The majority of the books found in the New Testament are actually letters sent from a particular person to a church, region or individual. We call these books epistles or letters. Some of the letters in the New Testament were long and formal like Romans, while others were short and personal like Philemon. An amanuensis was a professional scribe that was used to physically write the letter while the author would dictate.
As a pastor in Las Vegas I teach that Christians ought abstain from all alcohol, however I do acknowledge that there is a valid argument on the other side. All Christians understand that the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness but some suggest alcohol is moderation is acceptable. Though in no way do I want to be a thief of grace as those in Colossians 2:21-22, I do believe it is important to bring up several reasons why the modern, american christian should not partake.
I have often sat with those in our church who have recently come to faith in Jesus Christ, as they retell the story of their conversion there is almost without fail a reference to “something missing.” “I had a job, a family and a home. My life seemed good but something was missing. Then I came to Southern Hills… or Then someone shared Christ… or Then I found a Bible…”
This is a guest post from my father Dr. David Teis. Dr. Teis has been the pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Las Vegas for over 30 years. His wisdom and insight is a tremendous help to me and I pray it will be to you as well. Check out his blog at davidteis.com
The best book I have ever read personally on the subject of prayer is a book by John R. Rice called Prayer Asking and Receiving. Reading that book changed my prayer life. I have read it several times and it always makes an impact on me. The main point is that prayer is asking. It is not thanksgiving. It is not worship. It is not praise. It is not adoration. Prayer is asking. That is what the word means. God wants us to come to Him and ask Him for things.
As a student of Scripture begins to go deeper into the realm of Bible study he will begin to ask or be asked the most frustrating questions. Such as, who wrote this specific book, to whom was it written and when specifically was it written? If we are not careful we will look at these questions as pure trivia without truly understanding the value of their answers. Though it is true that the Scriptures are eternal (Psalm 119:89) and the truest author is the Holy Spirit (II Timothy 3:16), the date of the penning and the human penman are extremely important to a proper understanding of any book of the Bible. For our purposes we will use the book of Acts as an example:
Reading is not lame! I can remember as a child getting a hold of my very first copy of “Pilgrim’s Progress”. Mrs. Kerber was my Sunday school teacher and I was was only 9 years old when our class had a contest that ended in me winning 2nd place and the a fore mentioned christian classic. The book was obviously published by someone trying to market to my age group. Christian was on the cover with a shiny sword, a suit of armor, and a look of determination on his face that clearly stated his strength in the face of peril. That book changed the direction of my life in 2 BIG ways. First, I began to look at the christian life as a journey and an adventure. Secondly, I fell in love with books.
