The Most Misused Verses in the Bible

Book by Eric J. Bargerhuff
Review By Jason Rivers

I love books like this.  This kind of book really reminds us there is a proper way to understand and examine the Scriptures.  The premise of the book is that there are some really great verses out there that people grab because on their own they sound amazing, but when read within the passage they can mean something entirely different.  If I could summarize this book in a word, it would be context, context, CONTEXT!

I was pleased to see that I understood what most of the passages meant, but it was some of the Old Testament passages that I was a bit surprised by.  Jeremiah 29:11 is a great verse, for example, but when you read it in the chapter, and apply some historical context, it may not be as universal in application as it has been used by many in the church.

2 Chronicles 7:14 is another one of my favourite ones, but again it was written into a specific time in history, for a certain situation.  It is interesting to see how a verse like that can be pulled out.  I have heard sermons that just focused on that verse.  I have seen prayer meetings start at 7:14 to mimic this verse’s address, but have never been shown the context it was written in, nor have I thought it important enough to take the time to look myself… Until now.

Another issue that Bargerhuff raises is the quoting of verses incorrectly.  Much of the meaning can be lost to misquoting.  “Money is the root of all evil” is one example.  “God will not give you more than you can handle” is another one.  Both of these verses have some really good exegesis in the book.

This is a really good book.  I am not sure that I agree with all of the conclusions that the author comes to, it sure has made me want to dig more into scripture.  As one that teaches young people, I only want to teach them what is true based on what the Bible says….and means!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.
Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

1000 Days: The Ministry of Christ By Jonathan Falwell

Really?  Was it just about a thousand days?  How could such a short period in human history have generated such impact and such change to culture?  But that is all it was.  A thousand days.

Jonathan Falwell breaks down the life of Jesus into some major points for discussion, but then he does one of the things that I think a lot of people for get to do.  He applies the things that can be learned to the modern life, and therefore makes it relevant to us today.

He touches on the power of people choosing to follow Jesus with everything in them.  He touches on the way life is easy sometimes, but how it is in the storms that we learn to trust in Jesus.  He addresses Hypocrisy and the power it has to trap people in blindness.  Chapter 13 goes through the prayer of Christ in the Garden, and how he prays for his followers… Very powerful. 

His second-last chapter is called “Seven Messages From the Cross” where the author discusses the statements Jesus makes from the cross that show forgiveness beyond what should be possible, incredible love, and caring and ultimate commitment.  A very powerful section, to be sure.

It culminates, of course, in what he calls the “Loudest Sermon Ever”, where Falwell outlines what the cross and the resurrection means to us to us as Christians today.

The book also contains a leader’s guide at the end of the book with questions and focused scripture references and would make a good group study for those interested in applying the Bible to their lives.

A complimentary copy of the book has been provided by Booksneeze for my honest review.

Empty Promises By Pete Wilson

I love books like this.  As a long-time Christian, sometimes I can feel like I am in pretty good shape, but then a book like this comes along and I see parts of me in it.  The premise of the book is to deal with the lies that people either tell themselves, or are told by other people.  The point is that they are lies.  They are distortions of who God is, and who we are in Christ.

In this culture there are lots of different sources of influence, and many off them lead people off into the bushes and off the path that God has set out for us.  They trap and distract us from the person we are to be in Jesus.

One of the ways that Pete Wilson addresses the lies we face is that he sets them in the frame of them being an idol in our lives.  Idols do not have to be carved out hunks of stone.  Idols are the things in our lives that we use to try to fill the place that God should fill.  When we use those other things, they may fulfill for a short time, but in the end they are always going to be come up short.

Another section defines some traps that people fall into when they overemphasize achievement in their lives.  People can begin to try to define who they are by what they do, and what they have accomplished, and Wilson shows how that can be dangerous when you contrast it who you are based on Scripture.

He uses several portions of Scripture to illustrate his points, and that is the key.  This book is very practical and relevant to today.  Pick up your copy of this book and take your time and use it with Scripture to do some self-searching.

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.

Anything: The Prayer that Unlocked my God and my Soul - By Jennie Allen

Wow!  I loved this book!  I love books that challenge me in my faith and are raw and honest with what Christians think and believe and this one did a very good job.  I have been posting quotations from the book as Facebook statuses for a few days now, and have had some good feedback from the people that commented on it.

This book is out to really challenge those of us that profess to follow Jesus in the comfortable North American culture.  Jennie Allen is very open with how she felt, and some of the questions that she asked in her own time of examining what she really believed.... about what her faith actually meant.

