12 Foundation Stones

SECTION 1: Bible Study on God's Word

The Bible was given to man by God

The Bible is a collection of 66 books that are the written record of messages God gave to about 40 people whom He chose as His spokesmen. Although the Bible was recorded by men, it was written by God.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:21 - For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

We can know the author

There's a story about a girl who was assigned some book to read in college. She started, and because she found it kind of dry and uninteresting, she threw it in the top of her closet and thought she'd read it later. Later on a man came to the college and lectured. She found out during the course of his lecture that he was the author of the book! She so fell in love with him on his visit to the college that after hearing his lectures, she immediately went home and dug the book out of the top of her closet and buried herself in the book to read it! - Why? How come the book was all of a sudden so interesting, whereas she thought it was dry and uninteresting before? - She knew the author!

What's the most important reason why we know the Bible is true? We know the Author. Before somebody introduced you to the Author, you probably didn't care much about the Bible and didn't know whether it was true or not, never read it and maybe didn't even believe it. But now since we've told you that it's Jesus and you've been introduced to Jesus and received Jesus in your hearts, all of a sudden you're interested in the Bible for the first time maybe in your life, because now you know the Author and you want to hear what He has to say!

Archaeological finds confirm the veracity of the Bible

Biblical archaeology is the scientific study, by excavation, examination, and publication, of the evidences of cultures and civilizations from the Biblical period. Archaeological discoveries paint in the background of the Bible, helping to explain many of its events. Although it is not possible to verify every incident in the Bible, the discoveries of archaeology since the mid-1800s have demonstrated the reliability and plausibility of the Bible narrative. Here are some examples:

The discovery of the ancient city of Ebla's archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. (Patriarchs is a name generally applied to the progenitors of families or "heads of the fathers" mentioned in Scripture, including such personages as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, etc.) Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that specific people and places in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine.

The name "Canaan" was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible.

The word "tehom" ("the deep") in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the Creation story. "Tehom" was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.

The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.

Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon's wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king, and Solomon's prosperity was entirely feasible.

It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon's palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela (ancient stone slab or pillar) memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself. (In Daniel 5:2, Nebuchadnezzar is portrayed as the father of Belshazzar, however the word translated in this verse as "father" is more accurately translated as grandfather or ancestor. Belshazzar was the son of Nabodinus, and grandson or descendant of Nebuchadnezzar.)

(Based on the research of Bryant Wood, of Associates for Biblical Research.)

God's Word is true and never fails

Psalm 119:89 - Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in Heaven.

Isaiah 40:8 - The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

Matthew 24:35 - Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away.

The Bible works!

A skeptic, talking about the Bible, said that it was quite impossible these days to believe in any book whose author was unknown. James, who believes in Jesus, asked him if the compiler of the multiplication table was known.

"No," he answered.

"Then, of course, you do not believe it?" asked James.

The skeptic replied, "Oh, yes, I believe in it because it works."

"So does the Bible!" responded James.

Testimony: "Through the Rivers!"

(Introduction: This is the translation of a letter that was sent to us by a Russian pastor who lives in a town on the Amur River in Russia, beyond the Ural Mountains.)

The Lord did a miracle for me shortly after I met you! One morning recently, I opened my Bible to Isaiah 43:1-2, which says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you."

In the central hospital later that day, we were to hold services for the sick people. I prayed and asked the Lord what I should talk about, and He showed me to preach on those verses.

Then the next evening, I needed to go to a ship on the Amur River, as the engines needed to be tested. (I work as an inspecting engineer, besides being a pastor.) We agreed that at 9 p.m., I would come to this ship by another boat. The ship that needed to be checked is 45 meters long, with four meters of the hull below the surface of the water.

Before leaving, I finished all the work I had to do at home, I prayed, dressed warmly and left.

I arrived at the pier and took a boat to look for the ship on the river. It was now about 10 p.m. and very dark. Later I was in the captain's quarters of the small boat, and when I looked out the door I immediately saw the large ship I was looking for heading straight at us on an unavoidable collision course! The only thought I had time to think was, "Thy will be done, Lord!"

We collided, and I was immediately thrown out of the boat. The Lord surely guided me, as deep down in the water I swam close to the side of my boat, and I could hear the great propellers of the large ship pass near me.

When I rose to the surface, I called out to the Lord. I didn't have any strength, and I couldn't breathe well, but I knew He was helping me! I looked around. It was very dark and there was no one around. I was right in the middle of the Amur River. (Note: The Amur is one of the great rivers of the world, forming the border between Russia and China for 1,600 km.)

