I can imagine the awkwardness. All they wanted was a simple yes or no to their question yet I’m over here being weird.

“You’re what?”

Let’s think about it for a second.

1. Paul never used “Christian” verbiage to describe God’s people.

We see the word “Christian” pop up in the New Testament twice. Here are those examples:

Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?”
–Acts 26:28

But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.
–1 Peter 4:16

Agrippa is using language the culture has used to categorize people who claim Jesus is Messiah and Peter is writing to people being persecuted/mocked for claiming Jesus as Messiah.

The in-house language used by the New Testament writers often looks much more like this:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus.
–Ephesians 1:1

Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me.
–Romans 16:7

This is a greeting and a salutation written to two different churches. Notice the language?

“In Christ”

This was the primary way the saints referred to other saints in the New Testament. It’s relational language. We’ve adopted the categorical language of “Christian” which has created all sorts of problems for us.

We view ourselves within a category–which means we’re going to focus on “doing things that put/keep us in that category.” Which is why we boil our following Jesus down to the basics: read the Bible, pray (say some things to God), go to church, and do church things. Those work for someone trying to be in the category of Christianity, but it’s not quite what the New Testament writers had in mind when they were thinking of life with God.

Look at Paul’s statement here:

So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
–Romans 6:11

The identity marker was simple: Are you dead to sin and alive to God in Christ?

2. Jesus didn’t invite us to fit into the category of Christian

Jesus is washing feet in John 13 when he gets to Peter. Peter is rebuking and refusing Jesus but Jesus breaks him with one statement:

“If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
–John 13:8b

That word “have” is the Greek word ἔχεις (root- ἔχω). It means to have, to hold, or to be joined together.

Jesus is inviting Peter to join to Him, not perform some list of actions for him that make him look a certain way to the people around him. In fact, Peter tries that and Jesus rebukes him.

Peter doesn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, but when Peter learns that Jesus washing his feet is the only thing that will allow for Peter to be with Jesus Peter goes the complete opposite way.

“Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
–John 13:9

Jesus is inviting Peter to receive His grace, Peter is trying to set the conditions in which he receives that grace. Peter is trying to be “a categorical Christian.” He’s trying to do something more than Jesus has told Him to do in order to show that he really loves Jesus. Peter is refusing the opportunity to join with Christ again by setting his own conditions.

Jesus rebukes and says, “One who has bathed doesn’t need to wash anything except his feet, but he is completely clean.”
–John 13:10a

This is the way God set it up to be…

Come to Christ. Live. By faith, be united to Him. Share in Him. Abide in Him. Be washed one time by the blood of Christ, bring your filth to Him daily in confession and repentance.

When we read the Bible we’re reading to meditate on the One who we’re united to–not just so we can learn some things.

When we pray we’re praying to commune with the one we’re in union with–not just so we can feel better about the hard parts of our life.

Jesus has invited us to be alive in Him, not perform for Him some list of things we think will prove our love for Him. The New Testament writers knew this–the culture didn’t understand it. We can call ourselves Christians, sure. But we must adopt the mindset of the New Testament writers–we are alive to God in Christ Jesus–that’s the lifeline of what it means to be a Christian.

— Brandon

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I’ve seen the pattern unfold dozens of times.

A student falls in love with Jesus in college. They work hard to live obediently in every area of life. Enters adulthood zealous to keep the faith. They see a certain apathy all around them—even from other Christians. Then, in short order, they too develop an apathy for the things of God. It’s only once they start having kids that they re-engage with the faith, but their re-engagement looks different. It’s a more controlled re-engagement. It’s a faith that isn’t zealous, but expected. It’s a faith that isn’t on fire; it’s lukewarm. It’s something that “they’re just supposed to do” because they have kids now.

Their kids will grow up apathetic as well, until college, where they catch fire and repeat the same cycle.

Why is this?

I think it’s because most of us have given up by the time we settle into adulthood.

We’ve given up because we realize that most of the Christians around us want nothing to do with living biblically in the nuances of life.

See, there are two major categories we can think about when it comes to obedience.

First, we have the big areas of life. Second, we have the nuanced areas of life.

The big areas? That’s going to church, giving, reading your bible, knowing things about God, understanding that Jesus died on the cross.

The nuanced areas? That’s using your spiritual gifts, not gossiping or slandering, that’s serving behind the scenes, that’s discipling a younger Christian.