I just did a teaching based on the passage near the beginning where Ms. Allen is in class and asking what things truly contribute to the success of a person moving in their faith.  She lists off all the things off that you would expect.  Bible study, prayer, worship, all that stuff.  Her professor contributes confession of sin and activity in the church community.  But here was the really challenging part.  First, there have been people that read the Bible, or go to church, or pray but never get to know Jesus.  The professor puts out this idea.  The only thing that works with faith in Jesus 100% of the time is risk... trust in the unseen God, and truly believing what he says in his Word (the Bible), but then living that out to the full.

It was a very challenging thought.  I really did a lot of thinking and examining of my own life.  I highly recommend this book!  It is all about full surrender to God... scary, but needed for a strong walk!

Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.   Available at your favourite bookseller from Thomas Nelson.

Need You Now - Beth Wiseman

"When big-city life threatens the safety of one of their children, Brad and Darlene Henderson move with their three teenagers from Houston to the tiny town of Round Top, Texas.  Adjusting to small-town life is difficult for the kids, especially fifteen-year-old Grace who is coping in a dangerous way.  Married life hasn't always been bliss, but their strong faith has carried Brad and Darlene through the difficult times. When Darlene takes a job outside the home for the first time in their marriage, the domestic tension rises.  While working with special needs children at her new job, the widowed father of one of the students starts paying more attention to Darlene than is appropriate. Problem is, she feels like someone is listening to her for the first time in a long time.  If Darlene ever needed God . . . it's now."

This is my first book by Beth Wiseman and I am blown away.  She successfully tackles some very tough issues like cutting by a teenage girl and the small little things that can lead someone down a path of infidelity in a marriage.  Too often in Christian fiction issues like these are avoided, or wrapped up in a quick little package by a prayer that makes it all go away.  Beth does an excellent job with focusing on the need to rely on God in these situations; but also shows the struggles that can happen as one tries to change their life around.  As someone who works with teens, the subject of Grace and her cutting to cope was a very relevant one.  Even the most put together teen has their own struggles and we need to be aware of the pressures that are on our young people.  Brad and Darlene's struggles in a marriage are very real.  It is a perfect example of how marriage is something that should never be taken for granted.  Even what may seem like the strongest marriage can fall apart if not worked on and centered around God.  The reminder to have God center in every aspect of our lives was a much needed one.  Too often we take God for granted and forget about Him until things go bad, then blame Him for it.  I highly recommend this book for everyone. 

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Thomas Nelson via the B&B Media Group in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Heaven is Now – By Andrew Farley

The book is subtitled “Awakening your five spiritual senses to the wonders of grace” which sort of sets the tone for the book.  It is divided into the five senses as we understand them now, but then the author puts his spiritual spin on them.  It seems to me that the writer’s intent is to show not just that heaven is our great hope, but that God has given us some signs of it within our life right now.

For feel, he moves the reader towards the idea of grace, and out from under the law.  I got a bit uncomfortable with this section as it is something that I am seeing more in modern Christian writing.  It is this idea of being free and out from under the law, and FAR too often people take that to mean that suddenly they can do anything and that sin is irrelevant. 

One of the other things that each section has is a passage called Heaven Speaks.    There are some verses from scripture that are the basis for each section, but at the end of each section it is signed from Jesus.  I get what this author is trying to do, I just try to be really careful when someone is assigning their words to Jesus.

The book progresses through the other senses using different stories and illustrations to help awaken your spiritual senses.  It is an interesting concept, and in the end seeing the aspects of heaven here should point the reader towards their hope of heaven with Christ.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.  Available at your favourite bookseller from Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group

Prophet R.J. Larson

Prophet is the first book in the Books Of The Infinite series by R.J. Larson.  The story centers around a seventeen year old girl named Ela Roeh.  Ela is called by her Creator, the Infinite, to be his prophet.  She feels extremely inadequate and unsure of herself.  She's young, ill tempered, impetuous and never mind that a prophet of Parne has never been a girl.  But after feeling His presence she can't ever imagining going back to life as she knew it, so she accepts the sacred vinewood branch.  The Infinite then calls her to bring His word to a nation torn apart by a brutal war.  There she meets Kien, a young ambassador who will bring justice to his people no matter the cost.  Will Ela be able to fulfill her duty as the Infinite's prophet?

Ela's struggles with being good enough to be chosen by the Infinite are so transferable to every day life.  As Christians, we can often question how God can chose someone as frail and flawed as ourselves to be His witnesses to a dying world.  Like Ela, when we learn to lean on His strength and His presence, we can do anything that He asks of us.  I am not normally a reader of fantasy fiction, but once I got into it, I found that I had a hard time putting this book down.  I am eager to see where the story goes next for Ela & Kien.  I would recommend this book to any young adults who love fantasy fiction as well as adults too.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.