More about ASSIMILATION

Replies to This DISCUSSION

Permalink Reply by Pamela Cook Dreyer on August 26, 2008 at 11:01am

I'll be honest. I get really grumpy and frustrated thinking about study aids, commentaries in particular. I'm sure the publishers meant well but it is generally their view on the scriptures, not Holy Spirit inspired. There have been too many commentaries that show cultural biases, in particular towards women and minorities. The Dakes and Scoffield bibles have commentary that is racist towards blacks in nature. There may be others but those two I am aware of. It seems that there is a rare commentary out there that is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Maybe I will stick with using Hebrew/Greek dictionaries and lexicons if needed. At this point I have not found it necessary to use them to confirm anything. I will be spirit led in this process of course. To me if you are very familiar with the voice of the Holy Spirit He will let you know what you need to know. As stated, much praying in tongues is required in order for the Holy Spirit to effectively teach the word to us.

Note: The publishers of the Dakes bible updated their commentary a few years ago after much consternation was sent their way.

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Permalink Reply by clint demoret on August 26, 2008 at 10:17pm

now.... we have...recieved.. the spirit which is of God!!! what glory is ours when we know of the spirit showing us things we have freely recieved .. of God.. man! , i am having a great time of joy typeing this.. when i am opening my bible i usually pray , "God, you know the exact page i need to be on, speak to me where to go and guide me to open at the page you want me to be reading. a lot of times i will hear the book and chapter ,sometimes i will get a passage i have heard. the other times when i hear nothing, i know, He knows how to have me open to the exact spot . while at church there has been many times that i have been reading stuff and then the pastor talks about right after i have been there already reading it. at one of the prayer conferences i was told to tell this guy i front of me to look at and read in hebrews . he was excited that i had opened to him a passage that taught on what he was dicussing with friends when he was eating between services. there have been times that i have been praying the pastors sermon before church without me knowing what they were going to speak on . i say all this because , for me ,my private bible reading time i see as a time of great opportunity to learn the leading of the holy spirit by His voice , and inner witness of peace , just knowing that i have a friend , a teacher that is all knowing , that will bare witness of His workings in the congregation of His people. so at church i am usually reading my bible and listening to the speaker at the same time till that witness of His spirit has me give my undivided attention to the speaker.in my time of priasing and singing unto him throughout my day He will give me words to look up sometimes , i heard zeal and seak , one day so i looked them up in the strongs concordance, i would not have put those together by myself. another time i heard the name i never heard before , jahoiakim, so i know this name is in the bible and i read of him and God spoke to me of president clinton and the nafta agreement and how king jahoiakim sold out his people. i never could have thought this up on my own. i never heard that name to my recollection. everyday is a new day, life, truth, and the way for the day we are in, is all that matters, not what we ate yesterday. sing psalms , hymms , and spirit songs , out of the melody you have in your heart. pray unendingly, look to see the who,the what,the when, and the where, of being a servant to secure the most good you can for this day. become a servant of all. God shall fill your all and be all in all. when you seek to serve Him this way. i want to let everyone know that i first and foremost am speaking to myself and encouraging myself in the lord with my posts and i hope to minister grace to you . as i do , to myself. God bless you and may great grace be unto you.

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Permalink Reply by Matt Laing on March 24, 2009 at 6:34pm

Before I went to the Prayer Center I would make notes of sermons on a pad. The first few weeks at the Prayer Center I would do this diligently, as Dave preached. One day he stopped to make the point that by meditating/assimilating the word, the words themselves become the notes - and you don't need to take notes to understand the word. I feel like this was just for me because it was true that I was leaning on the notes as my source of revelation - rather than the word itself. (Thanks Dave!)

I have found this to be so true because each statement written in the word has a single thought/truth behind it - not multiple thoughts open to interpretation and relative thinking.
For an example: If I write you a letter, and you know me, I can make a statement with confidence that you know my heart and nature - knowing that you will understand the point I am making.
But if in 1000 years, someone skim reads my letter - they may get a very different interpretation of my original intent and statement. The interpretation may be good, or interesting - but if it's not what I originally intended to communicate - then it simply not truth.

This is why meditating/assimilating the word has to be the foundation over receiving current thinking - or hand-me-down doctrine - as it relates to the word.
I don't want to know what is relatively good or interesting - just the original truth/intent of the word.

Study aids and commentaries can shed light on cultural/historical points of view at the time - but it's only by the foundation of meditation and revelation from the HS that we can receive the original truth/intent of the word.

Thank God for Pastor Dave's teaching in this area!

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Permalink Reply by Charles Atkinson on March 25, 2009 at 10:30am

I've just got to put my .02 in on this! I am continually amazed how knowing His character clears up a lot of misunderstanding that religion would teach concerning a passage. Even as I read Old Testament passages, I have a much clearer understanding of the intended meaning by filtering the scripture through the lense of 'Jesus came to reveal the Father'. "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father." Seeing His compassion and hearing His truth "The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that you might have life." This single truth alone helps me to differentiate between how the Lord judges His people - showing mercy vs. releasing the wrath of the law (Lord).

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Permalink Reply by Matt Laing on March 26, 2009 at 9:57pm

Wow Charles - that is exactly the way I approach the word too. It seems you literally can not understand some of what God did in the Old without looking at the verses with the context of Christ crucified. Jesus said 'If you've seen me, you have seen the Father' - so everything in the words and actions of Jesus revealed the nature of God.
Often, I'll read a passage and not understand it but know that it does or does not mean what the "establishment" say depending on whether what they say is consistent with the nature and character of God - as revealed in Jesus.
What an encouragement.

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