I’m eagerly looking at my seed packets on this winter day.  Deciding what will go in my garden – what and when – we all pick our favorites.  This is also the time of year that seeds for summer missions are planted. God gives the church wonderful students who have a heart for Him and a desire to serve – summer missionaries.

How can the church tenderly care for and foster growth?

• Create a culture that highly esteems God and serving Him
• Encourage summer missionaries through prayer and financial support
• Ask students how the church can pray for them as they seek to serve God this summer – wherever God has planted them
• Share your story – students love to hear how God works in your own life

This is the time of year when decisions are made. As a parent, summer missions has been such a blessing in the lives of my own children.  Students stand amazed that God uses them to reach children in Greater Richmond with the Gospel. Parents are astonished at the change in their students from quiet and shy to confident and grounded. The church is privileged to have a part in their growth. There is absolutely nothing like seeing God use students for His glory – reaching other children for Christ – you just can’t beat it!

There are many options and one is serving as a Christian Youth in Action with Child Evangelism Fellowship.  The time is now – applications for CYIA are available with the deadline soon approaching on March 15^th.  Let’s pray for our students as they discern how to break ground and reach others for Christ this summer.

I was born in Jamestown, New York on July 19, 1946.  Most of my years through high school were spent living in a house my Dad built on my grandparents dairy farm.  When not working on the farm, my interests were motorcycles and trains.  When I graduated from high school in June 1964 my plan was to enter military service.  However, I had to have back surgery during my senior year and as a result, could not pass the military physical exam.

Since I had to change my plans, I decided to attend college.  God was using what I thought to be a roadblock to redirect my path.  During my senior year in college, I began to date Naomi Cox, who was from Richmond, Virginia.  In May 1968 I graduated from Bryan College with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.

After graduation, Naomi and I continued to date and on November 29, 1968, we were married at Immanuel Baptist Church.  When we were newly married, we first lived in Arlington and worked in the Washington, DC area.  In June 1969 we moved to Richmond, so I could teach at Richmond Christian School.  From 1969 – 1977 we worked at various jobs and God blessed us with two sons.  Shawn was born on July 10, 1972, and Jason on April 21, 1977.

During this period of time, Naomi and I were active members at Immanuel Baptist Church.  Before I became a member I had the privilege of being baptized by Immanuel’s Senior Pastor, Dr. Stanley Toussaint.  Through my service in the church as an Elder and Sunday School teacher, God was directing me toward full-time Christian ministry.  Dr. Toussaint, and then Pastor Albert Fesmire, were my mentors as I sought God’s will for my life.

On January 29, 1978 (Naomi’s birthday), I preached at Bethel Bible Church in Argyle, Iowa as a pastoral candidate.  One week later the church called me to be their pastor.  On March 15 I was Ordained to the Gospel Ministry by Immanuel Baptist Church.  In April 1978 our family moved to Iowa and began our ministry at Bethel Bible Church.

During my years at Bethel, I began to sense the need for additional theological education.  This was in the time before seminaries had distance learning programs, so the Lord directed me to move my family from Iowa to Lynchburg, Virginia.  We lived in Lynchburg from 1980 to 1986, where I worked full-time and attended Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.  I graduated with an M.A. degree in Religion in May 1985.  We continued to live in Lynchburg while praying about God’s plan for our family.

In October 1985 I had the opportunity to enlist in the Virginia State Guard.  Since I was a seminary graduate and ordained, I was commissioned at the rank of Captain and served as a Chaplain.  During this time I also began to meet with a group of believers in Chesterfield, Virginia, who were interested in planting a church.  In July 1986 we moved our family to Chesterfield so we could continue to develop the church.  Eventually, we did plant Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Eventually, I resigned from Cornerstone.  I continued to serve as a military chaplain and minister at Immanuel Baptist Church as an Elder and Sunday School Teacher.  In 1994-95 I had a weekly Bible Study program on two local radio stations.

