When the Bible Loses Its Luster

I listened to a podcast yesterday in preparation for an upcoming seminar I'm teaching in Illinois. The topic itself is full of all sorts of interesting sub-topics, debates, and questions. It's a complex and curious subject to explore.

However, the two men I was listening to were dreadfully boring. The episode was two hours long but they made it feel like three. It was striking how they could take a hotly-debated Bible topic and make it about as thrilling as the fine-print warranty that comes with a wristwatch.

What If You're the Only One?

How would your life change if you were the only Christian in your nation? In your state? Your county? Your city? Your neighborhood? Your family?

For some of you, those last two situations are very real.

When we consider what it would be like to be the only one ultimately responsible to deliver the good news to a group of people, we can start to feel the pressure that brings, and imagine how our lives would have to radically change. But is this hypothetical scenario really that hypothetical?

A Warning About Yesterday

The Bible is against idolatry of all sorts. This seems like an obvious statement, but it can catch us by surprise when it confronts the idols that we didn't fully realize we were worshipping.

The idol of nostalgia may be one of those false gods for you. Consider Ecclesiastes 7:10: "Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this."

An Instinctual Conversation

 

"We prioritize prayer in this life as we live for the next."

Not all priorities are formal. In fact, the vast majority of true priorities in our lives are instinctual and thoughtless. This is evident when it comes to eating: we do not have to deliberately make time in our schedules to satisfy our hungry tummies or think through strategies about how we will get calories into our systems (diets excepted).

Is prayer a true priority for us?

Hanging on His Every Word

 

"We study the Bible because it is the whole counsel of God."

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about the Bible is that it is incomprehensible. Though it is true that Scripture is complex and profound, there could hardly be a bigger lie than claiming that it is beyond our apprehension and understanding.

Consider the proclamation of Deuteronomy 29:29: "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever..."

Getting the Word Out

 

"We proclaim the gospel to the world so that they may be saved."

There have been a few times in our lives when we've missed out on something we wished to be a part of because nobody told us. Perhaps we even said, "Nobody told me!" with bitterness in our breath. Such circumstances can enrage or otherwise depress us. When the stakes are higher, the feelings are more intense.

Keeping with the Flock

 

"We love each other and cherish the fellowship of God's people."

When a young zebra is separated from the herd, he is much more susceptible to the wiles of lions. Perhaps you've seen footage from the African safari of young animals unable to defend themselves, falling prey to predators. For the tender-hearted, it can be difficult to watch; for the rest of us, it satisfies a morbid curiosity.

Where Sovereignty and Responsibility Touch

 

"We serve God wherever we are, knowing He has put us there."

Where does God's will meet (or override) our stewardship? This is one of the most difficult topics that we face.

There's a man who invests and saves his money diligently throughout his life, only to encounter circumstances totally outside of his control that leave him empty-handed. It was the will of God. Yet there's another man who does not invest or save his money and he, too, is left empty-handed. It was his lack of stewardship. Not so fast. The first man was not exempt from engaging in good stewardship and the second man was not exempt from the will of God. Both men live with both realities -- just as we do (in all things, I should add).

Prayer as Evangelism

"We prioritize prayer in this life as we live for the next."

Prayer can be an evangelistic tool.

When we pray with our children, they hear the desires of our heart and how we speak to and of God. This is powerful. When we sit down for a meal with an unbeliever and let him or her know that we would like to thank God for the food before we eat, the unbeliever is unexpectedly entering into a spiritual moment. This too is powerful.

Commitment to Gospel Conversation

 

"We proclaim the gospel to the world so that they may be saved."

The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 is absolutely astounding. An angel told him where to go (v. 26), the Spirit told him who to talk to (v. 29), and the Ethiopian man asked him to teach the Bible to him (v. 31). Philip proclaimed the gospel of Jesus to him (v. 35) and the man believed and was baptized (v. 38). After that, the Spirit raptured Philip to a city dozens of miles away.

Well, that was easy!