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June 13: Hidden work of God

June 8, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Vivid striped caterpillar on Sweet Nettle flower
Image credit: Ian Greig

Welcome to The Living Word Bible study for Sunday, June 13, TLW23B. This is a non-denominational study which lets the Bible explain the Bible, without leaning to any church’s practice or preferences. We recommend that you read the whole passage first and let the Holy Spirit begin speaking to you about it, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary and reflections. Bible readings from the Revised Common Lectionary used by many different churches and chapels.

OT: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 — God rejects Saul as Israel’s king and instructs Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint a successor

NT gospel: Mark 4:26-34 — Jesus teaches on the hidden growth of God’s rule and reign in people’s hearts

NT letter: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17 — Knowing Christ’s love gives us the strongest motivation to live His kingdom life

Also read: Psalm 20

Theme: The heart-changing work of the hidden realm of the Spirit

• See also the article linked to this post Understanding the kingdom of God


1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 — Saul’s demise brings the call of young David

God rejects Saul and instructs Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint a successor

34-35 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

“Ramah… Gibeah” – a few miles apart.

“The Lord regretted…” – echoes 1 Sam. 15:11 and God’s regret at the time of the flood, Genesis 6:7. Saul’s call to kingship started well, 1 Samuel 9-10, but when tested by Samuel on whether he had obeyed the Lord’s command regarding plunder from the Amalekites, he lied and tried to justify himself.

• For further study read the whole of 1 Samuel esp.  15:3, 13, 20-22 and  2 Sam. 11:27, 12:7-12, Hebrews 13:7

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel,”How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

“Jesse” — was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, of Bethlehem.

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

“He will kill me” — Samuel had already told Saul that God had rejected his kingship. He would have to travel through Saul’s settlement of Gibeah on the way to Bethlehem.

2-3 The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”

“Invite Jesse to the sacrifice” — giving Samuel a reason to go to Bethlehem and then follow what the Lord would show him next; inviting Jesse was essential because in God’s plan one of his sons would succeed Saul.

4-5 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

“Do you come in peace” — Saul’s emotionally unbalanced lack of leadership was already well known, and the people’s first response to Samuel was out of fear of Saul.

“I have come to sacrifice to the Lord” — not the whole reason, but that was what the Lord had told him to say in these adverse circumstances.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

“Samuel saw Eliab” — he looked the part and later served in Saul’s army, but his true character came out in the David and Goliath story, 1 Samuel 17:28.

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8-10 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.”

“The Lord looks at the heart” – not appearance or qualifications but character and spiritual disposition; we are more swayed by evidence than insight. Saul looked tall and impressive, 1 Sam. 9:2, but lacked the stature of character.

• For further study, a person’s actions flow from ‘heart values’ they hold, 2 Chron. 16:9; Ps. 51:10; Prov. 4:23; Mark 7:21–23; Luke 6:45; 1 Thess. 2:4.

11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

“Tending the sheep” — in ancient times, both human and divine rulers were often compared to shepherds, Ezekiel 34.

Samuel said,”Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

“Anoint him” — a pivotal moment, see 1 Samuel 16:14, with the transfer of anointing from Saul to David and the beginning of a long period where Saul struggles and David waits for his time of recognition.

• For further study, see 1 Samuel 16:14, Psalm 51:11.

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

“The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David” — “rushed upon David” (ESV) in an empowering for kingship. The first mention of David.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Saul has shown himself to be too ready to justify himself rather than follow God’s instructions (chapter 15) and God has regretted His choice and rejected his kingship. He tells Samuel not to dwell on the failure, and gives him a legitimate reason to visit Bethlehem, and see Jesse — with further instructions to follow. Samuel sees all of Jesse’s older sons without sensing the prompting he was expecting — until the youngest is summoned from shepherding duties. Samuel anoints the young David for future service, the Holy Spirit comes on him and begins to prepare him for a role still some 15 years ahead.

APPLICATION    The Lord knows what is going on in us, the values we hold — and also what we can become. This teaches us to rely on prayerful discernment, and to be able to set aside initial impressions.

