Recommended Reading
I fell into a snare into which so many young believers fall - the reading of religious books in preference to the Scriptures … I practically preferred, for the first four years of my new life in Christ, the works of uninspired men to the oracles of the living God. The consequence was that I remained a babe, both in knowledge and grace. I say in knowledge because all true knowledge must be derived by the Spirit from the Word. And since I neglected the Word, I was for nearly four years so ignorant that I did not clearly know even the fundamental points of our holy faith… . This lack of knowledge most sadly kept me back from walking steadily in the ways of God… . The Word proves it; the experience of the saints proves it; and my own experience also most decidedly proves it. For when it pleased the Lord in August 1829 to bring to me the Scriptures, my life and my walk became very different.” George Mueller, The Real Faith.
The Christian book industry has become much more commercialized than it was in the days of George Mueller and there has been even more of a proliferation of books by “uninspired men.” But, given that, the Lord has given the Body of Christ ministry gifts whose preaching and teaching by the written word is meant to effectuate the believer’s growth in becoming a real son of God in nature and character. Below I have listed tools (computer software) and works that have kept me “walking steadily in the ways of God” for your own consideration. And, no, we are not receiving any remuneration for any listing.
For years I resisted buying computer software for my Word studies. I was a book guy and I had an uneasy feeling that a Bible computer program could turn me into “PC” of those infamous Mac commercials. After getting into the Koine Greek, I decided to take another look at software because I got tired of lugging heavy lexicons on airplanes. After reviewing most of the software available, I decided on Accordance. Accordance had some great reviews from some knowledgeable folks and it is Mac-based which relieved me of the fear of becoming one of the Borg.
The software has been a real boon to my Word studies. Instead of pulling book after book off the shelves for exegesis of particular verses or sermons, I’ve got them all right at my fingertips. I can compare the Greek text, NASB, KJV, etc. side-by-side without skipping a beat. Besides that, one of the greatest features of a program like this is that I can maintain notes on each and every scripture and pull them up instantly. For instance, presently on John 10:34 (“Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?”), I’ve got my own notes, notes on the Greek syntax, Bible cross-references, and sermon notes from John G. Lake, E.W. Kenyon and even Hank Hanegraaff. I no longer have to worry about losing any notes or maintaining a “hard file” on any particular verses or sermons. I recommend Accordance to anyone considering using a Bible software program for their Word studies.
Spiritual Hunger by John G. Lake
John G. Lake was one of those rare men who entered into dimensions in God that few have even dared to contemplate. His accounts of miracles, healings, supernatural manifestations of God’s power, and anointings remain unparalleled. His books offer a glimpse into what one may call “the deep things of God,” and Spiritual Hunger stands at the head of the pack.
While in Africa, Lake promised God that he would preach the highest revelation that God would give him. That would be the soul consciousness of the Christian’s vital union with the Spirit of God. Lake’s preaching does not reflect a sterile understanding of certain Bible passages, but a true reality, or even tangibility of application, of the scriptures.
In Spiritual Hunger, Lake delves into the very operation of the spirit of man, how facts in the spirit are recorded in the soul consciousness and given expression in the outer man. He demonstrates that God does not eliminate personality, but actually enhances the sanctification of man’s mind with the indwelling spirit. All in all, Lake shows us that God’s intention of the gospel is that man become the very habitation of God.
This book has been a mainstay of my Word studies for over twenty years. I really haven’t found another book like it. Roberts Liardon has since published John G. Lake, The Complete Collection of His Life Teachings, which is a large 992 page volume that contains most, if not all of Spiritual Hunger, but you can’t really leave your house with it. Spiritual Hunger is a small book that you can take practically anywhere. It’s hard to find (this is the best picture that I could find), but it is always available at the Christ for the Nations bookstore in Dallas, Texas.
How You Can Be Led By the Spirit of God by Kenneth Hagin
One of the most misunderstood and daunting issues facing ordinary Christians today is following God’s voice. Sunday after Sunday, preachers extol the virtues of following God and doing His will, but most of the time they fail to tell us exactly how to do that. That is where Kenneth Hagin’s book, How You Can Be Led By The Spirit Of God, comes in. Hagin provides us basic, scriptural guidelines about how to know God’s voice and how to follow it in our individual lives.
Hagin first establishes the Biblical distinctions between man’s spirit and his soul. Knowing these distinctions allow Christians to discern the meaning of the Romans 8:16 “inward witness,” how to follow that witness and how to mortify the “flesh”. Hagin provides scriptural examples of this witness, such as Paul on the ship in Acts, and also his own personal examples. In his chapter, Judging By The Word, Hagin addresses some of the excesses and extremes that are routinely seen in the charismatic and Pentecostal camps. Finally, he shows how to “train” the human spirit to hear and follow God’s plan more perfectly.
As with most of Hagin’s works, the reading is easy but the truths are profound. This book is an excellent work that provides a sound scriptural foundation for hearing and following God’s voice.
The Authority of the Believer by John MacMillan
John MacMillan was born-again at an early age and later became an elder in the Presbyterian Church. At the age of forty-nine, he left his printing business to become a missionary in China. After ministering a few years in China, he was transferred to work for the Mission in the Philippines. He later returned to the United States and taught at Nyack College in Nyack, New York and became assistant editor of The Alliance Weekly (now Alliance Life). It was during his days on the mission field that he learned the truths of the authority of the believer in dealing with demonic personalities.
There are not too many books that I read these days that make it to my bookshelf for permanent use and study. Most of today’s Christian books involve quips of scripture along with long personal testimonials that usually have a meager tangential link to the Word. The Authority of the Believer is not that type of book. MacMillan presents clear and proper exposition of the Word which inculcates the spiritual maturity called for in Ephesians 2:10.
