A New Beginning
By Dr. Robert Fieldhouse, Disciples Path Ministry – St. Augustine, Fla.
Lesson 1
In his work, The Republic, Plato wrote, "You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work." What Plato stated there in his work The Republic most assuredly applies to the study of our Bible. It is impossible to pick up our Bible, start reading, and genuinely believe you will understand and receive what you read without receiving the Actual Beginning. Even with others' help, study classes, seminary training, or thinking that you are gifted or Blessed enough to receive the message for whatever reason you have formed for yourself, it is simply not actual or possible. There is a critical explanation of a word I use frequently. The word is receive, and it is imperative that you fully grasp what I mean. It's like your heart beating and not having to think about it. It is, or becomes, a "part" of you. The more we receive in our heart, mind, and soul, the more Christ-like we become. The more we receive in our heart, mind, and soul, the closer the relationship with our LORD becomes.
Disclaimer: Though based on decades of study (formal and informal), unless indicated by a direct quote, everything in this series of lessons is my personal opinion and is how and what I believe, share with others, base my ministry on, and use to govern all the facets of my life to the best of my ability. I sincerely pray this series will help you. However, as I routinely say to all I speak with, you can not genuinely believe and receive something until you prove it to yourself. Becoming more Christ-like is not easy. However, it is simple.
The following lessons are, prayerfully, the start of A New Beginning for you. There is, and never can be, an actual "end" to learning unless you decide to end your quest for greater knowledge, wisdom, accurate understanding, comprehension, and a closer relationship with our LORD yourself. You can, and most do, however, feel confident and satisfied by falsely thinking they are saved because of some ceremony or ritual or because a Pastor told them they were saved by doing x, y, and z (this will be discussed in another lesson). Those individuals believe they are good Christians by saying they believe in God, were baptized, can receive and quote chapters and Verses, attend church, do volunteer work, and try hard to be a good person, which is all God requires of them. Really? Jesus says that no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me (see Jn. 14:6). Please do your research. As long as God grants me breath, I will be available to discuss, debate, or reinforce the Word of God with you or anyone genuinely interested in Spiritual growth. I love to learn because learning never ends for me. Step 1 in learning? Be open to change! According to the Book of Matthew (we will meet him in a future lesson), Jesus stated, This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand" (Mt. 13:13, NIV). Take some time to quiet your mind and set aside your old thinking—notice I said to set aside your old thinking. I did not say to do away with it. For now, please put it on the shelf. It can still be there in case you change your mind about wanting to explore a new beginning. Now, ask Jesus to give you the courage to let down your guard and help you believe a new beginning is possible! Ready? Let's begin A New Beginning!
Lesson 1
From The Gospel According To John, 1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1). I have no idea how many times I had heard or read those 17 words from the Book of John (we will meet John and others in future lessons). At some point in my study of the Book of John, I realized I did not actually understand, comprehend, or receive what he was trying to share with me. By that, I mean I did not fully understand or comprehend and, therefore, could not appreciate the depth of his words. When we read Scripture, we take authority over what the author wrote and become the author through our individual understanding, beliefs, and desires through our interpretation. Therefore, we must all accept that studying Scripture will take a long time. We cannot rush an accurate understanding and comprehension of Scripture because too many ideas, thoughts, details, and human distractions prevent us from receiving the intended message or lesson. Aside from that, being human, we tend to form our own interpretations far too quickly, usually out of impatience. Remember that this is Lesson 1 of A New Beginning. Let's unpack John 1:1, just 17 words, to demonstrate the point I am attempting to make prayerfully. Ready?
1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn 1:1).
In the beginning, he was saying before ANYTHING existed.
Was the Word – notice the word Word is capitalized. He is attributing Divinity to the otherwise common interpretation. Similar to when we read other words, such as lord in Scripture. A lowercase l, as in lord, means something like master or owner. A capital L, or all letters capitalized in the word lord (LORD), refers to Lord or LORD/GOD = YHWH/ I AM/ YAHWEH/ JEHOVAH.