QUESTION  Do we look for someone who ‘ticks the boxes’ or for evidence of God working through them in Christian service?


Mark 4:26-34 — Jesus teaches on the hidden growth of the kingdom

As tiny seeds have the capacity to grow big, so does God’s rule and reign

26-29 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces corn – first the stalk, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. As soon as the corn is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

“The kingdom of God is like” — most Jews of the time saw it in more or less nationalist terms as restoring a form of King David’s rule. Jesus both demonstrated and taught how God’s kingdom grows in the invisible maturing of changed hearts, among those who surrender the right to freewill independence, to welcome God’s order.

“The seed… grows, though he does not know how” — elsewhere the seed is a metaphor for God’s word and truth, which is at the heart of the kingdom’s capacity to grow and multiply. This parable is only in Mark.

• For further study, read Matthew 13:4-9,18-23.

30 Again He said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?

“Again He said” – Mark recounts some further seed parables about the hidden life of the kingdom of God which should, and will, appear, Mark 4:21, like a crop, unseen until it is growing.

31-32 “It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

“The smallest of all seeds” — the mustard seed was proverbially small, but could produce a sizeable bush. The kingdom has the capacity for huge expansion.

33-34 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with his own disciples, He explained everything.

“With many similar parables” — Mark shows he is not giving a chronological account but a compilation of similar sayings of Jesus. He adapted His teaching to the hearers’ capacity to receive it.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus uses an analogy very familiar to his rural Galilean hearers, describing the hidden capacity to reproduce, which is in the growth of every crop and the cause of every harvest. A seed so small it is hard to see, turns into a substantial bush all  by itself.

APPLICATION  The kingdom of God is designed to grow and multiply. It is the hidden work of the Holy Spirit, bringing life from the seed of God’s word, and it has the capacity to grow exponentially. From a few disciples, within a generation churches of Spirit-filled believers were springing up all around the Mediterranean area, soon to be taken further. Partnering God in what He is already doing, can be extraordinarily fruitful but the key is our awareness of, and openness to, His kingdom.

QUESTION  How would you begin to explain the kingdom of God to a friend with no Christian background or awareness?


2 Corinthians 5:6-17 — Knowing Christ’s love changes our perspective

Made new in Him, we have the strongest motivation to live His kingdom life

6-7 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.

“At home in the body” — spiritual life is constrained by human existence.

“Faith, not… sight” — not about being ostentatiously spiritual and believing the unbelievable, but living all of life in relationship with God, trusting Him, believing His promises, and learning to shift from immediate to an eternal view.

• For further study, review 2 Cor. 4:18-5:1.

8-10 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due to us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

“At home with the Lord” — Paul fully expects that, as a spiritual person belonging to the Lord, leaving his body on death, he will go immediately into the presence of Christ to stay with Him until the Day of Resurrection, Luke  23:43; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23.

“Appear before the judgment seat” – like our phrase ‘appearing before the bench’. This was the bēma where the Roman governor sat to deliver judicial verdicts.

“Receive what is due to us” — salvation comes by God’s grace, not reward, but there is judgment in heaven where we will give account of how we have lived as part of Christ’s body on earth, 1 Cor. 3:11-15. We should keep short accounts with God and with others.

 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

“Christ’s love compels us” – Paul’s motivation is his awareness of the price paid for him by Jesus, and being held secure in that relationship of love. The revelation of how Jesus loves us through His sacrificial death is a strong motivation for us to live for Him, not for ourselves.

16-17 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” — this is a change of identity, from the old unregenerate person to the new, spiritual person. New creation also brings new perspective – we see things differently and the old, worldly point of view seems narrow and inadequate. The life of the Spirit brings a growing understanding of who we are “in Christ”, our new heavenly identity. 

Reflection

SUMMARY  Paul depicts the human existence as being temporary state for heavenly people, with a heavenly perspective and destiny. There is work to do and relationships to keep up and we want to bring pleasure to our Saviour who has shown such great love for us.

