For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. I Thessalonians 4:2
One of the best acronyms I have ever heard is an acronym for the Bible—Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Life is like a college class. At the end there is a final exam. Those who pass the exam inherit eternal life and those who do not pass go to eternal punishment. The Bible is like the syllabus for the class. It gives us what is required in order for us to pass the “class” of life.
There is no way one does well in a class without reading over the syllabus. There is no way one does well in a class without spending some time absorbing the reading material on the syllabus. And likewise there is no way one gets far as a Christian without some understanding of Scripture and its application to life.
I surveyed several groups of campers this week and asked them, “who should write the syllabus for a class, the teacher or the students?” They all answered that it was the teacher who has the right to author the syllabus. I asked what the teacher should do with a student who doesn’t want to follow the syllabus, and they all agreed that the teacher could and should throw someone like that out of the class. I used this example because many of them do not read the Bible at all, and many discount the Bible because some of the popular causes in society are in conflict with the Bible, and they think that it is the Bible that is out of line, rather than they.
Referring to the above example, I told them that the Holy Spirit inspired the authoring of scriptures. So even though the thoughts were written by men, these men were inspired by the Spirit. And if we don’t read Scripture and if we don’t take its lessons to heart and apply them to our lives, then we are like the college student who goes to the professor and demands changes to the syllabus. The professor in all likelihood would remove that student from the class. Likewise God reserves the right to remove those who do not follow His syllabus, either because they don’t follow it in life, or they don’t read it. One cannot follow without knowledge without first acquiring knowledge. And one cannot really know Christ if one doesn’t spend time in “the Word.”
The Bible is basic instructions before leaving earth. These are the instructions we are to learn and to live while on earth, so we are prepared for eternal life when we leave earth.
Lord, thank You for the Gift of Scripture. Help me to learn the basic instructions I’m supposed to learn in this life, so that I am prepared for eternal life. Most important though, help met apply what I read to my daily interactions with others, that they may see whatever good words I do, and come to know You as well. Amen.
Read the Bible today!
+Fr. Stavros
By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis
Ενορία Αγίου Νικολάου - Parochie Heilige Nicolaas - Parish of Saint Nicolas 
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. I Thessalonians 4:2
One of the best acronyms I have ever heard is an acronym for the Bible—Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Life is like a college class. At the end there is a final exam. Those who pass the exam inherit eternal life and those who do not pass go to eternal punishment. The Bible is like the syllabus for the class. It gives us what is required in order for us to pass the “class” of life.
There is no way one does well in a class without reading over the syllabus. There is no way one does well in a class without spending some time absorbing the reading material on the syllabus. And likewise there is no way one gets far as a Christian without some understanding of Scripture and its application to life.
I surveyed several groups of campers this week and asked them, “who should write the syllabus for a class, the teacher or the students?” They all answered that it was the teacher who has the right to author the syllabus. I asked what the teacher should do with a student who doesn’t want to follow the syllabus, and they all agreed that the teacher could and should throw someone like that out of the class. I used this example because many of them do not read the Bible at all, and many discount the Bible because some of the popular causes in society are in conflict with the Bible, and they think that it is the Bible that is out of line, rather than they.
Referring to the above example, I told them that the Holy Spirit inspired the authoring of scriptures. So even though the thoughts were written by men, these men were inspired by the Spirit. And if we don’t read Scripture and if we don’t take its lessons to heart and apply them to our lives, then we are like the college student who goes to the professor and demands changes to the syllabus. The professor in all likelihood would remove that student from the class. Likewise God reserves the right to remove those who do not follow His syllabus, either because they don’t follow it in life, or they don’t read it. One cannot follow without knowledge without first acquiring knowledge. And one cannot really know Christ if one doesn’t spend time in “the Word.”
The Bible is basic instructions before leaving earth. These are the instructions we are to learn and to live while on earth, so we are prepared for eternal life when we leave earth.
Lord, thank You for the Gift of Scripture. Help me to learn the basic instructions I’m supposed to learn in this life, so that I am prepared for eternal life. Most important though, help met apply what I read to my daily interactions with others, that they may see whatever good words I do, and come to know You as well. Amen.
Read the Bible today!
+Fr. Stavros
By Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis
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