Thanks for your videos John, music or faith I think the spirit does speak through you, i wish you would do more, those of us who are 'Churched' would find them helpful, may God bless you and your ministry
A wee bit of a departure from your usual videos John but I respect your thinking and beliefs, personally not my thing as I dont practice my religion ( Roman Catholic) anyway fair play to you.
Hi John. I discovered your videos in the usual odd way that these spiritual messages often work: out of the blue a friend offered to give us a keyboard for our four/year-old daughter to learn on as his son wasn’t using it anymore. I went on CZcams to take a look at reviews of it and yours was the second one I watched. I liked your warm, straightforward vibe and soon found myself in your channel watching various Bible lessons. Very interesting. I’ve always been very drawn to God since I was a teenager ( I’m 55 now) but never quite clicked with Christianity or any other organised religion and have found the Bible in particular very hard to connect with. It always raises too many questions when I read it and I never get very far. But I found your lessons quite thought provoking. One thing I would say though is that it’s The unknowableness of God that I find most appealing. Eastern philosophy seems to be better at accommodating those ideas than some elements of mainstream Christianity and the other monotheistic religions. Without that uncertainty, religion for me is far less appealing. More importantly, for me it feels less close to God. As someone once said: God created the World and Man created religion. I appreciate the absolute sincerity of your beliefs though but without the humility that comes from uncertainty I don’t think it’s for me. That said, I may try your approach of reading three pages a day and see how it goes.
I tried Christianity as the religion of last resort. but, as you may have gathered, it worked. My youngest daughter got, 'Born again,' a few months ago and like yourself she had found the bible impenetrable. Now however that she has received the Holy Spirit it is clear as day to her. Hint:- if you get bogged down in the Old Testament then jump to the New and ask the Lord to open your mind to his Word. John
John Coupland Thanks John. As the wonderful CS Lewis says, ‘Man’s search for God is like the mouse’s search for the cat.’ He writes best on the unknowableness of God from a Christian perspective in my view. I’m happy with the not knowing to be honest.
Hi John, I have a question that I would like to ask. It is not my intention to start a debate or an argument with other CZcams viewers of your channel with regards to what I am about to ask. What version of the Holy Bible do you like to use and what versions do you recommend. I have a KJV and NRSV (with the Apocrypha) but have been reading websites and watching videos on CZcams about the Pros and Cons of the various versions. Some of these websites and videos say the NRSV and other modern versions are closer and are faithful to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Greek manuscripts and say that the KJV has added verses and is harder to understand as there are words used that either have no meaning in today's English or whose meaning has changed over time and say that the original manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with each other. I am not really comfortable with gender neutrality in the Holy Bible but some people say that the original manuscripts were gender neutral. Also there are claims that the NRSV and other modern versions have had words, verses and sentences removed that can be found in the KJV and some people say that the original manuscripts did not have those words, verses and sentences. Other websites and videos attack the NRSV and other modern versions by saying that the manuscripts used were corrupted (Codices Sinaiticus, Vaticanus and Alexandria) and are heretical along with attacking Nestle-Aland and Westcott and Hort, et al and say the KJV should be the only version a person should read. Not only that but some say that the original manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with the Textus Receptus. Some of the websites that I have read and videos seen were by KJV Onlyists like Dr Sam Gipp, Gail Ripplinger and Peter Ruckman whereas some were by people like Dr James White amongst others who defend the NRSV and other modern versions (most of these websites and videos are American). This is what is making me (and possibly many other people) confused as to what version of the Holy Bible a person should read. I just need someone who is a Scholar, Priest, Minister or in a Senior position in a church who can help me find a version of the Holy Bible and help me to find the truth in God's Holy Words and to try to get closer to God and to become a better person and to deepen my faith. I am not a member of any Church yet as I don't know as to what denomination to choose. I do consider myself a Christian as I do believe in God and in Jesus and do accept him as my Lord and Saviour. I was baptised as a baby along with my twin sister who sadly died when we were still babies but due to my twin sister being seriously ill and not expected to live, on my Grandmother's advice, my Dad found a Minister or Priest (not Catholic also on my Grandmother's advice) who baptised us in the room where we were with our Mother in hospital but his denomination was not known so I have no idea as to what denomination I am (if any). I know I am not a good person, I have done things I should never have done, said things I should never have said and thought things I should never have thought and still regret those actions, words and thoughts and tried asking God for his forgiveness which I know in my heart I do not deserve along with feeling that when I take my leave of this life and this world, God will be rightly justified in condemning me. I feel that as I am now a carer to my aforementioned