For your consideration this month, I am writing about four observations or notes on some Biblical versus which I found interesting. None merits an entire column, but each is worth passing along. At least, I hope you will think so.

NOTE #l:
It is often stated that the Bible is a book of faith, not of science. Skeptics say that the Bible contradicts science. Admittedly, whi1e sometimes our misinterpretation of scriptures conflicts with science, it is instructive to note how often the Bible was and is ahead of popular science. When men still believed the earth was flat, scripture clearly stated it to be round:
PROV. 8:27 “When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth”
ISA. 40:22 “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in”

NOTE #2:
Isaiah 9:6-7 is one of the best known prophecies about Jesus. The various titles given to him have inspired countless comments and explanations. It is very interesting to compare the most commonly quoted KJ translation and text with that of the Septuagint. First, the King James:
ISA. 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
ISA. 9:7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Remember that the Septuagint is the Greek version of the Old Testament. It is the translation that was being used most often in Jesus’ time on earth. Please note the differences with the KJ version:
ISA. 9:6 “For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will bring peace upon the princes, and health to him.
ISA. 9:7 “His government shall be great, and of his peace there is no end: it shall be upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to support it with judgment and with righteousness, from henceforth and for ever. The zeal of the lord of hosts shall perform this.”

NOTE #3:
John the Baptist warned the people not to rely on the fact that were descendants of Abraham to protect them from coming judgments.
MATT. 3:9 “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”
Within this verse is a very interesting play on words in the Hebrew. "Children" is BANIM; "stones" is ABANIM. It seems as if John may have been saying that God could create genuine children of Abraham "from these stones" and build them into the sanctuary of His community as a spiritual temple.

NOTE #4:
One of the more prevalent theories about how the Bible was put together (written) challenges the idea that Moses wrote most of the first five books of the Bible (the Torah). Jesus himself, however, claims Moses as the author. Check out John 5:45-47 as an example. Actually, Jesus quotes from each of the books of the Torah and attributes each one to Moses. It is also interesting that the book of Genesis alone is directly quoted in the New Testament 145 times. Over 100 of these quotes are from the first 11 chapters.

"One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." (Luke 5:1-6)

The Lake of Gennesaret is the same as the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen there had left their boats and were washing their nets. Here comes Jesus! The Lord climbed into Simon Peter's boat and asked him to push the boat out a little from the land. Jesus needed a pulpit. What a pulpit!

Here we have an illustration that is both figurative and suggestive. Every pulpit is a "fishing boat," a place to give out the Word of God and attempt to catch fish. He had told these men that He would make them fishers of men. We certainly don't "catch fish" every time we go fishing for the Lord. The disciples didn't. It does mean that we must not forget that one of the most important tasks of this life is to fish for the lost and unknowing.

After the Lord had finished speaking to the people, He said, in essence: "Now we'll leave off fishing for men, and we're going to fish for fish. Matthew and Mark tell us that the first time the Lord called these men He was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea. They were fishermen. The Lord said to them: "'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'" (Matthew 4:19) and "'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and I will make you fishers of men.'" (Mark 1:17)

Now these men have returned to their occupation of fishing. The Lord evidently made three calls to His disciples. He met most of them in Jerusalem. John tells us about it in John chapter one. When John the Baptist pointed Him out, several of His disciples wanted to know where Jesus lived. Among those who followed John were Philip, Nathanael, Simon Peter and Andrew. The Lord did not call these men to be disciples at this time; He just met them. Later on, the Lord passed by the Sea of Galilee, saw them fishing, and called them to follow Him. They left their nets and followed Him. Now they had returned to the fishing business. Later on, Luke will tell us that once again the Lord called them to go fishing for men, and at that time made them apostles.

As our Lord had been speaking to the crowd from his boat, Simon Peter had been sitting in the boat listening. When He finished speaking, He told Simon, "Launch out into the deep, and let your net down. You quit fishing with me; now I am going to fish with you." This was the true meaning of His promise to make them fishers of men.

