Pastor Claude Thomas

By Oliver Harding

SUMMARIES

a. Chapter 15 (The Text of the Bible)

This chapter assesses the evidence available to Biblical textual scholars as they work toward realistic goals like determining the earliest among the variant readings that ancient manuscripts provide and understanding the development of Biblical texts during the history of their transmission. How have the ancient Biblical texts been transmitted to our time? In what forms do they exist? To what extent can we trust those forms to embody the actual words of the original authors? The writers observe that printed Hebrew Bibles and Greek New Testaments are artificial entities which are created in relatively modern times from the evidence in ancient manuscripts. Repeated copying introduces alterations and some copyists deliberately alter the text to ”correct” or ”improve” the original. The writers observe that there are about 5,350 different manuscripts of the Greek New Testament. What can account for this wide variance among documents written so early in the history of the New Testament text? In addition to errors of copying and writing, Christianity was evolving rapidly during the first several centuries and the New Testament evolved along with it to meet its needs. Generally, the textual situation of the Hebrew Bible appears far more stable than that of the Greek New Testament. This notwithstanding, the situation is far more complicated than it would appear to be. We should not suppose that the urge to ”correct” text was any less active among Old Testament writers than among Christian Scribes. The writers observe that there are passages in the Bible that are sufficiently similar to indicate that they derive from the same source (or from one another) but also sufficiently different to demonstrate that there was great freedom in handling the text even during the time of the books of the Bible were being written. Some duplicate (Psalms 14 and 53; 40: 14-18 and 70: 2-6) and triplicate texts (II Kings 18:13ff, Isaiah 36:1ff and II Chronicles 32:1 ff; and Jeremiah 39:1ff, Jeremiah 52:4ff and II Kings 25:1ff) provide supportive evidence. The textual situation of the Apocryphal text, Ecclesiastics (known to Jews as The Wisdom of Jesus been sire) is discussed. The writers observe that it was sometimes cited in rabbinic literature although it was never formally admitted to the Hebrew canon.

b. Chapter 16 (Translating the Bible)

It is a paradox to note that not more than one percent of Bible readers can read the text in Hebrew and Greek. The implication is a very heavy reliance on translation. This chapter discusses some challenges faced in translating the Bible. How well readers are served who must depend on translations? Can such readers be confident that translations in general, or any one in particular, will give them the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible? Gabel, Wheeler and York are correct to observe that a completely faithful translation cannot be made into another language because there is no universally agreed upon text of the Bible to translate from and secondly that complete faithfulness in translating anything (the Bible included) is not always possible.

Establishing a text therefore is very complex and potentially tedious. Demanding a translation of “the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible” is imagining an entity that does not exist. The ideal of translation (to carry over the whole sense of the word from the original language to the ”receptor language”) can never be realized. Some original sense is left behind while an additional sense could be imposed. How can one choose among the diverse translations? What criteria should guide the choice? The writers propose that readers should use the characteristic combination of formal correspondence and dynamic equivalence. The former is the quality of a translation in which the features of the form of the source text have been mechanically reproduced in the receptor language. The latter is the quality of a translation in which the message of the original text has been so transported into the receptor language that the response of the receptor is like that of the original receptors. Depending on a translation is to be at the mercy of the translators. A realistic recommendation is to use at least two or three versions in order to double or triple the number of expert opinions available on a given passage.

c. Appendix II (Writing in Biblical times)

The Bible had been a handwritten book for a much longer time than it had been a printed book. What was required to create a formal written document during those many centuries before the printing press took over? In this appendix, the writers surveyed the technology of writing in order to shed light on the conditions that gave us the Bible as a physical object.

