922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran - Appleton, WI Sermons

How do you read the Bible to become a daily Bible reader? A rich African man knows. Will you listen to his encouragement? In this message, Pastor Tim Glende digs into this further.

Show Notes

How do you read the Bible? This massive book is filled with tens of thousands of verses, archaic practices, and hard-to-pronounce names. So how do you get to become a daily Bible reader? A rich African man knows. Will you listen to his encouragement? 

What is 922 Ministries - The CORE & St. Peter Lutheran - Appleton, WI Sermons?

The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries campus in Appleton, WI. St. Peter is in the north part of Appleton. The CORE is our downtown Appleton campus.

How To
Week 4 - St. Peter
Pastor Tim Glende

Welcome to week 4 of "How To" our Mission Vision series, gather, group, grow, give-and-go giving you how to use in those areas so that you can take your Jesus roots and have them be even stronger in the year ahead and we pray. We know that God promises, he will bless those roots with amazing fruit. So I want you to think about the last three weeks. Have you been here for our entire series? And I pray that you have. If you haven't, you can catch “How To” church, community and generosity online. But if there is one thing that ties all three of those weeks together, one commonality about making “How To” a next level opportunity in your life. How to maximize your roots? Write down this word.

Regularity. Like, if you want a key and a takeaway for the roots and doing them well, how to in these spiritual areas regularity?

Like show up for church regularly, it's one time a week. Get into a group, do life together in the two seasons, that we have them one night a week? And give, be generous as you can. But the Bible's encouragement is to make it regular in keeping with what you have on the first day of the week, whether it's bi-weekly, monthly, irregularly because you get your salary in different ways, But regularity is vital to strong roots. And I bring it out today because there's probably no more root an area of our spiritual life, where regularity is essential to create a habit, experts would tell you. And when you're trying to build a habit, create a habit that will stick. It takes work, it takes intentionality, takes a plan. And you've maybe heard the myth that as long as you do something for about 30 days time, it'll stick and happen. Have you ever heard that myth? Like do something for 30 days? It will become a habit maybe. A study that was done about 10 years ago by the European Journal of Social Psychology actually said this about habits: a new habit that you want to make a permanent habit an atomic habit, it can take up from 18 days on the short end, up to 254 days to form it. And I said there's a whole lot of variables, as to where it will fall in that timeline. Hey, let's say you want to create the habit of drinking more water regularly. It's far easier to do that on a daily basis than it is for someone who wants to create the habit of doing 50 sit-ups every morning before they go to work. Drinking water, less work 50 situps, hard work. It's going to take longer to do the one than it will the other. And I think when it comes to the roots and the regularity of those other things, I think the one for today is probably the one that takes the longest. It's going to be closer to the 254 days. Then it is the 18 days.

And you know how I know that. You.

In May, we did a survey of our members on their roots. We got somewhere between 100 and 200 responses. The ones who responded were the, let's just be honest, people who are more rooted and more likely to give feedback. So in this group are people who gather a lot who give fairly regularly but you know, when we asked you which one of your five Roots, these 100-plus respondents who came back to us, said they wanted to work on most over the next six months. Their Grow root. How to Bible?

In and asking them why it wasn't because they didn't want to. It wasn't because they could care less. It wasn't because they didn't see the blessing that could come from it. It literally was the how to is really hard to.

But I can convince you that you're not alone. In thi,s that there's examples in the Bible about this that we can learn from them. And that you can maybe take some practical things and apply them to your life of faith in your grow root because it's so vital and important to stay on the storms that come. To stand the challenges that are real to wrestle and deal with anxiety and emotional wellness to face death. Well, if you want to do all those things as best you can, with God's help by God's grace, how to Bible, well, matters.

I'm not about to pitch anything that I don't think is challenging and difficult for you and not admit that it's hard for me.

I guess I'm a pastor. I study the Bible. I preach on the Bible. I spend time in the Bible every day but how to Bible personally is challenging for me too.

For some of the same reasons is for you. There's distractions, there's work. My personality type, my strengths. Temptation is hard to deal with. And as much as I know, it's important, I want to, but I don't always know how to, as well as I could do.

So I'm going to share with you a section from scripture just to see That people wrestled with this, that they struggle with this because reading the Bible is not easy. Some things we can learn about how to better from this man, but also, then from a verse so that you can be blessed.