. Before ANYTHING existed, there was God. . Even though our finite human brain cannot conceive of the idea of "before anything existed, there was God," we MUST come to terms with the concept (somehow, but in our own way) and receive the idea to make it part of us instead of an external thought or idea to easily and quickly passed or simply glazed over.
and the Word was with God, which indicates that the Word and God have an interpersonal relationship. According to most dictionaries, interpersonal means something relating between two individuals. Now, hold that thought for a second.
. and the Word was God – What? I thought the Word and God had an interpersonal relationship. John appears to be implying that two individuals are one. How is that even remotely possible? We learn here that the Word is the same God that Created the universe "in the beginning!" Let's take some time to reflect on the following:
.The term "the Word" (Gk. Logos) conveys the notion of divine self-expression or speech and has a rich OT background. God's Word is effective: God speaks, and things come to being (Gen 1:3, 9; Ps, 33:6; 107:20; Isa. 55:10-11), and by speech, He relates personally to His people (e.g., Gen. 15:1, ESV).
. This also foreshadows the elements building the doctrine of the Trinity (covered in a future lesson).
So why was all this important for us to spend time on and to understand? Here are a few of the more vital reasons to reflect on.
1. Whether you believe in God or not, He still, and always will, love and believe in you.
2. You must believe God and Christ Jesus are the same. The reason "why" will become clear as we progress in the upcoming lessons. I will offer all the help I possibly can.
3. Not only did Christ Jesus exist before Creation, but He is also the same God who Created the Heavens and the Earth! Don't panic! We will work on this until it is clear to you.
4. Without a conscious personal relationship with Christ Jesus, receiving what our Bible offers you is severely limited, leading to much confusion and frustration, usually ending in weak faith. Jesus will not nurture your weak faith enough to produce fruit unless you invite Him to. The only way to ask Him is to have a relationship with Him. He will not force Himself on anyone. How? We will go for a deep dive into this in future lessons.
5. For us to learn and grow and have wisdom to share with others when the time comes, it is wise to make time to listen and not speak.
6. Speaking with truth and discernment is only granted by having a conscious personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
7. You consciously decided to learn so that your questions might be answered. Trust me when I say that He nudged you to this point, at this time, out of His tremendous love for you. He is reaching out to you – take His hand.
Reflect on These Points and Questions
1. How well do you know Jesus? Give yourself a score right now between 1 and 10. Sure, it's hard to measure, but you know if it's a 2 or an 8.
2. Do you know Jesus as well as you would like to or as well as you should? What is the actual reason stopping you from knowing Him as well as you should?
3. Do you believe you will benefit from knowing Jesus more intimately? Take the time to list all the ways you will benefit by knowing Jesus more intimately. How and in what ways will it better your life?
4. Jesus was physically here with us, but is not now. Knowing His limited time, He chose to remain with us but in Spirit. He speaks directly to us through the Gospels.
5. Knowing about Jesus is not the same as knowing Jesus.
6. Do you value yourself anywhere near as much as Jesus values you? Always remember, and tell yourself often, that no matter what happens, He loves you. You are, and will always be, a child of the Most High God.
7. Have you ever really considered Jesus to be your teacher?
You will only get out of this series of lessons what you invest in them. If any of this lesson is unclear or seems too complicated, with the LORD's help and guidance, we will do whatever is asked of us until we comprehend His Word. It might seem hard to do, but trust me when I say it is simple. Stick with it, and you will see what I mean by that.
Lesson 1 was designed to put God, you, and me on the same page of the same Book. Until next time, pray that God will continue to guide you and help you see His Word with fresh eyes. Whether you continue to study with me or not, please never give up searching, questioning, and trying to grow your understanding. He loves you so much that He will never give up on you! Pray that He will help you believe that a New Beginning is possible for you!
Additional reading – The Bible Commentary, Vol. 2. The New Testament (Holman). A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible (Stein, R.H.). Rediscover Jesus (Kelly, M.). ESV Study Bible (Crossway). Your personal Bible of choice.
Disciples Path Ministry - St. Augustine, Florida