LIFE FROM THE LIVING WORD:
A Guide to Help Understand the Bible
By Stuart Creed with illustrations by
Michael Hobbs
Living Word Literature. 322 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 1 913 741 143
I have known Stuart for almost 30 years. He is a faithful and effective Bible teacher with a deep concern to extend the principles he has learned, and which have shaped his ministry, to those who have had little or no Biblical training, particularly in Africa.
The ‘Living Word’ ministry which he founded in Uganda has reached hundreds of students and young professionals in equipping them to understand and rightly handle God’s word – a ministry which continues to spread ever more widely.
Now the essence of that training has been captured in this fine introduction to the principles of understanding and interpreting the Bible, all with a view to enabling clear, persuasive and applied preaching and teaching.
Under the three main divisions of Observe, Understand and Apply, we are conducted through the process of opening up a Biblical text, in order to discern its meaning, significance and implications for life. The material is written at an accessible level without being simplistic; not just presenting principles, but liberally illustrating them with many Biblical examples, supported by very helpful graphics. There are also exercises for further personal study and application following each of the main teaching ingredients.
Important sections include how to develop observational skills to see what the text is really saying, analysis of its structure and dealing with the text in its contexts – the immediate, the book and the whole Bible.
Moving from the original readers to us today, we are clearly shown that Christ is the centre of all the Scriptures and that the Bible’s promises, patterns and major themes all find their focus and fulfilment in the Lord Jesus. Not only is it strong in positive instruction, it also contains pertinent warnings about common pitfalls and dangers to avoid.
This is a vibrant study-course manual, a handbook to get the aspiring new Bible handler moving in the right direction, with practical hints and helps all along the way. But I doubt that there is any experienced Bible student or teacher who would not be enlightened and challenged by its contents and who would not be refreshed and encouraged by its insights, vitality and enthusiasm. Moreover, for every pastor seeking to develop young preachers, this will be a hugely valuable aid.