Many students leave college with a faith that is faithful in the nuanced areas—only to see a faith that’s limited to the big areas in adulthood.

They walk into Young Adulthood where there’s gossip, comparison, a chase for mammon, and a general lack of interest in discipleship, with an increased desire for self-gratifying experiences (made possible for real paychecks for the first time), and they see this among their Christian friends.

It may sit uneasily with them for a while, but eventually they succumb.

Eventually, they give up.

They give up because no matter how hard they try, they know the cultural climate around them is not set up for us to live faithfully in the nuanced areas of life. We’ve all experienced this.

At some point or another, we’ve all succumbed to the thought that we should give up taking the Bible seriously and we should start trying to fit into the Christian culture around us. But this, of course, is a mistake.

When the Bible tells us we’ll be blessed for our obedience, it’s always referring to both the big areas and the nuanced areas. It’s faithfulness in both areas that will allow us to see rewards in heaven. It’s faithlessness in the nuanced areas that will force us to see our lives being burned up on the day of judgment.

¹²If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work that he has built survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned up, he will experience loss, but he himself will be saved—but only as through fire.
—1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (CSB)

Let’s take heart, have some courage, and take God seriously this week no matter what the people around us are doing.

Have a great week,

Brandon

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Jesus was the only person ever to have His identity 100% nailed down.

He knew who He was. He embodied it entirely.

In Chapter 13 of the Gospel of John, we get a glimpse into who Jesus knew He was. It says this:

Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, that he had come from God, and that he was going back to God.
—John 13:3 (CSB)

There are three things here.

1. He knew He had all authority

2. He knew He was God’s Son

3. He knew He was about to be crowned with glory

Those foundational beliefs allowed Jesus to freely serve His disciples by washing their feet (the rest of John 13). Those three identity markers allowed Jesus to suffer a gruesome suffering for the joy set before Him. Those three truths allowed Jesus to love His disciples to the end (John 13:1).

It’s true that our identity, or perceived identity, drives our behavior.

Do you know who you are?

Here’s the beautiful thing about life with God. If you have trusted Jesus to cleanse you of your sin and you’ve received His righteousness by faith, then you are joined to Jesus. You are connected at the hip with Him. His blood covers you, and you are privy to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places because of His blood. You’ve been adopted as a son, and you’re now a co-heir to the Kingdom. All that Christ gets, you get too.

As I was reading the first sentence of verse 3 slowly tonight, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit.

“Jesus knew He had all authority. But did you know I’ve given you authority over some things as well?”

The Holy Spirit never asks a question He doesn’t know the answer to, you know. And, no, I did not know that I had been given authority over some things. I mean, I know, in theory, that I’ve been given some authority by the Spirit of God that lives in me. But do I exercise that authority?

Probably not.

Which means I don’t believe it’s fully true and that identity marker has not taken root in my heart and mind.

This article will help you if all of that sounds like crazy talk.

The truth is, if you’ve been redeemed by the blood of Christ, then you too have those three identity markers.

1. You’ve been given authority over some things.

2. You’ve been born again of God.

3. You’ll be in God’s presence one day, crowned with His glory.

But do we believe it? And do we live it?

Have a great week,

Brandon

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This Psalm has changed me for the better over the last 6 months. This is the first of three episodes on Psalm 62.

Click here to purchase the same CSB Bible I’m using.

Three Mile An Hour God - Kosuke Koyama

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I had lunch with a guy the other day who I would consider a really good friend and someone I can count on. I’ve known him for several years, and he’s always been a man of faith and faithfulness, and eager to walk alongside other men as they try to do the same.

Throughout the conversation, I told him about the difficulty of the past year for my wife and me, but at the end, he said something that forced me to reflect.

He said, “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t know about it. I will be praying for you. I hope you had some people praying alongside you.”

When I told him I had a couple folks that I reached out to, he said: “Don’t forget about me!”

How can I forget about this dude? He’s rock solid and a man of consistent encouragement to me. Clearly, I forgot that he would be someone who could walk alongside me in a time of great need. Why did I forget about him?

As I reflected in the moment, I told him this: “Honestly, I think I was just in survival mode. I woke up every day trying to survive. I barely saw past what was right in front of me.”

What I want to tell you today is that you don’t have to suffer the way that I suffered. You don’t have to kick it into survival mode when life gets hard. Survival mode causes you to forget about God’s goodness. Survival mode causes you to forget about the community God has given you. Survival mode puts you on life support.