Grandmother as she has been through a lot these past few months having been in and out of hospital numerous times and coming through two major operations which she is very lucky to do so, that I am trying to make a start in my efforts to become a better person in every single way including spiritually. You could say that I am a lost soul, because I am lost but I want to draw myself closer to God, to feel his love, his forgiveness and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. I apologise to any other viewer of this video for speaking about my personal faith crisis and Holy Bible versions as I am speaking to John directly but publicly therefore I ask for no comments from any other viewers of this video except from John himself and ask for other viewers to respect my request. Thank you for taking the time to read this message and God bless you, dear friend. Kind Regards. Emma Gordon
Hi Emma, Although it was nearly 40 years ago that i bought my first bible, I still use that version as it is the one that is imprinted in my mind, the New English Bible (NEB). It suffers from thees and thous whenever God is addressed but apart from that it does the job. When writing a hymn I read the passage in the NEB, Good News, NIV and the KJV. That gives me a broad canvas on which to work. None of these versions is perfect because, like all bibles, past, present and future, men were involved in setting down God's Word and men are fallen creatures. My wife, Isobel, was advised to use the NRSV when she did her Theology degree as it was regarded by the evangelical college as the best so far. Regarding the KJV it is well past its use by date, it is like asking a farmer to give up his tractor and use a donkey instead. Remember that Satan's game does not finish when you accept Christ. He has a plan B and that is to turn us into fanatics who focus on one small issue. It may be using or not using the gifts, the style of baptism or worship and of course the use of a bible which reads like Shakespeare's plays so apply yourself to seeking the Lord's voice in prayer otherwise you will end up like a man who owns a thousand guitars yet can't play a tune. As for a sinful past, we all have one but in Jesus all our sins are forgiven, even those we are yet to commit! Although I have broken no Earthly law that could land me in jail, I have broken the Law of Moses so as to deserve the death penalty, yet I stand forgiven. With denominations again there are no perfect ones and you may find that mundane matters such as geography may limit your choice. I live in a village where the choice is Roman Catholic or Church of Scotland so even though I am a Baptist I worship in the C of Sc. as that roots me in the community. Keep seeking a closer walk with God and avoid those little exclusive churches who think that they are the only 20 people going to Heaven. Your spiritual home should be welcoming and nurture your growth as a Christian.
Thanks for your videos John, music or faith I think the spirit does speak through you, i wish you would do more, those of us who are 'Churched' would find them helpful, may God bless you and your ministry
Good words of wisdom John.
Thanks CS, God bless.
Thank you John!
This is a video il come back to time and time again for its clarity and simple reminders one can easily forget in life. Thank you John
Thanks Ralph, God bless.
A wee bit of a departure from your usual videos John but I respect your thinking and beliefs, personally not my thing as I dont practice my religion ( Roman Catholic) anyway fair play to you.
Thanks Ryan, God bless.
Hi John. I discovered your videos in the usual odd way that these spiritual messages often work: out of the blue a friend offered to give us a keyboard for our four/year-old daughter to learn on as his son wasn’t using it anymore. I went on CZcams to take a look at reviews of it and yours was the second one I watched. I liked your warm, straightforward vibe and soon found myself in your channel watching various Bible lessons. Very interesting. I’ve always been very drawn to God since I was a teenager ( I’m 55 now) but never quite clicked with Christianity or any other organised religion and have found the Bible in particular very hard to connect with. It always raises too many questions when I read it and I never get very far. But I found your lessons quite thought provoking. One thing I would say though is that it’s The unknowableness of God that I find most appealing. Eastern philosophy seems to be better at accommodating those ideas than some elements of mainstream Christianity and the other monotheistic religions. Without that uncertainty, religion for me is far less appealing. More importantly, for me it feels less close to God. As someone once said: God created the World and Man created religion. I appreciate the absolute sincerity of your beliefs though but without the humility that comes from uncertainty I don’t think it’s for me. That said, I may try your approach of reading three pages a day and see how it goes.
I tried Christianity as the religion of last resort. but, as you may have gathered, it worked. My youngest daughter got, 'Born again,' a few months ago and like yourself she had found the bible impenetrable. Now however that she has received the Holy Spirit it is clear as day to her. Hint:- if you get bogged down in the Old Testament then jump to the New and ask the Lord to open your mind to his Word.
John
John Coupland Thanks John. As the wonderful CS Lewis says, ‘Man’s search for God is like the mouse’s search for the cat.’ He writes best on the unknowableness of God from a Christian perspective in my view. I’m happy with the not knowing to be honest.
Hi John,
I have a question that I would like to ask.
It is not my intention to start a debate or an argument with other CZcams viewers of your channel with regards to what I am about to ask.
What version of the Holy Bible do you like to use and what versions do you recommend.
