We often take knowledge, specifically Biblical knowledge for granted. The lack of a passion to learn Biblical truth is an all too often common trait among Christendom. I know we’ve probably all heard this plea before, but I am bringing this up again because it is so very critical. God’s people must get back to a thirst for learning Biblical truth. I’m talking about a deeper level of seeking truth than just your “15 minutes” of Bible reading or even the weekly church sermon.
Far too many Christians, myself included, treat their Christian life as if salvation’s granting of eternal life is the only work of the Gospel. Salvation involves far more than just a ticket to heaven! We get to live an abundant life in Jesus now! The Gospel has tangible implications for our lives in the here and now. We are all on a process of redemption, whereby God orchestrates all things for His redemptive purposes. So often I find myself living life as if the Gospel has no tangible implications for today. I mean, if we really grasped this meaningful truth, we would have an unquenchable thirst for growing in our understanding of Biblical truth. We would passionately approach our reading, our study, and our church attendance.

This desire for learning is a relatively new work that God is doing in my heart throughout the past few years. It is far too easy for us to sit through church and do our daily Bible reading in a form of legalism without actually growing in our passion for learning Biblical truth. As Paul addressed Timothy, are we truly studying to show ourselves diligent students of God’s Word?

So what does this look like? Am I saying that we all need to quit our jobs and retreat to a monk-like lifestyle where all we do is read and study? Of course not. What I am saying is that there are likely some of us that could develop a deeper desire to learn Biblical truth that may manifest itself in an increased level of reading or some other means of growing in truth. I’m sure some people reading this already have a good discipline or hobby of reading. But how many of us need to develop a passion for this kind of learning? Do you fully appreciate the glorious doctrines of Scripture? Do you even know the various doctrines of the Bible? You may be able to share your salvation testimony with another, but are you able to answer the skeptic’s intellectual questions regarding truth? Do you really know what you believe and why you believe it? Or, do you just believe what you believe based on tradition and the preacher’s word?

Please understand me. I am not advocating these things as a legalistic aspect of the believer’s life. I am admonishing these things because I feel that there are so many Christians who live with a very shallow understanding of Biblical truth and how it actually relates to them. Beyond the actual level of truth caught, there are scores of people today in our churches that approach learning (whether devotional, personal reading, or church) in a way that is often void of any passion.

In response to all of these important truths, I am excited to introduce to you an ongoing project started many months ago. As God continues growing my passion for truth, I decided to share my study and various thoughts with others. From one regular redeemed child of the King to another, I pray that these resources and recommendations can be of some mutual edification to you! Follow the link provided below to view our new site designed to promote a passion for growing in Biblical truth. At the new Believer’s Bookshelf website, we endeavor to share our learnings along the way as we continue our ongoing life of redemption together. It is still just a small sampling of all of the Biblical resources available today, but be sure to check back often as we continue adding resources and reviews. Please also understand that we attempt to bring a wide and often random selection of materials available today and that we must (as always) exercise Biblical discernment in our reading/study.

Enter: www.thebelieversbookshelf.com

Derek

Recently, I was given the opportunity to preach at our home church. Since God has been working on my own heart regarding my waits, this study was a natural pick for me. I pray God can use His awesome Word in your life as well. If it can be of any use, I have included links to 2 file types of the recent Keynote Presentation entitled, “Embracing the Waits in Life.” One file type is a movie file of the slides with transitions. The other file type is a .pdf with the slides and full sermon notes.

Blessings,
Derek

Embrace the Waits Video File

Embrace the Waits PDF with Notes

God is continually increasing my appreciation and passion for reading books related to Theology and other Christian related topics. I was thinking about this one day and decided to begin including some of my book recommendations on our ministry website. You will now find a “current reading” section on the bottom right of our site with a list of recommended Christian resources. I will also strive to provide occasional reviews on especially good books. Additionally, there are included Amazon links on each book picture. It is my prayer that God can use this to encourage you to read solid materials for your Christian walk! Follow the link below to view thegapstander Christian resource recommendations:

http://thegapstander.com/alaska/book-recommendations

This week’s conference went great! I thoroughly enjoyed my time during track 3 of Faith’s Biblical Counseling Conference. I would

This week has been incredible! God has really chiseled away at my heart throughout all the sessions! Faith Baptist in Lafayette, IN every February; good stuff!