The problem is Jesus did not come to give us life on life support. He came to give us abundant life. This abundant life is a life that he experienced even though he suffered greatly—all the way to the Cross.

So here are three things you can do to help yourself have abundant life in the midst of suffering next time you may experience it.

1. Make a list of God’s promises in your phone and start memorizing them. Having God’s promises deep in your heart and mind will give you perspective when suffering hits.

2. Make a list of God’s people who you are confident will pray for you when life gets hard. Text those people every month and let them know how thankful you are for them. Pray for them often.

3. Keep in love with Jesus. We cannot draw near to Jesus without realizing He was a man of significant suffering. Yet He was also loved fully by the Father. We share with Him when we experience our own suffering.

You were made for more than life on life-support. The thing we can learn about Jesus and suffering is that flourishing and suffering can hold hands and work together. We often miss that because we take our eyes off the Lord, turn them onto ourselves, and put our hope in things simply getting better for us.

Jesus turned his eyes to heaven and finished his race. We’re instructed to do the same. And it’s in our looking to our future glory that we find our current joy and flourishing.

Have a great week,

Brandon Moore

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Click here to purchase the same CSB Bible I’m using.

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If you enjoyed it, you may also enjoy my written content at morethanwordsco.substack.com. To support the ministry, you can become a paid subscriber on Substack, or you can make a tax-deductible donation to More Than Words Ministries.

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Did you know it’s not historically common for people to read silently?

I heard recently that Augustine was shocked when he saw Ambrose reading silently (in the 4th century). It wasn’t until books were widely available for private use (after the printing press) that private, silent reading became the norm.

This means that everyone in the Bible was in the practice of reading God’s Word out loud. When the Bible says “meditate,” the assumption is that it would mean God’s Word being read out loud.

Psalm 1 says this:

How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.
—Psalm 1:1-2 (CSB)

The word for “meditates” doesn’t imply silent reflection at all. It’s actually talking about speaking, murmuring, or making the sound of a low growl. Here’s how one dictionary describes that word:

To ponder, give serious thought and consideration to selected information, with a possible implication of speaking in low tones, reviewing the material.1

There are several benefits to reading out loud, and one that hits at the heart of Psalm 1 is that we are better able to memorize and recall content we’ve read out loud.

God is a God who speaks. He spoke everything into existence.

He created us in His image to speak. Adam named the animals by speaking.

He speaks to us. We speak back to Him.

He gave us His Word and wants it to soak into us so deeply that it becomes what we speak. (Ephesians 5:19)

In my experience, when I’ve spoken God’s Word out loud in a meditative voice, I am more easily able to realize God’s voice, where I’m not living in accordance with the Word, and I’m quicker to pray God’s Word.

I encourage you to find a Psalm (maybe even Psalm 1) and begin reading it out loud this week. Bonus points if you say it out loud while you’re on a walk.

Have a great week,

Brandon

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Have you ever wondered why you’re struggling to grow spiritually? You try Jesus, and nothing happens?

The problem isn’t God; the problem is we need more time. God isn’t in quick fixes; God is interested in us spending more and more time in His presence. It’s only then that we can experience all that God wants for us.

—

Thanks for listening to the podcast today!

Click here to purchase the same Bible I’m using.

If you enjoyed it, you may also enjoy my written content at morethanwordsco.substack.com. To support the ministry, you can become a paid subscriber on Substack, or you can make a tax-deductible donation to More Than Words Ministries.

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This infatuation with his appearance before others led to him losing the Kingdom and ultimately losing his life.

Let me explain.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the book of 1 Samuel.

I love it because it’s packed with relatable scenarios and intense scenes.
I hate it because I’ve always found I relate most to King Saul.

I don’t love that about myself, of course. About a month ago, I was finishing Jeremiah, and I sensed the Holy Spirit was leading me to read 1 Samuel again. I knew the objective would be to work through more of my stuff as it pertains to King Saul and how closely I relate to him.

This time I kept asking the Holy Spirit…

Why is he such a bad king? I know he is, but why is he?

This is a question I had been reflecting on since reading A Tale of Three Kings, but I wanted to really hone in this time.

