May 1, 2015

MAY 1

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

Although they are not linked in our reading, both Samson and Samuel lived during the same time and both are listed as judges in Israel. I mention this because both of these judges share some common elements and two very strong similarities. They both have unusual birth stories that God takes a lot of time to describe. I wonder why. Also, both were Nazirites from birth. There is an obvious comparison being made, yet it isn't obvious unless you are reading year after year.

I'm including these again at the end of this document, in case you need them.

“The Judges and the Oppressors” - The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 385.

“Canaan in the Days of the Judges” - The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 377.

“The Judges of Israel” - The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 375.

Judges 13-14

Judges 13

V. 1 This entire chapter is the birth story of Samson. That really interests and surprises me. I've never noticed this before. There are some unknowns here. It seems that the Philistines oppressed Israel for 40 years before Samson came on the scene. No other enemy ruled over Israel that long. It seems then that the births of Samson and Samuel, both of whom fought to break the Philistine domination, must have occurred during this time of domination. If you look at the other judges, their victories ended the enemy's rule; but with Samson, his main victory was at his death. And even then, Samuel was still fighting against the Philistines.

Vs. 2-7 Notice who the angel is who makes this announcement to Samson's mother.

Vs. 4-5 Notice that the mother is told to drink no wine or strong drink and to eat nothing unclean. The only Nazirite condition given to the child is that his hair wouldn't be cut. Samson will violate every Nazirite condition except the cutting of his hair until, well, you know the story. What is interesting is that the only other person in the Bible whose Nazirite birth is spelled out this clearly is John the Baptist.

Vs. 8-14 This is the confirmation of Samson's coming birth. The Word of God was rare in those days. What is interesting is the faith of both of Samson's parents. Apparently the parents obeyed everything the angel of the Lord said to them.

Vs. 15-20 This seems just like what Abraham did when the angel of the Lord visited him. Here, the Lord was only interested in sacrifice and devotion, which only the Lord can receive. It is interesting that the Lord allowed the offering to be made in Zorah instead of Shiloh where the tabernacle was. When we see the situation at Shiloh when we get to 1 Samuel it will make sense. Eli's sons were desecrating every sacrifice and were turning the tabernacle into their private brothel.

Vs. 21-23 The result of Samson's parents having had this kind of interaction with the Lord was that it strengthened their faith. Verse 23 probably sums up what the Lord wanted to accomplish.

Vs. 24-25 The Lord blessed Samson. That's amazing. It is hard to understand what this stirring of the Spirit was, since among other things, Samson was not a moral man or a devoted follower of God. It looks like the Lord used Samson in spite of himself. This is not a good role model for kids, even if he had "superhero" strength.

I think the lesson I would see here, for me or us, is that God's blessing and privilege do not determine obedience or gratefulness. These parents were blessed and they obeyed, but Samson will not obey. He is listed in Hebrews 11 for his faith, and God used him, but his faith was mingled with deep rebellion, selfishness and debauchery. Oddly enough, these are the same things Paul warns Christians against in his letters. I think the lesson for us following Christ in the harvest, during this very dangerous time on earth, is to be very careful about our devotion to the Lord and to be alert to what physical and emotional things are tugging at us. We need to understand the tug and take care of it the right, God-honoring way. Like Paul says in Ephesians 5:15, Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

It is instructive to see how both great faith and great disobedience can exist in the same heart. It is scary to see how this caused Samson's own downfall and limited the impact he had in serving God and the nation. David’s life will be an even bigger and more profound lesson in this area. And we have popular people and preachers in the church who have fallen. Again, quoting Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10:12, Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

Judges 14

Vs. 1-4 Samson’s parents seem godly and were right in what they said to their son. Samson was disobedient to them and unconcerned for what would honor God. God didn't sanction this behavior; but in a case like this, God accomplished His own purposes, using a rebellious, immoral, disobedient servant.

Vs. 5-9 Samson’s parents exercised their parental duty in overseeing the legal arrangements for the marriage. Maybe they saw Samson go off into the vineyard, thinking he was going there to pray and come to his right mind. That didn’t happen, but a strange intersection of divine providence took place. Both in killing the lion and in getting the honey, Samson defiled himself by touching something dead. There is more here than meets the eye. It isn’t just that Samson had super strength, God must have given him tough skin and amazing quickness and reflexes not to have been cut or stung.

