Tag: Word of God

Stay Away from Stupid!

The world has always been focused about forming the church and Christians into their faulty, fallen fallacy. We are used to that. There is nothing new about being encouraged to conform to the prevailing culture of society. We’ve always had to be counter-culture with the world. For decades we have struggled but things seem to be sliding quickly closer and closer to home. Now, things have turned. Not only are we called upon to be counter-culture with society but with the church world.

origin_4199675334

I recently was with a couple of young people talking about the most recent books they had been reading. I was unpleasantly surprised. I walked away deeply concerned. I’m sure they thought through reading they were fulfilling Paul’s encouragement to Timothy in II Timothy 2:15. Or, at least, I hope that was their motivation. There is a big difference between studying the Word and the word of others. One is approved by God, enabling us to be a worker in God’s kingdom without shame, rightly dividing His Word. The other is detested by God, produces a person muddled, misinformed, mistaken, and mixed up; un-rightly and dangerously dividing the Word of God. Scares me just typing it! Later, I thought—and I know it isn’t rocket science— there is an enormous metamorphosis between being studious and stupid. 

Don’t get me wrong. I believe in being cutting-edge and up-to-snuff. I really do! Finding modern ways to express the old path; that is cutting-edge and culturally-relevant biblically. I want to be liberal enough to use new ways and conservative enough to stick with God’s solid, specific path.

Changing apostolic doctrine to fit the times is just plain stupid. It’s dangerous and not merely on the edge; it’s totally over it. I nearly freaked out an entire primary school one time when I used the word “stupid.” They had been taught using the word was paramount to cursing. Perhaps so! Changing God’s Word to facilitate prevailing thinking may very well bring a curse. Let me try to improve my wording. Changing apostolic doctrine to fit the times is unwise, senseless, ill-advised, and thoughtless. How’s that?

I am deeply disturbed and profoundly perplexed when I meet young and old alike that cannot explain why they believe our foundational, fundamental doctrine. They know what they believe but have no idea why they believe it. The danger in that is one day we could produce a generation that does not believe. What a tragedy! But the reverse is so inspiring and encouraging:  “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the paths to dwell in” (Isaiah 58:12). 

Here are four ways that make that possible. I’m sure there any many more.

Speak it     

 Speak the Word of God in your life continually.

Study it 

 Be committed to studying God’s Word and receiving it.

Do it 

 Be willing to do what the Word of God says.

Love it 

 Love God’s Word. Depend on it; not merely the philosophies of me.

Follow those four points and you will stay away from stupid!

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos via photopin cc

by Tags: , , , , , , 3 Comments

The Book that Transforms Lives

While I impatiently patiently wait (yep, that is a thing…with me) to speak to the national board in Ghana, Linda (my queen) sauntered around the missionary coordinator’s office hauling books off the shelf. I think she was on some sort of “Bible Study Methods” adventure (or so I discerned from the type of books she was gathering). She would sit down, glance at a book or two, and speak to herself (pretty common occurrence. Perhaps, she was listening to an expert opinion). She would then jump up and scurry off to get another book. Like I said, I took it all in impatiently-patiently. She started giggling…to herself. Remember, I am doing my utmost to be impatiently-patiently. I’m not really given to noises, even happy ones, when I am in preparation mode and a holding pattern to speak to the country’s elite. But, she ignored my impatience-patience and started to read aloud the subject of her morning humor.

medium_5583942693

“The Bible has made monumental impact in our society. Once a South Sea Islander proudly displayed his Bible to an American soldier during World War II. ‘We’ve outgrown this sort of thing,’ the soldier said. The Islander smiled back and said, ‘It is a good thing that we haven’t. If it weren’t for this book, we would have eaten you by now’” (What You Need to Know about the Bible in 12 Lessons, by Max Anders).

I chuckled too and politely grabbed the book (yep, that’s a thing…with me). I hurriedly jotted the quotation down and proudly proclaimed, “That is going to become part of a new blog.” All because my wife industriously searched, surveyed, and sampled treasures from the bookshelves while I was impatiently-patiently waiting. (Don’t worry she meticulously put everything back in proper order). No-one will ever know I copied a great story from one of her findings. Oh, yeah, unless they read my blog. In that case multiplied hundreds will know. Potentially! Right?

Bottom line here: thank God for the Book that radically transforms lives. It has certainly impacted mine through the past thirty-five years. (Yep, that’s my current age. Spiritually, that is!) It’s still the world’s best seller. In the last century alone, about five billion copies have been printed and portions have been translated in over 2,100 languages.

Here’s a sampling from the Word concerning its power to transform: 

“The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple” (Psalms 119:130, AMP). 

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, AMP). 

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, AMP).

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalms 119:105). 

“Establish my steps and direct them by [means of] Your word; let not any iniquity have dominion over me” (Psalms 119:133, AMP).

“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Proverbs 30:5, KJV). 

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb” (Psalms 19:7-10, NIV). 

photo credit: ideacreamanuela2 via photopin cc

by Tags: , , , 4 Comments

Time To Stop, Drop, and Obey God’s Word

A story is told from Japan of a man who inherited a sacred stone from his father. His father had received the stone from his father and his father before him. The sacred stone had been in the family for many years. It was kept in a place of honor and highly valued. Even though the man did not really understand the reason for the stone, he believed in the tradition.

One day the man was taking a trip across the ocean in a boat. A storm arose. The boat began to toss and then sink. The man had several belongings with him and had to choose which he would try to save. He chose the sacred stone. However, as soon as he entered the water, he began to sink. He could not swim hard enough to get his head above the water. He sank deeper and deeper and knew he was about to drown. A decision had to be made. He thought, “Do I hold onto the stone and die, or do I let go and live?” He quickly concluded that living was more important than the sacred stone. The man dropped the stone into the deep and quickly swam to the surface. As he broke through the surface, he breathed in deeply and knew that he had made the right choice. Life is more important than a tradition that will only weigh you down and finally bring death. We must be careful that we never hold traditions more sacred than the Word of God.

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1)

Is there anything in my life that I hold as sacred that the Bible tells me to drop and walk away from?

photo credit: looseends via photo pin cc

by Tags: , , , Leave a comment