In short, here’s King Saul’s list of “accomplishments”:

1. On the day King Saul was anointed King, he hid out behind the luggage to try and not be found

2. King Saul was jealous of David

3. King Saul was angry toward people close to him and threatened to kill his son

4. King Saul was impulsive and made a foolish vow that almost resulted in his son dying

5. King Saul was almost always halfway obedient to God’s command.

6. King Saul lied when he was caught not fully obeying God

7. King Saul conjured up Samuel’s spirit through a medium — a practice strictly forbidden in the Law and a practice King Saul himself outlawed

8. King Saul left his post and took his army with him to go find David. While this was happening, the Philistines came and raided the land. He was more concerned with personal vendettas than leading and protecting the Kingdom.

I could probably go on and on.

But as I finished up the book today, the Spirit gave me the answer to my question.

Why was King Saul such a bad King?

Because his primary concern was maintaining his outward appearance before other people. His personal brand.

He wanted people to view him a certain way.

Three moments confirm this idea in 1 Samuel.

First, Saul’s pushback to Samuel in their first meeting.

Saul comes to find Samuel the “seer” and hopes Samuel can tell him where his family’s lost donkeys have gone.

Samuel basically says, “Don’t worry about them. They’re fine. But you’re a really important person in all of Israel, and I have some information to give you [from the Lord] tomorrow morning.” (1 Samuel 9:18-20)

Saul’s response is telling. Check it out. Saul says,

“Am I not a Benjaminite from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe? So why have you said something like this to me?
—1 Samuel 9:21 (CSB)

It’s a response out of insecurity. He believed God couldn’t use him because his family is unimportant.

What is this? It’s insecurity about appearance.

Second, Saul’s death.

When Saul has the medium at En-Dor conjure up Samuel’s spirit in Chapter 28, Samuel makes it clear: God has left you; you’re going to die tomorrow in battle.

And that is exactly what happens.

The Philistines attack. Saul and his sons are overwhelmed. Saul dies. But he doesn’t die how you might think…

This is what happens:

Saul tries to convince his armor-bearer to kill him, but when his armor-bearer won’t do it, Saul falls on the sword and attempts to end his life to avoid being killed by the Philistines. Eventually, an Amalekite refugee finishes the job.

What is this? I can’t help but think there’s a little insecurity there about his appearance. After all, it was David of whom they sang, “Saul has killed thousands, but David tens of thousands!” and this was after David killed the giant Philistine, Goliath. David slays the giant; Saul gets slain by the…archers? That wouldn’t look good.

Third, God’s command to Samuel for the next King.

When Saul failed, and Samuel was commanded to anoint a new King, God had very specific commands.

After Samuel saw David’s brothers (who looked the part) and God said, “No” Samuel was confused. Here’s what God said:

“Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”
—1 Samuel 16:7

The issue with the Israelites all along was that they cared too much about their appearance before other nations and not enough about their heart posture before God.

They wanted a King! Why? To keep up with the other nations.
They wanted Saul! Why? Because he was handsome, tall, and looked like a king.

Now Samuel is looking at David’s brothers and thinking, “These guys obviously have the appearance of a king; this must be God’s anointed!”

But God says no because his anointing has nothing to do with appearance and everything to do with heart posture toward Him. David had the heart God was looking for, and David received the anointing.

Ultimately, it was his desperation for a good public appearance that destroyed Saul.

A good public appearance isn’t a bad thing, but when it overrides a desire to have a pure and humble heart posture toward God, it’s a terrible thing.

Saul forsook the anointing of God for people’s approval.

Are we doing the same thing?

We are in a brand-driven culture. Who are you if you don’t have a brand? What type of church are you if you’re not a brand? We’re obsessed with mission statements, vision, and how we appear to people.

Are we not running the risk of being just like King Saul?

Lecrae said it this way: “If you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die from their rejection.”

I’ll add to it and say it this way: If we live for people’s acceptance, we’ll die from God’s rejection. This is what happened to Saul. We’re at risk when we’re hyper-focused on how we appear to people rather than giving ourselves over to God in the fullest way.

Now, we must ask the question…

Could our
obsession
with developing
a personal brand
ruin our lives?

Yes, it certainly could. Because the moment we declare, “This is who I am! I want to be known this way.” We are planting our flags on the very thing that will guide our life and every decision. We are vowing to either ignore, hide, or do away with everything about us that doesn’t fit our personal brand. We are committing to becoming two different people—there’s the real us and the curated us.

Do you know what we call curated things that fit our desired perception of reality? Idols. Do you know what we call it when we do away with everything that doesn’t fit into our desired end goal? Striving and seeking.