"But because you say so, I will let down the nets," indicates that Simon Peter had put up an argument. These guys were expert fishermen, and thought they knew all about fishing in the Sea of Galilee. I believe they did. Peter makes it very clear that they had fished all night without catching anything.

The story is told that when a well-known World War II commander gave a command to one of his generals, he answered that it was impossible to implement the order. The commander then told him, "You go ahead and do it, because I don't give impossible commands." When the Lord Jesus Christ gives a command, you do not need to argue with Him, and say "We've tried it before and it cannot be done." He does not give impossible commands. Fishing must be done according to His directions. There are many lessons for us here. Fishing is an art. You must go where the fish are; you must use the right kind of bait; you must be patient. But the important lesson He is teaching us is that we must fish according to His instructions, if we are ever going to win men for Him.

In the first instance, the net broke. Later on, in the book of John (21:1-14), a net overloaded with fish does not break. The fisherman's net illustrates a truth. In the first instance, the net can’t hold the fish, for the simple reason Christ has not yet died and risen from the dead. The “Gospel Age net” which will hold fish, must be one that rests upon the death and resurrection of Christ. At the time of this first event, there had been no death and resurrection of Our Lord. Therefore, the net broke.

A family is a very important thing. Your parents mold you and teach you right from wrong. You are shaped by what your parents do or do not do as you grow up. As you grow up, the more involved your family is in your life, the better person you will likely become. If your family is less involved during your childhood, the more likely you are to get into trouble. A family is a built-in support group and they are there when you need them.

As you get older and start your own family, there are different things in life that pull you away from your extended family (parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents). These are the people you see at most holidays and family events. The things that pull you away can be good or bad but in the end they still pull you away. This does not mean that you love them any less than you did if you used to see them all the time; it just means that your main priority is no longer each other. They may now also have families of their own with children and new extended families.

When families begin to adjust to growing apart, life is not on hold. Disagreements still occur and people still get sick. I believe God is there to protect you from having to deal with too many problems at one time. He will not give you more than you can handle. As you get older, the older generations in your family begin to pass away. Just because you did not see them as much as when you were younger, does not mean the pain of your loss is less. During all of these times, prayer is especially important. Our Father longs for us to hand our problems over to Him.

I believe that the spiritual family is just as important, if not more than important, than the natural family. I spend more time with my spiritual family from church than I do with any of my natural family, besides my wife and son. I believe that this is very important to the spiritual growth of my marriage and also for my son. There are studies showing that children who go to church on Sundays are less likely to get into drugs. I believe that this is because at church they have friends with similar beliefs that they do not feel they need to impress.

It is my experience that there is a greater support base from the spiritual family. Their reaction time is faster. Someone is always able to help in times of need. I have found comfort in talking to them when a relative has passed away or other trials in my life. I have felt extreme sadness when a member of the church has left or passed away.

I love my spiritual family at the Lombard Church as much as I love my natural family. I would do anything for them, just as I would for any member of my natural family. The fact that this love is reciprocated is a large part of what makes our church such a strong place. There are times when there may be disagreements but in the end the love for each other overrules so we can learn and continue to grow as a spiritual family.

Family love is unbreakable in my mind. One of the most important things that we can do as children of God is to love one another. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34 NKJV

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14

We’ve been having trouble with our computer lately. It tends to freeze often, especially when I’m in the middle of typing up a long project and haven’t saved my work yet! It also freezes when our son Mark is playing a game and he’s just about to win. How frustrating! Well, because we’ve been having trouble, David (my husband) has taken to backing up our hard drive regularly. Well, the other night, he was backing up MY folder of stuff and accidentally wiped it all out. All the worship services, readings, our personal mailing list, etc. ALL gone. Needless to say, I wasn’t very happy. Which leads me to my topic of (drum roll please)…. Forgiveness.

