I feel so dumb

God gifts us all differently. With growth, I think we all will have more insight into Scripture, but maybe not the insight you are hoping for here. At specific times we have more discernment and knowledge that is clearly given by God. The more you read Scripture, the more understanding you'll have.

Praise God for expository preachers at whose feet we can sit and learn.

 

I have heard Dr.Cairns personally several times . He is passionate and always very direct . I always pick up new insights in Scripture from preachers "live" or in book form . They have devoted their time and energy to a given subject , and with the Lord enabling them they can drive home points that we didn't see before .

 

Never stop learning and listening to preachers and preacher. Rick Warren says (I know that's a curse word around here ) "All leaders are learners. When Leaders stop learning, they stop leading."

The people we listen to, the books we read help us learn what the Scripture says and gives us insight that we need to be able to preach God's Word with conviction and insight. Then we pass it on.

Remember what paul said in 2 Timothy 2:2 - That which you have learned from me, pass on to faithful men who will pass it on to others." If it was commanded for Timothy to pass on to others what Paul had taught and done, it will be okay for us to pass what on what others have taught us.

 

Hi there. You need to understand and remember that other peoples' salvation is not about you and your intellect or wisdom. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul, who is probably considered by many to be one of the greatest preachers of all time:

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The important thing to understand here is that it is not about you and your intellect or wisdom. It is about the power of God working through the lives of mankind through the preaching of the Gospel.

If you would like to have more understanding about the things of God, the best advice I could give you is to spend more time reading his Word. Also, don't be down on yourself because you don't know as much as another person about the Bible. I liken it to this:

I teach band. I don't expect my beginners to know as much as my high school students. I don't expect my High School students to know as much as a college student. I don't expect a college student to know as much about band directing as a 20 year veteran band director. Nobody starts out on top.

Consider the following scripture:

1 Corinthian 13:11

1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Hebrews 5:13-14

Joseph Botwinick

[ May 25, 2006, 11:24 PM: Message edited by: Joseph_Botwinick ]

 

They did not "Get the ability overnight" and neither will you.

Imagine if while doubting and rethinking each of their views -- they suddenly could preach and teach like a seasoned Bible scholar instead of having to take the "long road" of learning - spending time "Dying daily" etc??

Reminds me of that song "I come to the Garden Alone".

In Christ,

Bob

 

disciple,

It is normal to ask questions and for the answers to those questions to lead to more questions. This is the learning process. You should be happy that you are not at a point in your life where you know everything. I don't believe we will ever have a full understanding of God and eternal questions until we see him face to face. Consider the following scripture:

1 Corinthians 13:12

I am not saying that you should not seek wisdom and understanding from Scripture, or even from Godly pastors. I am saying that you should put it in perspective. It is not the end all be all of Christianity and witnessing. God can still use us despite our flaws and short-comings. Just ask Moses, David, Peter, Paul and countless other totally depraved sinners who were saved by the grace of God.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I would begin by making it a daily part of your life in learning and memorizing scripture. This has been a real help for me. You might not get it all at the beginning, but God has promised that his Word will not return void. I would also try to find a Godly man (I am assuming you are a male / please forgive me if I am wrong) to disciple you and be like a Paul for you like Paul was for Timothy. The more time you spend in Scripture, learning from Scripture, asking questions about Scripture, and immersing yourself in the Word of God, the more it will make sense to you. I think there is a clear indication to me that God is working in your life because you show an sincere interest in understanding the things of God more. Without the Spirit of God working in your life, you would not even care about these things and you would not care about lacking in understanding. Personally, I find this a very positive thing about you and think you should be encouraged that you are on the right road.

Proverbs 3:5-7

Joseph Botwinick

 

You know, Disciple, Joseph is quite correct in all his advice in this thread.

I am a 79 year old man and have been a student of scripture all my life. Just the other day, I was reading a quite familiar passage of scripture. I had read it dozens of times. Yet, suddenly a light flashed and one phrase I failed to connect with all these years jumped out at me.

The secret is reading, reading and reading. Even when you don't understand it all, read it. Eventually it will fall into line, and you will get it.

Cheers, and God bless,

Jim

 

Please don't feel dumb, God has given you a little insight to see things, you should count that as a blessing not as being dumb. We as you put it should all feel so dumb when we learn something new and realize we do not know it all. AMEN

 

If you don't enjoy reading anything this is probably one of the reasons. Have you tried any audio Bibles? Some people find it much easier to learn from things from listening to them rather than through reading them.

This page has the Bible in audio for download, but only in King James Version.
Bible Gateway has streaming audio of several versions, including the NIV.

 

Petrel,

This is a good idea. I really like Bible Gateway. I use it for my daily Bible Reading. I can listen to it while I follow along.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Hey I agree with you, ten years ago I bought tapes with the Bible read on them. I loved it. After a while I felt a need to open my Bible where it was reading and follow along with it. I have never been so blessed in all my life. It was a new world opened up to me. People could not explain that to me but listening to the Word on tape and than following along with it gave new meaning to all those black and white words. God blesses us so much when we don't understand what we read. You have to find what will help you and then watch the miracle of the Word come alive in your life. AMEN

 

The audio Bible that Charlton Heston read was great! I'm thinking about getting the James Earl Jones version now, but I can't afford it.