If we spend our days striving and seeking after a curated and idealized reality (an idol) for life, then, yes, of course it will ruin us.

Instead, Christ doesn’t call us to a personal brand. He calls us to Himself.

Instead of being obsessed with developing a personal brand that will control our appearance before others, we must learn to bring ourselves to Christ and focus on developing a humble heart before God to allow His presence to rule our lives and determine how we appear before others.

Have a great week,

Brandon Moore

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We see Nicodemus in John 3 in an intellectual pursuit of understanding Jesus.

We see the Samaritan Woman in John 4 in a desperate pursuit of God.

Take some time to look at these texts and let the Father draw near to you.

Thanks for listening to the podcast today!

If you enjoyed it, you may also enjoy my written content at morethanwordsco.substack.com. This podcast is presented by More Than Words Ministries. To support the ministry, you can make a tax-deductible donation to More Than Words Ministries.

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This is one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read.

Seriously. There are fascinating details about what life was like in the Greco-Roman city on every single page.

You’d expect a book like this to be highly academic and, in some ways, it is. However, there’s a very pastoral spirit in this book. The structure of each chapter contributes to that, but more on that later.

This is truly incredible work by Jason Borges. His writing style transports the reader to the middle of these Greco-Roman cities we see in the Bible. It’s as if you are on a personal tour with him. If you’re like me, and you’ve never had the opportunity to visit one of these cities on a trip, you need to buy this book. It will cause your Bible reading to be enlightened, and it will strengthen your understanding of what it means to follow Jesus in the midst of a difficult culture.

The title of the book helps us understand Borges’ motivation.

“Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City: The Civic and Architectural Contexts of Early Christianity”

That’s a big title and, if you’re not too much into history, you might think it’s going to be a boring read. Your assumptions could not be more inaccurate.

Dr. Borges regularly leads study tours and conducts research in the Mediterranean world and has spent the majority of his adult life frequenting Greco-Roman cities to understand their infrastructure and cultural significance.

He structures each chapter very simply. He looks at three things:

1. The form and function of a particular civic structure

2. A specific example of one of those structures (the thing you’d see if you were on an in-person tour)

3. How early Christianity functioned in light of that specific civic structure

He looks at 7 different structures before concluding the book with how the rise of Christianity changed the cities entirely. Here are those 7 different structures:

1. The Agora (Ancient Town Square)

2. The Temple

3. The Baths

4. The Prisons

5. The Theater

6. The Library

7. The Necropolis (Ancient Cemetery)

If you’re familiar with your New Testament, you’re probably thinking of different passages that relate to each one of those city structures.

And that is precisely why I believe you should purchase this book.

Imagine if you went on a tour of Corinth and your tour guide was incredible. He gave you the function of every civic structure you walked past, slowed down to answer your questions about specific use-cases, and gave you all the details on how the early church had to navigate it—even providing specific examples.

If you could remember it all, you would come back home with extraordinary context behind 1 and 2 Corinthians.

That’s exactly what you’re getting with this book. Extraordinary context behind the New Testament in roughly 200 pages. Right there in the palm of your hand.

Baker Academic hit a home run with this book, and Dr. Jason Borges is an incredible writer. I’m very grateful for this work that I’ll be utilizing for a long time.

Buy The Book

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You’re watching over your sheep—the same way you have been for 40 years. It’s the same task day in, and day out.

You’ve circled Midian a million times with those sheep.

You’ve crept up next to Horeb too many times to count.

You don’t know Horeb is the Mountain of God (Exodus 3:1) yet because nothing significant has happened there for you.

Yet as you watch over the sheep your eyes are set on the horizon. You’re watching, you’re active, you’re focused.

You see a fire.

You meet God.

You learn His name.

You’re called and commissioned.

You’re frightened, but you know the I Am.

Now imagine you’re Moses with a phone in your hand.

You’ve had the shepherding gig for 40 years and not much has changed. The task is almost on autopilot by now. So why not just scroll through Facebook for a bit? Why not catch up on the latest Ancient Near East News?

You’re not focused. You’re not watching. You’re not active.

And you don’t see a fire burning in the distance.

You miss God.

This is the hypothetical scenario my brain goes to when I’m considering my own phone usage.

How often am I missing God?

How often am I trading transcendence with the Holy One for transcendence with an algorithm?

How often does the casual check of the notifications, that leads to a 5 minute time warp scroll session, mean that I miss out on a Holy moment with God?

