Bible Reading: The NIV Bible’s PREFACE
Good evening ladies and gentlemen! How are you all doing? I hope you had a wonderful day. I spent my day at home relaxing and reflecting. I did a bit of work as well. I must say I had a very well balanced day of work and relaxation. God richly bless you all for the support, question and comments you have given on Sammie’s Daily Dose. God will surely reward you.
I am sure you were expecting Part 17 of the Bible Series. I was also expecting it in all honesty; God told me that this message has to be delivered before I continue with The Genesis Story. As I was about to open the Bible to read Genesis 5 again to prepare for today’s dose, God told me to go and read the preface of the Bible. Yes the Preface. Most Christians do not read the preface. As long as it is a Bible, we just open it to read it. Please spend some time reading every part of the Bible. There are so many people who say they have read the Bible cover to cover; I would encourage you to read the Preface of your Bible. Then after, research on it.
The Bible I use currently is called the ‘Youth Quest Study Bible.’ It is the New International Version, which is commonly known as NIV. The Bible is published by Zondervan and has a very beautiful cover. So as I read the preface, I was discovering some interesting things. I discovered that the NIV Bible was first published in 1978. From the preface, I got to know that the translation was made by hundreds of Bible scholars from countries such as The United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. These scholars came together to make an English Bible that can be understood by all English speakers.
The first thing that God made me pay attention to was the fact that the scholars were from different denominations. There were Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutheran and other denominations. Some of these denominations were quite peculiar to me, so I started researching on some. I research on the Mennonites. When you read about it, their core beliefs are what the Bible tells us. They have some beliefs too that are not Biblical. For example, they believe that if you keep on sinning and do not change your ways, you must be excommunicated. We know God to be merciful and forgiving. He will always have his arms opened wide to embrace you.
The second thing that caught my attention was that a committee was set up to ensure that the Bible translation work still goes on. From the preface, I read that the English language is always changing so the Bible needs to constantly be translated. This committee is called the Committee of Bible Translation. When I got to this part, God told me to research on it. One of the first things I saw was that the chairman in charge of the Old testament translation (at one point in time), was a homosexual. Yup! You are seeing right. He was a proud homosexual.
Look at the people translating the Bible for us! Slowly the Word of God is being infiltrated with negative things. Do you know that in some of the newer translations of the Bible being published, Bible verses are being removed? Yup they are! Can you imagine what is slowly happening? Little by little, the Word of God is being changed to suite the ways of this world. God is revealing this to us because He is cautioning us. He is telling us not to underestimate the enemy.
I am urging all of us to be very careful about the kind of Bibles we read. As Christians, God has given us the ability to discern. I urge all of you to let the Holy Spirit lead us in every step of the way.
Christians, we must arise! We cannot entertain this. The Bible tells us in Matthew 11: 12 that “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” So we must be forceful to be able to win this battle. Hallelujah! God is with us and He with help us.
Have a wonderful evening and let God inspire you.
Always remember to show love to everyone, as this is one of the most important commandments God left for us – “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In every situation, before you take a decision, remember WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Shalom.
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I write these messages every day with inspiration from the Holy Spirit, please remember me in your prayers so that I can continue to diligently serve God. Amen. Shalom.