The Authority of the Believer is actually a compilation of three different of MacMillan’s works - The Authority of the Believer, The Authority of the Intercessor, and Encounter with Darkness. The entire compilation is 172 pages long. In the first portion of the book, MacMillan distills the meaning behind Ephesians 2 where the believer is said to be seated with Christ “in heavenly places.” MacMillan explores the source of authority, its limitations, and also its practical applications. Though his exegesis, MacMillan demonstrates the truth that God requires man’s active participation with him in the exercise of spiritual authority which is counter to much of today’s theology(ies). I particularly liked his treatment of several verses in Ephesians that demonstrate the nature of the resurrection.
The second portion of the book contains MacMillan’s Encounter with Darkness. In this short work, MacMillan reviews the Satanic system of demon personalities and their work in the world. He explores the forms of demonic approaches to man and gives personal accounts of his work in the Philippines and China along with accounts of other workers. One of MacMillan’s strengths is that he does not involve himself in debatable areas of scripture. For instance, he recognizes that the Word does not fully describe the origin of demon personalities; he recognizes that fact and then moves on to the definite truths that the Word holds concerning them. The result is a thorough and balanced grounding in the believer’s authority and the work and operation of demons in our day.
The Father and His Family by Essek W. Kenyon
Some years ago several books were published that sought to discredit E.W. Kenyon and his works. The critics claimed that Kenyon’s theology was derived from New Thought because of his attendance at the Emerson School of Oratory in Boston. In The Real Faith, we investigated several of the arguments of two of the critics, D.R. McConnell in A Different Gospel and Hank Hanegraaff in Christianity in Crisis and found their reasoning fallacious at best.
Often lacking in the Christian experience is an understanding of the global redemptive narrative - the story from Adam to the book of Revelation. That lack of insight or intelligence in the Gospel usually causes the Christian to teeter from one doctrinal error to another. With the resurgence of denominational dogma and the lack of reliable sources that lucidly present the story of redemption, the importance of Kenyon’s The Father and His Family cannot be overstated. Instead of promoting a particular theological mindset, Kenyon sets out the facts of our redemption by examining the respective roles of God, Jesus, man and Satan. As he proceeds from the Fall of Man to Jesus’s death on the cross, Kenyon not only identifies Jesus as Redemption’s superhero protagonist, but he also properly demonstrates Satan as being a major player in the entire drama. He finishes the book with twin chapters on Righteousness and Fellowship, two doctrinal truths conspicuously absent in mainline denominational creeds.
Out of all the books that I have read or studied, The Father and His Family is my first choice to hand to a new believer who wants to grow in the faith.
Joseph Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible
In recent years there has been a proliferation of Bible translations. The reason for this has more to do with the publishing houses’ financial bottom lines than it does with the need for yet another “literal” or culturally-relevant translation. In The Real Faith we primarily use the NASB as our go-to translation. The NASB is a derivative of the American Standard Version which many believe is the most literal English translation, but is also basically out-of-print. In our essays we more than occasionally veer from the NASB because we believe that either another published translation or our own translation does the Greek better justice. As the written Word is the revelation of the mystery of Christ, proper translation is very important to us.
If Kregel Publications published Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible in something other than a textbook format, we’d use it as our go-to translation. Out of all of the translations that we’ve surveyed, Rotherham’s is the most transparent to the original Greek. Since Koine Greek doesn’t follow the usual English syntax of subject-verb-object, Rotherham’s translation sounds a little like Yoda’s Galactic Basic (object-subject-verb, e.g., “When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not”). While some might not like reading a Bible that isn’t Shakesperean English, Rotherham’s mirror of the Greek syntax actually requires you to slow down and read each word more carefully which is a good thing. We also find that Rotherham’s vocabulary more closely follows the pungent Greek than most of our popular English translations. Therefore, we consider it an excellent second or comparative Bible for Word study (though you can’t take it anywhere). Here is a quote from Suzanne McCarthy, a writer at Better Bibles Blog, about Rotherham’s translation:
There is no such thing as a ‘transparent’ Bible, but I often think, there is such a thing as a ‘translucent’ Bible, a Bible that lets more light shine through. For me that is Rotherham’s, an extraordinary translation. If you are thirsty for a translucent Bible, try Rotherham.
The Moleskine
Though my Accordance software is an invaluable tool for Word study, I don’t know that I could do much of anything without a Moleskine and a fountain pen. The original Moleskine was used by writer/traveler Bruce Chatwin who used to buy his at an old Parisian stationery shop. He would take many on his travels and began a ritual of numbering the pages by hand and promising a reward for anyone finding one of the notebooks in case of it being lost. Eventually writers such as Hemingway started to use the little notebooks for writing. Production was discontinued in 1986, but thankfully the Moleskines are back and they’ve come out with the larger size.
A great failure of the Church is basic thinking through on the Word. The genius of the Moleskine is that it requires you to write which, by itself, requires some harder thinking. My Word study often begins with the Moleskine: writing down a verse at the top of the page and then taking the verse apart by parsing the Greek, diagramming, word definitions, diagramming, indenting, notes, free thoughts, or whatever else I can come up with. I do it all in the Moleskine and only when I’ve squeezed out what I think can for the moment (which can last days), I take it all over to Accordance. Since I’ve begun this ritual, my ability to do the hard thinking necessary for Word study has grown exponentially.
Identification - E.W. Kenyon
Identification is a truth of the Gospel that is rarely heard in the halls of our modern seminaries these days. In this book, E.W. Kenyon lays out the simple, yet profound truth that Jesus fully identified with us, sin and all, in order to save us from this present evil world (and the lake of fire to come). Full review.
[More to come]