I don’t know.

And I don’t want to over obsess about the possibility and take this thought process to an extreme view—that anytime I blink I’ll miss God.

However, I do want you to consider something as it relates.

Are you allowing for empty space in your day?

Empty space is the time that nothing is happening. It’s slow. It’s quiet. It’s blank.

Our world is fast and loud and our schedules are full.

The empty space is anti-this world and pro-God’s world.

It could be in the car—turn the music or podcast off.

It could be on a walk—silence the cell phone.

It could be at lunch—grab a sandwich and sit outside. Take a real break.

No matter how it happens, we need an empty space. A space in which God can speak. He can be the loudest. We can move at His pace. He sets the tone, standard, and agenda.

Moses allowed for it and it changed the entire course of His life. Perhaps God may have something for you that you’re not expecting.

Thanks for reading.

—Brandon

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I want to encourage you to read Psalm 23, meditate on it, and ask God to help you see how He has drawn near to you in your fear, pain, and needs.

Click here to purchase the same CSB Reference Bible I’m using.

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To support the ministry, you can make a tax-deductible donation to More Than Words Ministries.

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As part of that transition, I reached out to B&H and asked if I could review this specific Bible. I’ll be honest, I’ve always thought that there wasn’t another Bible publisher that could match Crossway’s work on the Premium ESV translations.

From the moment I pulled this Bible out of the packaging, I knew I was wrong.

Purchase The Bible

The marbled burgundy calfskin leather is near perfect.

The leather is soft, but not fragile. The burgundy is a deep red and textured. The pages appear to have a rose gold type of edging to them, and I may be a Bible nerd here, I guess, but I’ve caught myself just looking at this thing and carrying it around with me.

It’s absolutely gorgeous down to the smallest details.

It’s durable.

As I mentioned in the previous point, this Bible isn’t fragile. I’m convinced it will last a long time, and I plan for it to be the Bible I preach from throughout the foreseeable future.

You may not be a preacher, but if you want a Bible that will last a lifetime. This is a quality pick. This is the type of Bible you can read through, mark up, write notes (because it’s wide-margin), and pass down to your kids one day.

Readability is wonderful, and the references are robust.

Because it’s wide-margin, there’s white space on the page. The text is structured verse-by-verse, which, for me, will be helpful in preaching. I’ve never owned a verse-by-verse Bible, so it’s been something I’ve had to adjust to, but so far I love it. I’ve particularly loved reading Deuteronomy in this Bible.

Not only that, the font is easy to read as well.

The references fit nicely into the second column on each page, and there’s quite a stack of references on each page.

The references add much to my daily Bible reading. I don’t want to pull out my phone to see references on another app. Having these at the bottom of each page has been very helpful and, if you’re new to the Bible, I would highly recommend a Bible like this. My Bible knowledge and familiarity skyrocketed when I started tracking references every time I saw one. This is a perfect Bible for the person new to the Bible.

The three ribbons are so fun.

One of my daughters said, “These ribbons are so cool. When I grow up, I want a Bible with blue ribbons, pink ribbons, gold ribbons, silver ribbons, and black ribbons.” So, let’s make it happen B&H!

In all seriousness, it’s very cool to have three ribbons. It looks good, for one. But secondly, it makes keeping a reading plan a little easier.

Right now I’m reading 1 Samuel but I also want to read a Psalm a day and I want to read in the Gospels. I can keep a bookmark in all three places without a problem.

It has a large concordance

There are 75 pages worth of concordance in the back of the Bible. The CSB team seems to have gone to great lengths to give the reader everything they need to sit with this Bible open for long periods of time without needing to go to the internet to “look something up real quick.” Everything you need is right here in the Bible.

This Bible is a steal at it’s price.

At the time of writing, this Bible is priced at $79 on Amazon. That’s insane. At some point the price will go back up but even at $170, you’re getting a Bible that will last you a lifetime. It will be easy to read, it’s gorgeous, you’re daughters will love the ribbons, and most of all, you’ll be able to dive deep into the text and let scripture interpret scripture.

I highly, highly, recommend this Bible.

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Thanks for reading,

Brandon Moore

I’ve read the ESV for almost the entirety of my Christian life. I’ve memorized passages in that translation, preached from that translation, and spent almost all my devotional time in that translation. You could say my heart's spiritual language is in the English Standard Version.

So why switch?