Chapter 8 to see the story of a man 2,000 years ago, who wanted to know how to and, and wanted to but struggled with it, an angel of the Lord said to Philip go south to the road, the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, so he started out. And on his way, he met an Ethiopian, this man had gone to Jerusalem to worship and on his way home was sitting in his Chariot, reading the book of Isaiah, the prophet. Stop and pause there for just a second and you get a little insight as to where we're headed. There's two main characters, but I want to give you some context if you want to how to Bible. Well sometimes the context helps you understand better. What's going on?

How to context of Acts chapter 8? Is that the early Christian Church was growing? Pentecost 3000 added to their number. Multiple people are coming to the faith. The Holy Spirit is on fire. The disciples are on fire. They are preaching the message the church is growing, but Acts chapter 7 changed everything. Stephen, the first martyr was killed and now the church is being persecuted. So not only is a church growing, but the church is going like scattering, all sorts of directions encountering, all sorts of people. And that's what's happening here. There's this man from Ethiopia. He was a eunuch. He served the queen. He had well, he was in his Chariot. He was coming to Jerusalem and Phillip is sent by God to this place, and there he meets them. Let's see what happens next. Is that the man was reading the book of Isaiah. Philip was told by the spirit to go to that Chariot and stay near it then. Philip ran up to the Chariot and heard the man reading. Isaiah the prophet, do you understand what you are reading Philip i s,now hold it there, stop there for just a second.

And you get your context in this text.

God is up to something. He directs Phillip to a road. He calls Philip to go to the chariot. He knows what's going on. God has a plan, Philip knew none of that Philip is just being obedient.

And when he gets up to the chariot, he sees and hears the man has the book. Open the scroll open, probably of the book of Isaiah. Any ask a question like, Phillip didn't know what God was up to, but Philip saw the open door and the opportunity that he had. Do you understand what you're reading? Philip asked.

Now, before we go into the next part, I want you to remember two things. Because sometimes we forget this part. The Ethiopian man was reading the Bible. That means he had some knowledge of God in the Old Testament and might have been Jewish. Maybe it was a Jewish, Jewish by birth and he got taken off to Egypt. Maybe he was brought to and converted to Judaism and was in Jerusalem to worship in the temple and was reading Isaiah, the prophet, one of the most famous books. The thing about reading the book of Isaiah two thousand years ago versus today you and I have the second part of the book. Like the connect the dots New Testament to the Old Testament book.

And the prophet Isaiah, perhaps of all the books in the Bible is littered with the most profound important, deep and significant and specific messages and prophecies about Jesus Christ. The one who was going to come, who he was going to be, what he was going to do whose family tree, he was from well, all the things that he was going to endure and do. But you know what, this man didn't have, because it did not exist, the New Testament.

The only way anyone could know about Jesus Christ would have been Word of Mouth.

And the odds are pretty good, my guess. That maybe that hadn’t made it to Ethiopia yet. And if this man went to Jerusalem to the temple to worship and he was an Old Testament Jew by birth.

He probably had only heard from Jewish people who didn’t much like Jesus, if the church was being persecuted, I don't know, in my opinion, as I read it and observe it, all those things are going on. And so Philip asked him. Probably assuming he doesn't have knowledge, do you understand it? To which the man says, “How can I? Unless someone explains it to me.”

I want to the book was open. I think I need to.

But how to, and what’s very specific to him and unique is because of the timing in the setting. I would guess the odds are good that you've been in that same place like him.

How can I Bible?

I don't know how to there's a lot I don't understand when I do.

Which leads to a lot of the reasons how people don't Bible well.

Like, I want you to imagine for just a second that God didn't have a plan here and Philip never showed up here and the Ethiopian man is reading Isaiah.

And he doesn't know how to understand.

What would you do?

What have you done?

Like, if you just kept on reading, Even though you don't get it, to check the box,

Are there any times where you got frustrated and you stop? Because you didn't know how to understand it and you just never picked it up again and it blocked your grow route from growing.

Did you set it aside? Did you get frustrated? Did you maybe go through the motions? You know when those moments happen usually the wrong ways to Bible happen. You start, assuming you already know it, no big deal, you start to assume you don't really need it. Like I got the small things figured out, you skip it, you forget it. You're too proud to ask for others to help you with it.

All those elements are how to no-nos when it comes to “how to” Bible well.

But you know what?

That's really easy to do.

Like the devil loves frustrated Christians who are too proud to ask.

Who think they know too much.

We think checking boxes is good enough.

And those versions of “how to” Bible will always leave you lacking.

This is why I love what happens next. He wanted to he was doing He didn't know how to. But he understood the right path to take how to to the next level to Bible better. He invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Would you come in my Chariot and sit here with me? Here's what I'm reading.

