The Greatest Words Ever Spoken by Steven Scott

           

             I could have ended this blog already by saying 'the title says it all'. But, for the sake of all who are reading and for the book review program bloggers at http://www.bloggingforbooks.org from the Crown Publishing Group, by whom I received this book for free, I continue. Businessman, Leader and Author Steven K. Scott has done the body of Christ, believers in Jesus a tremendous service by writing this book. It's a great resource and I will proceed to tell you why I believe that way.
             Imagine you could hear from the greatest teacher who ever lived. Suppose you were able to record his words for generations to come. How valuable would that information be to you and to others? Wouldn't you want to share it? What would happen if you could have it arranged topically? Then, whenever you had a question about a topic, you could just go right to it and find all that the teacher said about it. That is what Steven Scott has done with "The Greatest Words Ever Spoken". And it is a storehouse of wisdom for anyone who reads it/
             The book focuses on the words spoken by the greatest teacher who ever lived, namely Jesus and puts those words topically into one concise volume. There are over 200 topics and the words found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all included. Sometimes passages do repeat from topic to topic, as more than one category often fits an individual verse, but that is to assure that you don't miss any important subject. The author does give some introductions for each major section of topics, but it really is simply a compilation of the words of Jesus, more than the author's own  words.
              I would give the book a five out of five star rating, and everyone who saw me reading it and  picked it up to browse had the same reaction "wow, this is incredible". However, when you do purchase the book, you might want to get the hardbound edition, because mine got mangled fairly quickly, since the paperback edition is rather flimsy. I also would advise you to read it topically and not cover to cover. This  will give you the most benefit out of it and I believe will make you say at many points along the way, 'these are the greatest words ever spoken.'

The New Spirit Filled Life Study Bible

       
             While God's word is unchanged throughout centuries of Christianity, the translations of it abound and choosing one that is right for you can become a challenge. Yet, even after that hurdle is conquered there can be other obstacles to face, like understanding what is meant by what is written, even if you choose a translation that best helps you to comprehend the text. And with those facts in mind, my review today centers on the "New Spirit filled Life Bible" found in the New International Version (NIV), recently released by Thomas Nelson Publishers with the editing assistance of Jack Hayford.
             For those of you already familiar with this thorough work, the majority of the contents have remained the same. For those of you who have not seen or used an edition of it before, there is a wealth of wisdom to be found inside. The notes are compiled by a variety of church leaders from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Among the contributors are the editor, Jack Hayford, Pastors like Lloyd Ogilive, and Bible school founders like Freda Lindsey and dozens of others Christian teachers. Some teachers contribute to small articles found within the pages under the overarching banner of "Kingdom Dynamics", with topics like The Blood of the Covenant and Traits of Spiritual Leadership. While other writers add the introductions to each book of the Bible and the notes on each chapter and verse.
             The one thing that makes this Bible stand apart from several other study Bibles is that most of the contributors to the notes are from Charismatic and Pentecostal backgrounds. So, if you are from a cessationist background, you're not going to like this Bible, However, these from these particular backgrounds may enjoy it quite well. Either way, anyone can learn a lot from it's pages. I particularly like the "word wealth' sections spread randomly over key words throughout the scriptures, with their Hebrew and Greek meanings expounded upon.
             In addition to the thousands of notes on the majority of the Bible verses, you can easily spend days running all of the center column references to other verses. And another great feature is the "Truth in Action" teachings at the end of the individual books of the Bible. This ties together the major highlights of the book and gives a better understanding of not only what was said, but how to apply it to your life.
             I received this Bible for free through the book review program for bloggers, available at http://booklookbloggers.com and I was not required to write a positive review. While you won't agree with or maybe even like everyone who contributed to this study Bible, I personally have used a NJKV version of this Bible for many years and am glad it has been placed in an NIV format. This is a great study tool and can help many readers to grow in their knowledge of the Word of God.