With 24 days left in 2011, I’m still hoping to make it through the Bible in both Greek and English this year.
| Section | Greek | English |
| OT | 929/929 | 783*/929 |
| NT | 131/260 | 260/260 |
| Bible | 1060/1189 | 1043/1189 |
*Includes listening to 273 chapters of the OT from the Bible on MP3
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Over the years, in addition to English, I have extensively studied Biblical Greek more than any other language. In addition, I have taken two years of Biblical Hebrew and done additional independent study in that language.
I have also worked on learning Hindi in various ways at more than one point in my life. Other languages that I have learned to a lesser extent are the following: Modern German (preparatory class and work for passing a German translation proficiency test); French (1 year in High School and 1 year in College), and Spanish (only 1 semester in Junior High).
Based on my experience, I say unhesitatingly that diligently memorizing vocabulary words in each language has been an essential aspect of my attaining whatever levels of proficiency I have attained. In my opinion, failure to learn the vocabulary properly is a root cause of many people’s poor levels of learning other languages.
A key in my learning vocabulary words in other languages has been what I would call a comparative analysis and memorization of the vocabulary. What I mean by this expression is a diligent and thorough examination of all the words that goes beyond just making flash cards and learning the meanings of individual words in an unconnected manner.
For example, in studying Greek, I did much more than just thoroughly learn the meanings of all the words that I had to learn. I also learned words in categories by gender, part of speech, and common characteristics (such as what kind of accent marks a word has).
Similarly, by sorting words into various groups beyond what was provided in the Hebrew syllabus that I learned Hebrew from, I was able to learn the Hebrew vocabulary quite well. I also employed similar steps to learn a large amount of German vocabulary for the test that I had to take.
Just today, I used some of these same techniques to help a beginning Hebrew student prepare for his first semester final. By my guiding him through pairing words with each other based on similarity of meaning and or spelling, he was able to make considerable advances in his learning of vocabulary words that he had not thus far mastered during the semester.
I am hopeful that these techniques will help him to earn a satisfactory grade on the final. As time allows, I hope to share more about these techniques in future posts.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Jesus addressed his disciples as His friends on several occasions (Matt. 26:50; Lk. 12:4; John11:11;15:14-15). On one such occasion, He counseled His friends with teaching that guides us all about a key issue:
And I say unto you My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him (Luke 12:4-5).
With these words, Jesus informed His friends that they should not fear those who would put them to death physically but then not be able to harm them any further. He thereby confronted them with the reality that physical death is not the ultimate thing to fear.
Rather, He warned His friends that they must supremely fear the One who has the authority to cast into hell those whom He has killed physically. We thus must fear God supremely, rather than the people who would kill us physically.
Have you heeded this counsel from Jesus to His friends? If so, have you then become a true friend to your friends by sharing this counsel with them?
To do both of these things is to heed truly Jesus’ counsel to His friends.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
When playing guitar music in any given key, the chords that you will often use the most are the diatonic chords in that key. The diatonic chords for a key are as follows: major chords for scale degrees I and IV; minor chords for ii, iii, and vi; dominant seventh for V; and diminished for vii. My diatonic chord chart provides chord diagrams for these main chords in the keys of C, G, D, A, E, and F.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
My home internet provider, Open Range, recently went out of business. Between not having any home service and the holiday, I have not had the access to the Web that I would have liked to have had. I hope to resume posting regularly as I adjust my schedule to fit the times that I will have access elsewhere.
I recently produced a simplified version of O for a Closer Walk with God for my guitar students. It can be played as a duet or both parts can be played by the same student.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
What are the main lines to emerge in this study of Jesus outside the New Testament? The non-Christian evidence uniformly treats Jesus as a historical person. Most non-Christian authors were not interested in the details of his life or teaching, and they saw him through the Christianity they knew. They provide a small but certain corroboration of certain New Testament historical traditions on the family background, time of life, ministry, and death of Jesus. They also provide evidence of the content of Christian preaching that is independent of the New Testament. . . . Our study of Jesus outside the New Testament points at the end of the day to Jesus inside the New Testament.
–Robert E. Van Voorst, Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence, 217
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Many human beings have spoken of and thought about going to places that they would consider a paradise. Some believe that everyone will enter into such a place one day.
Scripture reveals, however, that only certain humans one day will enter into the real place that is called Paradise: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7). This statement teaches us key truths that anyone who would enter Paradise must heed.
First, a man must hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Entering Paradise, therefore, requires that a man must hear and attend to what the Spirit has to say; heeding human speculations about Paradise and how to get there will never get anyone there.
Second, the way to Paradise is a message that the Spirit has directed and entrusted to the churches of Jesus Christ. Those who would enter there one day should do all that they possibly can to affiliate themselves vitally with at least one of His faithful churches.
