Go to Part 1, Part 2
Here are a few more thoughts relating to the importance of God’s Word for our lives and witness…
Hebrews 4:12The older I get, the more the Lord has been challenging me, asking me if I really believe that the Word is living and powerful. Do I really believe that the Word is what pierces the soul? God has been saying, “Do you really trust My Word to speak to the questions and needs of people around you or do you feel like you have to rely on your intellect, or your ability to ‘connect’?”
“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
For example, I’ve been teaching a discipleship class on Wednesday nights for the youth at our church (International, English-speaking). They ask some incredibly insightful questions. They also ask some that are just plain hard! I’ve at least thought about most of the issues they raise, and I usually know something of what evangelical Christians in general believe about the issue. I also have my own ideas and opinions on the issues. The challenge and question for me though concerns where my foundation lies for the views I hold and the things I teach…
As the truth of this verse becomes more real to me, I grow even more confident in the sufficiency of the Word to address every issue that could ever come up! When I am faced with a question from one of the youth, I strive to only give an answer that is grounded in the Word of God. If I don’t know precisely how the Bible speaks to the question, I will find out and then give an answer.
As we obey the command of 1 Peter 3:15 to “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]”; what are we trusting as our authority. If someone asks us a question about our faith, are we prepared to answer them with the confidence that comes from a solid grounding in Scripture? If we find ourselves in a situation where we are not completely confident of the Bible’s teaching, are we humble enough to admit we don’t know and committed enough to find a biblical answer? Or are we content simply to relate our opinions, whatever their origins?
This Christmas, if we are celebrating with true and intense focus on Christ, we will get questions from family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and classmates. When we answer, I pray we will answer with words of truth that are consciously grounded in Scripture.
Go to Part 4
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