It's reading. Isaiah chapter 53.

Like, perhaps the most beautiful section of Scripture for Christians who have both Old and New Testament. Like you can't miss the dots connecting to Isaiah's prophecy of the suffering savior, the wounded, afflicted by his wounds, you are healed section of Scripture. Because we have the New Testament. He's reading this section of Scripture. He, it's talking about Jesus, you and I know it's talking about Jesus. If you're not, if this is new to you, it's talking about Jesus. And after he's done reading the section that the man asked Philip this question because he got it, he knew it, he just didn't know how to answer it. Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else? Is Isaiah talking about himself, or is Isaiah talking about someone else? Like this is the pastor perfect moment. Like if you’re Philip, this strong Christian, he knew Jesus was one of the inside circle of people serving the church in Jerusalem. He had done some mission work, already had healed some people like I can imagine Philip’s eyes lighting up going , here it comes. Philip began with that very passage of Scripture right there. And told him the good news about Jesus.

Like by doing well as we learn from the Ethiopian Man, we're going to come back to it, don't be too proud to ask for help. Like how to, as hard?

Like the Bible is not easy to understand.

But how to Bible well, I can make it really easy for you in one little simple reminder. Like, as you Bible as your reading, You should find something in it all the time. Read strategically.

To focus on the most important part of the Bible. It's not easy to understand all of it. But by Bible well is easy, when you remember that Jesus is at the center of everything. Like from beginning to end. The Bible is all about God from beginning to end. It's a love story from God to you from beginning to end, its pointing you in the direction of Jesus Christ, from beginning to end. It's telling you that God wins, the devil loses. You win, Heaven is yours from beginning to end. If you will just remember as you read it, even in the hard parts, but God wins. I win, Jesus died. God loves me. Everything that you're reading in, it might not be completely understandable to you, you will Bible well, because you will be blessed deeply.

And that's exactly what Philip knew. Like how to Bible is to bring it to Jesus?

And I don't have the rest of the story up there, because remember I gave you the homework of reading this section. So if you did it, you know what happened. Next, I'll give you the cliff notes version.

The eunuch, the eunuch command that was there with Philip saw some water. He asked to be baptized, they get down, Philip baptized him in a moment as he's baptized Philip disappears from the scene by the power of the Holy Spirit, the eunuch man doesn't cry. Doesn't burn the book doesn't get upset because he's not learning more. No, he goes home rejoicing in the good news of Jesus Christ. Like, can I get an amen? Amen, right. How to Bible that is the truth.

Like be honest. I understand it's not easy but remember at the end of the day, the best way to make it easy is to bring it all back to Jesus like Phillip did And I want to help you with that. How do we understand? It's not easy and Bible well, and yet always come back to, it's really easy. When you keep the center in Jesus for front and how to Bible. Well, if you can tell, if I can tell you, you can find something about Jesus every day. You need more Jesus every day, maybe just maybe it might take you two hundred fifty four days to make this a, which is a really hard habit stick. But if you focus on Jesus, if you are okay, with it being difficult, if you follow these steps, I promise you,

Because God promises you that you will be blessed. So that's not my man-made promise. This is a God promised spoken through me. And to help you do that, the Bible, well, I got three verses from someone blessed is the one the same writer is writing its generic.

So it could be you could be me, could be you,could have been that Ethiopian man, could have been Philip. Blessed is the one fill-in-the-blank blessed is Tim. But his Delight is in the law of the Lord. And blessed is the one. Who meditates on it his law day and night. I want to help you a little bit with this because sometimes the Bible can be confusing. When you hear the word law, how many of you think of the Ten Commandments? A lot of you might because we did a good job of teaching you that in catechism. Sometimes the word law in the Bible, specifically, in the Old Testament is not that specific Ten Commandments law. It's a general word for all of the word of God from beginning to end. That's what this word is. The good news, the bad news, the law. The Gospel blessed is the one who just delights in the law of the Lord. His word in general, who meditates on his law day and night. Now, here's your big takeaway how to Bible, Well, 101 in that verse that word meditation,

In your Bible, Circle highlight it, and understand it. Well, what it really means to Bible? Well, equals to meditate on the word and meditate equals to chew. To chew. We use this phrase as Pastor sometimes around here. You probably heard it before. Pastor Mike on the grow root before is priest, in use this word, so forgive me if I repeat it, but I want you to understand the significance of it when it comes to Bible well and how to Bible, I need you to chew. If you're a farmer or group on a farm, you understand the imagery of this word. When a, when a cow chews

Like they chew it, they start digesting it, pardon my French but all the kids are really a way of bringing it back up. But not out and they chew some more. I know it's really disgusting, we don't do that as human beings, but animals do it because it helps them break down the food. That's this image.