I have a KJV and NRSV (with the Apocrypha) but have been reading websites and watching videos on CZcams about the Pros and Cons of the various versions.
Some of these websites and videos say the NRSV and other modern versions are closer and are faithful to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Greek manuscripts and say that the KJV has added verses and is harder to understand as there are words used that either have no meaning in today's English or whose meaning has changed over time and say that the original manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with each other.
I am not really comfortable with gender neutrality in the Holy Bible but some people say that the original manuscripts were gender neutral.
Also there are claims that the NRSV and other modern versions have had words, verses and sentences removed that can be found in the KJV and some people say that the original manuscripts did not have those words, verses and sentences.
Other websites and videos attack the NRSV and other modern versions by saying that the manuscripts used were corrupted (Codices Sinaiticus, Vaticanus and Alexandria) and are heretical along with attacking Nestle-Aland and Westcott and Hort, et al and say the KJV should be the only version a person should read.
Not only that but some say that the original manuscripts and the Dead Sea Scrolls agree with the Textus Receptus.
Some of the websites that I have read and videos seen were by KJV Onlyists like Dr Sam Gipp, Gail Ripplinger and Peter Ruckman whereas some were by people like Dr James White amongst others who defend the NRSV and other modern versions (most of these websites and videos are American).
This is what is making me (and possibly many other people) confused as to what version of the Holy Bible a person should read.
I just need someone who is a Scholar, Priest, Minister or in a Senior position in a church who can help me find a version of the Holy Bible and help me to find the truth in God's Holy Words and to try to get closer to God and to become a better person and to deepen my faith.
I am not a member of any Church yet as I don't know as to what denomination to choose.
I do consider myself a Christian as I do believe in God and in Jesus and do accept him as my Lord and Saviour.
I was baptised as a baby along with my twin sister who sadly died when we were still babies but due to my twin sister being seriously ill and not expected to live, on my Grandmother's advice, my Dad found a Minister or Priest (not Catholic also on my Grandmother's advice) who baptised us in the room where we were with our Mother in hospital but his denomination was not known so I have no idea as to what denomination I am (if any).
I know I am not a good person, I have done things I should never have done, said things I should never have said and thought things I should never have thought and still regret those actions, words and thoughts and tried asking God for his forgiveness which I know in my heart I do not deserve along with feeling that when I take my leave of this life and this world, God will be rightly justified in condemning me.
I feel that as I am now a carer to my aforementioned Grandmother as she has been through a lot these past few months having been in and out of hospital numerous times and coming through two major operations which she is very lucky to do so, that I am trying to make a start in my efforts to become a better person in every single way including spiritually.
You could say that I am a lost soul, because I am lost but I want to draw myself closer to God, to feel his love, his forgiveness and to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
I apologise to any other viewer of this video for speaking about my personal faith crisis and Holy Bible versions as I am speaking to John directly but publicly therefore I ask for no comments from any other viewers of this video except from John himself and ask for other viewers to respect my request.
Thank you for taking the time to read this message and God bless you, dear friend.
Kind Regards.
Emma Gordon
Hi Emma,
Although it was nearly 40 years ago that i bought my first bible, I still use that version as it is the one that is imprinted in my mind, the New English Bible (NEB). It suffers from thees and thous whenever God is addressed but apart from that it does the job. When writing a hymn I read the passage in the NEB, Good News, NIV and the KJV. That gives me a broad canvas on which to work. None of these versions is perfect because, like all bibles, past, present and future, men were involved in setting down God's Word and men are fallen creatures. My wife, Isobel, was advised to use the NRSV when she did her Theology degree as it was regarded by the evangelical college as the best so far.
Regarding the KJV it is well past its use by date, it is like asking a farmer to give up his tractor and use a donkey instead. Remember that Satan's game does not finish when you accept Christ. He has a plan B and that is to turn us into fanatics who focus on one small issue. It may be using or not using the gifts, the style of baptism or worship and of course the use of a bible which reads like Shakespeare's plays so apply yourself to seeking the Lord's voice in prayer otherwise you will end up like a man who owns a thousand guitars yet can't play a tune.
As for a sinful past, we all have one but in Jesus all our sins are forgiven, even those we are yet to commit! Although I have broken no Earthly law that could land me in jail, I have broken the Law of Moses so as to deserve the death penalty, yet I stand forgiven.
With denominations again there are no perfect ones and you may find that mundane matters such as geography may limit your choice. I live in a village where the choice is Roman Catholic or Church of Scotland so even though I am a Baptist I worship in the C of Sc. as that roots me in the community.
Keep seeking a closer walk with God and avoid those little exclusive churches who think that they are the only 20 people going to Heaven. Your spiritual home should be welcoming and nurture your growth as a Christian.