Monday, October 10, 2005
Feasting On The Word
Mark Roberts posted the sermon he preached at his church yesterday. It's on welcoming God's Word. First of all, reading the sermon was a little eerie becasue it includes a picture fo the highway into Thessaloniki Greece -- been there, seen the signs he shows. Anyway Mark lists three principles for "Welcoming God's Word"
The first point I want to make is that listening and examining are vitally important when it coems to dealing with Scripture -- particularly in blogging. It is so easy to proof text in blogging. We need to guard against it. Blogging has increased my time in the Word, but it is not always "quality time" with the Word. If we are going to blog on matters spiritual, it is important that we stay steeped in God's Word in the appropriate way. Scripture is not another reference for our blogging.
The second point I want to make is to emphasis Mark's 3rd principle - "Believe the truth in mind, heart, and action." There are times, and they should be more numerous, when I would trade most of what I know about Scripture for the ability to rely solely on the truth of Scripture.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Phil 4:13 I would trade every hermenutical principle, I would trade all knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, I would forgo everthing I have ever read on the historicity of the New Testament documents simply to be able to live one day in the absolute fullness of that one verse.
We often substitute our own understanding for the power that is ours in Christ. Scripture is not just another book, it is a conduit through which we can tap that power. Would that we used as such more than we do.
- Listening with open minds
- Examining what's true, and
- Believing the truth in mind, heart, and action.
The first point I want to make is that listening and examining are vitally important when it coems to dealing with Scripture -- particularly in blogging. It is so easy to proof text in blogging. We need to guard against it. Blogging has increased my time in the Word, but it is not always "quality time" with the Word. If we are going to blog on matters spiritual, it is important that we stay steeped in God's Word in the appropriate way. Scripture is not another reference for our blogging.
The second point I want to make is to emphasis Mark's 3rd principle - "Believe the truth in mind, heart, and action." There are times, and they should be more numerous, when I would trade most of what I know about Scripture for the ability to rely solely on the truth of Scripture.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Phil 4:13 I would trade every hermenutical principle, I would trade all knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, I would forgo everthing I have ever read on the historicity of the New Testament documents simply to be able to live one day in the absolute fullness of that one verse.
We often substitute our own understanding for the power that is ours in Christ. Scripture is not just another book, it is a conduit through which we can tap that power. Would that we used as such more than we do.