Writing is regarded as a very old human invention. Clay, animal skin and papyrus are identified as three major materials employed for writing in the West and in the Near East until the introduction of rag paper from the Far East long after the Biblical period. The writer traces a number of Biblical accounts concerned with the writings. Moses writes on stone labels (Ex. 34:28-29); Joshua engraves a copy of the Law of Moses (Josh. 8:32); Isaiah is instructed to take a large tablet (Is. 8:1) and write a symbolic name upon it; Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat by Yahweh, which according to the writers, is perhaps understood as a small roll of papyrus (Ezek. 3:1-2); Jeremiah dictates an oracle concerning Judah’’s coming destruction to his secretary Baruch, who takes it down in ink on a scroll (Jer. 36). At the end of II Timothy, the author requests that the scrolls be brought to him especially the parchments and John is required to eat a little scroll (Rev. 10:9-10). According to the writers” supposition, the Pentateuch, history books, Job, Proverbs and Psalms would have been written on leather (locally available to Israel) or papyrus (from Egypt). They opined that the oracles of the prophets probably circulated orally and might have been written down initially in the form of notes on potsherds or wood and then on leather and papyrus. Parchment, they believed, could have been chosen later as an alternative. They also traced the movement from roll to codex and papyrus to parchment.

RESPONSE

a. Chapter 15 (The Text of the Bible)

The writers are correct to observe that the task of biblical textual scholarship is not easy since its theoretical goal (that is to weed out alterations of any kind and thus to arrive back at the original texts as the authors wrote them) will never be reached since there will never be enough evidence to accomplish it. It is rightly observed that the very notion of a single original text is itself an illusion.

b. Chapter 16 (Translating the Bible)

The writers did very little to separate the challenges faced in translation, making it relatively difficult for the reader to fully appreciate the discussion. This is where the strength of Omanson (1988) lies. He divides the problems into several categories ? textual, grammatical, terms of kinship and pronoun gender. Another vivid summary is also worth mentioning:

First, no matter how wonderful a translation is, it has limitations. The Bible was originally written using 11,280 Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek words, but the typical English translation uses only around 6,000 words. Obviously, nuances and shades of meaning can be missed, so it is always helpful to compare translations (Warren 2002, 325).

It is a truism that “the translation you are using may be correct, of course; but it also may be wrong” (Fee and Stuart 1982, 29). One limitation of this chapter is surveying the history of Biblical translation only in English though the writers acknowledged the fact that there is an equivalent history for other European languages.

c. Appendix (Writing in Biblical Times)

Perhaps the most impressive feature in their presentation is the manner in which the writers portrayed the vast gulf that separates our world, with its inexpensive printed materials and widespread literacy, from the world within which the Bible developed ? and within which it was disseminated for so many hundred years. It is however unfortunate that theirs is not as impressive as Patzia’’s similar presentation on writing, copying and transmitting the New Testament manuscripts (Patzia 1995). Unlike Patzia, there are no pictures to give a graphic illustration of how these texts appeared on different writing materials. Generally, the fact that the text itself is in its third edition has been published in twenty seven cities reveals its importance. The writers provide essential background information of the sort that few students have either the time or ability to piece together out of the enormous mass of published material on the Bible.

LIST OF REFERENCES
Fee, Gordon and Douglas Stuart. 1992. How to Read the Bible for all its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible. Michigan: The Zondervan Corporation.
Omanson, Roger L. 1988. Can You Get There from Here?: Problems in Bible Translation. Christian Century. June 22-29.
Patzia, Arthur G. 1995. The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text and Canon. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press.
Warren, Rick. 2002. The Purpose Driven Life: What on Life Am I Here for? Grand Rapids, Michigan:Zondervan.

By Glenda Hamilton

It may be surprising that financial basics are found in the Bible. Such subjects as money, debt, co-signing, communication, planning, receiving counsel, working, inheritance can all be found in one book. Including the word - if, which occurs 1,420 times in the Bible.

If you do something, then something will happen. If you don’t do something, something will happen. It all depends on if - that big little word which simply gives you a choice.

Many people make excuses when they really don’t want to do something. I would lose weight if I could afford it. I would start a savings account if I could afford it. It’s strange how much power we give such a little word. We have allowed a little word to control our life and even more our future. It’s our choice to use the word or not because everything is possible if we have desire.

The Holy Bible is a book that has a financial road map filled with advice and powerful truths. God’s desire is, Beloved, I pray above all things that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. This is found in the book of III John verse 2.

