Thread: THE INNER ROOM - "Learn and Grow - to Maturity". Please read the OP.

I seem to recall that last year the New Year went very quiet - like now! In Australia a lot of businesses etc. do shut down over Christmas and for 1 to 2 weeks into the new year.

Can someone tell me if this happens in America too, perhaps explaining the current lack of activity in the IR? Thanks!

- BM


Edit: When I say 'lack of activity', there are still 55 to 70 views daily, so I spose maybe it's ME beling slack! - and I better get me skates on and write the next Message...

Happy New Year 2009!!!

Most offices in the U.S. closed for business after both Christmas and New Years especially since they fell on Thursday-Friday in 2008.

Hi Worshipper, and thankyou! I guessed that must be the case.

I also had another thought (which probably has nuthin to do with nuthin!) But in this day and age just about everyone seems to gets grumpy and worn out in the weeks leading up to Christmas (well that's what happens here, anyway) - so when it's finally over I wondered whether maybe we give a collective sigh of relief, relax, definitely feel like doing nothing... and do nothing! *grin*

Love, and have a great year!

- BM

OK, so I am sitting here, posting a new thread on the main site and dh is reading the new Bible I got for him. It is a chronological Bible I sent for from Guideposts. It is keeping him out of Revelations and he is asking me questions. This Bible also has a sorta commentary before each day's reading. I need to learn how to get on a site where I can look up an explanation, like maybe John Henry's Commentary or something.

His question is concerning Gen. 3:14,15, where it says something about crushing your head and striking your heel. I never did understand that, even though someone explained it to me once. Can you clear it up for me, Bondman? Thanx

And, about the slowness, as for me, I have made a New Year's resolution to be into His Word more than on the internet. So, that's where I have been so far. And, yes, it is awfully, but wonderfully strange to be sitting here with dh reading the Bible and being engrossed in it! Praise His Holy Name!

Originally Posted by SweetSurrender

OK, so I am sitting here, posting a new thread on the main site and dh is reading the new Bible I got for him. It is a chronological Bible I sent for from Guideposts. It is keeping him out of Revelations and he is asking me questions. This Bible also has a sorta commentary before each day's reading. I need to learn how to get on a site where I can look up an explanation, like maybe John Henry's Commentary or something.

His question is concerning Gen. 3:14,15, where it says something about crushing your head and striking your heel. I never did understand that, even though someone explained it to me once. Can you clear it up for me, Bondman? Thanx

And, about the slowness, as for me, I have made a New Year's resolution to be into His Word more than on the internet. So, that's where I have been so far. And, yes, it is awfully, but wonderfully strange to be sitting here with dh reading the Bible and being engrossed in it! Praise His Holy Name!

So many start reading the Bible at the beginning of the Old Testament. He needs to start in the New Testament. Luke is a good book to start with. Then maybe John. Otherwise this is like a baby trying to eat steak!! - obviously not going to work at all!!

To illustrate this very clearly, those two verses you menitoned are far too complex to understand for someone starting new - and not easy to explain simply either (they are to do with a relationship between the devil and us, with future references, and the details of it not at all easy).

Oh, and I recommend you don't try to read Matthew Henry's Commentry on the Whole Bible. Because it was written some hundreds of years ago, and is VERY deep, only really weird people like me would be able to understand anything he writes... Sure, it's a fantastic Commentary, but is NO WAY for new Christians. John Gills is a little easier, but still rather difficult also.


PLEASE see if you can get him into the Gospels in the New Testament. And to be frank about it, he could read articles in the Inner Room that would a lot easier for him to 'get' what living as a Christian is about (I would hope and expect), than trying to read and understand Scripture - especially the more difficult parts of it.

If Scripture was EASY for new Christians to read and understand (and older Christians as well), then I'd never have needed to write even one Message in the IR, would I?

I'm so sorry this is proving difficult for him and for you - but it's great that it's happening!!! I hope some of the above may help you both.

All my love!!!!

- BM


Edit: Do you remember when I once advised you to buy the Contemporary English Version of the Bible as a good but simple and easy to read translation? Just click on this link: BibleGateway.com - PassageLookup: Genesis 3:14-15;; where you can read in simple English the two verses that are giving you trouble.

To be able to look at ALL of Genesis 3 click on this link: BibleGateway.com - PassageLookup: Genesis 3;

When you've read all of Chapter 3, at the bottom are some arrows with a right-facing one taking you to Chapter 4 if you click on it (or one that will take you back to Chapter 2).

If any of this helps, ask me and I'll explain how to navigate this in Biblegateway so you can read ANYWHERE in the Bible, and also read other translations such as the Amplified Bible which is considerably more complex than the Contemporary English Bible but it DOES give you some explanations within the text of many verses.

I'd actually like to read Henry's Comm. on it. I could at least get an idea and explain it to him myself. I have been finding real enjoyment reading some of (now I forget his name). Anyway, on the main forum, someone posts lots of his commentaries and I really can get into them. Yes, they are really deep, but I think at this time in my spiritual life, I am actually getting it. God has opened my eyes, and I think it is to help Norm. For right now, I think it would actually be best if he talked to Pastor and asked questions to him. And, this Chronological Bible I got for him seems to keep his interest, and I don't know how to get him to reading in the N.T. Not without him thinking I don't think he's intellegent enough to understand the O.T. He's always said I was more intellectual than him and that he didn't know why I stayed with him, so I have to be careful not to "show him up" so to speak, or make it sound like I am putting him down. I'll let Pastor handle that I think. No, he has never read the N.T. I agree it would be best, but it's pretty uncontrollable for me.