APPLICATION  The difference between us and the first disciples is that we only experience Christ by faith. But if we have accepted Him personally into our hearts, the Holy Spirit brings us a growing revelation of the love he showed for us, and also who we are “in Christ” (v.17). Just two words, “in Christ”, convey a big and profound truth about how heaven sees us— recreated in new spiritually-aware way and with a whole new identity. The question is, how much we allow this to shape our faith, our relationships and our relilience in life.

QUESTION Thinking back to Samuel and sons of Jesse (OT 1 Samuel reading above), how does “we live by faith, not by sight” (v.7 above) work in everyday life?

PRAYER  O God our Father, how grateful we are that You look on the heart to see what You are making us, beyond the ‘work in progress’ that we are!
As we consider how Your kingdom realm, although unseen, is permeating the whole world, despite its persecution, equip us and give us fresh insight into the kingdom tasks You have for each of us.
And may we grow in the freedom that Jesus has secured for us, free to know His love and to love others. In His name we pray, Amen.

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PRINT EDITION  There’s a print edition that you can download as a PDF to print on A4 paper and produce a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, your Bible study or other small group, or for inclusion in your church bulletin.

TLW23B-June-13-final-BookletDownload

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

June 6: Choosing God’s way

June 1, 2021 by Ian Greig Leave a Comment

Sheep resting in shade of oak tree
Image credit: Ian Greig

Welcome to The Living Word Bible study for Sunday, June 6, TLW22B. This is a non-denominational study which lets the Bible explain the Bible, without leaning to any church’s practice or preferences. We recommend that you read the whole passage first and let the Holy Spirit begin speaking to you about it, then go deeper with the verse by verse commentary and reflections. Bible readings from the Revised Common Lectionary used by many different churches and chapels.


OT: 1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15 — The people ask Samuel for a king like the surrounding nations

NT gospel: Mark 3:20-35 — The Lord links the power to bind the strong man with close fellowship with Him

NT letter: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 — The power that raised Jesus from the dead is also renewing us

And also read: Psalm 138

Theme: Choosing God’s way is what empowers us in life

• See also the linked article for this week which explores further the theme Choosing God’s Way

• There is also a VIDEO which tells the story of Right and Wrong Expectations based on these Bible readings.


1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15 — The people ask Samuel for a king

The Israelites seek security in a visible ruler like the surrounding nations

8:4-5 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

“A king to lead us” – rather than a judge directing them to Yahweh; Samuel’s sons had taken bribes, and there were continual threats from the Ammonites and Philistines. 

6-7 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.

“They have rejected Me” — the Nation of Israel was intended to be distinct from the surrounding nations in doing things differently, with the Lord as their king and prophet/judges to remind them of that. Wanting a king was not wrong in itself. The sin was wanting only the rule of a king, and not being reliant on God and His provision. 

• For further study, read Acts 3:13-15, 7:51-53.

8-9 “As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

“Let them know what the king… will claim” — with the example of the Canaanite kings surrounding them, it would be a costly move.

10-12 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: he will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plough his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

“He will take your sons and make them… run in front of his chariots” — solely for pomp and circumstance. Both Absalom and Adonijah secured chariots and horses and had “fifty men” to run ahead of them, 2 Samuel 15:1; 1 Kings 1:5.

13 “He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.

“He will take a tenth” — so doubling the tenth the Israelites were already instructed to devote to the Lord. The word “take” is used repeatedly, in contrast to the emphasis on the Lord’s covenant of generosity.

“Best of your cattle” — Saul would give his officials land and military commands, 1 Samuel 22:7.

17 “He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

“You… will become his slaves” — conscripted labour, later used widely by Solomon.

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we shall be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

“The people refused to listen” — while God wanted them to be spiritually-led and dependent on Him, as in the Exodus, the people wanted a king as a figurehead to lead them in battle, a visible match for the surrounding nations.