Vs. 10-18 I'm always amazed by the creativity of Samson. In a way, he was an artist. He was emotional, creative and fun-loving. Also, I'm struck by his raw confidence. He experienced all sorts of very aggressive, hostile situations and remained without apparent fear. It appears he enjoyed the psychological warfare.

Just for some perspective here, The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 405, mentions that the word for feast is “drinking party.” Samson was violating the Nazirite vow here too.

V. 17 This is our "hero's" fatal flaw. This is the same thing that will finally break him with Delilah. It isn’t just that he gave in to whining women, but that he didn’t choose faithful women who loved the Lord.

V. 18 This is really hard to wrap one’s head around. This situation represented a defeat and humiliation for Samson. It appears that God designed this entire event to get Samson riled up and to move him to action. It seems to me that if Samson had had a heart for his people and a desire to honor God, he could have found some Philistine injustice to have motivated him to righteous wrath. It seems to me that Samson was indifferent to the plight of Israel or the promise to Abraham. And he definitely liked Philistine women. That God had to do this to get Samson motivated does not speak highly for our superhero.

I think it’s interesting that even as Samson expresses his hurt and anger, he makes a very picturesque rhyme.

Vs. 19-20 It is interesting to see that when the Spirit rushes upon Samson, there is a spirit of judgment and anger. Samson isn't the only one this happened to. We’ve also seen this with Othniel and Gideon and will see it again with King Saul.

This uncontrolled and undefeatable strength is what will keep the Philistines so terrorized, that they will not extend their rule over Israel for the 20 years that Samson is a judge. Samson becomes the unstoppable “terminator” to the Philistines.

None of the judges in the book of Judges took an interest in directing the people to the Lord and encouraging the nation to be unified around their worship. Samuel will begin to do that, yet Samuel's judgeship will be one of conflict with the Philistines too. Here, a guy like Samson with all this potential is used, though very sadly, in spite of his selfishness and arrogance. Here and elsewhere, God will use his appetites and pride to put him in places to strike fear into the enemy. As followers of Christ, this story teaches us that God can use us in spite of our disobedience. As disciples in the harvest, that is the last thing we want. We want to be trained in every way to follow Christ, carrying our crosses as obedient servants in the harvest, making disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, into the next generations. I wouldn't mind the strength and creativity, but I'll settle for obedience and humility, seeing fruit that gives glory to the Father and pleasure to our Lord.

John 1:29-51

Vs. 29-34 This testimony is the fulfillment of John the Baptist's ministry. Notice that this was the day after his interrogation by the guys sent from Jerusalem. They probably had left for Jerusalem to report.

John the Baptist has two things to say. Verses 29-31 declare that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Verses 32-34 declare that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Spirit and life. Jesus was baptized with the Spirit and baptizes with the Spirit.

Vs. 35-42 This is how it all began. What is amazing to me is that many of John's disciples did not follow Jesus. Even here listening to John, it took faith and obedience to leave John and follow Jesus. These two disciples of John the Baptist understood that John was sending them to Jesus. These two guys never stopped following Jesus.

Since John, the writer of this Gospel, never refers to himself directly, I suspect that John was the other disciple.

V. 38 According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 275, the word for “stay” is used a lot by the writer and is translated elsewhere in John as “abide.” So there is a double meaning here.

We don’t hear much from Andrew, yet it was his faith in following that brought Peter to Jesus. The Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 275, makes the observation that in the three times we see Andrew in the Gospel of John, he is always bringing someone to Jesus. As you read, look for these.

V. 42 I wonder, at this point, if Jesus had some supernatural insight into Peter's future when He said, So you are Simon, the son of John. I’ve heard people wax eloquent regarding Jesus “taking authority” over Simon by “naming” him. That may be, but I worked with a guy in Germany, Dieter Michel, who always gave nicknames to younger workers he was training and they loved him and followed. It was fun and built a team. We’ll see that Jesus had nicknames for some of the other guys too.

We see in v. 28 that this happened in Bethany across the Jordan (near Jericho). So this means that Andrew, Peter and John, who lived near Capernaum on the top of the Sea of Galilee, had traveled a long way (aprox. 90-100 miles) and had left their business to hear and follow John the Baptist. In that sense, they had a very deep spiritual interest to begin with. Jesus was looking for people with this kind of faith to build upon. That is good for us to remember as we are asking the Lord to show us who is ready to be brought into a disciple-making group. Jesus didn’t select just anybody.

Vs. 43-51 Within two days of John's testimony, Jesus had three disciples. Now Jesus left this area and went straight up the Jordan River to the north side of the Sea of Galilee and gained two more disciples. We can assume that these guys were ready because of the ministry of John the Baptist. They were all extremely spiritually minded. These guys were more than warm bodies.

