General References of the 12 Apostles.

³³ And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

³⁴ Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

³⁵ And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

³⁶ And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

³⁷ Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (Act 4:33-37 KJV)

¹² And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. (Act 5:12 KJV)

¹⁸ And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

¹⁹ But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

²⁰ Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

²¹ And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

²² But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,

²³ Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

²⁴ Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

²⁵ Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

²⁶ Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

²⁸ Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.

²⁹ Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

³⁰ The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

³¹ Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

³² And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

³³ When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

³⁴ Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

³⁵ And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

³⁶ For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

³⁷ After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

³⁸ And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

³⁹ But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

⁴⁰ And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

⁴¹ And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

⁴² And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

(Act 5:18-42 KJV)

⁶ Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. (Act 6:6 KJV)

¹⁴ Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: (Act 8:14 KJV)

¹⁸ And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, (Act 8:18 KJV)

²⁷ But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. (Act 9:27 KJV)

And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. (Act 11:1 KJV)

And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

² When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

³ And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

⁴ And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

⁵ But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

⁶ And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. (Act 15:1-6 KJV)

²² Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

²³ And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: (Act 15:22-23 KJV)

⁴ And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem. (Act 16:4 KJV)

⁵ Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? (1Co 9:5 KJV)

²⁸ And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

²⁹ Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? (1Co 12:28-29 KJV)

¹⁷ Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. (Gal 1:17 KJV)

²⁰ And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (Eph 2:20 KJV)

¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Eph 4:11 KJV)

¹⁷ But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Jud 1:17 KJV)

Specific Examples:

The 12 Apostles

² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (Mat 10:2 KJV)

¹⁴ And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, (Mar 3:14 KJV)

¹³ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; (Luk 6:13 KJV)

¹⁵ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

¹⁶ Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

¹⁷ For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.

¹⁸ Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

¹⁹ And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.

²⁰ For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

²¹ Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

²² Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

²³ And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

²⁴ And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

²⁵ That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

²⁶ And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. (Act 1:15-1 KJV)

¹⁴ And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Rev 21:14 KJV)

Paul

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Rom 1:1 KJV)

¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: (Rom 11:13 KJV)

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, (1Co 1:1 KJV)

Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) (Gal 1:1 KJV)

⁷ Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. (1Ti 2:7 KJV)

Peter

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, (1Pe 1:1 KJV)

Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2Pe 1:1 KJV)

The A. W. Tozer Bible from Hendrickson Publishers is a study/devotional Bible with writings from one of the 20^th century’s most beloved Christian authors. A. W. Tozer was a Pastor, Preacher, Teacher, and Student who wrote many books in his 40-year ministry. This Bible includes over 500 selections from his writings.

Here’s a look at some of the key features:

• Brief biography of A. W. Tozer
• Epistle Dedicatory (dedication to King James)
• Over 500 Tozer selections
• King James Version
• Book introductions
• Textual Headings
• Words of Christ in red
• Outer side-column references
• 145 page Concordance
• 8 pages of Maps
• 9.50 x 6.25″ x 1.75″

Text

The font looks to be a more modern digital font. I’m not sure of the font’s size, but it looks close to 9-point. It has extra leading between the lines, giving plenty of room to underline. There are no footnotes indicators in the text itself. This makes the text very clean and readable.

One of my favorite features is the text layout.  Poetry is set in verse format which is offset from the regular text. I like the way this looks. It helps not only to identify the genre of Scripture, but also makes the text more readable.

The reference of the first verse that appears on the page is printed at the top of each page. Paragraph markers continue throughout the New Testament. Headings and verse numbers are bold, making them stand out from the rest of the text. The red-letter is a nice shade of red. There is some variation, but it does look nice and it’s very readable. Book introductions include information on the books background, message, time, and an outline complete with verses.

Paper

The paper isn’t shiny or too thin, making this a good Bible for coloring and writing. It’s fairly opaque, making it easier to read.

References

The references are on the outside margin. They include the verse number. There are no indicators in the text to know which reference goes to which portion of the verse. There are a lot of references, with most verses having several. The references do not contain translation notes.

Features

What makes this Bible unique is its 500 selections that are taken from 40 of Tozer’s writings. The selections are placed into three categories called On Scripture, Reflections, and Challenges and mostly vary from 2 to 4 paragraphs (though there are a few smaller and a few larger). The selections are well-written with the focus on deepening your walk with God.

On Scripture – these are insights of specific verses or passages. They’re found on the page with the passage and often contain thoughts on application. These make up the majority of the articles.

Reflections – the articles are deeper thoughts about the application of Scripture.

Challenges – these are challenges to strengthen your walk with God through Biblical application.