11:14-15 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.” So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

“The people went to Gilgal and made Saul king” —kingship was allowed (but not required) by the law, Deut. 17:14-20. The sin is not the request for a king but the attitude behind the request, seeking security other than in God and the covenant with Him. It is the start of 40 difficult years of independence from God.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Samuel is getting on in years and his sons, appointed as provincial judges, have shown lack of integrity. A successor is needed — and the word that Samuel brings is that choosing the authoritarian rule of a king will be a costly change.

APPLICATION  This looks forward to Jesus and the kingdom of God. Living under the rule of God and relying on Him is the best choice but not the easiest. The temptation of the world’s kind of security is always present.

QUESTION  What does this teach us about the kind of leadership God wants in His church?


Mark 3:20-35 — Jesus’ family and teachers of the law accuse Him

The Lord links the power to bind the strong man with close fellowship with Him

20-21 Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat. When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.”

“Out of His mind” – to His family, Jesus is now acting strangely; they were familiar with the ‘previous’ Jesus, the carpenter, and were still seeing Him in a worldly way. However, the evil spirits He confronted knew exactly who He was: the Son of God, Mark 3:11.

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

“The teachers of the law… from Jerusalem” — news of Jesus’ following reaches Jerusalem and a commission is sent to Galilee to investigate the ‘unauthorised’ rabbi. Threatened by a man who could do in the power of God what they could not do, they accuse Him of the exact opposite of the plain truth. All slander is evil, but this one has grave spiritual consequences, v.28.

23-26 So Jesus called them over to Him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

“Jesus called them over” — Mark’s gospel doesn’t mention the blind and dumb demonised man that prompted the accusation that he was in league with Satan, Beelzebub, the prince of demons. With a list of analogies, Jesus teaches the scribes to see how the kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of darkness oppose one another. 

• For further study, see Matt. 12:22, Luke 11:14, John 10:20.

“If a kingdom is divided” — every revival brings opposition, like this example, and Satan’s oft-repeated strategy is to sow doubts by causing division among believers.

27-29 “In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.  Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

“Plunder the strong man’s house”— Jesus was telling them that now, Mark 1:1, 7, someone stronger than Satan had come, who was able to rescue people from his power.

“Blasphemes against the Holy Spirit” — Jesus says that the one sin that puts a person beyond forgiveness is to attribute the redemptive work of God to Satan, probably because a person locked in such prejudice is unable to make the turn of repentance. Anyone who fears having committed the unforgivable sin has, by definition, showed that they need forgiveness.

30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

31-32 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call Him. A crowd was sitting round him, and they told Him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

“Your brothers…” —  younger half-brothers, not believers at this time, not understanding Jesus’ call and identity and concerned that He was overreaching Himself. Sisters are mentioned in Mark 6:3. Joseph, not mentioned, has probably died by this time.

33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” He asked.

34-35 Then He looked at those seated in a circle round him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

“Whoever does God’s will” – see James 1:22. Jesus is not rejecting His natural family but teaching the high priority of the spiritual relationship that comes through believing in Him. Compare: “Who is my true mother and my true brothers?” Then looking in the eyes of those who were sitting in a circle around him, He said, “Here are My true family members. For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and my mother!” (The Passion Translation)

Reflection

SUMMARY  The deliverance of a demonised, handicapped man has provoked some blasphemous slander and a wide disquiet. Jesus uses this to teach about the tension in the opposing realms of truth and lies, and the fellowship that overcomes.

APPLICATION  We need to be prayerfully aware that every renewing move of God will bring a counter move of Satan — unless we are proactive in tying up the ‘strong man’ in prayer.

QUESTION  What does this teach us about praying for each other and for the outreach of our church?


2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 — The power that raised from dead is also renewing us

While earthly life is tiring the Holy Spirit works His eternal purpose in us

13-15 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

“I believed… I have spoken” – from a version of Psalm 116:10, headlining a teaching about the power of exercising faith in all kinds of personal testimony stories. Paul often told the story of being changed from persecutor to missionary by his encounter with Jesus.

