Bible Study or Meditating on Scripture...

[Indentured Servant]

1. Is there a difference between study and meditation?

2. Do we seek acedemic knowledge via reading or insight in the Spirit?

3. What has the Spirit shown you that you've never seen by study only?

4. Do you think that sermons are superior or inferior to personal interaction with the Word of God?

[Your closest friendnt]

@Indentured Servant

It's about Jesus, that Jesus deferred from the Jews who when they touched something unclean they became unclean also. 

The Jews were under the power and the Judgement of the Law and the cleansing rituals. 

But Jesus deferred from them. As He was a man different for every other Jewish man. Unlikely anyone else from the Jews and the Priesthood. 

When Jesus touched the lepers, the lepers became clean. 

To any Jewish man to any Priest and or High Priest when they touched anything unclean they become unclean and in need of the cleansing water and the rituals accordingly. 

Jesus did not come by the water like Nicodemus or anyother Jewish man or a Priest who needed the cleansing of the water to be able to do their ministry in the Temple and touched the Holy vessels. 

Jesus Unlikely any other man who ever lived was the Temple of the Heavenly Father and He was the only one ever to be the Temple of the Heavenly Father before His death on the Cross. 

 

Edited November 13, 2024 by Your closest friendnt

[Neighbor]

10 hours ago, Indentured Servant said:

1. Is there a difference between study and meditation?

2. Do we seek acedemic knowledge via reading or insight in the Spirit?

3. What has the Spirit shown you that you've never seen by study only?

4. Do you think that sermons are superior or inferior to personal interaction with the Word of God?

1, YES, of course there is a major difference; Study is the gathering of information with the goal of analyzing that information sorting it and then embracing or rejecting it in part or whole. Study fills where as meditation empties.

Meditation is the "art" of concentrating upon one fixed thing,  even an item, until the brain /mind clears of all thought about anything or anything else but what is being concentrated upon. Meditation makes for an emptying of the house (Mind).

My Bible which I read,  think upon, and pray over for understanding, tells me a serious lesson about cleaning my house  which I may apply to the idea of meditating for "clearing" provides a swept house.

...“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

Prayer, importantly along  with thinking and reading my Bible, builds up and sharpens the weaponry I need to do spiritual battle, and live out  service as a soldier in the army of my Lord and savior Jesus the Christ.

Whereas meditation intently as a tactic taught by Satan's own does just the opposite. Meditation  even deletes or voids that which was known and held onto  closely in the spiritual battle being fought out even on earth while in the fleshly corruptible body. The clearing, the emptying of one's mind is exactly what is warned within the Bible that one reads thinks about and prays over. Meditation makes for a inviting empty nest freshly cleaned, for many demons to come to as a party house of an evil spirit.

 

[Neighbor]

11 hours ago, Indentured Servant said:

1. Is there a difference between study and meditation?

2. Do we seek acedemic knowledge via reading or insight in the Spirit?

3. What has the Spirit shown you that you've never seen by study only?

4. Do you think that sermons are superior or inferior to personal interaction with the Word of God?

2, I seek not one or the other but both! I need read, study, and pray over what is read and studied, to bring the fruit of the  Holy Spirit to a ripening.

Insight without instruction from the word of God the Bible  with Holy Spirit enabled understanding of it for application is presumption.

[Neighbor]

11 hours ago, Indentured Servant said:

1. Is there a difference between study and meditation?

2. Do we seek acedemic knowledge via reading or insight in the Spirit?

3. What has the Spirit shown you that you've never seen by study only?

4. Do you think that sermons are superior or inferior to personal interaction with the Word of God?

3. Nothing, for all that which the Spirit shares is of the will of God complemented with the word of God,  and not of any private  reveal and or interpretation.

Nor have I had  study alone lay fallow, be just an academic exercise, without application for my own life. All becomes enabling instruction and precept to be obeyed and shared through the Holy Spirit.

[Neighbor]

11 hours ago, Indentured Servant said:

1. Is there a difference between study and meditation?

2. Do we seek acedemic knowledge via reading or insight in the Spirit?

3. What has the Spirit shown you that you've never seen by study only?

4. Do you think that sermons are superior or inferior to personal interaction with the Word of God?

4, Sermons, part of corporate worship, is interaction with God! Where two or  three are gathered  in Jesus' name there is also the Holy Spirit present.

Without that particular deliberate corporate gathering, even if it is two or three only, there is a weakening of the individual vitality, a dulling of the senses, and very seriously a missing of the opportunity to lift brethren  up in joyous worship of Jesus.

[Indentured Servant]

1 hour ago, Neighbor said:

Whereas meditation intently as a tactic taught by Satan's own does just the opposite.

I'm very confused by this... Scripture tells us to meditate. The bible show many examples of people meditating. You seem to understand meditation as a new age, pseudo-religious practice, and you credit it to Satan!? 

Please, I'm not talking about new age meditation... I'm talking about scripture. 

[Indentured Servant]

1 hour ago, Neighbor said:

4, Sermons, part of corporate worship, is interaction with God! Where two or  three are gathered  in Jesus' name there is also the Holy Spirit present.

Without that particular deliberate corporate gathering, even if it is two or three only, there is a weakening of the individual vitality, a dulling of the senses, and very seriously a missing of the opportunity to lift brethren  up in joyous worship of Jesus.

Are you offended by my post? I asked for personal experiences and you seem to be condemning everything I've written.

Do I personally offend you? 

I ask your forgiveness if I've ever said anything to you that has caused you to shut down my post.

I ask questions like this to get to know people, to understand how they view things. You seem to have a very dogmatic approach to these topics, and that's fine to have, but please don't be so forceful with your viewpoints... It makes me feel like I have no right to ask questions or post anything.

If my membership with Worthy offends you, let me know and I will leave the site if I'm not welcome.

 

[Neighbor]

11 minutes ago, Indentured Servant said:

Are you offended by my post? I asked for personal experiences and you seem to be condemning everything I've written.

Do I personally offend you? 

I ask your forgiveness if I've ever said anything to you that has caused you to shut down my post.

I ask questions like this to get to know people, to understand how they view things. You seem to have a very dogmatic approach to these topics, and that's fine to have, but please don't be so forceful with your viewpoints... It makes me feel like I have no right to ask questions or post anything.

If my membership with Worthy offends you, let me know and I will leave the site if I'm not welcome.

 

Hi, I'm not at all offended. I enjoyed your opening post and found it most usable for my own benefit. It is  I think a great opening for discussion  by many here.

I suggest you give it time for others to engage as they see things for their benefit too and then also share .I  entered four separate responses  because I am rather wordy at times and would have ended up posting a way too long  entry if I did it all in one post.

Be assured you thread is not shut down, but only beginning to get developed. 

In that regard; do you have any affirming or contrary/different understandings of my own responses. If so please share so that many might engage in a expanding look at the subjects you  brought up.

Be blessed of God 

[Neighbor]

32 minutes ago, Indentured Servant said:

I'm very confused by this... Scripture tells us to meditate. The bible show many examples of people meditating. You seem to understand meditation as a new age, pseudo-religious practice, and you credit it to Satan!? 

Please, I'm not talking about new age meditation... I'm talking about scripture. 

"Scripture tells us to meditate." Yes it does on several very specific as examples to us. It also warns of cleaning a house without filling it back up to crowd out that which is evil. So he "meditation", prayer for understanding and for application , will be part of it far as I can understand anyway.

Comparing meditation and prayer I suggest  it is not an either or but really must be a combination that enlightens. Otherwise one ends up simply  suffering  their own presumptive conclusions or worse engaging in what can be described as atheism.