I Googled Henry's Commentary, but didn't know how to work it I guess. I'll try again tomorrow. Need to hit the hay! Love, Bonnie

Originally Posted by SweetSurrender

I'd actually like to read Henry's Comm. on it. I could at least get an idea and explain it to him myself. I have been finding real enjoyment reading some of (now I forget his name). Anyway, on the main forum, someone posts lots of his commentaries and I really can get into them. Yes, they are really deep, but I think at this time in my spiritual life, I am actually getting it. God has opened my eyes, and I think it is to help Norm. For right now, I think it would actually be best if he talked to Pastor and asked questions to him. And, this Chronological Bible I got for him seems to keep his interest, and I don't know how to get him to reading in the N.T. Not without him thinking I don't think he's intellegent enough to understand the O.T. He's always said I was more intellectual than him and that he didn't know why I stayed with him, so I have to be careful not to "show him up" so to speak, or make it sound like I am putting him down. I'll let Pastor handle that I think. No, he has never read the N.T. I agree it would be best, but it's pretty uncontrollable for me.

I Googled Henry's Commentary, but didn't know how to work it I guess. I'll try again tomorrow. Need to hit the hay! Love, Bonnie

Yep, got all that, hon! You do need to be careful of making a man feel inferior, we males with our easily bruised egos... Wow, it's so wonderful you feel the Lord is opening your eyes to the Scriptures!!! I'm going to do a message on that asap, and maybe you will be nicely surprised at one of the things that will be in it!!

I agree with your though about him talking to your Pastor (if he's prepared to do that, of course - he may simply want to press on by himself as it were, and with you two kind of working together, that sounds like a rather GOOD thing to me!)

I imagine it's Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary you've read. I apologise for what I wrote on that. I've used his "Whole Bible" Commentary (the 'deep' and old English one) for so many years now that I'd quite forgotten about any Concise one of his. *oops...*

Here are the verses in his Concise Version, and even in this simpler version, how amazing is it that there is SO MUCH in just two verses:

3:14,15 God passes sentence; and he begins where the sin began, with the serpent. The devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishments. Under the cover of the serpent, the devil is sentenced to be degraded and accursed of God; detested and abhorred of all mankind: also to be destroyed and ruined at last by the great Redeemer, signified by the breaking of his head. War is proclaimed between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. It is the fruit of this enmity, that there is a continual warfare between grace and corruption, in the hearts of God's people. Satan, by their corruptions, buffets them, sifts them, and seeks to devour them. Heaven and hell can never be reconciled, nor light and darkness; no more can Satan and a sanctified soul. Also, there is a continual struggle between the wicked and the godly in this world. A gracious promise is here made of Christ, as the Deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. Here was the drawn of the gospel day: no sooner was the wound given, than the remedy was provided and revealed. This gracious revelation of a Saviour came unasked, and unlooked for. Without a revelation of mercy, giving some hope of forgiveness, the convinced sinner would sink into despair, and be hardened. By faith in this promise, our first parents, and the patriarchs before the flood, were justified and saved. Notice is given concerning Christ. 1. His incarnation, or coming in the flesh. It speaks great encouragement to sinners, that their Saviour is the Seed of the woman, bone of our bone, Heb 2:11,14. 2. His sufferings and death; pointed at in Satan's bruising his heel, that is, his human nature. And Christ's sufferings are continued in the sufferings of the saints for his name. The devil tempts them, persecutes and slays them; and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. But while the heel is bruised on earth, the Head is in heaven. 3. His victory over Satan thereby. Christ baffled Satan's temptations, rescued souls out of his hands. By his death he gave a fatal blow to the devil's kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. As the gospel gains ground, Satan falls.

That is really great stuff!! I copied it from Online Bible. Go there and you can then choose the book of the Bible (starting at Genesis). So I clicked on Genesis. That took me to Genesis 1. So far so good. But I wanted Chapter 3.

I clicked on the right-facing double-arrow (looks like this: « Genesis ») to go to Genesis 2, and again to go to Genesis 3.

If I wanted to go to Genesis 30, I can do this via an easy shortcut. When you're in Genesis 1 you'll see that the link at top of your browser will be Genesis 1 Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible, where 1.htm means Chapter 1. I simply change the 1 to 30, so that it now reads as http://mhc.biblecommenter.com/genesis/30.htm then hit Enter and there you are in Chapter 30!!!

Try it, it's easy, and now you can read Matthew Henry on any verse in the whole bible!! (If anyone knows another easier site with his Concise Commentary on it, please tell me. Thanks!)

Keep up your great work, sweetie!!

- BM

Originally Posted by least in the kingdom

John 8:18 Bible Commentary

Matthew Henry is at bible.cc

God bless

Thankyou for your info, least, because this was what led me to do what I've written in the above post. Bless you too!

- BM