“The One who raised… Jesus from the dead” – the Holy Spirit’s extraordinary power that resurrected Jesus, Romans 8:11, 1 Cor. 15:20 is at work in us to transform us and present us, made holy and acceptable, to God. A trinitarian saying.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

“Being renewed” – the Holy Spirit is not a preserver of our traditions, but always seeking to do His renewing work in us as individuals (and together as church). 

17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

“Light and momentary” – outward testing grows our reliance on God. Paul’s irony reminds us to keep an eternal focus, because  life is eternal.

5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

“Earthly tent” – a tent doesn’t last forever but we look forward to a heavenly life more permanent than a castle.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Paul reflects on the physical cost of beatings and shipwecks he has survived, pointing to God’s eternal kingdom purpose that is so much greater than the pain.

APPLICATION  Opposition and some hard knocks are part of the territory that goes with the mission — and we are called to be pioneer explorers of God’s kingdom, which endures, not settlers who enjoy it in the moment.

QUESTION  Are we prepared to agree with God about the priority of His mission and accept that it may not be popular or comfortable?

PRAYER  Father God, help us to rely on You as our Lord and King and to choose to join You in what You are doing — even if that is uncomfortable at times. Forgive us for too easily reverting to what we want or the path of least resistance. What You have planned is so much greater and more enduiring. Come, Holy Spirit, and revive us again! Amen.

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PRINT EDITION  A booklet edition of this post can be downloaded as a PDF from the link below. Prints on A4 paper to produce a 4 -page Bible size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your Bible study or other small group, or for inclusion with your church bulletin.

TLW22B-June-6-final-BookletDownload

Filed Under: Pentecost to Advent, Year B

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  • Keeping a true course
  • Knowing Jesus and making Him known
  • Knowing the Good Shepherd — it’s personal
  • Learning to be impartial
  • Learning to honour God in His gifts to us
  • Love and joy that transforms
  • Loving God also means loving others
  • Made new and still being renewed
  • One thing that sets us apart
  • Our Faith in God Shines Through How We Live
  • Partners in Mission
  • Partnership, God and Us
  • Pictures of heaven’s future purpose
  • Removing three barriers to God in our lives
  • Renewal — How Jesus Enables Us to Live the Best Version of Ourselves
  • Renewed and restored
  • Right and wrong sources of power
  • Seeing through the Pain to the Promise
  • So, who is this Jesus?
  • Spiritual Confidence is Yours with a Little Practice
  • The Big Story
  • The call to kingdom life and values
  • The Grace and Glory of God Appear — and Our Part In It
  • The Great Realisation
  • The Jesus Prayer
  • The reality of Jesus’ lordship
  • The spiritual battle: truth and deception in the church
  • The tests of life and God’s justice
  • The Tests of the Heart
  • Three Common Pitfalls to Avoid
  • To know Jesus is to have fellowship in Him
  • Trust, believe and honour
  • Understanding God’s grace + our faith = new life in salvation 
  • Understanding God’s gracious generosity
  • Understanding the kingdom of God
  • Understanding the new covenant in Jesus
  • Understanding… How we learn to see where Jesus is present
  • Unexpected — The King Who Serves
  • Watchmen of God’s way
  • We Celebrate God Made Man — How Much Do We Trust Him?
  • What God speaks, endures
  • When Jesus Comes Near It Changes Everything
  • Who Has Your Heart?
  • Who is Jesus? Where is Jesus? How Mystery Leads Us to Revelation
  • Who Is The Jesus We Know?
  • Why as Christians We Never Get to Stand Down
  • Why God’s Grace Is Too Good To Be Untrue
  • Willing to change?
  • Wisdom with humility is the path to true greatness
  • About…
    • The pros and cons of the lectionary format
    • A personal guide through the maze of Bible versions
  • About TLW print edition
  • Explaining…
    • Explaining… Christmas: the call to worship
    • Explaining… God’s call to all
    • Explaining… How God works beyond our boundaries
    • Explaining… How God’s grace doesn’t work by our rules
    • Explaining… How to see ourselves as God sees us
    • Explaining… How too easily we can be frustrating God’s plan
    • Explaining… Our assurance in the kingdom of God
    • Explaining… Revitalisation — God’s kingdom vs our control
    • Explaining… the ‘review and renew’ that God is doing
    • Explaining… Why the good news is good
    • Understanding… The danger in our complacency
    • Explaining the kingdom of God 1
    • Explaining conflicts that arise as a result of our faith
    • Explaining Pentecost
    • Explaining the Trinity
    • Explaining our identity as Christians — royal priesthood
    • What Jesus’ mountain top encounter with God means for us
    • Explaining the covenant with Abraham
  • Understanding…
    • Understanding… Holiness and the Great Commandment
    • Understanding… how deception undermines God’s truth
    • Understanding… How we raise our expectation
    • Understanding… Revival
    • Understanding… Stepping out in faith
    • Understanding… the difference between reacting and responding to God
    • Understanding… The freedom that is ours in Christ
    • Understanding… the generosity of God
    • Understanding… The invitation we must respond to
    • Understanding… The need to be ready for the Lord’s return
    • Understanding… The way agreement and conflict play out in the kingdom of God
    • Understanding the Good News – God’s grace
    • Inexpressible and glorious joy
    • The need to be reborn from above
    • Understanding the Trinity of God
    • First-century gnosticism