In October 1995 I attended a Good News Jail & Prison Ministry Banquet for the ministry at the Chesterfield County Jail.  Clyde Abell was the Chaplain at the jail and also a relative through Naomi’s family.  During the banquet program, it was mentioned that Good News was moving its headquarters from Arlington to Richmond and was in need of administrative staff.  I applied for the Controller position and was hired, beginning work on January 2, 1996.

In 1996 our son Shawn married Gaby Kaye and eventually, they were blessed with four children, TJ, Samuel, Zachery, and Eileen.  In 1997, while still working for Good News, I served as an interim pastor at Fellowship Baptist Church in Powhatan and then Rural Point Baptist Church in Mechanicsville.  Jason, our youngest son, graduated from VCU Pharmacy School and moved out of Richmond to work at hospitals in Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia.

During my time as Controller, I became very interested in the ministry of our Chaplains.  Because I had a seminary degree and previously served as a pastor, I met the qualifications to serve as a Chaplain.  After working in the Controller’s position for seven years, I applied to be the Chaplain at the Chesterfield County Jail.  I began my service at the jail on March 1, 2003.  During this time, Naomi was working as the Senior Pastor’s Administrative Assistant at Immanuel Baptist Church.  She retired in 2016 after 17 years of service to the church.

It was a blessing to minister in the jail with the staff and inmates.  During my almost sixteen years in the jail, I served under three different Sheriffs.  I had the privilege of leading many inmates to faith in Christ, teaching Bible classes and conducting counseling sessions with inmates and staff.  There were also additional opportunities to conduct funeral services for members of the Sheriff’s staff and perform a wedding ceremony for two of the deputies.  This was God’s work and He is to receive the praise for what was accomplished.  My family, churches like Immanuel and many individuals supported the work with their prayers and finances.  As God’s servant in the jail, I was motivated by the admonition in Hebrews 13:3 to “remember the prisoners as if chained with them….”

Join us this Sunday evening at 5pm for Rev. John Corcoran’s Retirement Report, Offering, and Reception

God will use His Word to minister to us. As we are faithful to this Book, it will give us humility in ourselves and our abilities, give us great confidence in God’s work in the church, and it will bring us to the point that we will boast in no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ.

Watch as Pastor Michael shares from 1 Corinthians as an introduction to his sermon series, Broken Body.

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 50 YEARS of GOD’S FAITHFULNESS to JIM and BETSY BENNETT
MINISTRY TIMELINE 

OVERVIEW: 

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IBC 1974 – 2018 

DESCRIPTION/PHILOSOPHY 

1981     Graduated from Summer Institute of Pastoral Studies – Dr. Jay Adams 

1984     Dan and June Feiler take the leadership – Junior High
               35 years of outstanding service and still “ticking!” 

1987-1989     Jim assumes interim Pastoral responsibilities 

1991     Jim assumes new role as Pastor of Family Ministries (Admin Assistants: Wendy Bowles; Betsy Bennett)
              Matt and Ruthie Fletcher become Associate Pastor of Youth 

1991-2017     Twenty Six years as Pastor of Family Ministries 

MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY: To edify (build up, strengthen), equip and energize families inside and outside of Immanuel. 

Ministries to Aid in the Process of fulfilling our Philosophy: 

Studying God’s word requires proper heart preparation, careful observation of what the text says, rightly interpreting the author’s intended meaning of what the text says (please refer to the previous posts), and lastly it involves applying what the text means.

Once we have examined the text and have come to a conclusion about what the biblical text means according to the intention of the author, we must relate that meaning of the text to the circumstances of our life and the lives of others. In other words, application is the living out of the facts. It is submitting your life without reservation to the authority of the text. Text-driven application seeks to answer the question, “now what?”

Observation asks, “what does the text say?” Interpretation asks, “what does the text mean by what it says?” Application asks, “what does the meaning of the text require from me?” It is important to understand that there is only one meaning to a text of Scripture, though many applications can be made from that meaning to everyday life.