Third, the Spirit’s message about entering Paradise declares that a man must overcome. Because the Spirit has entrusted multiple messages to the churches of Jesus Christ (2:1-3:22) that explain various aspects of what it means to overcome, a man who would enter Paradise must heed the full content of those messages.
Fourth, those who overcome will receive as a gift (“To him that overcometh will I give . . .”) authorization (cf. “right to the tree of life” [22:12-14]) “to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Paradise belongs to God, and only those whom He graciously authorizes to be there will be there. To enter there, therefore, you must receive that gracious authorization to do so.
Fifth, the glorified Jesus is the One who authorizes overcomers to be in Paradise (cf. 22:12-14). He is the Speaker of each of these messages to His churches. Only those who are willing to come to Him believing that He has that authority will enter there one day (cf. Luke 23:43).
Sixth, in this message, Jesus and the Spirit highlight the eating of the tree of life that is in the middle of God’s Paradise. To receive the blessedness of that privilege, a man must believe what the Scripture teaches about the tree of life, Adam and Eve, and how they forfeited eating from the tree of life through their sin.
Overcomers who believe and heed all these things will enjoy the very thing that Adam and Eve forfeited in the Garden of Eden–eating from the tree of life! They will do so in the only place that is truly a paradise.
Will you be one of those who enter Paradise one day?
To learn more about how you can enter Paradise one day, please see my post, The Salvation of a Crucified Thief.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Today, I had one of the best opportunities to witness that I have had in a long time. My visitation partner and I met a lady today who did not seem to be very receptive at first. I was ready to leave and go to the next house after a brief time, but my partner started to talk with her after I had talked with her.
As he began to talk with her, she opened up and shared how she had just started reading a kid’s book about the Bible. I checked the book to see if it was sound. Looking over the book, I got the idea that I would try to witness to her again.
Basing my second attempt on what she had said she read in that book, I began witnessing to her about whether she knew that her sins were forgiven. Her answers revealed that she was uncertain. She thought that she had once been saved but was no longer saved because of how she was living now.
I took her to Ephesians 2:8-10 and explained carefully to her that she could not be saved by her works. She received that passage well, and I shared many other passages with her.
She shared that she had visited several churches and did not like them because what she heard there were stories instead of the Bible. She appreciated the witness that she received and said that she would like to visit our church.
I hope to follow up on her sometime soon. Please pray that she might come to church and be saved.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Scripture reveals that God has on many occasions dealt openly with civil authorities concerning their unrighteousness:
Genesis 20
God warned Abimelech, the king of Gerar, that he would die if he would commit adultery with Sarah (20:3-7). God had graciously kept him from sinning in that way (20:6) and now demanded that he restore her to Abraham (20:7). Abimelech heeded God’s warning and was spared (20:8-18).
2 Samuel 12
King David committed adultery with Bathsheba. Although God forgave him and spared his life, he suffered great consequences for his sinfulness (12:10-12; 14; 13:1-19:33). He continued reigning over God’s people until he died except for the time when Absalom took over the kingdom (15:13-17:29).
Daniel 4
King Nebuchadnezzar became proud and was warned by God’s prophet, Daniel. Daniel appealed to him to accept his counsel, break off his sins “by righteousness” and his iniquities “by showing mercy to the poor” (4:27). Nebuchadnezzar failed to heed Daniel’s warning (4:28-30). He was humbled by God until he acknowledged God aright (4:31-33). Following his abasement and repentance, God restored him and blessed him (4:34-37).
Daniel 5
King Belshazzar defiled the vessels of God’s house and praised man-made objects of worship (5:1-4). God confronted his wickedness through Daniel and removed him from his kingdom (5:5-31).
Matthew 15
John the Baptist, God’s prophet, rebuked Herod Antipas, the king, for taking his (Herod’s) brother’s wife (15:3-4). He declared that it was unlawful for him to have her. Herod had John murdered because he confronted him with his sinfulness. Scripture does not record Herod’s ultimate fate, but historical sources say that he “ended his days in exile” (New Bible Dictionary, 2nd ed., 481).
Acts 12
Herod Agrippa I, the king, failed to give God the glory on a public occasion and was immediately struck down by the angel of the Lord (12:20-23). He was eaten by worms and died shortly thereafter.
These accounts of God’s similar dealings with unrighteous kings who were over His people as well as with those who were over other peoples strongly imply that God demands righteousness from all civil authorities. Modern day believers should carefully take this evidence into consideration when deciding whether they will support a political candidate with a proven history of unrighteousness.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Today, I had an animated exchange with another believer concerning whether a proven history of being immoral should disqualify a political candidate. I believe that it should and disagree with the notion that goes something like this: “I’m voting for a president, not a preacher.”
I’m interested in hearing and learning from the views of other believers on this important question, both pro and con.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
Rajesh Gandhi holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Interpretation from Bob Jones Seminary; he's a long-time member of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC.