I thought, What next, Lord?

I got an answer: Call for help. I couldn't get enough air and didn't have much of my voice left, but I started to yell as loud as I could for help, still wondering, Who can hear me? To find a man on the water in the dark is like looking for a needle in a haystack ... but if the Lord said to do it, then my job was just to obey.

I later found out that after the ship struck our boat, it veered to the right and got stuck on a sand bar. My cries were heard and I was brought to the ship! Everybody looked at me with wide eyes, as they did not expect to see any survivors. I had no wounds, not even a cold. One man said, "You're alive! I would have died from a heart attack if I was in your place."

I answered, "Right! I would have died myself if it hadn't been for the Lord leading me and not allowing the ‘river to overflow me'." Praise God for His miracles!

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word

* Jesus is the "Word made flesh."

John 1:1,14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

God has always spoken to people in many ways: through the beauty and wonder of His Creation, through His prophets and messengers, and through His written Word. But the clearest revelation of Himself - of His character, of His Love - is found in His Son, Jesus, Whom the Bible calls "the Word." Words are the means by which we express ourselves, by which we reveal our thoughts, our feelings, our character. - And Jesus is the means by which God expresses Himself to us. God's most outstanding means of communication with us, the way that He chose to communicate His Love to the World, was by His Own Son, Jesus.

The Bible was written for our benefit

John 19:35 - And he [John] who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

1 Corinthians 10:11 - Now all these things happened to them [Bible characters] as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.

John 4:13-14 - Jesus answered and said to [the Samaritan woman], "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, (14) but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Revelation 22:17 - And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

The Water of Life

Water is the most valuable commodity on earth, outside of life itself, which is why God symbolizes life with water, calling it the Water of Life, along with the Word of Life, the Water of the Word! - Water being such an essential element of man's life, existence and survival, and without which all life dies!

It's important to keep the Word

Obeying and keeping the Word proves we know and love Jesus. As a result, we receive benefits!

John 8:31-32 - Jesus said, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. (32) And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Luke 11:28 - More than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!

John 15:7 - If you abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

John 14:15 - If you love Me, keep My commandments.

The Bible is like a map to guide you through life. To say you don't have time for it is like a driver going on a long journey, saying, "I'm in such a hurry to get there I don't have time to look at the map."

Augustine's conversion

In 384 A.D. a young man from North Africa went to Milan, Italy, to take a position as teacher of rhetoric. While there, he became very absorbed by and troubled about the meaning of life.

One day in the back yard of his home, while on the verge of almost complete despair, he heard the voice of a child next door chanting, "Take and read, take and read."

Immediately he took the Scriptures and read that Jesus Christ was the way of complete forgiveness of sins. Through reading the Word of God, this man's life was changed and he became St. Augustine, bishop of Hippo, one of the great Christian theologians of all time.

The thief

In a meeting, converts were giving personal testimonies. One man arose, holding a New Testament in his hand. "My story," said he, "is unlike other men. I was a pickpocket, and one day I saw a man with a definite bulge in his hip pocket. A fat purse, thought I, and soon it was in my pocket. But when I arrived home, behold, it was this book. In disgust I threw it aside, but afterward, out of curiosity, I opened it and began to read. Before many days had passed I discovered Christ as my Savior and Lord."

Listening to this testimony, one of the volunteers from the Bible Society became interested. After the meeting, he asked to see the New Testament. It was the one he had carried with him for years, the one he had considered lost. Is not this evidence of the power of the Word to change and to transform man's life? What has the Word done for you?

What the Bible Meant to Them!
Outstanding Personalities from History Comment on the Bible

   Sir Isaac Newton, English scientist who formulated the laws of gravitation and motion, 1642-1727: Newton's achievements in science are very well known, but it is not so well known that he spent more time studying the Bible than studying the stars.
   There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history. All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer. I can take my telescope and look millions of miles into space; but I can go away to my room and in prayer get nearer to God and Heaven than I can when assisted by all the telescopes of Earth.

   Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, German poet, 1749-1832:
    Let mental culture go on advancing, let the natural sciences progress in ever greater extent and depth, and the human mind widen itself as much as it desires!--Beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it shines forth in the Gospels, it will not go.
   I consider the Gospels to be thoroughly genuine; for in them there is the effective reflection of a sublimity which emanated from the Person of Christ: And this is as Divine as ever the Divine appeared on Earth.