Chew on it. The Bible says, and I didn't really understand this before, but to chew with that visual in mind, reminds me of what my mom and dad would tell me when I was younger, “Tim slow down, and chew your food.” And I'm like, “Mom, Tom is only a year younger than me and he is coming up fast on me. If I don't eat it really fast, I won't get to it first. “

So you need to chew.

And I kind of forgot about that. Which is why I'm so thankful for my granddaughter who reminds me of this. Like, you know, when they're little kids and they eat applesauce and all the pureed stuff, it just slides down, it's really easy. They can shovel it and there's no consequences but once they start learning hard food, that amazing gift that they had with the shovel of hands that just goes in and in and in fills up their mouth and they forget that they need to chew. And the first time I saw her eat macaroni and cheese which was a sight to behold it for yourself.

Mom and dad and Grandpa and Grandma like to slow down in their shoes. Because it will bless you, it won't make you sick. It won't hurt you. That's the visual I want you to have in your mind, one of those pictures, what it takes to Bible well, is to chew it, to slow down. Take time with it, chew it, to gnaw on it. Let it digest, maybe. Bring it back up again, in front of your eyes, and chew it again. Don't rush through it. I'll go through the motions because you think you're going to run out or you want to chew it?

And I have five tips for you before you go on, how to chew, how to Bible well. The first one is, is, can I convince you to plan for it? Like, if you do one thing today when you go home plan for it, Benjamin Franklin said a failure to plan is a plan to fail. Have a plan, make a plan. Pick a topic. Get a YouVersion. Bible app. Open pick a topic. Something on an issue that you want to address, have a plan. This is what I'm going to do. This is where I’m going to do it. This is who I'm going to tell what I'm doing. I'm going to have accountability, like pick a place. Pick a time. Pick material, have a plan, share it with somebody, have a plan, every expert would tell you if you want to make an atomic habit, have a plan, don't go aimlessly to the gym and wander around machines. Because after two days of wandering machines, you will not come back because you think everyone is staring at you and they're angry at you because you're in their way and they're telling you the truth. I'm just kidding. You got to have a plan. Like success comes with a plan. And this root, the hard root. How to Bible? Well, have a plan, have a person in place, know where you're going. I can give you some plans, I can give you some ideas. We develop three of these a year. You can do our fall reading plan that I'm going to highlight in a second. We have tools and resources outside that are foolproof and easy one page devotionals. This is a starting point if you don't have a strong grow and you want to how to Bible will pick up Grace moments 1 page, Daily Devotional really easy, really simple from WELS pastors, take up the Nations.

A passage at the top with explanation on the bottom. If you're not a dig through the Bible, I'm going to read it on your own. These people are doing some of the digging for you and blessing you right there. How to Bible, Well means have a plan, there are tons of resources that are available to, but can I convince you this week? If you do one thing, write down what your plan is going to be, what your place is going to be, what you're going to do, what you're going to use, who you're going to tell, have a plan.

Plan for it. Once you have a plan, do what a lot of you learned before you eat to do? Like, how many of you learn to pray before you eat? How many of you still pray before you eat? Like, Before you chew on God's word, pray. Simple prayer. Lord. How about to open your word? Thank you for what you've done for me in the past through Jesus, thank you for what you're doing for me right now in my life and thank you for what you will do for me in my future, that heaven is mine. And in this time, as I'm reading this word, help me, open my heart to chew on it, to take to heart the things. I don't want to hear and to celebrate and rejoice in the things that you want me to hear that you've done for me. Amen. Who prays for it?

Pray about it. Then do your chewing. Chew on it. And I want you to remember some simple tips to chew on, it might be to journal. It might help you write down things that you learned in it to chew on a dozen Blitz through it. But maybe write down the questions you have highlighted things in your Bible to chew on it and do it. Well, you can kind of do what I tried to teach you in those first few moments of the Ethiopian man, that was kind of like the soap method read, scripture. Observe truths that are in it. Things that stand out, apply it. When the man said, how do I understand it? That was my, even though you are there times when you don't you wrestle with it, you get distracted by it, you give it up and then pray about it soap. Easy way to read your Bible. Soap it. I know, don't put soap in your mouth soap, using the Bible chew on it. Can I convince you to simply let things sit? Maybe do it in the morning, come back to it at noon. Highlight one truth at the end of the day, chew on it.