The interpreter’s personal needs, concerns, and desires must not be allowed to influence his or her understanding of the author’s intent. Only once that intent has been determined can these needs, concerns, and desires be addressed appropriately in light of the objective meaning of the text.

You cannot apply a text if you do not know the meaning of the text. Interpretation controls application. In other words, the applications made from a passage must be consistent with and firmly connected to the meaning of the text. True application is the relationship between the intended meaning of the text and another person or audience. Since application is ultimately dependent upon the results of interpretation, it is clear that if faulty principles are used during the interpretive process, the application of the results of such interpretation will also be misguided.

Wrongly applying what the text means can result in a form of legalism – when interpreters claim the authority of a biblical passage to prescribe a certain application that in reality was never intended by the biblical writers. That is why it is necessary to determine what is directly applicable and what is indirectly applicable. In other words, there is a distinction between descriptive texts and prescriptive texts.

Descriptive texts contain teachings, commands, or directions which are limited in their direct application to a particular person or people. Prescriptive texts contain teachings, commands, and directions which are extended in their direct application to all people and places universally. So how do you distinguish between the two? A helpful rule is that every teaching of Scripture is to be received universally, unless the Bible itself limits the audience, either in the context of the passage itself or in other biblical teaching. When the context limits the recipient of a particular teaching, limits the extent of the application of that teaching, or limits application through progressive revelation, it is a violation of the authority of Scripture to make it universal. The application of a text should not go beyond what the text says. In other words, if a passage comments on an issue only to a point, do not press the application of that passage beyond that degree.

Once you have distinguished between the descriptive and the prescriptive, you are then ready to put into practice that which is taught by the author. Application is the process where truth is made relevant to life situations and so we should ask: How does the writer of the text intend for his readers to respond to the truth being heard? Is there a truth to believe about God? Is there a truth to believe about some other doctrine? Is there a command to obey? Is there a promise to trust? Is there an example to follow? Is there an error in behavior to avoid? Is there an error in thinking to avoid? Is there a principle to follow for personal guidance? Is there wisdom to shape my thinking? Is there a prayer to pattern?

As you study God’s word take time to think about what was learned and what changes should be made. True application comes only when you rely upon the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14; Rom 8:14; Gal 5:18). Therefore, prayerfully ask God to reveal what changes should be made and obediently practice the truth. Biblical truth is not applied until it is believed and lived out. Write down specific applications based on the text studied. Ask, “what must be done immediately to apply this truth in my life?” Good application is specific, achievable, and measurable. Avoid application that is too general to put into practice. Avoid application that is not practically feasible. Also, develop applications so that there will be a clear indication when they are lived out or not.

Without application, interpretation is merely a mental exercise. You must do more than just understand what God’s word says. The faithful interpreter must also obey it (Jas 1:22-25). The Bible was not written to satisfy our curiosity. It was written to transform our life through the Holy Spirit who empowers believers to obey the will of God. The ultimate goal of studying God’s word is to allow the Bible to do something to you so that truth is lived out to the glory of God.

I want to encourage anyone reading this to begin reading the Bible this very day (Ps 19:7-11). Read it daily and read it with child-like faith and humility with an earnest desire to understand it (Ps 86:11). Read it in a spirit of obedience and self-application (Ps 119:4-5). Allow Scripture to influence your heart and life (John 17:17). Read all of it (2 Tim 3:16; Matt 4:4). Read it carefully by observing what the text says, interpreting the author’s intended meaning and applying what the text means in your life, so that the work of the triune God is put on display. And pray, pray, pray!

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Studying God’s word requires proper heart preparation and careful observation of what the text says (please refer to the previous posts). Now it is time to move from gathering information (observation) to understanding meaning (interpretation). Text-driven interpretation is the process where you are seeking to answer the question, “what does the text mean by what it says?”

When dealing with how we interpret Scripture, our desire is not to discover new meanings, but the author’s intent. Whenever we approach a biblical text, our aim must not primarily be “what is in it for me?” or “what could it mean?” or “what does it mean to me?” but rather “what did the author mean?”

