Recently, I was reading a book by Dave Hunt called Judgment Day (http://www.thebereancall.org/). If you want some good, solid, Biblical reading, Dave is loaded with great teachings. In that book, he wrote:
Indisputably, Israel is the major topic of biblical prophecy, just as it is of the daily news. The word Israel is found 2,565 times in 2,293 verses in the King James translation of the Bible, while Jerusalem is found 811 times in 764 verses. In contrast, the word Jerusalem is not found even once in the Quran. Yet Muslims insist that Jerusalem is their third holiest city. That this is a false claim we will document beyond dispute, as well as the fact that those who call themselves Palestinians and who make the claim that Israel is occupying their land are impostors (see chapter four) p.7
Arab leaders have declared repeatedly for more than fifty years, The struggle with the Zionist enemy is not a struggle about Israel’s borders, but about Israel’s existence. p.16
I was reading a newsletter by David Cloud recently (www.wayoflife.org). He really is a strong, Biblical teacher and has tons of great resources. He stated in his newsletter:
2 Timothy 4:13
The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
The man who doesn’t read is not much better off than the man who cannot read.
Five years from now you will be the same person except for the people you meet and the books you read.
What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear to this day, is want of reading. I scarce ever knew a preacher read so little. And perhaps by neglecting it you have lost the taste for it. Hence your talent in preaching does not increase. It is just the same as it was seven years ago. It is lively, but not deep: there is little variety; there is no compass of thought. Reading only can supply this, with meditation and daily prayer. You wrong yourself greatly by omitting this. You can never be a deep preacher without it any more than a thorough Christian. O begin! Fix some part of every day for private exercises. You may acquire the taste which you have not; what is tedious at first will afterwards be pleasant. Whether you like it or no; read and pray daily. It is for your life; there is no other way; else you will be a trifler all your days, and a petty, superficial prayer John Wesley to John Trembeth, August 1760.
I’ve devoted my life to the distribution of books, Bibles and tracts and anything that will help to further the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reading of good Christian books is one of the best ways to challenge and encourage Christians Larry Harrison.
Only Heaven will determine which was the most important in my earthly ministry–my preaching or the distributing of books. Peter Cartwright, circuit riding preacher.
If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness, will reign without mitigation or end. Daniel Webster, 1823.
I was reading in the Bible the other day from Isaiah:
Isaiah 44:24
Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
Isaiah 45:22
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Isaiah 46:9,10
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
I was asking some young people at a camp recently what the best ways to learn in life are. They said things like listening, experience, and asking questions. Good responses from the young people. But never forget that to be a leader, you have to be a reader! Reading expands the mind. Reading the right things puts truth in our heads that we can share with others. Reading opens up the door to devour God’s book one day. That is why one of Satan’s tricks is to get people not to read or to not like reading.
Jesus said, Have ye never read . . .Mt 21:16; Mk 2:25
Jesus said, It is written . . .Mt 4:4; 21:13; 26:31
Jesus said, Have ye not read . . .Mt 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31; Mk 22:31; 12:26
When the kings took their throne in Israel, they were commanded to write out a copy of the Law, so they would have their own copy to read: Deuteronomy 17:18-20
Believers have to know the Word to explain it like Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch: Acts 8:30-35
Set the standard to those around you. Reading is fundamental, and a necessity to doing the work of the Lord correctly.
Have a great summer reaching the lost, reading as much as you can, and giving away as much reading material as you can, as well!!
Until the nets are full,
P.S. One lady wrote into the ministry and said: I just finished reading Reunion twice, no less! It’s honestly one of the best books I’ve ever read that combines fiction, humor, drama and the seriousness of the gospel message all in one story. I literally couldn’t put it down! The suspense was killing me! I loved the different spiritual paths taken by the characters and the answers that I could glean for my own witnessing experiences. This is a powerful tool to strengthen Christians and challenge the lost about what they believe!
P.P.S. Here is a man who, when offered one of my books, showed his openness to Christian literature by responding that he likes to read the Bible! A few moments later, the witnessing team noticed him sitting nearby on a boulder at Stone Mountain Park reading intently the opening pages of Reunion!