You can find wisdom and guidance for your finances throughout this book. It is very clear … Honor the Lord with thy possessions (Proverbs 3:9); If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally … (James 1:5)

The Bible even instructs us to know our financial condition by observing what we have and see what condition it is in. Proverbs 27:23-27 says; Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will be your clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field, and there will be goat’s milk enough for your food, for the food of your household, and sustenance for your maidens.

Of course this was written in the days of a different life style. Not many people herd sheep or cattle but the instruction is there. Look at your resources. Are you taking care of keeping your job so you can provide for your family? Are you doing the best of your ability on the job or could you do more by offering to do some overtime work? Maybe even taking a task no one else wants to do will bring more favor with your boss which in turn could potentially bring more income.

Submitted by: Pastor Claude Thomas
By Lance Winslow

Abstractly speaking weather control is possible now, but only to a limited degree. Some scientists believe that complete weather control is not only possible, but most likely will become a potential eventuality within the next couple of decades. How so you ask?

Well you see, controlling our weather is possible once we fully understand how it works. And we are well on our way. Unlike the Federal Reserve Bank’s options for controlling the flow of money, in the Earth System there are countless levers, which can be used in the control of the weather. Any one of those levers will set off a chain reaction since everything affects everything else.

All patterns in the earth system running together, similarly all waves from all sources running together. Waves of light, waves containing energy and/or heat, waves of sound, waves of radiation no matter what the origin all run together. By controlling a single factor such as in ELF or VLF of the earth at 8.5 Hz you can control weather. By changing the heat with any of virtual three-dimensional grid in any place within the atmosphere you can control the wind, thus control the weather. By changing the temperature of the surface water of the Pacific Ocean by one degree, you can change the level and altitude and speed of the jet stream and thus changing the entire flow of weather on Earth.

You see it will not be long until we are using weather modification techniques to stop or steer Hurricanes, kill killer Tornadoes or put an end to long-term droughts, which hurt our agricultural capacity. Think on this.

By Wanda Ball

On the first Sunday in August, we celebrate Friendship Day as a time to recognize our friends and their contribution to our life. It was declared as a holiday in the U.S. in honor of friends by a Proclamation made by U.S. Congress in 1935. And we celebrate our friends by giving them cards and flowers to honor them. But what does the bible say about being a true friend? There is an example of true friendship in 1 Samuel 18-20 between David and King Saul’s son, Jonathan. Saul pursued David many times trying to kill him and Jonathan stood by his friend by helping him get away.

The book of Proverbs gives many examples of friendship. Proverbs 18:24 says, “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” And Proverbs 27:6 also says,” Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses,” which means that in order to have a friend, you must be a friend first. True friends should be of like mind. You should be able to be yourself with this person and not someone else. And true friends also shouldn’t put another down or judge one another. You should also be able to talk and confide in one another and trust that your friend would keep it in confidence and not tell the whole world. A friend is also someone you should respect and respect you and jealousy should never become a factor. Jesus Christ gave us the definition of a true friend in John 15:13-15, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Jesus Christ is the ultimate friend because he died for us, “his friends,” so we may have eternal life with God. And if you believe in Him and except him in your heart, his friendship will surpass all others and will never come and go. The Apostle Paul says, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8) This is the real bible-based definition of a true friend. And if all else fails, always remember you have a true friend in Jesus!

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

Laurie was about three when one night she requested her father’s help in getting undressed. He was downstairs and she was upstairs, and … well. “You know how to undress yourself,” He reminded. “Yes,” she explained, ‘but sometimes people need people anyway, even if they do know how to do things by themselves.”  (William C. Schultz, Bits & Pieces, December 1990.) People need people. “Others” is one of the core values we have as a family of faith. And we can make a difference when we relate to others from a biblical perspective. No one is perfect and all of us miss the mark at points in life. At those times we need someone to help us. Paul recognized that reality and wrote about it in Galatians 6:1-4. Those verses show a positive approach to helping someone who has missed the mark or been “ambushed by wrong.” Notice, Paul did not set out to destroy those who had been “ambushed by wrong.” He did not say expose them and decimate their character. He did not say excommunicate them. He did not tell the Galatians to obliterate those individuals or their families. He did not say to remove them from leadership. He did not tell fellow Christians to “watch out for them because they’re really bad sinners.” Paul told the Galatians to HELP THOSE BELEIVERS WHO HAD BEEN AMBUSHED. Here is what he said in Galatians 6: 2-3: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. In genuine humility, we can and should help others who have been “ambushed by wrong.” Isn’t that what Jesus came to do? Didn’t He come to help all of us? He did! And so should we. People need people!