The author’s meaning of a biblical text is the goal of interpretation. Meaning is what the author intended by the words and grammar he used in the time that he wrote it. Since the meaning of a text is what the author intended the text to say and not what the interpreter wishes the text would say, nor what the text could mean apart from the author, there is only one meaning found in each passage – that of the author’s. In other words, the meaning of a biblical passage does not change from interpreter to interpreter, from culture to culture, or from generation to generation. The author has the authority over his words. Thus, it remains constant and is objective. There is only one correct interpretation and it is the interpreter’s responsibility to diligently seek and discover that interpretation (2 Tim 2:15).

The interpreter must put aside what they desire the text to say, focus on what the writer intended in his text, and submit to that intent with full obedience. Doctrinal convictions, theological systems, and personal preferences must be submitted to the authors of Scripture and their intents as expressed by their texts. To reverse this order is to make the reader authoritative.

The practice of interpretation involves seeking the author’s intent by interpreting the text literally. The literal interpretation of the text is the interpretation of the words and grammar as they were generally and normally understood at the time the text was written. This requires that the interpreter avoid allegorizing the words or ideas of a text, or twisting them in such a way as to ignore their plain, literal, or normal meaning. At the same time, literal interpretation does not ignore the use of figures of speech. Rather, it is literal interpretation – correctly applied – which identifies figures of speech and leads to their proper understanding.

As was stated in the last post, observation deals with what a passage says. Whereas interpretation deals with why the passage says what it says. It explains the meaning of a passage. Your job is to understand and determine the author’s main point using your observations and asking the right questions.

Take your observations of the text and ask questions of them. “What did he mean?” “What is the precise meaning of this term in this context?” “What is the relationship between the words in the sentence?” This will help define the terms. “Why did he say that?” “Why is the passage there?” This will help uncover the author’s purpose.

It is also important to be mindful of the main idea of the immediate context that precedes and the immediate context that follows. This provides you with the general boundaries in determining the meaning of the text at hand. As you would expect, the main idea of a given text will flow naturally out of the previous context, and flow naturally into that which follows as well.

Once we have arrived at the author’s intended meaning for the text, we must evaluate it in light of divine revelation that has chronologically preceded the text being interpreted, but not revelation that chronologically followed. This protects the theological context of the biblical author (he possessed only revelation that had been given to that point in time) and prevents later texts from overruling or being read into earlier texts. “Does my tentative conclusion agree with what is known about other texts of Scripture?” Scripture cannot and does not contradict itself. We must allow Scripture to interpret Scripture and for the word of God to speak for itself.

Therefore, the best way to interpret Scripture is to consider the principles of grammar and the facts of history to determine the biblical author’s intent and meaning. The name ascribed to this method of interpretation is the grammatical-historical method. The principles of grammar focus on the meaning of words and how they relate to one another in a sentence. It refers to understanding the sentence in a direct, ordinary, and literal manner. The facts of history consider the context of the time and circumstances in which the author wrote and focuses on the background of the text.

Once we have examined the text and come to a conclusion of what the author means by what he says, the next step is to apply what the text means. That will be discussed in next week’s post.

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Studying God’s word requires proper heart preparation. I proposed in last week’s post that the necessity of prayer, the requirement of purity, and the mindfulness of perspective are important as we approach the word of God. We need to realize our dependence and desperate need of divine guidance as we look to God’s Spirit inspired word. God requires our hearts and lives to be pure as we come before his holy word. This means that as Christians confession and repentance are a part of our daily lives. We are also to be mindful of having the perspective of not only applying the truth of Scripture to our lives but to pass along the truth of God’s word to others. This protects us from studying for purely accumulating knowledge.

With that in mind, we’re ready to open up our Bibles and study God’s word. We’ve prepared our hearts and now it’s time to observe what the text says. This is where we become nosy. This is where we ask and answer questions pertaining to what the text says. This is the time when we try to find out everything we can about the text that we are studying. So where do we begin? Let me offer a big picture practical guide for starting the study of a book of the Bible.