And then, when you're chewing on it, Ask about it.

As the lead Pastor here at 922, I'm giving you permission to ask me about it.

I would prefer that you'd ask the other four because they're smarter than me.

Parents kids. I can speak for our teachers. I can speak for those at FVL. If you are in classrooms, they're asked about it. They'll answer will find answers. They want to, they want to bless you in it. They've been trained. They studied it and asked us about it. We're okay with that. We want that, we want that for you. We want to help you chew. There is no bad question. There is, there is no bad question. Every question you might have is a good question because we want to help you chew the Bible and learn more and have a blessed how to when it comes to the Bible and your grow root. And when you do all those four things at the end of the day, how to Bible will Delight in it. Delight in. It blessed is the one whose Delight is in the law of the Lord. Because, you know what? At the end of the day, the Bible is all about. I told you it was really easy. It is about that person who went to that place who came to this Earth so that you and I might spend eternity right there at the end of the day. When you are by bullying, as you done all those things, as you've chewed on it, let that ultimate truth go deep down into your soul and help you guard your heart. Jesus has made me a child of God. Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven. My sins are forgiven. That is my identity.

Lord, no matter what I face today, no matter what circumstances come my way, no matter what trouble happens to me. I know I'm loved by you the light in it. Like in there are so many good things in it.

And you know, if you do those things if you how to Bible well take one step forward, you know the summary that tells you will happen to you. The person that person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, and it's Leaf, does not wither, whatever they do prospers yields fruit in the season of life that you are in. You will be blessed when you how to Bible. Well, when you meditate, when you chew on it,

And Craig knew that.

I stood up there on Tuesday at the funeral of a 47 year old man with two college-aged daughters. Who fought cancer for nearly four years. You can't do that well, without how to Bible in well.

Which is why I asked his wife for this Bible that he showed me. When we sat down to plan his funeral, it was newer. He got it more recently. He wanted a Bible that he could just go through without distraction and highlight passages in it, that would bless him in that season, that would produce the fruit of faithfulness in the face of death. And you know what? Almost every New Testament passage he highlighted at something to be like this, we are hard pressed on every side but we're not abandoned and not destroyed. And he died for all that. We should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again, like Revelation chapter 7, there will be no more weeping or sorrow or pain. The old Order of Things has gone away like 90% of the passage of our pain and death and suffering. Well he Bibled well. He chewed on it.

And now he's enjoying the best food ever.

And I want that for you.

How about that for me?

I want that for 922. So does God?

Let's pray for our grower right now, that we might how to it in the days ahead and find the amazing fruit that God promises. Heavenly Father. By Bibling is so easy. It's a book. We can read it. We can find it on our phones and yet it's so hard. It's not easy to understand. It's easy to put down and get frustrated. It's easy to get distracted and do other things. What is my Lord? I pray that you help us how to chew well here at 922. Lord help us have the strength and courage to plan for it a time, a place, a person to help us be accountable to their lead us to pray before we get into it to chew on it. When we do ask when we need to at the delighted, it when we're done because in it we find you and Grace and love and all the trees you long for us to hold onto that will set us free.

Or it's in the face of that that I pray that you bless our church because we needed a life because we faced so many challenges which is why we stop and pray for the people of Florida and the East Coast, all those who are dealing with with flooding but even more the destruction of hurricane Ian. Or most of us probably know someone dealing with it. So we pray for all of them. Bless those who are in the midst of recovery. Bless those who are grieving the loss of loved ones and homes bless all those Lord who are struggling right now because of all that's gone. And not knowing how long it will take.

So, we pray for them. We pray for their emotional wellness. We pray for their physical recovery, their communities. Alerted color on you and pray that even in this bad thing, you might use it to bring about good things, people running to you and your presence into the piece that it alone helps us in a world filled with troubles. Which is why larger tray for Sandy Treichel. Today, she was hospitalized this last week with complications from covid that she caught in the hospital. Lord. it's been affecting her kidneys. She now has pneumonia in both of her lungs.

But we don't know where this is going. But we pray O, Lord that you bless her recovery. If that with recovery, if that's your will her simple prayer is Lord, your will be done. Her and Dave’s prayer. As he can't see her, as for patients, in the midst of this uncertainty or bless us as we support them in this time. Trusting in you, knowing your love and your presence in your promises. Which is why I learned to pray all these things and everything else on our heart, in the name of Jesus.