And before I ask my question for the prize of the day, I'd like to talk to you a little about one reason NOT to study the Bible: Pride in your own knowledge.
Ironic, I know, but truly God - here's what I read from my daily reading plan this morning: "Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels . . . What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either." - Matthew 23:5, 13 (NLT).
Ouch.
Please take a minute today to read all of Matthew 23. It just might be the most hard-nosed portion of Jesus' ministry on earth. He berates the teachers of the Scriptures over and over, saying their knowledge of the Bible is not enough because their actions do not align with, but rather contradict the law they've memorized. It's all a show. A Broadway-like production featuring pride, pride, and more pride. And it absolutely disgusted Jesus.
So, as we talk about learning, knowing, and understanding the Bible, there's one big reason NOT to, and that's for flaunting your knowledge in front of others. Don't. If that's your reason for learning, just put it down now and pray first. Ask God to show you what His Word is truly purposed for: redemptive love. He shows us His love for humanity, His sacrifice to redeem us, and subsequent ways we can reciprocate that love back to Him and others. THAT, my friends is why I believe Biblical Literacy is important.
"Okay, okay . . . get to the question already, Robyn," you say.
Here goes. Remember, it's open-Book, and I want references. The first to answer in the comments gets a super-fantastic prize. And please chime in about your thoughts on Biblical Literacy - I'm curious what you think, too.
#3 Name at least 3 Spiritual Gifts and at least 3 Fruits of the Spirit and explain the difference between the two categories. (see, I told you they'd get a little harder each day.)
Ready, set . . .
4 comments:
Hi Robyn,
I thought I would give your blog Bible question a try today.
Three examples of Spiritual gifts would be the gift of service, the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of discernment (found these in my brain).
Three examples of Fruits of the Spirit would be love, gentleness and faith (which I found in Galatians 5:22-23).
I think the difference between the 2 catagories is that a Spiritual gift is something that the Holy Spirit has given you to use to honor Him. I guess Fruits of the Spirit would be more like attributes (not the word I am really looking for but...) that make you who you are and that help you to use your spiritual gifts to honor Him and help others.
Hi Robyn,
3 spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributes as the Holy Spirit determines for the common good I found in 1 Corinthians. I know there was another place that mentioned gifts like encouragement and the ones Denise is showing but I could not find those.
Spirit/gift of wisdom
Spirit/ gift of prophecy
Spirit/gift of healing
3 fruits of the spirit in Galations 5, peace, goodness & self control.
I believe the difference is that the Holy Spirit distributes these gifts as He determines. The fruits of the spirit are produced in your life as your relationship with Jesus Christ grows and you walk with Him. This way other believers will see you are a good tree because you are producing good fruit!
This is my input, this stuff is fun! Biblical Literacy is super fun and I love Bible trivia games!
I agree that Bibical literacy/engagement is important as a weapon against the enemy and his tempations & lies! We must be careful not to use it as a weapon against others but to encourage others with what we know and teach our children with what we have learned from the Bible.
Wow, you both did great! Denise, you're absolutely right, and the fact that you knew them on your own shows you have a great deal of Biblical literacy. Though I discouraged your own pride, there's nothing wrong with saying that I'M proud of you!
Jama - you're right on, too. And I love your point about our Sword of Truth - we must wield it against Satan, but never against one another.
Excellent job! Denise wins a prize!
Keep reading tomorrow . . . I just might be able to stump you!
I found it very interesting that you wrote about false men of God wearing robes. You know I do think wearing a robe at the pulpit a nice touch sometimes. Stop rolling your eyes and calling me "old fogey". I find your challenges to be very cool. Not that I have the brain power for it, with the job we have.
Have a wonderful weekend. We'll miss you on Friday but I know you're off to renew your spirit. Enjoy!
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