I
Sam.3: …And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no
open vision.
We live in a day where Bibles are
printed by the millions. The come with all kinds of colors and textures. They
come with large or small print. They come with notes and concordances. They
come with maps and indexes. They come with men’s names on them. They come in
all sizes and with protective coverings. They are bought as gifts or to add to
your collection. Would it be safe to say that almost every house where even one
person goes to church, and some where no one does, has more than one Bible? I
am speaking of America.
Men place their hand upon a Bible
to be sworn into public office including the Presidency. Many have a family
Bible as an heirloom. Secular bookstores sell Bibles by the scores. Christian
bookstores with engrave your purchased Bible for free. The Bible is the greatest
selling book of all time.
And
yet there are parts of the world where true believers do not have Bibles. They
must rely on a minister to read from his and sometimes he himself does not have
the entire Bible. Although the number is being reduced, there are still some
languages and dialects without the Bible translated into their own language.
For these and others the Bible is indeed rare.
Everything
we know about Jesus we have gleaned from the Bible. There are no longer any
living people who walked with Him upon this earth. Everything we know about His
teachings and how we should live is only in the Bible. Our entire belief system
is built upon the Bible. Even our so called interpretations should be
predicated upon the Scriptures. Without the Bible we could only make things up
as best we can, and considering the massive differences we have already our
faith would be useless.
But
the Scriptures are not just information. Jesus said His words were life and
they are spirit. That makes the written words of Scriptures different than any
other written words. This is a great mystery but filled with glory nonetheless.
Now an unredeemed sinner cannot understand the Bible except as it pertains to
who Jesus is. The Spirit of God can use Scriptures to open a lost heart and
enlighten that sinner as to Jesus being the Savior and Lord of the entire
world. That is exactly how I came to Christ. In fact, after I was born again it
took a while before I understood much of the Bible but the Holy Spirit was a
patient guide and teacher.
The
Scriptures are no longer received as the Word of God. They are now sermon
material, good advice, stories with lessons, Judeo-Christian ethics, and
something to defend against unpatriotic enemies. And that is the reason why
they no longer change people, because in the end, all those things are just
unbelief.
Now
I would like you to watch THIS.
Where
is that hunger in the American church? It is gone now. The Bible is just the
best selling book but it is not treated as God’s Word.
Thank You for sharing!...
ReplyDeleteI am undone
ReplyDeleteThere are times our Bibles are treated as an accessory on a decorative side table as the cover coordinates well with the decor. The dust collects and the words etched in gold on the cover grow faint as the dust mites dance around the scrolling.
ReplyDeleteIn our culture, a flood of authors, books, CD's, DVD's, pop-phrase Bible verse cards (where verses are usually taken out of context), T-shirts/a whole jesus clothing movement, movies, music, jewelry, bumper stickers, etc., etc., etc., etc...........and more etc., have lured us away from reading, studying, and meditating upon the Holy Scriptures. And as a result, our brains have become playgrounds for entertainment far more than being alone and spending time with our LORD. Remember the small merry-go-round on the playground? As children, we called it the "pukator"; after feasting at Grandma's house, we ran and played on the go round, spinning so fast and getting that incredible "dizzy high" instant gratification. A few minutes later, a mad dash was made for a private place in which to commune with reality.
It amazes me to no end, how the great faith of the saints multiplied in days gone by without the use of religious junk!
God, the Holy Spirit, is alive and well, and still moving and working in the hearts of men, women, and children across His creation! His living stones are not inanimate!
A continuation....
ReplyDeletePoint blank; there are times in a Christian's life when you feel like you have stumbled off of that "pukalator" as you are criticized and condemned by the religious community for not succumbing to the standards authored by man. You must attend this conference (for a fee), attend that songfest (and oh, by the way Brian Welch from KORN is speaking-you need to hear him, you must come to our Bible study (we have a joyce meyer series that is just for you), if you are going to be a part of our church, you must listen and follow only our list of preachers and teachers, none other will do, you must speak like us, look like us, and act like us, for we are the true christians........really?
What if all of that christian culture stuff makes me dizzy sending me to the nearest tree to relieve the unrest in my digestive tract?
Oh, how man measures by outward appearances all the while, our God sees the true nature of the heart.......how many actually live that pure heart in the Word of God?
Wow! Praise God.
ReplyDeleteJ.
I am far from undone or wowed!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI am far from undone or wowed!
I am going to pray for you. You need it.
I'm going to pray that God breaks your hard heart.
How can anyone not be moved by the emotion God's Word brought to these precious people? You proved the point of this post and then some. I am sad for you.
Wow! They are so precious...such honesty.
ReplyDeleteWe really have a big problem in the western church. We are so wrapped up in the things of the world it's a shame. It truly is disgusting.
We don't even come close.
As the Word of God says, "...You cannot serve God and mammon."