Different Perceptions and Visions of the Old and New Testament in Bible

The Bible claims complete authority over our lives; people in our society avoid recognizing this authority. Believers and non-believers remove the Bible from its authoritative pedestal and place it on the shelf as just another dusty book. Christians would like to say that they are surrounded by a worldly secular system, in which all truth is relative and there are no absolutes. The Bible is not openly attacked as much as it is under minded. It is accepted as one more way to look at the world, but its Divine Authority is simply passed over and ignored.

I believe that in our society, Christianity is separated into two groups. Group one is typically the people that are within the secular world, who do not know Christ. These are the people that only fit in with worldly wisdom, believes the Bible has very little importance, and carries zero authority within their lives. I was raised by a very strict mother who would drag me to church every Sunday in hopes I receive the taste of Christ. Group two includes many church members in our society. The members in this group know the importance of the Bible and that it has priority and authority in their lives. Even though I was forced to attend church, I choose not to make any use of the Bible (MacArthur P.3).

Growing up in the church, I neglected the teaching of the Bible and its laws altogether. I cannot understand why the Bible remains such a mysterious, somewhat confusing rule book that we as Christians should be able to swallow bravely. Instead we choose to take the Bible like bitter medicine. Reading the book “A Journey Through the Old Testament” by Elmer L. Towers, allowed me to see the Bible much differently now. This book is written to where the scriptures come to life. As I journey through this book, I realize that “I can no longer live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Zondervan 2015).

In the beginning, I realized I was running from a calling for a very long time. Understanding that I am going to become the first youth pastor in my church’s 103 years of existences made me feel a little overwhelmed. Many would say this will be a great opportunity, but I am still running from this calling until today. Since the Bible tells us that if you are first in something you are last, but if you are last in something you are first. (Zondervan 2015).

The book “A Journey Through the Old Testament,” brings a unique way of understanding the old testament. Starting in the book of Genesis, I realize that Adam and Eve were also running from something. They were running from what was right and what was wrong. To know at one point our ancestors had choices to live without adversity and know it only took one mistake that changed our lives forever. The Old Testament is broken up into three different sections; the law, the prophecy, and the writings. The law was set forth in the beginning with Adam and Eve. God made a law to not eat the forbidden fruit; as it did in the garden with Adam and Eve, temptation surrounds us daily. The serpent was the key factor when Adam and Eve broke the first law.

To know that we serve a God so merciful and generous enough to bring Adam and Eve a new redeemer. Cain, their firstborn son was supposed to be a great man of God; however, we all know that with the sinning of Adam and Eve removed that greatness. Life is very difficult, displaying many obstacles that come and go. Living your life in your own will and not God’s permissive will brings challenges. The challenge of jealousy, which brings an end to the brotherhood of humankind. Cain had a younger brother by the name of Abel, which he never seen eye to eye with. This scenario seems like a replica of what I’m dealing with currently with my two boys. They are at the stage in life where it is repeated daily on how they are in competition with each other. It all to clear how Cain and Abel were battling daily, but with Cain living in his own will and not God’s permissive will, brought a very strong urge of evil on Cain’s heart. When Cain killed his brother Abel, I felt some sympathy deep in my heart when the ground heard Abel's cry, the bloodshed. Jealousy can ruin everything that you work hard for in life. When reading this book, one will notice how God had just enough, so He had to call on Noah. To know that we serve a God that loves us so much and still get so flustered, he just wanted to start over. I wanted to start my life over and over with all the mistakes made thus far. Christians too have moments wanting to start over in life. These times normally hit you when a difficult storm approaches. Storms are tests allowed by God for extra endurance in our lives.

As the storm settled, our God was willing to give us more chances. His generosity became well known around the world. Abraham was a true follower of God, who sets the bar for every descendant after him. Abraham was a man of faith that was willing to leave everyone behind, even his family, to follow the unknown. That part in the Bible is very tough for me; I could not leave my family who I feel God placed here to help me lead the Youth Department. Abraham’s path holds great sentimental value to me. The book “Journey Through the Old Testament” displayed a story of him pursuing his walk while showing great hospitality. The central theme of what Abraham stood for was his focus on the diverse communities living in the region that shared the same heritage as Abraham. Many scholars identify Abraham’s story as a very important component in our cultural DNA. The path Abraham demonstrates shows a very powerful walk with God. Abraham gave the people the proper perspective to always remember their origin.