Concordance

The concordance is 145 pages. There are plenty of entries to look up. The entry for God takes almost a full column of text, which is more than most Bibles.

Maps

There are 8 pages of maps. The maps are in full color and they look nice. The paper for the maps is thicker than the other paper. There is no index to maps.

Citations of Tozer’s Works

In the back is a list of Tozer’s 40 works that are cited throughout the Bible.

Conclusion

The A. W. Tozer Bible has many features in its layout that I would like to see as standard in Bibles. As far as the content, there are a lot of insights that make for good thought-provoking study and reading. Tozer’s writings give this Bible a rich devotional quality. The A. W. Tozer Bible would be a valuable addition to your library.

The Bible was provided for free for review by Hendrickson Publishers. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

The new Cambridge Paragraph Bible is now available in personal size. This is an important Bible for KJV readers as it presents the KJV text as intended by the translators. This reconstruction of the 1611 format is the scholarly work of Professor David Norton. It is in paragraph style and includes the translator’s notes in the margins. Poetry is set in verse style. It is available in either hardcover or leather, and with or without the Apocrypha.

Here are the basic features:

• 5.25 x 8.25 x 1.75
• Translators to the Reader
• Translators notes
• Calfskin or hardcover
• With or without Apocrypha
• 8.7 Swift Font

The edition I am reviewing is the gray hardcover with Apocrypha. The hard-cover editions do not have ribbons.

This Bible is a revision of the larger format Paragraph Bible that came out in 2005. Even though this is considered a personal size Bible, it is still not a small Bible. It is about the size of the Concord, only thicker. It’s still a good size for carrying and reading.

Text

The text is an 8.7 Swift font. It is easy to read and doesn’t feel too small. There is more than average space between the lines of text, so there’s plenty of white space to help the readability. Some lines line up with the lines on the back of the page. These lines are easier to read. The other lines fall between the lines on the back of the page. These lines are more difficult to read. The paper and print are comparable to the Clarion (the Clarion text looks slightly larger and the Paragraph Bible has more space between the lines), and it has about the same amount of ghosting, which is more than average for a Cambridge Bible but still better than most Bibles today. There are no pronunciation marks or italics. There are footnote indicators that show which portions of the verse the footnotes link to (a feature I would like to see added to the Concord).

There have been some changes made to the KJV text over the years (some accidental and some intentional). This edition seeks to fix those issues and make the text as faithful as possible to the translators view of how it should read.

Format

The Paragraph Bible is, surprise, in paragraph format. I’ve always found paragraph format difficult to find verses. This one makes verses even more difficult to find because the verse numbers are very small and faint. This does make the text easier to read because the transition from verse to verse is seamless. It reads like a book- one paragraph at a time. Poetry is set in verse format (as it should be). I really like the way the format looks. NKJV, ESV, NIV, and others have used this style of formatting as a standard, but the KJV usually only has verse format (which is not the original format for the KJV). The original paragraph formatting makes a big difference in the readability of the KJV. It is difficult to find a KJV Bible that reads this well. To further help its readability, modern spelling and punctuation are used (which are actually closer to the original than the 1769 edition).

Textual Notes

The notes include the original notes written by the translators, and notes that have been added through later editions. The notes that are not original are placed in brackets to make them easy to identify.

Other

Included is the Editor’s Introduction, which explains in greater detail the purpose and features of this Bible. Also included is the Epistle Dedicatory- the dedication to King James. Next is the Translators to the Reader. This document includes footnotes. Also included is an index showing page numbers for the books with the number of chapters for each book.

This Bible does not have extras such as a concordance, maps, indexes, references, etc. I like these tools, but I don’t have to have them in every edition of the Bible I use. If this was my one and only Bible I would want these features, but the Paragraph Bible is still a fine Bible without them.

Conclusion

This is a no nonsense Bible that is not filled with extra features, but instead is an edition of the KJV that seeks to present the KJV in the form the translators intended. Its paragraph format is very readable and its size is very usable. The personal size New Cambridge Paragraph Bible would be a fine addition to your library.

Baker Publishing provided this Bible free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

The key to studying and understanding poetry is understanding how it works.

The most common types of poetry are:

Terseness –  short clauses or sentences  grouped by repetition and stanza. Psalms 23:1 is one example.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psa 23:1 KJV)

The conjunctions are left out. We understand the meaning that ‘because’ the LORD is my shepherd, ‘therefore’ I shall not want. Terseness causes us to read the passage more slowly and carefully.

Parallelism – repetition to get the point across. The repetition can be within a single verse or across many verses. Most poetic verses include parallelism. Two lines that are in parallel are not identical. They usually say the same thing in different ways. The second line of the parallel usually goes into a more detailed example of the first line. Psalms 9:1 is a good example.