    Mother Theresa, 1910-1997, Albanian founder of the Missionaries of Charity, respected worldwide for her sacrificial work amongst the poor:
     You will be surprised to know that in the poorest neighborhoods in many of the cities where we live and work, when we get close to the people who live in shacks, the first thing they ask for is not bread or clothes, even though often they are dying of hunger and are naked. They ask us to teach them the Word of God. People are hungry for God. They long to hear his Word.

    Gabriela Mistral, 1889-1957, Chilean poetess, winner of Nobel Prize in 1945:
    For me, the Bible is The Book. I cannot see how anybody can live without it.

   Robert Boyle, Irish physicist and chemist, called "the father of chemistry," 1627-1691: Boyle read the Bible every morning throughout his life, and "did his utmost to defend and uphold the great doctrines of the Scripture."

   Immanuel Kant, German philosopher, 1724-1804:
    The existence of the Bible as a book for the people is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity.

    M. K. Gandhi (“Mahatma”), 1869-1948, Indian nationalist leader who taught nonviolence and helped establish his country's freedom. According to his grandson Arun Gandhi of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence:
    He spent hours studying the Bible and the life of Christ. He particularly liked the philosophy Christ expounded in his Sermon on the Mount. He had many Christian friends. When they asked him why he didn't become a Christian since he admired the Sermon on the Mount so much, he answered, `When you can convince me that Christians live by it, I will be the first to become a Christian.

    Sir William Herschel, German-born astronomer, discoverer of the planet Uranus, 1738-1822:
    All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truth contained in the Sacred Scriptures.

    Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France for 10 years, conquered large parts of Europe, 1769-1821:
    The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it. ... Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded empires, but upon what do these creations of our genius depend?--Upon force! Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day millions would die for Him.

    William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England, 1809-1898:
    All that I think, all that I hope, all that I write, all that I live for, is based upon the divinity of Jesus Christ, the central joy of my poor, wayward life. I have known 95 of the world's greatest men in my time, and of these, 87 were followers of the Bible.

    Sir Ambrose Fleming, English inventor 1849-1948. He was a leader in the development of electric lighting, the telephone, and wireless telegraphy in England and inventor of the first electron tube.
    There is abundant evidence that the Bible, though written by men, is not the product of the human mind. By countless multitudes it has always been revered as a communication to us from the Creator of the universe.

    Francisco Giner de los Ríos, 1839-1915, Spanish educator and philosopher:
    The Bible is the sacred collection preserved under the name of Book of books, which contains the doctrinal, moral and religious system relatively most profound, popular and intelligible that has come into existence in the history of mankind. (Translated from Spanish.)

    Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky, Russian author, one of the greatest of all novelists, 1821-1881. In The House of the Dead (1861-1862) Dostoyevsky described the terrible conditions in which he was imprisoned in Siberia. He also recorded the change in his spiritual and psychological outlook. His reading, limited to the Bible, led to the rejection of the Western-inspired atheistic socialism of his youth. Christ's teachings became for him the supreme affirmation of the ethical ideal.

    George Washington Carver, African-American agricultural chemist (1864-1943). Born a slave, he struggled to get an education, in the end graduating from university with an M.SC. He later developed  methods for conserving nutrients in soil and discovered hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut. The Bible, he said, was as important to his work as was his laboratory.
    He would arise at 4 a.m. to be "alone with the things I love the most-my plants and God. At no other time have I so sharp an understanding of what God means to do with me as in these hours of dawn. Where other folk are asleep, I hear God best and learn His plan."

Abide in Me

“Abide in Me, and I in you" (John 15:4).

In the beautiful 15th chapter of John, Jesus says, "I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned" (John 15:5-6). If ever you, as a branch, don't abide in the Vine, Christ—if you don't abide in His love and His Word—then you will become unfruitful and withered, and you will be pruned from the tree as a dead branch.

Without the flow of God's Spirit there is no life. You must be firmly attached to the Vine where you're receiving the spiritual sap and life and nourishment that you need directly from the Lord Himself. A lot of how you grow is up to you and how much nourishment you receive, so don't cut yourself off from the Vine.

Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). But if you are dwelling in the Vine, as one of the branches, then you can produce beautiful leaves and beautiful fruit so that He and the Father may be glorified and have much fruit (John 15:8).

Benefits of the Word

* The Word gives us faith, truth, wisdom and strength!

Psalm 119:7 - I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Acts 20:32b - The Word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance.

* Meditating on the Word brings blessings and success:

Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Psalm 119:130 - The entrance of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

* The Word cleanses us, heals us, makes us happy, gives us peace!