Notice that Jesus must have known Phillip and that Phillip probably knew Simon and Andrew. These were not huge cities. Phillip was another man of faith, waiting for the Messiah and he sought out a similar man, a friend named Nathanael. Nathanael is referred to as Bartholomew in other Gospels.

Vs. 47-48 There has to be more to this statement by Jesus than meets the eye. It might have involved a nickname or even something deep in Nathanael's heart that only Nathanael knew he was seeking. Nate's reply, How do you know me, would seem sort of insincere unless, in fact, Jesus hit on something that was important to Nathanael.

V. 49 This is interesting. You wonder what the average Jew (assuming Nathaniel was average) thought about the Messiah. Here it is. The Messiah was both the divine Son of God and the human King of Israel. Understanding that this was how Israel viewed the Christ, you wonder at the unbelief of the religious leaders. Jesus told them He was the Son of God and the Son of Man and they simply refused to believe. For the Messiah to claim these titles would not have been blasphemy. Everyone expected the Messiah to say He was the Son of God.

Vs. 50-51 might allude to what Nathanael was reading or thinking about under the fig tree. The image is Jacob resting at Bethel and seeing angels ascending and descending from heaven. It might illustrate Nathanael's own seeking to be close to God and His desire to interact with God. If that's the case, Jesus is telling Nathanael that he's about to get his desire and then some.

Not that we fully make use of our privilege, but having the Spirit living in us gives us exactly what Jacob saw and Nathanael desired, full and open communication with God.

It is interesting here that the apostle John is giving us a view of how Jesus first began to build His group of disciples. I think I’ve already learned a couple things.

Psalm 102

With this psalm, I find I'm back to psalms I can deeply identify with, calling out to God for His answer and help. It is a long psalm with different parts which you'll notice if you use a pencil to mark where the thought changes.

Vs. 1-2 This is the initial, urgent cry for help.

Vs. 3-7 This seems to be the emotional state of the writer. He is suffering both physically and emotionally.

Vs. 8-11 This is the reason he feels like this. His enemies have been able to taunt and harm him and God has let it happen. This is like what happened to David when he had to run from Absalom as God was punishing David for his acts against Bathsheba and Uriah.

Vs. 12-17 It seems that the writer is appealing to God’s love for Jerusalem, His promises to Israel and His plan to use this city to draw the nations of the world to Himself.

Vs. 18-22 Zion will be the place from which the Lord shows mercy to the needy, and it will be the place where the needy (including the writer) will praise God as the nations gather there to worship.

Vs. 23-24 This is another appeal of the writer for God to restore him.

Vs. 25-28 God made the earth and He made promises of faithfulness to His servants. The earth will end, but God’s promises will be fulfilled. Therefore, our hope is secure because we set our hope on God who remains, and remains faithful.

Proverbs 14:15-16

We talk about simple faith and the faith of the simple. Apparently simple faith is prudent and careful, full of growing discernment regarding God's will. The faith of the fool (simple) seems based on feeling and is reckless and careless. This doesn't answer all the questions, but it does provide some guidelines for the wise.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link ^{http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/.} If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find it in my book:  Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to ^{dgkachikis@gmail.com.}

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to ^{https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.} You can download these to use on your computer or to print.

April 30, 2015

APRIL 30

Today's Reading in the ESV One-Year Bible

Some of what is written here in Judges isn't so much "the history of the nation," as it is biographical sketches of how being lost on earth damages the soul. There is a price tag associated with living far from God, whether you are a believer or an unbeliever. Our sickness is so grave and deep that to think we can live a day without God, connected intravenously to His Word, listening every moment to His Spirit to be led by the Spirit, is just crass foolishness and unbelief. It shows what we really think - that all this Jesus stuff is good, but not really vitally necessary. We could easily end up like the men we will be reading about, not realizing that God put their stories here, publicly, in plain view, so that we could learn the lessons and avoid their tragic mistakes.

Notice, too, that almost nothing is said about Israel as a unified nation. The further you go, the more provincial things become. Rather than tribes banding together to help one another, they are a nation in name only. So where was that unity supposed to be if they didn't have a king? They were to be unified around their common worship at one place where all the men of Israel were to gather three times a year: at the tabernacle. Once they lost their worship, they lost their unity. The same thing happens to us, but we are smarter in our disobedience. They worshiped idols, visibly, and neglected the only true worship that united the nation and people. We worship Sundays, often singing the same songs that everyone else is singing. But our worship isn't supposed to be around a building or a service; it is around our Savior and His mission, the Great Commission.

