Is there a mid-Acts study bible out
there? If not, are there any study bibles
you would recommend? I am curious
because the bible you use in the videos is huge and I thought maybe it was a
study bible.
Is
there a mid-Acts study bible? Not that I
know of. I have heard saints say over
the years that they wish we could have a Bible with commentary notes that are
Pauline dispensational. That would be a
huge endeavor. If the Lord tarries and
he is willing and gives us the time and resources to do it, I would love to
undertake that project. I would love to
have a Bible to recommend that has study notes from a Pauline dispensational
viewpoint. That would be awesome! My passion is to give people an understanding
of God’s word rightly divided. That is
my number one prayer.
I
am assuming that you are referring to the recordings of our assembly’s meetings
on Sundays and Wednesdays. The
large-print bible I am using was a gift from my beautiful wife Krista. It is a Keystone Giant Print Deluxe Edition bible
copyright 1997 by the National Publishing Company. It does contain maps that are helpful.
I
don’t study with or preach from any bible that contains commentary. The bible I preach from is the same bible I
use for study. But I make my own
notes. Over the years I have written my
own commentary on every page of my Bible as I read through the scriptures to
refresh my mind in any free time that I have.
I would need at least a year to go through those notes in my bible and
write commentary for a mid-Acts dispensational study bible. My notes are made from my own understanding
of the rightly divided, Pauline, mid-Acts, dispensational point of view.
For
example, if I am reading something in Genesis, I will read it with an
understanding of the mystery, the dispensation of grace, and Pauline right
division.
Ephesians 3:9
And to make all men see
what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the
world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 3:2
If ye have heard of the dispensation
of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Other
commentaries and study bibles don’t do that.
They might give you a good explanation of a passage, but they won’t do
it in light of the Pauline revelation.
That is what we need. We need to
rightly divide the word and understand it from that perspective.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:7
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee
understanding in all things.
So
we need to know the bible from a Pauline, dispensational viewpoint. Maybe one day I will be free to write a commentary
from that perspective for a study bible.
I have learned over the years in ministry that I don’t like to have my
mind affected by other peoples’ commentary – particularly by those who don’t rightly
divide the word. Most ‘study bibles’ are
obviously not dispensational. I like to
keep my mind pure.
Psalm 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalm 119:140
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant
loveth it.
Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto
them that put their trust in him.
I
don’t want it affected by what some ‘scholar’ says. Not that they are all bad. Sometimes I will read them, but only after I have
studied a passage or topic exhaustively and come to an understanding of it. So the Bible I use for preaching and study has
no study notes, no margin notes, no reference verses or anything other as a study
aid. It is just the pure King James
Bible – the perfect word of God for English-speaking people.
Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said,
It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Another
bible that I use is a Zondervan KJB Study Bible. It has study notes that I rarely look at; but
it is small and easy to use as I answer questions by audio and video. When I prepare for these Q&A’s, I use a
King James Bible on the computer that has a search feature to find where a word
is used in Scripture (such as BibleGateway.com). It is a helpful study tool. But when I read and study I use the bible I
teach and preach from that has no study notes or cross references. I know right division; I know how to handle
scripture now as a workman, so I gain more understanding by studying that way.
After
I have exhausted a subject in my own understanding I can then read a
commentary, and if it agrees with what I see, it is good; but if it doesn’t, I
take it with a grain of salt and go with what I see from scripture. With the Spirit of God and with a heart that
desires to understand our Father’s word; through prayer, much study and built
up understanding of doctrine in my soul over the past couple of decades, I
trust my understanding of God’s word more than I do commentaries.
1 Corinthians
2:13
… which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.
I
have learned some things from them such as geography in the Middle East, But
when it comes to doctrine, study notes and commentaries are not very helpful.
The
best study bible that I have seen is the KJB Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield introduces the Pauline epistles that
follow the book of Acts (Romans through Philemon) by stating that they alone
are exclusively for the body of Christ today for doctrine and for our walk, etc. He says this but he doesn’t teach this way in
his study notes. He understands a little
bit about Paul’s epistles being for the body of Christ in this present
dispensation of grace.
Ephesians 3:2
If ye have heard of the dispensation
of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
Colossians 1:25-26
Whereof I am made a
minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you,
to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from
ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
I
listen to other brothers and we have Q&A’s.
I am very edified by all the questions I receive from people. Our assembly has at least an hour of Q&A
on Wednesday nights as well as on Sunday mornings. I am edified by all those things and they
each play a part in my understanding.
Hopefully this helps!
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