John 15:3 - "You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you."

Psalm 107:20 - He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Psalm 119:165 - Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.

Jeremiah 15:16a - Your Words were found, and I ate them, and Your Word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

It will light you home

Years ago, a minister went far into a backwoods settlement to hold a meeting, and it was necessary that he return late in the very dark night. A woodsman provided him with a torch of pitch-pine wood.

The minister, never having seen anything of the kind, said, "It will soon burn out."

"It will light you home," answered the woodsman.

"The wind may blow it out," said the preacher.

"It will light you home," was again the answer.

"But what if it should rain?"

"It will light you home," was the answer a third time.

And, contrary to the minister's fears, the torch did last him all the way home.

The Word of God is a torch given into the hands of each of us. What if it rains? What if the wind blows? What if all is dark around you? If you will hold the torch high, "it will light you home."

All of these benefits will come when we read and absorb the Word

1 Peter 2:2 - As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.

Matthew 4:4 - It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Colossians 3:16 - Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.

2 Timothy 2:15 - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.

As someone wrote: "We get no deeper into Christ than we allow Him to get into us."

We need to read the Word to receive the benefits

A certain wayward young man ran away from home and was not heard of for years. After he heard that his father had just died, he returned home and was kindly received by his mother. The day came for the reading of the will; the family members were all gathered together, and the lawyer began to read the document. To the surprise of all present, the will told in detail of the wayward career of the runaway son. The boy in anger arose, stomped out of the room, left the house, and was not heard from for three years. When eventually he was found, he was informed that the will, after telling of his waywardness, had gone on to bequeath him a large inheritance.

How much sorrow he would have saved himself and others, if he had only heard the reading through! Thus, many people only half read the Bible, and turn from it dissatisfied. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death," yes. But it says more. It says, "but the gift of God is eternal life" (Romans 6:23).

 

New Beginnings

“I began to see that the things I owned, owned me.”
By Michael, from Canada

As the son of a successful corporate lawyer, growing up was pleasant for me. In my early teens my parents sent me to an elite private boarding school. Due to my great interest in art, I was then sent to a high school specializing in art and academic studies. My artwork and academic achievements there won me a scholarship at the Ontario College of Art, Canada's most prestigious art college.

When I entered college, I was placed in the third year of the four-year art course—only the second student in the history of the college to receive this placement. At the end of my fourth year, I was given another scholarship and a grant to travel. After returning from extensive travels in Europe, I was hired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where I worked for four years as a graphic designer. I also did freelance illustrations for a top agency in New York and for major newspapers, magazines, book publishers, TV, and animation companies.

I had climbed the ladder of success in my field, but it wasn't enough; my heart was not satisfied. I began to understand that "one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke 12:15). I began to see that the things I owned, owned me. I wanted to find the true meaning of life.

Then one cold winter night on the downtown streets of Toronto, Canada, I met a total stranger who, in less than an hour, explained passages to me from the Bible that changed my life in the most profound way. That night I asked Jesus into my heart and found the greatest of all riches—Jesus and the Word of God.

"I traded bitterness and confusion for peace and love."
By Shirley, from India

Am I doing the right thing? Is this what's going to make me truly happy? What if…? I was on my way to an interview for a job overseas, and my mind was plagued with uncertainty about my future. I was still reeling from a broken relationship, and my family and friends agreed that a change would do me good; my colleagues at work called me an escapist.

I had been raised to believe in God, but had become upset, bitter, and resentful toward Him after my father died in spite of the deals I tried to make with Him. Now when I faced this life-changing decision, I didn't know who else to call on. I decided to give God one more chance to prove Himself. Walking to that appointment, I prayed, "God, if You're real, help me with this decision."

As my mind returned to that crowded Mumbai sidewalk, I saw him—a stranger with a bright smile and sparkling eyes. He stopped me and asked for directions. Something about him struck me as unusual. How did he manage to stay so cool, unperturbed, and untouched by the near-chaos around us? We talked, and the conversation turned to choices and decision-making, God and the Bible. He showed me from the Bible how I too could have the peace that he had found by inviting the Prince of Peace, Jesus, into my heart. I prayed with that stranger right there on the sidewalk, and immediately felt a wonderful inner peace—and I forgot all about that interview!

That was the beginning of a deeper and more personal relationship with my Creator, Friend, and Companion. As I got to know Him better, I didn't want to keep it to myself. Now I live to help others experience the love, joy, happiness, and hope that Jesus has given me.

(continued in part 2)