Israel's worship was daily, in the offerings for sin, reminding them of the kindness of God and the depth of their need. Their worship on the feast days was in remembrance of their history of deliverance.

Our worship and following Jesus in the Great Commission does all of this for us. As we go out we are reminded of grace and His kindness in our salvation. In this recognition, we bring the message of the work of our Savior, the power of which brings fruit and redemption. To worship on Sunday, and not worship in going forth in the harvest, might mean there are other things more important to us that fill our needs and desires and you can guess what the Bible calls those things. And so we end up in the same place as the people we're reading about. They knew the stories, but they didn't know the Word or the God who wrote it. We need to constantly fight against that happening to us.

Judges 11-12

Judges 11

Vs. 1-11 Notice that Jephthah's life history seems similar to Abimelech's, and that he also surrounded himself with worthless company. That he went out means he and his merry men robbed people and towns outside of Israel. He gained a reputation, and part of his résumé said he was good at fighting and leading men.

Notice, too, that more is said about Jephthah and what he knew, or didn't know, than about his battle. The battle against the Ammonites is only vs. 32-33.

Vs. 4-11 You don't read anywhere here that the elders of Gilead sought God regarding their decision. Apparently Jephthah was ceremonially made the leader of the people of Gilead at Mizpah and Jephthah spoke to the Lord there. The only thing noteworthy about this place was the covenant Laban and Jacob made there.

Vs. 12-28 Notice that Jephthah sought a peaceful solution first. His understanding of events and time (300 years) is pretty accurate. If you sense that he knew his history well, then take note of what follows. Jephthah didn't know the Lord well at all. Again, we'll see that knowing "about" the stories is not a substitute for being in the Word and knowing the Lord through His Word.

V. 24 In a way, it seems like Jephthah makes this a duel of the gods. This reasoning would have worked well if Israel had been obedient. If they were ignoring God, God would ignore them and it would make it look like the other gods are bigger. Just a caution here, notice that you could understand that Jephthah really believed that Chemosh had given the Ammonites their land. He doesn't call Chemosh a false god.

Vs. 29-40 It is hard to find any verses in Scripture, next to each other, which are so stunning and frightening, than vs. 29-31. The Spirit came upon Jephthah. That's good. Jephthah makes a vow to God to offer the first person that comes out of his house as a burnt offering to God. How can that be? It shows that religious sincerity can be totally wrong and ignorant of God, even in the service of God. We see this even today among Christians, and we still do not grasp the power of sin and the need for each of us to be in God's Word. Listening to a sermon and stories about God or singing about God doesn't do the same thing as sitting together with Him, looking at what He has said. It is the difference between looking at a pill and actually taking it.

Vs. 34-40 I have done all the gymnastics with these verses trying to get Jephthah off the hook, imagining that there was a group of people dedicated to God, like Samuel, who served at the temple for life as virgins, like nuns, but these people didn't exist. Also, vows could be broken that were in violation of the law. The solution would have been simple. According to the law, Jephthah could have bought or redeemed her with money so that she didn't have to fulfill this vow. If he had only known the Bible. The most simple and obvious reading of the text is that Jephthah had a simple, sincere, second-hand understanding of God and he had mixed the paganism of his culture into it. The worship at the tabernacle had failed and the Levites were not doing their jobs. Jephthah was a sincere victim of extreme ignorance in his worship and understanding of God.

I say this is all tragic, in light of guys like Jephthah and Samson, being in Hebrews 11:32 in the "Hall of Faith." Their faith made them acceptable and pleasing to God, and they did amazing things, but their ignorance and sin utterly ruined their lives.

I think God is trying to make a strong point here and in the three stories that follow. People can call upon God sincerely and follow Him sincerely, yet His own people can still be ignorant of Him. The same Corinthians who had the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14 were the same people worshiping demons in chapter 10. When Jesus says that we need to hear His words and do them, He is commanding us with profound simplicity. We need to know His words. The Bible is meant to teach us about God, about our Lord, to know His heart and mind and plan and will. Then, we need to do what He says. The reality is that many believers don't know His Word, but they know something about it, so they assume they know Him and His will. This "feeling" about God actually becomes an extension of their own wills and desires and plans. Being a disciple means having one Lord, one Word, one Spirit and one command to follow.