Before observing what the text says in the specific passage that you are studying within the book, you first need to be familiar with the context of the entire book. This would require reading and re-reading the book so that you can get a feel for why the author is writing it. What is the author communicating? What is the author’s purpose in writing it? What is the book’s overall central argument? After reading the book over and over, you should be able to come up with a concise 1-2 sentence preliminary purpose statement answering the question: Why did the author write this?

It would also be a great benefit to understand the historical context of the book. When was it written? To whom was it written? What is the background? What is the setting? Various amounts of information can be gathered from the biblical book itself. In addition to the biblical book, other sources can provide a great deal of information. I would recommend getting a good study Bible and reading the introduction section to the book (ask your pastors if you are interested in more resources).

Now that you understand the broader context, you can begin to sequentially study specific passages as you move through the book. You want to identify the main idea of the passage that you are studying. This will involve being a careful reader of the text and making text-driven observations. This means that you are drawing out of the text information that is there to support the author’s main idea of that passage. We are not yet asking, what does the text mean, but only seeking to observe, analyze, identify the parts of speech, analyze grammatical relationships, and asking the who, what, where, when, why, and how questions from the text.

No verse in the Bible stands alone and so observing the broader context of the biblical book and the immediate context within the book itself will keep us from imposing into the text something that is not there. We want to put ourselves into the mind of the author. This will lead to a more accurate interpretation of what the text means and application of what the text means. More will be said next week about understanding the author’s intended meaning as we look at the next step in studying God’s word, which is interpreting what the text means.

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The Bible is God’s divine revelation to man. This is how God has spoken to us (2 Pet 1:19-21) and this is how we can hear his voice. It is verbally inspired in every word and absolutely inerrant in the original documents. The Scriptures contain the very mind and thoughts of God (Isa 55:8-9), as well as the will of God for your life (2 Pet 1:3).

The word of God itself testifies to its own importance. We are reminded of that in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

As a result, you can be confident that the word of God is the sufficient source of wisdom and practical instruction. It will guide and train you in your Christian life and provide you with truth leading to sanctification (John 17:17).

The Bible is not like any other book. It is unique in that it contains the divine wisdom of God and it requires the Spirit of God to comprehend it (1 Cor 2:1-16). Therefore, you must approach Scripture with the proper dependence and a right heart. You must have your focus on God and depend upon the Holy Spirit to teach you and to give you understanding.

Here are three things to remember as you prepare your heart daily to study God’s word:

• The necessity of prayer

Since you need the Holy Spirit to give you understanding, it is necessary to pray. The psalmist prays in Psalm 119: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (v.18),” and “Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it (vv.33-35).” You need to realize your dependence and desperate need of divine guidance as you study God’s word.

• The requirement of purity

You cannot ever hope to understand the word of God unless you deal with and repent from the sin in your life beforehand. James 1:21 says, “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness (first) and (then) receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Am I continuing to confess my sins (1 John 1:9)? Am I coming to the pure word in an unclean manner? “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16). God is holy and you must approach him with reverence, a holy longing, and pure motives.

• The mindfulness of perspective

Why am I doing this? What is the motivation? Studying is not an end in itself. There is a purpose for the study. You are not a spiritual cul de sac. Yes, studying is to learn more about God to be able to worship him more, but studying is also intended for the practical application of the things that you learn (Jas 1:22). In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 we are called to be servants and faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. In other words, we have a responsibility to pass along the truth of God’s word (2 Tim 2:2). Who can I encourage and benefit with what I have learned? Who am I going to share with today? You study to receive and to give. That is the perspective you are to have.

All of this takes place before you even open up your Bible to 1) observe what the text says, 2) to interpret what the text means, and 3) to apply what the text means. During the next three weeks, we will be looking at each one of these components in order to help us study God’s word.

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