Learning during Tumultuous Times

As the snow melts in the Rockies, the slow moving mountain streams covered in snow become tumultuous torrents of seemingly impassable waterways. Both serene and distressing, depending on your perspective.

We’re living in a tumultuous new season. We’ve all had new challenges arise in recent months. Some have lost their jobs, or in the case of some recent Bear Valley graduates, others are having trouble finding jobs. Some have witnessed loved ones sick or pass away without comfort at their bedside.

Media and politics are spreading fear and hate. Even some Christians on social media are being divisive, caring more about making political statements than glorifying God. If we’re not careful, it is easy to lose sight of what this sick and hateful world really needs. We all need the grace, love and protection of God through Jesus Christ.

For us as aspiring missionaries, all of this makes us realize even more how much our work is needed. We watched in anxious anticipation as the pandemic first stopped international travel, disrupting our planned one month trip to Asia. We’re watching now, as China / US relations become increasingly confrontational, and we read recent comments by China’s top general about how military action against Taiwan will result if they continue pursuing independence. All of these challenges threaten our ambitions of becoming missionaries to the Far East. It is easy to get discouraged.

However, we cannot let ourselves get distracted by the evil in the world. We must continue to learn and to grow and to figure out how to teach the good news of God. So, we finished another semester strong at Bear Valley Bible Institute. On top of textual courses on Joshua – Chronicles, Wisdom Literature and Hebrews, I also took courses on Denominational Doctrines and Hermeneutics (the science of interpretation). Alexis took courses on Wisdom Literature and Public Speaking. As a family, we have upped our studies of Chinese and Bible, and we’re taking every opportunity to teach for local congregations or for our supporting congregations over Zoom. We are pressing on strong toward our goals.

Learning from the Bible

As Christians, we should recognize that all of life’s most significant answers can be found by digging in deeper to God’s Word. I have studied the Bible for over 20 years (I studied it even before becoming a Christian), and one of the most exciting aspects of my freshman semesters at Bear Valley has been the realization of how to study the Bible more effectively. Like many of you, my studies previously consisted of reading the Bible cover to cover, flipping through different passages related to a topic I might be interested in, or cramming in verses in preparation for a Bible class – all while balancing life and work. However, a few teachers here have opened my eyes to something better.

Here is what I want to share with you on how to study the Bible better. It may not work for everyone, but it is what I wish I practiced from the start in my Bible studies. Most comes from Dan Owen’s article, “How We Arrive at Biblical Doctrine” (April 2020 Gospel Advocate Magazine).

Insight 1: Respect the Bible’s recurring principles (e.g. worship God on His terms, etc.)

Tip 1: When reading the Bible, look for the overarching message God intended, not for what you want to get out of it

Insight 2: Respect the sequence and characters of the Bible story

Tip 2: When studying the Bible, identify the primary audience of the teaching, and understand what God’s teaching meant to that audience before trying to apply it to 21st century Americans.

Insight 3: Respect the message of each individual book

Tip 3: Read a book over and over again, start to finish, before moving on. Before long you will start to see the recurring themes of the book, the style and purpose of the author, and thus the true intended meaning of the text.

Insight 4: Words are defined by context more than by the dictionary

Tip 4: If you are dependent on the Greek Lexicon or word studies for meaning, you may be misdirected. Defer to the context and the author. Tip 3 above will help with this. Faith does not always mean the same thing every time it’s used in the Bible. In Heb. 11:1, it refers to unwavering conviction, whereas in Rom. 10:17, it is the basis of our righteousness through the promises of Christ.

Thank you

Especially during these difficult times, the Ihle Crew wants to thank you, our supporters, our teachers, our leaders and our encouragers. We especially want to thank our elders at all our supporting congregations, who we know have had to make a lot of difficult adjustments lately. We continually pray for you. Please continue to pray for us, for our learning and for our mission to take the gospel to the Far East. Through our fellowship in Christ and God’s grace, we will all make it through these tumultuous times.

Love,

-The Ihle Crew