I’m switching because I realized I—and many others—probably can’t understand it.

I was in front of 600 kids when I was reading a Psalm—giving a call to worship—and I found myself wanting to switch the language to make it make a little more sense to them. The ESV has some beautiful, poetic language, but that language often misses the generation of people growing up with a lack of reading skills.

I found myself having to explain why the sentence was worded a certain way before being able to explain the passage itself.

I heard a theologian say it this way: “The ESV is perfect for people who know the Bible.” And I would agree with this 100%—which is why I loved it for so long. The more I understood the Bible, the more I loved the ESV.

But can I tell you something? My heart is set on discipleship.

My heart is set on reaching the lost and helping a nearly illiterate generation get familiar with God’s Word and hear His voice. That’s why I’m switching to the CSB.

When I read the CSB, I’m consistently refreshed by the simplicity of language. And I find myself understanding the BIble far more than I did while reading the ESV. They’ve been faithful to the original text, yet they’ve made it readable for the average person. Again, I’ve heard it said this way: The Bible was not confusing to the original hearers. The Bible was not written to people with degrees. It was written to normal people who would have spoken the language of the street.

The CSB has done a great job of making the language of the Bible accessible to the common man and woman.

I’m going to be honest: I’m all in on the CSB.

A few weeks ago, I emailed B&H Publishing to share my translation switch with them, and I asked for the opportunity to review one of their Holman Handcrafted Collection Bibles.

A full review of this Bible will go live on Saturday. It’s the CSB Verse-by-Verse Reference Bible, Holman Handcrafted Collection (Marbled Burgundy Premium Calfskin)

At the time of writing, it’s 53% off on Amazon, which is wild. This Bible is far more impressive than I imagined it would be, and I had high expectations before receiving it! Be sure you’re subscribed to get my full review on Saturday.

The best Bible translation is the one you read and understand.

For me, that’s the CSB. This summer, I’ve been reading the Bible out loud to my daughters, and I’ve noticed the language of the CSB is how I normally speak. I’m not using words outside of my normal vocabulary or putting together complex sentence structures as I read. The CSB is actually translated with the common man and woman in mind. I would encourage you to check it out. They have loads of great Bibles, and the one I mentioned above would be a great Christmas present or birthday gift.

Here’s the thing: the next generation is hungry for God and His Word. They want to know God speaks their language. The CSB does a fantastic job of proving that God really does speak the language of the common man. They hit the mark with their “Optimal Equivalence”1 strategy.

Jesus left us with marching orders…

¹⁸ Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:18-20 (CSB)

If we are going to be people who teach others to “observe” everything God has commanded us, then we’re going to need a translation of the Bible that makes sense.

The CSB delivers.

Thanks for reading.

—Brandon

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1

The CSB was created using optimal equivalence, a translation philosophy that pursues both linguistic precision to the original languages and readability in contemporary English. We believe that you don’t have to choose between faithfulness to the original text and clarity. The CSB text has been proven to optimize both, making it ideal for preaching and study, and for sharing with others. (From their website)

We realize just how much God loves us when we finally submit to God’s purposes in our suffering. Why? Because we often realize how sinful we are, and only when we realize how sinful we are can we realize how much God loves us.

Passages referenced: Genesis 1-3; 1 Peter 4:1-2; 1 Peter 1; Matthew 26:36-46; Hebrews 12:4

Click here to purchase the same CSB Reference Bible I’m using.

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Intro & Outro: Arrival by Riyhsal Free Download / Stream

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

How do I know I’ve changed?

They look different now.

In high school and college, I’d walk into a room with a cute outfit on and avoid their gaze because I didn’t like how they looked some times. The gender didn’t matter, the size, the color, the age - there wasn’t really a common denominator from an appearance perspective. It was the way they looked.

The quick glance like they weren’t suppose to look. The unashamed long stare. The look of desire. The look of disgust. The look of disapproval. The look, on occasion, of approval. The look, on the rarest occasions, of kindness.

As much as it caused chaos inside, the way they looked also brought a faux peace of knowledge and self-definition. Though sometimes I didn’t want to see it, they way they looked affirmed how I viewed myself. And like all humans, I needed to know how to view myself. There was no way to figure it out on my own, as much as I tried. In a strange way, I needed the way they looked.