There are some people I know who seem to forgive easily. I am not one of these people. It is difficult for me to forgive others the wrongs they have done against me. I try to let something go, but at a later date when I encounter that person again, it sneaks up and I get those feelings of hurt or resentment or anger. Why do some of us have a hard time forgiving?

Recently, our women’s Bible study group has been studying the book, “What’s so Amazing About Grace?” by Philip Yancey. Through the study of grace, I’ve come to realize that I have trouble forgiving others and extending them grace because I’m not recognizing the grace and forgiveness I’ve received. It’s really pride that gets in my way of forgiving: I like to be right. It is very difficult for me to let something go, especially if that person hasn’t admitted his error. And pride is one of the biggest sins of them all: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

But how do we practically learn to forgive? Forgiving doesn’t demand justice; it lets go of the right to get even. It is wishing God’s best for that person despite the wrongs done to us. Here are some steps I’ve taken recently to learn how to forgive:
1. Pray that God give you a forgiving spirit – I’ve found that when I get upset and hurt, if I immediately take it to God in prayer, my focus changes from harboring that resentment to concern for the other person. It’s amazing what God can do with me when I let Him!
2. Assume the best about the person’s intentions – Most of the time, the other person isn’t intending to upset you. It has helped me tremendously to remember that most hurts are done in ignorance, not in spite.
3. Remember the grace you have received – It always helps to remember you need forgiving, too. Especially in situations with family members or spouses, we all have needed some forgiving in the past!
4. Replace bad thoughts with good ones – Most of my forgiveness battles take place in my head, and they occur because I choose to focus on the hurt and replay the situation over and over. If I replace the bad thought with a positive one, it’s easier to focus on the right things and let go of the hurt.
5. Hold on to possessions lightly – as Charmaine Thorfeldt has taught me, people are more important than things. If we value the people in our lives over our possessions, it’s easier to forgive an offense that involves things (this is a good one when you have children!)
6. Don’t gossip- Women are especially good at seeking out a friend who will wallow in our misery with us. Contrary to modern day thought, “talking about it” with another party does not help, rather it fuels your anger and hurt and spreads gossip about another. Gossip is a serious offense, and we ladies need to take it more seriously!

I have to say, I’m growing. The other night, I didn’t get really upset with my husband about the computer loss, I just forgave. I remembered that he didn’t trash my files on purpose, and there really wasn’t much on there I couldn’t re-do if I need to. After all, he has to put up with all of my stupid mistakes, too. I’m going to keep working on exercising grace over justice, forgiveness over retribution. It is, after all, by grace that we all are saved.

Mark your calendars! Plan ahead! Our annual Fall Seminar will be held this year on October 23. The topic will be "The Dead Sea Scrolls." It will be taught by Larry Urbaniak.

Background information will be given on exactly what the scrolls consist of, where they were found, and who wrote and/or collected them. We will discuss who the Essenes were, how their community was organized, and where and if they appear in the New Testament. Were John the Baptist and/or Jesus themselves Essenes, or were they influenced by this group? How have the scrolls verified or affected views on the texts of scriptures we already had? How will they affect future translations? We will discuss some specific examples of how the scrolls have helped us interpret and understand both some Old and some New Testament passages.

The seminar will begin at 10:00 a.m. Lunch will be served. We will conclude by sharing dinner at 5:00 p.m. Provision will be made for children. Accommodations will be provided for anyone from out of town who wishes to attend. Just let Melissa Slinn know ahead of time. We look forward to an exciting and informative day. Please pray for the Lord's blessing on our seminar.

Larry Urbaniak has written a brief, but detailed explanation of this puzzling story told by Jesus. If you would like a copy, please request it. It is a six page article. If you would like it sent via email, please request it at urbaniakjoyce@hotmail.com. If you want a copy given (or mailed) to you, please request it in person or write to Larry at 601 Glenwood Lane, Lombard, IL 60148.