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

The Fall of 2002 was a very scary time to the people living around the belt-way of Washington, D.C.. Panic and fear gripped the hearts of families. A madman was randomly killing people in public places around the beltway. Schools were closed. Soccer and football games were cancelled. Schedules were changed and interrupted. Families changed their ways of doing things because of the threats to their families. It was only when the men were caught that the people breathed a sigh of relief.We are shocked and in distress when our families are threatened by such random acts of destruction. We are not accustomed to them. But they do show how we view the family. The Bible gives a very dominate view and definitive value to the family. In one instance the high value of the family is emphasized by taking the highest of all relationships, that of Christ and His church, and comparing the family to it. That was done in Ephesians 5 and 6.     But that was only another assertion of the value God gave to the home. He did it in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. The Bible records it in Genesis 2. God first created man. Then he saw it wasn’t good for man to be alone. So, what did God do? The Book of Genesis tells us.    And the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird. He brought them to Adam to see what he would call them, and Adam chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, birds, and wild animals. But still there was no companion suitable for him. 21 So the LORD God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. He took one of Adam’s ribs and closed up the place from which he had taken it. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib and brought her to Adam.     23 “At last!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own flesh and bone! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. (Genesis 2: 18-24 NLT)    From the beginning God valued the home. I am grateful for the Judeo-Christian influence on our American heritage here. We historically valued the family. It is part and parcel of who we are.And I am convinced what we have we are to share with others. In many parts of our land and our world, the family is not so cherished. So, let’s stand up for the family! And let’s ask the Lord to give us wisdom and power to do it in a way that will make a difference.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

Multiplication is a wonderful idea. I’m not sure exactly when it was invented, but what a great idea!

When I look at the Scriptures, I see that Jesus is the master of multiplication. The gospel writers reveal Jesus’ power of multiplication (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14). I want to set the scene. Jesus is busy healing people whom he loves and “has compassion towards.” After the day gets on and on, it begins to get dark. These words “When it was evening” (Matthew 14:15) tell us. Jesus has spent His whole day, literally “multiplying Himself” by healing the sick ones in “a great multitude” (Matthew 14: 14).

But as the day draws to a close, “great multitudes” are hungry. The disciples’ solution was to send the hungry people to the various villages around Galilee and get something to eat. The disciples don’t understand that the Master of Multiplication is with them. To let them in on the secret, Jesus, almost in an aside, says, “They don’t need to go away to eat something. You give them something to eat.”

The disciples, apparently unaware of Who is with them, look at Jesus like a cow at a new gate. “Jesus, this is a deserted place. We’re in the middle of nowhere. No resources. All they could find was five loaves of bread and two fishes brought by a little boy. Not nearly enough to feed 20,000 people.” It didn’t matter how much they had or didn’t have. It only mattered that they gave what they had to Him. Jesus, the master of Multiplication, could easily do the rest.

Jesus abruptly turns to them and says, “Bring me what you have. Bring them here to Me” (v. 18). He tells everyone to sit down (and they do!! Quite a feat for 20,000 people), He blesses the food, and breaks the bread, giving it to the disciples to distribute. Jesus shows the disciples that only a little is more than enough for Jesus to bless and use. It’s interesting that Jesus multiplies the very little that the disciples could find. When the little boy gave Jesus a little, He gives them back a lot, but a lot to feed others.

Have you ever wondered if you could make a difference in caring for the hungry of this world? There are so many of them! Can the little I can give make a difference? I believe it can… and will… if we give like a child and as unto the Lord! He will take our gift and multiply it many times over.

You and I can make a gift today and the Lord will multiply it many times over. For more information on how you can give, go to: www.feedthechildren.org.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

When you consider the many maladies people experience in life, you wonder if it is possible for them to experience a meaningful life. But according to the Bible, the environment does not determine our capacity to experience life in the truest sense.
Jesus said many wonderful things. One of them was, “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” We find these words in the book of John (John 10:10). Isn’t that exciting? That’s the kind of life that John was experiencing. It was real, fulfilling life. And real life is something that John was passionate about.