Judges 12

Vs. 1-7 Do you remember the Ephraimites who came after Gideon to make trouble? Their concern in v. 1 is that they wanted a share in the plunder. This time they picked on the wrong guy.

V. 6 Can you imagine losing 42,000 people in a single battle? At the end of Numbers, over 300 years before, the Ephraimites numbered about 32,000. Who knows how the tribe might have grown in this time, but it probably means that losing 42,000 men reduced the tribe to near extinction.

V. 7 just seems sad to me.

Vs. 8-15 These guys are all localized even though it says they judged Israel. Notice that two of these men were rich with children and donkeys, meaning they were also very rich with stuff.

Notice that Abdon was buried in the hill country of the Amalekites. The Amalekites would not have been there, if Israel had followed God.

Today's reading is why, as disciples, we need to follow Jesus in the harvest making disciples, who make disciples. Discipleship is growth in Christ in His Word. Jesus summed it up like this in John 15:7-8, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples."

Without loving the Lord and following Him in the Word and obedience, we are really only following our own desires and making our own god. Even believers get lost on earth, forget who their Lord is, and they forget there is a harvest.

John 1:1-28

This is one of the most amazing chapters of the Bible.

Vs. 1-5 The Jehovah's Witnesses insert an "a" in "…and the Word was a God." It is totally wrong, but they use it to support their view that Jesus was once Michael the Archangel who was turned into a god.

Notice that Jesus was the maker of all things. And He is life. And knowing Him gives all men light.

I was reading this morning that the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke His disciples, and Jesus told them that if the disciples were silent, the very stones would cry out. God the Son, the maker of all things and the life and light of men was entering Jerusalem and they couldn't see it. How sad.

Vs. 6-8 A big point that John makes involves the witness of John the Baptist. John was the fulfillment of not only Old Testament prophecies, but He was also the final OT prophet.

Vs. 9-13 If you understand this, you see that there is no room for Islam or any other religion. The one Creator came to His creation. Because of the power of sin in us, mankind couldn't see He was the Creator, and Jesus' own family and nation rejected Him. But salvation became open to all who would receive Him. Verse 13 shows that being born again is a creation by God and has nothing to do with us, other than receiving Him.

Vs. 14-18 John never recovered from this amazing visitation. Neither should we. The wonder of these verses needs to live in us.

Notice in v. 15 that John and the Spirit are making a point that John the Baptist said that Jesus was the Christ.

Vs. 19-28 This event would have happened at least 40 days after Jesus was baptized. After the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus returned to John, victorious. John had become such a phenomenon that this was an official delegation sent to question him. He not only said he wasn't the Messiah, he said he was the herald who went before the Messiah.

V. 26 Jesus was already back from the wilderness. John knew He was there.

V. 28 This Bethany was on the east side of the Jordan.

We are not finished with the witness of John the Baptist. Just like John the Baptist, our only reason for being here now is to give praise and testimony to our Lord in the harvest.

Psalm 101

This psalm begins sunny, but ends darkly in judgment, or does it? I think this was written by David after he was the king.

Vs. 1-3 David is committing his life to following the Lord in the influences of heart and his conduct in his house.

Vs. 4-5 He also declares that he will not have close associates who do not follow the Lord. He would also be a judge for the innocent, helping them against the arrogant and proud. Too bad he didn't keep to this. We'll see that the more political David became, the more compromised his heart became.

V. 6 David is promising to show God's kindness to these people in obedience to the Word.

Vs. 7-8 David might be overstating his devotion to keeping Israel worshiping God and keeping the people holy.

We tolerate wickedness in our lives, and out of necessity, in our towns, cities and world. But shouldn't there be a desire to see wickedness done away with? That may not be our heart, but it is the heart of God to judge all wickedness. Here is something that Jesus said regarding this judgment, and you'll see that the result is kind of unexpected. It is unexpected in that none of us realizes the dampening power that sin and wickedness actually have on a person, a family, a town, city, country or on the world in general.

The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:41-43)

Removing the wicked allows the righteous to shine like the sun.

Proverbs 14:13-14

When I read this, I think of what Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." We can fool others, but God knows what is in our hearts. By reading through the Bible like this, learning more about God and His heart, the Spirit is changing you and giving you a different treasure in your heart, out of which you learn to speak and live. Again, it is all about hearing and doing.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link ^{http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/.} If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find it in my book:  Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to ^{dgkachikis@gmail.com.}

If you would like documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to ^{https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.} You can download these to use on your computer or to print.