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. (Psa 9:1 KJV)

The first line tells that David will praise the LORD. The second line, as a parallel to the first, says the same thing, but this time it is more specific in telling how David will praise the LORD.

Imagery – an indirect way of describing a situation. Imagery often uses examples and types to get the point across. This allows the author to make the point vividly and quickly. Song of Songs is filled with imagery.

There are other types of poetry, but these three are the most popular in Scripture. Understanding the types of poetry helps in interpreting and applying the Scriptures. Hebrew poetry requires the reader to slow down and understand how the lines relate to each other in order to get a deeper understanding. Since there is more poetry in the Old Testament than the entire text of the New Testament, it is worth the time and effort to study and understand the different types of poetry.

1. It was created
2. It created itself
3. It has always existed

None of these is a scientific statement. If any of these arguments are chosen, then God exists by default. If the Universe was created, then the Creator by definition is God because only God can create something from nothing. If the Universe created itself, then the Universe by definition is God because only God can create something from nothing. If the Universe has always existed, then the Universe is God because only God is eternal. Is there another realistic option? No. All three of these options require scientific laws to be broken (for example- the laws of Thermo Dynamics). Believing any of them requires faith- but not a blind faith.

Argument from Cosmology

Creation itself shows that there is an all-powerful, all-knowing Creator.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psa 19:1 KJV)

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Rom 1:20 KJV)

Argument from Teleology

The Universe has order and design. Even the simplest cell is too complex to have come about by blind chance. It required intelligent input (as every scientific experiment has shown, because intelligent Scientists themselves give input to their own experiments). Even the Laws of the Universe have order. If not, we should not expect gravity to work the same from one day to the next.

Argument from Scientific Law

The law of Biogenesis says that life can only come from life. The idea that life can spontaneously generate from non-life has never been observed, repeated, or verified, which means it is not scientific (Moehlenpah, p.47). There are also genetic barriers that will not allow one type of animal to slowly become another type of animal. We expect and observe small changes over time as animals adapt to their environments, but this is not the same thing as an animal changing from one type of animal to another.

Where did the Universe come from? Where did the matter in the big bang come from? Where did space come from? The first law of Thermodynamics says that matter cannot be created or destroyed (Moehlenpah, p.52). This means that nothing new can be created through evolution (Moehlenpah, p.52). This also means that nothing came into existence without God, for God is the only being or power that can overcome the first law of Thermodynamics.

The second law of Thermodynamics shows that everything moves toward disorder (Moehlenpah, p.52). Random chance cannot bring order to a big bang on the level that would be needed to create a universe full of stars, planets, and life on Earth. It takes intelligent input to create a Universe that has order.

Scientific laws are not by chance. They are not random – they can be trusted. Where did they come from? There are always alternate explanations given, but none of them work outside of the laws of the Universe- and those laws had to be laid down by a being that was greater than the scientific laws themselves. Laws cannot be changed. If a scientific law can defy a scientific law, one of them is no longer a law. The lack of an alternate explanation that doesn’t defy scientific law requires the existence of God.

References

Moehlenpah, Arlo (1998). Creation verses Evolution. Scientific and religious considerations.

Chula Vista: Doing Good Ministries

This book is a wealth of information. It contains over 500 pages and is broken up into four sections, with each section broken up into chapters. The sections are:

1. Book Publishers
2. Periodical Publishers
3. Specialty markets
4. Helps for Writers

The Book Publishers section is almost 200 pages and lists publishers according to topic and alphabetically according to name. One really helpful chapter is the section that shows which topics are most popular with which publishers.

The Periodical Publishers section is over 300 pages and contains the same type of information. It also includes information on Devotionals, Missions, Music, and more.

Specialty Markets is a smaller section with 10 pages and covers markets such as Cards, Games, Software, Gifts, Video, etc.

The Helps for Writers is about 90 pages and includes conferences, workshops, writer’s groups, contests, publishers by denomination, and more. I’m glad this section is here. It’s easy to focus on whom to get published with and forget how to write worth publishing. The contests include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, screenwriting, scriptwriting, children, adult, and lots of resources.

All of this is followed by a glossary and index.

This book is well organized and laid out, making it easy to find anything you need quickly. The information is a must for writers desiring to be published. I recommend this book for any Christian writer, even for those that will self-publish because the Helps for Writers include lots of information on where to find help in honing your writing skills and editing.

Tyndale provided this book free for review. I was not required to give a positive review- only an honest review.

Bible Study Notebook