World Missions Advance

I remember the first course I took on my journey at Dallas Theological Seminary. I was so excited to get started and had the normal anxiety and anticipation that accompanies the first semester for students of any age. When it came time for our first assignment, I wasn’t totally sure what was in store. Perhaps I had heard rumors, but you never know until it happens. You wanna know what my first assignment in seminary was? Make 25 observations of Acts 1:8. 25 observations! Not interpretations or opinions or what I think would be spiritual insights…nope, just plain old observations. You wanna know what my second assignment in seminary was? Make 25 more observations of the same verse! One verse, 50 unique observations!

What’s the point? Am I suggesting you should make 50 observations of every verse of the Bible? No, but sometimes we are so quick to jump to an application of this verse or that one, that we miss what the Bible is actually saying. Using the words of the author of a given book of Scripture and making it mean whatever we want it to mean is practically tantamount to making our words equal with God’s. Can you imagine if you sent a text to someone and someone else read it and used your words to mean something that you never intended? And yet, so many of us are guilty of this when it comes to Scripture.

When we approach Scripture, it is a great idea to use the Inductive Bible Study Method:

1) Observation, 2) Interpretation, 3) Correlation, 4) Application. If we don’t end up at application then we are just engaging in an exercise of pure intellectualism. An intellectualism that doesn’t lead to transformation is just pride. But premature application, can lead to distortion of Scripture and misapplication. Over the course of the next few newsletters, I will briefly consider these steps with the hope that we can, in our own study, “arrive at Scriptural truth” that will be transformative. -Chad

“Methodical Bible study, then, is concerned with the proper path to be taken in order to arrive at Scriptural truth” -Robert A. Traina, “Methodical Bible Study”

If you would like to go deeper on this subject, check out the following fantastic books:

"How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor" by Mark Yarbrough
"How to Read the Bible as Literature" by Leland Ryken
"Methodical Bible Study" by Robert, A. Traina
"Living by the Book" by Howard and William Hendricks

Be sure to check out our podcast on Exploring the Grand Narrative of the Bible here: https://youtu.be/m9sWHxI9sXM?si=Am90_qQbD0rsRPAG

Right now, I am in my brother’s truck, headed to our Uncle Loren’s funeral. He was my dad’s brother. I loved my Uncle Loren. Every family is different, I know. Some families are close, some are not so much. And most are somewhere in between. Even though we lived many miles apart, I felt quite close to my Uncle Loren. I loved talking to him on the phone. He was always a source of encouragement, wisdom, and was a man of tremendous faith.

Funerals are such a strange event. It’s always nice to see family. I’m sure we will laugh and cry and then feel that emptiness that comes when someone is gone. There is a great line in the old movie Braveheart, when William Wallace, played by Mel Gibson, says, “Every man dies, not every man really lives.” I’m quoting from by brain, but it was something like that.

Hebrews says that everyone is going to die and then comes the judgment. Paul writes in Ephesians that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10). You only get one shot at this thing called life. We, all of us, are either in Christ or we’re not. We will all face the judgment one day. I am so thankful, that when that day comes for me, whenever it does, that I will stand, not in my own good works, but in the completed work of Christ. No one likes funerals, but they are a good reminder, and a preview of what’s coming for all of us. May you be found in Christ, as I know, my Uncle Loren is. -Chad

“Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.”

Hebrews 9:27-28 (The MSG Paraphrase)

We are so excited to welcome Ana Onorato to the WMA family.

Ana's journey with Jesus has been marked by restoration and renewed purpose. Growing up in church, she gave her life to Christ as a child, but through seasons of disappointment and brokenness, Jesus reminded her of her identity in Him. A radical turning point came when she moved to Texas and joined Christ For The Nations, where she was restored and learned to dream with God again. In 2015, God gave her 2 Kings 4:10, a Scripture she is now seeing fulfilled as she prepares to serve in Bulgaria.

Ana is passionate about caring for missionaries, pastors, and leaders who need rest and renewal. She will be working with Global Impact Network to establish a retreat ministry in Bulgaria, a peaceful, bed-and-breakfast-style environment where ministry leaders can recharge, be encouraged, receive prayer, and experience God's deep love for them. It will be a place where they can be vulnerable and be reminded of their calling.

In March, Ana will travel to Greece and Bulgaria on a vision trip to meet with ministry partners, listen to what God is saying, and gather practical information about long-term service, including visa requirements and how missionaries are currently living and serving in the region.

If you would like to support Ana and her mission to Bulgaria, please go to worldmissionsadvance.org/onorato