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Download TLW in A4/A5 booklet form

TLW49A-Dec-11.final-Booklet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to The Living Word

You get a lot more out of the Sunday service readings if they are already speaking to you. TLW is about reading and re-reading these Scriptures with some commentary to bring out what is hidden and make connections with cross references. This is different from liturgy because it is a Bible study, putting the Bible passages in sequence from OT, through the NT gospel era, and then through the lens of the post-resurrection, early church in the power of the Spirit. Enabling this progressive revelation points to a theme.  The translation used is the readable and widely-used 2011 edition of the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Commentary is drawn from a wide range of sources and is Bible-centric and theologically neutral. As we read and reflect and allow the Holy Spirit to help us hear God through His word during the week, we prepare ourselves to hear afresh and receive the Sunday sermon in church or chapel.

For convenience, use the ‘Subscribe’ box below to receive a short email with the Bible passage and notes for each weekday (and that’s all!).

Unsubscribing is just as easy.

A little about me and my vision for The Living Word

I live in the Marches, a green and beautiful expanse of hills between England and Wales where churches and chapels share duty to the Christian faithful in every valley, and churchgoing is still part of the community life. However, there are few Bibles to be seen in these buildings, and home-based groups for fellowship and Bible study are rare.

I want to encourage Sunday worshippers in churches and chapels to enjoy reading the Bible during the week, to get used to hearing God for themselves through His word, and to be  spiritually prepared for the message they will hear on Sunday from the lectionary readings they all share. It is no substitute for meeting and worshipping together, nor for Holy Spirit-inspired preaching. It supports both by encouraging the personal growth of church and chapel members of any denomination. It offers faith encouragement for those no longer able to, or no longer wanting to take part in, formal physical church.

My background is not in churches that use the lectionary and I bring a breadth of tradition and spiritual understanding to the writing.  I have pastored a number of churches and been involved in a variety of other missional initiatives with a ‘kingdom of God’ agenda.

As well as The Living Word and its weekly video I also post regularly on www.freshbread.today and www.thelivingword.substack.com with a podcast as well as video and written content. There is also a Facebook page at fb.com/TLWbiblestudy

Revd Ian Greig BD (Hons), DPS

SEE ALSO other Living Word Publications

Substack newsletter and podcast (free subscription) — audio podcast, video and written content all in one place

Fresh Bread Today — the freshest bake, with a bit of a tang, unpackaged and uncut. His word to live by, today.

Believe the Good News – finding the good news and encouragement all through the Bible

GLOW – God’s Love Over Weobley, encouraging prayer and spiritual fellowship. With a local flavour for this NW Herefordshire village.

 

 

 

 

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