I would catch myself, after a hard few days, being extra intentional about my appearance and then allow myself to notice the way they looked a little more closely. Even though I didn’t like the way they looked, I needed to know they looked. “Am I still me? Do they still look the same? Yes, ok good. well at least I can be confident in how they look.”

Then one day, they began to look different. The gender didn’t matter, the size, the color, the age - there wasn’t really a common denominator from an appearance perspective. It was the way they looked.

The quick glance to see if they could look followed by the realization there wasn’t much to look at. The type of long stares that now led me to think I had dropped food on my shirt. The look of disinterest. The look, on occasion, of approval. The look, on rarest occasions, of kindness.

And I didn’t know what to do. Because I still needed to know who I was. But, I didn’t know how to process the new information I was getting. I knew the day would come where things would change, but I wasn’t expecting it to come so soon. It shed a humbling bright light on how much I needed the way they looked.

And they look different now.

Without fully realizing it, I shifted my confidence away from my appearance to how I parented. To how my marriage was. To how I spoke. To how much of a positive impact I could have. This filled the void for awhile. I just changed the timing and manner of how I noticed the way they looked. But, it was still the way they looked.

Then one day, I went to the store. And my daughter had worn a princess dress. And no one had noticed. And she was really really sad because no one had looked and noticed her. And I was heartbroken at how much it had impacted her little heart and mind - the way they looked.

This led me to hear the Holy Spirit whisper, “She’s not the only one that cares about the way they look.” And I realized how sad God the Father must be when I anchor my sense of self on the way they look rather than the way I look.

Because when I look to them, I won’t find any ground sturdy enough for my anchor. But when I look to the Father for my sense of self, real peace follows. True confidence is birthed. Full joy and contentment is waiting for me. The way I look to the Father, to see how He looks at me, provides a sense of security I can’t fully comprehend.

I don’t have to look away from His gaze, because His gaze isn’t quick or long. It’s set. My heavenly Father’s eyes are always looking at me with perfect love. So why would I care about the way they look, when I can be confident in how He looks.

Today, as I walked into a restaurant. I caught myself feeling curious to see how they looked. But as I opened the door, I thought, “Wait, no. I don’t need to know how they look. Because it doesn’t change or define anything about me.” And I fixed my gaze ahead.

How else do I know I’ve changed?

I look different now.

I often find myself repeating words Nick has said from the pulpit in my counsel, writing, and preaching. It would be an understatement to say that Nick, under his own leadership of the Holy Spirit, is a significant reason why I’m doing the ministry God has called me to today. Several years ago, I approached him about this sense I had that I was called to ministry, and he responded with a simple, “Well, duh. We all know that.” I’ll forever be grateful for his unwavering confidence in God’s call on my life.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Floyd released his first book, When You Don’t Know What To Do: Why Desperation For God Matters More Than Clarity

We all find ourselves in situations that are confusing. We’re in desperate need for answers, direction, clarity, and stability. Nick does a fantastic job of redirecting our minds about those situations. Yes, answers, direction, clarity, and stability are good—but most of all we need God. We need more of God than we do clarity. Desperation for clarity often leads to dark places, while desperation for God always brings us into deeper peace and trusting of God. In fact, in our attempts to reach for clarity, we can often reach toward ungodly things/actions. I think this idea is best presented in Chapter 4, in his chapter on King Saul.

“Desperation drove Saul to do some godly things and some ungodly things. The king began in the right direction. He called upon the Lord. He tried to hear from God through the prophets. When God did not speak immediately, he took the ungodly route, abandoned ship, and turned to evil.

Every one of us has a choice to make in the middle of our desperation. Will we push through and wait for God? Or will we let our desperation drive us to wicked decisions? Will we trust the Lord with the details, or will we let the dominoes of our lives fall out of control, causing us to be more off track than we could have ever imagined?”
—Dr. Nick Floyd, When You Don’t Know What To Do, Chapter 4

Nick combines his personal experience with biblical exposition to help us all see that God can change our lives in these seasons of desperation—if we let Him.

Here’s a list of the chapter titles. I share these because if you find yourself in any of these situations, I would encourage you to purchase the book and let God minister to you.

1. When I Need the Presence of God

2. When I Face Uncertainty

3. When Trouble Hits My Family

4. When I Get Off Track

5. When God Seems Silent

6. When I Need Healing

7. When I Get Betrayed

8. When I Feel Exhausted

9. When I’m in the Middle of My Sin

10. When I’m Asking God to Save

Have a great Saturday!

Brandon Moore

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