“Well, that’s fine for John, and it’s fine for people who get all the good breaks in life,” you might say. Or, “That’s fine to have that kind of life if that means that you’ll always have good things happen to you, or if you’re rich,” you might say. I want to challenge all of us with a powerful thought: abundant life has nothing to do with things “going our way,” getting rich, getting what we want, or living “the good life.” Do you know what abundant life, the kind of life that John speaks of, is all about? It’s all about a relationship with Jesus. You see, faith in Jesus allows us to live a life that is:
1. blessed,
2. peaceful amid storms of life,
3. confident and at peace even in crisis and tragedy,
4. full of experience,
5. hopeful and optimistic,
6. loving and caring,
7. confident about future, even through death.
This is the kind of life that John describes with that one little word, “life.” And those who have it can share it with others.

And those who know the blessings of material abundance in life can and should share those in need. One way all of us can do that is through Feed The Children, Inc. For more information contact Feed The Children at www.feedthechildren.org.

Author: Pastor Claude Thomas

God has a plan/purpose for humans prior to their birth. “And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me. When as yet there were none of them” (Psalm 139:16).     David declared God knew him and planned his days both before and during his term in his mother’s womb.

David wasn’t the only writer of the Old Testament to make such a declaration. Jeremiah was a prophet in the 6th century BC. He was given to prophecy to the people of Judah.

Here is what God said to him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Here is the point. God has a purpose for each person! You and I do not live as accidents. We live as a result of the purpose of God.

For many years Ethel Waters, singer and actress, sang for the Billy Graham Crusades. She was precious and loved by all.

Her experience is a wonderful testimony to the miracle of life and how God has a purpose for each one of us. She was conceived when a young man raped a teenage girl named Louise Anderson. This young and frightened girl was unable to tell anyone what happened to her. When her pregnancy became obvious, her church excluded her.

She went to her aunt’s home. The woman next door heard this young girl cry out in pain and came to deliver the bright and alert baby girl named Ethel. The mother resented Ethel so much that the grandmother raised Ethel. She was moved around from one broken down shanty to another in the slums and red-light district of Philadelphia. Ethel never knew what it was like to have a secure or stable home life. Sometimes she would have to sleep on the steps. Ethel learned to survive by stealing. The prostitutes taught her how to “swipe milk from the stoops of other people.”

Ethel was never cuddled or experienced the display of affection from her mother. She never had a lap to sit on or a shoulder to cry on. She was totally rejected.

But by God’s grace Ethel came to know God through Jesus Christ. And she came to see herself through His eyes. Through His grace she discovered her uniqueness and worth in Jesus Christ. She would say, “GOD DON’T SPONSOR NO FLOPS!!!”

That is why she could sing…

“Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion

My constant Friend is He

His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me
I sing because I’m happy

I sing because I’m free

For His eye is on the sparrow

And I know He watches me!!”

Life is a miracle from God with a purpose given by God! Let’s live it!

Posted By Pastor Claude Thomas

A political analyst asked a man what he thought the problem was with the government. The man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” The analyst said, “You got it!”

Well, ignorance and apathy about government seems to be a problem in our nation.

In the 2000 presidential election there were 205,814,000 eligible voters. 105,396,475 voted. Or about 51.2 percent voted. (Source: Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. 2000 figures from Census Bureau and FEC.)

Some said they didn’t bother to vote because they didn’t think their vote would make a difference. That was until the count began to be registered and the count in Florida would make the difference in the election of a president.

Well, we want to challenge ourselves to move beyond apathy and ignorance to become informed and active citizens. I want to speak to the value of the government and good citizenship. Let’s see what the bible has to say about “Our National Capitol, Our State Capitol, Our City Hall, and Me.”

Paul addressed those matters in the epistle he wrote to the Romans in chapter 13.

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

We want to become active and informed citizens. As followers of Jesus, we will be motivated to become informed and active citizens when we believe…