Abraham’s diverse ministry had the ability to connect with others and show great hospitality, even strangers from other foreign countries. Abraham is the definition of the perfect law: treat others the same way you want to be treated. Showing kindness towards a perfect stranger, no matter what the circumstance, is the key when interpreting any law. This interpretation shows great obedience, not only to our father in heaven, but also on earth. We are only here for a very short time. Laws are very valuable especially in our society, whether in the court of law or God laws. God oversees it all. Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, meaning God is not only the law, God is in the law, God is above Executive Branch and God knows the law. God’s powers are exposed daily, putting Abraham in a situation where he felt in his heart that Ishmael was the one. God did what he does best; focus on the long-term goals in our lives and not so much what we see in our face. This led to Isaac being born.

The book “Journey Through the Old Testament,” has a unique way of expressing how Abraham was willing to except a “halfway” blessing when God promised a full complete blessing. Abraham was satisfied when receiving Ishmael by his concubine, but God wanted to give him Isaac. God has a unique way of allowing a man such as Abraham to show such faith and still make mistakes. God teaches from Abraham mistakes. The same mistakes Abraham made throughout his life, falls right to his son Isaac. Daily, I find myself explaining to my boys about treating each other like opponents. They argue every day, trying to conclude “who is best.” I simply tell them “you guys should do it together and be stronger than doing it alone.” Having favorites among children damages families in all cultures. Before leaving their Mother’s womb, Esau and Jacob already challenged each other as Jacob holds Esau heel exiting out the womb. This did not just stop at the heel; the laws continued to be broken when Jacob steals a blessing.

In our society we are getting so creative with doing wrong. The young people in our church has a unique way finding trouble. Jacob tricked his father with goatskin and pretending to be his brother Esau is something that continues in our secular world. Wanting another person blessing must have evil written all over it. Dreams are instilled in everyone; God gives us the free will to dream and think of things outside of our reach. This story shows how we can be fixated on the next person blessings and how great they sound compared to our own. This action automatically forces us to sin. We are born into sin, which allows us to do the craziest things even when we know we re going against God’s will.

Joseph was ridiculed because of his ability to interpret dreams. God blessed Joseph with this ability and it still turned his relatives against him. Facing reality in this current life is vital, and Joseph was in a very unfortunate situation. But through it all, God made a way for him to hold onto Gods promise and stay in a crushed state of mind in order to seek a more prosperous promise. We never realize what our current storm is brewing up in our lives. Having the right faith in our Lord and Savior helps penetrate the things in life that we overlook. Storms, trials, and tribulations are always made for those who believe when overcoming the worse in this current life. People in our society are set in their own way, which leads to a self-centered way of life. Once God hardened pharaoh’s heart, their true character seeped out. Once again Joseph went from being the pharaoh’s answers to his direct enemy. God will always have the answer and send help, even when the hopes were burning low for Joseph.

Moses was put in place to free the Israelites, despite his speech problem. Once again God sends help, his brother Aaron, to translate what is needed to get God’s point across to the pharaoh. Looking at the miracles of the burning bush in the middle of the desert leaves you to believe God would make this easy for Moses to free the Israelites. Moses had to be crushed and led to the unknown before seeing his purpose. Traveling through the wilderness humbled and tested the Israelites. Leading people in our society can be mind boggling, but through a weak and famished Israelite God still made away. Our Lord and Savior knows what is best for us, but we must allow him to take control of our steering wheel.

Once Moses began leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God knew that the Israelites were not strong enough to go against the Philistine. He commands Moses to take the longer route. God knew the Israelites would give Moses a run for his money, which gave him the feeling of doubting Gods plans. Just when Moses felt like the odds were against him, it made it easier for God to shows up and provide the Israelites with the resources needed to survive through the wilderness. Once again, our Lord and Savior still makes a way. The Israelites finally get to experience a great spiritual high, the first and only nation in history of mankind to hear the voice of God. The Israelites had the opportunity to experience a spiritual high, but even some spiritual highs come with consequences. God implemented the Ten Commandments through his prophet Moses but knew that there were going to be separation in the beliefs system which leads to greater sin.

You would think with the Israelites hearing the voice of God would have stirred up something inside of them, but they still had room to be inpatient. Patience is the key for seeking God’s promise. When Aaron was convinced to make the Israelites a golden calf to worship, it was the worst thing they could have done that cost them their lives. At this point Moses had enough, smashing the stone tablet of the law written by the finger of God. Moses cried out to the entire nation for repentance. After which Moses climbed the mountain by himself to get a second copy of the law before the tabernacle could be built. The people’s repentance was genuine, offering gifts to build the tabernacle. Finally, something positive is happening after the 10 Commandments were retrieved.

