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    The Letters of Peter, John & Jude: Living in Jesus
    The Letters of Peter, John & Jude: Living in Jesus
    The Letters of Peter, John & Jude: Living in Jesus
    Ebook155 pages1 hour

    The Letters of Peter, John & Jude: Living in Jesus

    By Gary Holloway

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    About this ebook

    A study of the shorter and sometimes neglected letters of the New Testament -- 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2 & 3 John and Jude. As you study these letters you will be called to imitate the sacrificial life of Jesus while focusing on faith. The meditative style of "holy reading" makes the text more memorable and applicable to our lives. The Bible is not just an ancient book to study but a living window into the very life of Jesus. One way we encounter the living Jesus in the Bible is through the time-tested method of "holy reading" or meditation. This commentary series provides a structure for that encounter with Jesus. Holy reading involves listening closely to a brief passage of Scripture, reading it repeatedly, praying the words, letting them sink deeply into the heart. It can also be a communal exerience as we listen to God with other believers. Through meditation on these wonderful little letters, we experience the blessings of living for Jesus.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherLeafwood Publishers
    Release dateJul 29, 2013
    ISBN9780891129318
    The Letters of Peter, John & Jude: Living in Jesus
    Author

    Gary Holloway

    Gary Holloway is the past Executive Director of the World Convention of Churches of Christ. Prior to that, he taught spiritual formation at Lipscomb University in Nashville. Holding degrees from Freed-Hardeman, Harding, the University of Texas, and Emory University, Dr. Holloway has written or edited over thirty books, including several volumes in the Meditative Commentary Series on the New Testament. He is married to Deb Rogers Holloway.

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      Book preview

      The Letters of Peter, John & Jude - Gary Holloway

      A MEDITATIVE COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

      THE LETTERS OF PETER, JOHN, AND JUDE: LIVING IN JESUS

      A MEDITATIVE COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

      THE LETTERS OF PETER, JOHN, AND JUDE: LIVING IN JESUS

      by Gary Holloway

      THE LETTERS OF PETER, JOHN, AND JUDE:

      Living In Jesus

      Copyright 2008 by Gary Holloway

      ISBN 978-0-89112-557-0

      Printed in the United States of America

      ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise—without prior written consent.

      Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1984, International Bible Society.

      Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.

      Cover design by Greg Jackson, Jackson Design Co., llc

      For information contact:

      Leafwood Publishers, Abilene, Texas

      1-877-816-4455 toll free

      www.leafwoodpublishers.com

      08 09 10 11 12 13 / 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      To my dear friend, Phillip Camp, whom I love in the truth

      INTRODUCTION

      HEARING GOD IN SCRIPTURE

      Many good commentaries, guides, and workbooks exist on the various books of the Bible. How is this series different? It is not intended to answer all your scholarly questions about the Bible, or even make you an expert in the details of Scripture. Instead, this series is designed to help you hear the voice of God for your everyday life. It is a guide to meditation on the Bible, meditation that will allow the Bible to transform you.

      We read in many ways. We might scan the newspaper for information, read a map for location, read a novel for pleasure, or read a textbook to pass a test. These are all good ways to read, depending on our circumstances.

      A young soldier far away from home who receives a letter from his wife reads in yet another way. He might scan the letter quickly at first for news and information. But his longing for his beloved causes him to read the letter again and again, hearing her sweet voice in every line. He slowly treasures each word of this precious letter.

      BIBLE STUDY

      So also, there are many good ways to read the Bible, depending on our circumstances. Bible study is absolutely necessary for our life with God. We rightly study the Bible for information. We ask, Who wrote this? When was it written? Who were the original readers?

      How do these words apply to me? More importantly, we want information about God. Who is he? What does he think of me? What does he want from me?

      There is no substitute for this kind of close, dedicated Bible study.

      We must know what the Bible says to know our standing with God.

      We therefore read the Bible to discover true doctrine or teaching. But some in their emphasis on the authority and inspiration of the Bible have forgotten that Bible study is not an end in itself. We want to know God through Scripture. We want to have a relationship with the Teacher, not just the teachings.

      Jesus tells some of God's people in his day, You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40). He's not telling them to study their Bibles less, but he is reminding them of the deeper purpose of Bible study—to draw us to God through Jesus. Bible study is a means, not an end.

      Yet the way many of us have learned to study the Bible may actually get in the way of hearing God. Bible study may sound a lot like schoolwork, and many of us were happy to get out of school. Bible study may call to mind pictures of intellectuals surrounded by books in Greek and Hebrew, pondering meanings too deep for ordinary people. The method of Bible study that has been popular for some time focuses on the strangeness of the Bible. It was written long ago, far away, and in languages we cannot read. There is a huge gap between us and the original readers of the Bible, a gap that can only be bridged by scholars, not by average folk.

      There is some truth and some value in that scholarlymethod. It is true that the Bible was not written originally to us. Knowing ancient languages and customs can at times help us understand the Bible better. However, one unintended result of this approach is to make the Bible distant from the people of God. We may come to think that we can only hear God indirectly through Scripture, that his word must be filtered through scholars. We may even think that deep Bible study is a matter of mastering obscure information about the Bible.

      MEDITATION

      But we read the Bible for more than information. By studying it, we experience transformation, the mysterious process of God at work in us. Through his loving words, God is calling us to life with him. He is forming us into the image of his Son.

      Reading the Bible is not like reading other books. We are not simply trying to learn information or master material. Instead, we want to stand under the authority of Scripture and let God master us. While we read the Bible, it reads us, opening the depths of our being to the overpowering love of God. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double- edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).

      Opening our hearts to the word of God is meditation. Although this way of reading the Bible may be new to some, it has a long heritage among God's people. The Psalmist joyously meditates on the words of God (Psalm 1:2; 39:3;

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