts of wind. The disciples acted on their…

There was a strong word of condemnation expressed by Zephaniah concerning individuals who believed God to be one who remains idle and inactive in this world (Zeph. 1:12). Not only is it doctrinally false to take on this belief, but it becomes an overwhelming burden to perceive God as distant. The New Testament emphatically reminds us that God seeks to be near to us. This is especially seen with Immanuel being born (Matthew 1:23), the Spirit being sent to dwell…