Moses’ passing set the bar high for the next leader to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Moses's leadership was very accomplished, and Joshua would be the one to proceed after Moses. It was a necessary part of Joseph's training that he be a servant to Moses. In God's perfect will, he placed Joshua under the leadership of Moses so that Joshua was ready to complete the task of leading Israel into the Promised Land. I can imagine how Joshua feels being told what to do, wondering if it will ever be his turn or never be able to be like Moses, regardless of the thought it was God's plan to place him in that roll. Like Joshua I am being placed in a role that I question and have the choice to choose whether to listen to the wisdom of Moses. While only being 36 when starting my ministry, Joshua was trained for 40 years in the wilderness. I do not doubt for a minute that just like me, Joshua could not leave this task of being Moses' servants to the ignorant or unprepared society. I am not saying I am the greatest leader known to man, but when it comes to a youth department, God has instilled all the utensils to be great. I know for a fact that Joshua felt the same through his process.

We have a very humorous God who will allow me to succeed one way knocked me down “antidisestablishmentarianism” in order to build me up for his way. Giving up is number one in my life right now; I really need our Lord and Savior to move this blockage out of my life so that way I can flourish beyond human eyes. Joshua’s appetite for the Lord showed that he was willing to be stoned when 10 of the other spies took the more popular position as they felt outnumbered by the Canaanites.

You have heard the stories listed above, expressing how God shows favor in our well-being and knows that we all will be breaking the Commandments in the future. The Bible tells us that even when you are feeling discouraged with God’s capability due to your inner sin and doubting forgiveness, God sends us an advocate in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Society has a mind of its own; we must believe our Lord and Savior reigns over the world.

We separate ourselves into three divisions of beliefs. The first division simply represents the people in our society that can care less about the Bible and accepts only what fits in worldly wisdom and not Godly wisdom. Life has a crazy way of trapping you in a doubting state of mind, forgetting we are in this world not of this world. Many people claiming they are Christ followers falls in the second division. This division includes many of the church members. This group tends to know the Bible and knows the importance of the Bible. This division knows how much authority the Bible should have in our lives, but they tend to still neglect the teaching all together and slip right back into worldly wisdom. Church folks are sinners that once fell and were given the strength by God to get up. Unfortunately, I tripped and fell flat on my face. I would be placed in this division due to my lack of knowledge and faith, but I am gaining hope to grow during my Footsteps through the Old Testament (MacArthur P.3).

I didn't start reading the Bible until recently, at the age of 36, I am learning the Bible like a newborn baby. I had no desire in implementing any changes in my life. The is figuring out where the Bible stands in my life now. Slipping away daily as another sinner in this secular world of ours was the prerequisite of who I am right now. Maintaining a household as a husband, father, and uncle gives me the right ammunition in order to keep pushing. I am so lost out here right now, doubting my purpose daily. That is a terrible feeling to have when working on strengthening your spiritual life. I am fighting for my life as many may look at me and says, “this young man has great things going for him”, but Little do they know I struggle daily wanting to give up! Sometimes you sink into darkness where nothing earthly can help you. At that point you have no other choice but to rely on Christ. Relying on this unbelievable God is tricky; I had to find out the hard way. I got excited and took another step, by reading the word daily. Just when I start enjoying the new me, adversity knocks at the door. As I continue to read the word daily, the Bible started transforming me. Situations that I encounter now, I brainstorm over and over in my head before deciding. The Bible teaches us that our tongue is a very powerful tool, which is why the world is the way it is today. The word of God has a way of humbling our inner self.

This inner self was the root of all evil that stood within me. As I continue to encounter adversity through my ministry, I must reach out more to our Lord, asking for his help. God’s word is alive in a way like never before. His words are alive, as Peter quotes Isaiah 40:6-8: “For all men are like grass, and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” Peter 1:24-25. One of the true indications of life and God’s word is that it has a certain type of freshness to it. Every generation that passes, God’s words stays fresh and alive. There are many areas in the Bible that I enjoy reading. I find myself reading these verses over and over, finding new ideas when preach the Word. The true reason why many Christians in today society suffer from spiritual malnutrition, is that they live off worldly junk food. Peter is aware of this and that is why he says “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind” 1 Peter 2:1. Christians are no different than those in the first century. Many of us love to play the Christianity role and try to pretend that we are not keeping out with worldly practices and values in our lives. There is no reason a true Christian would submerge themselves in a world filled of garbage.

Last but not lease we have the third division. The people in this division sees the Bible in a totally different way. These are what we call true Bible Worriers. For this group, the scriptures come to life, literally popping out in front of them like a pop-up book. This group knows what it is like to not live by bread alone but on Gods words. But due to our ancestors, we all live in sin and adversity. Just when you think that the third division is the icing on the cake, God still makes a way for you to choose between good and bad decisions. The Ten Commandment was just the foundation in which we should live by (Zondervan 2015).

When I first found out about the Ten Commandments, I asked what the purpose of me is existing. I am going to mess up every time I turn the corner; 36 years of living and receiving years of wisdom forces me to see God as the answer to everything good and bad in my life. Therefore, I am taking this class today, to search for answers of finding my true