Tag: Preach the Word

God’s Word = Authority?

Bible

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 3:16- 4:1-4 ESV)

I love the above scripture! The Apostle Paul writes, with great conviction, as he seeks to root Timothy and us in the Word of God.

God’s Word = Authority:

1.) Because it is God’s Word

This is our foundation, we must begin here. Do you believe God’s Word IS… GOD’S Word? Paul tells us that it is a God breathed – God inspired Word. The Word is not our word. And since it is not our word, it (not us) has authority. Once we buy in to a Word that is not God’s Word, pack it in. We are done! At that moment, there is no longer a p0int in considering the Word. In an instant the Word no longer carries meaning or conviction. At that point the Word has lost its power. It is just a Word that is no more inspired than the next book on the shelf. It may contain good advice or nice suggestions for living, but it is not the Word of God. And, once it becomes anything less than God’s Word, it becomes nothing. It becomes nothing more than man’s ideas and opinions. And those are a dime a dozen folks. But, the Words of the Creator and Savior… those are Words that have worth!

So, Paul says to Timothy, Preach the Word. And thus, the Word is what we preach. Not our opinions, but the Word. We would do well, and our churches would do well to stick to the Word.

To preach the Word is to recognize the Word of God is wisdom. Submission to the Word is what joyfully does. Why? Because it is God’s Word! He is the Authority, not me and not you.

2.) Authority exists outside of us

I am so glad for this! I enjoy affirming that God’s Word is God’s Word. This rightly takes the authority out of my hands and places it where it belongs. It places it in the Sovereign, able, worthy, hands of God! I am a cruddy authority to my own soul. Why? Because, I want what I want – NOT what I need.

Paul to Timothy: teach what is sound. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth.

Is it not amazing how similar Paul and Timothy’s problems are to our problems today? Our culture does not want sound doctrine. We lust for trendy sermons filled with clichés and simple solutions to a profound problem all aimed to suit ones passions.

Personally, I do not need to hear a sermon preached to suit my passions! That is NOT what my soul needs! My soul needs my passions confronted rather than suited. The Word does not exist to suit my comforts and worldly desires. It exists for God glorifying transformation.

If my authority is what I want, then I am immediately off in a million directions. And tomorrow, I will likely have a new set of authoritative opinions of my creating. I am grateful for the Authority of God’s Word. It is not fickle, it does not change, nor does it shift with my shifting opinions or the opinions of our culture.

This means, I do not have to guess if the Word changed while I slept last night. The Word is rooted in the very nature of God. The unchanging God gave us His unchanging Word, that I / we might be changed!

Jesus came, He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for my sins, rose from the grave, and He ascended to the right hand of the Father!

HIS Authoritative Word tells me to repent of my sins and to trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. I joyfully have done so. I am forgiven! Sins paid for! It is finished! Christ settled it all on the cross, and none of that will change tomorrow!

That is HIS Word, not mine. This is the settled, unchanging, and authoritative, Words of God.

3.) The Authority of God reveals God

The Authority of Scripture reveals the character of God. Revealing His faithfulness, kindness, goodness, grace, mercy, sovereignty, trustworthiness, sufficiency, wisdom, power, truth, glory, and more!

The Word reveals God. As I said above, it is God’s Word. God makes Himself known to us through His written Word.

This has implications for us as we seek to read His Word. The Word is first and foremost given to us to help us to know God.

How kind and good of God to give us His Word. Without it, I would be adrift to every passing fad of my sinful heart. The Word is an anchor to my soul.

We can open the Word and read it seeking to grow in our understanding of who God is and what He has accomplished on our behalf.

4.)  Authority informs response

Once we are convinced that the Word is God’s Word, and that it exists to make God known to us, then we are postured to respond rightly to its authority. Our responses are varied. Have you read God’s Word and responded in worship, humility, submission, conviction, repentance, faith, etc?

These and many others are the appropriate responses to the regular reading and preaching of God’s Word.

The Word of God exists to reveal God and when He is revealed, His glory is on display and we get to respond to that glory

Thank you God for your authoritative Word to us! Thank you for preserving your Word throughout history and making yourself known to us through your Word. May you grant us grace as we seek you today through the reading of your Word!

The Consumer Driven Church

NYC

How about this for the next book title on church?

The Consumer Driven Church.

At the consumer driven church you “do” church the same way in which you “do” your grocery shopping.  In the small town I live (Titusville, Fl). You can drive to Aldi’s because they have great prices, but they don’t always have the vegetables you need.

NO Problem – you can drive to Publix which is only 5 minutes from Aldi’s and grab your veggies.

But what about the movie rental?

Again, not a problem! Wal-mart is on the way home and they have not 1 but 2 Redbox machines!

Consumerism…. You gotta love it!

My family regularly utilizes all 3!  (Not to mention the often sought after cup of coffee at Starbucks which is located in the Target! – Located across the street from the Wal-Mart!!)

As for me and my house….. we will shop around.

Have you noticed?

Have you noticed our Americanized consumerism has seeped, more like flooded, into the local church?  Today, pastors are tempted to think that they need to cater to this mentality in order to build a church! The result is sometimes funny and sometimes sad.

Sometimes funny:

I like Aldi’s!  Mostly because they are NOT Wal-Mart!  They know who they are. Small grocery chain, with limited space, and thus limited product.  That’s Aldi’s and that is why I like them!

How silly would it be for Aldis to TRY to be a Wal-Mart.  The joy of the Aldis experience is: I don’t have to engage with ALL THAT STUFF.  Aldis is…. simple.  I like simple!  The point is – Aldis knows who they are.  Aldi’s is not trying to be someone they are not.

Knowing who you are is helpful in that it helps you know who you are NOT!

Crazy, isn’t it,  when the little local church tries to be the Wal-mart – super center church.  I have fallen victim to this, at times, over the years and I shake my head. How silly, even funny (yes, I am laughing) when we don’t know who we are and we try to be something else. It is a dumb way to try to build a local church.

In the consumer driven church we run to the Aldis church for relationships, the Wal Mart church for youth programs, and the Publix church for quality worship music.

I don’t think we are aware how much consumerism has affected the psyche of the average American church goer.

Aldis is comfortable in their own skin.  As a church member in your local church….. are you?

Sometimes sad:

It is sad when a church – that is an Aldis –  is lustfully trying to be the Wal-mart.  It is sad because we are not accepting who God has called us to be or who we are in Christ.  AND, this is the saddest part…..  often this church will do whatever is necessary to please the consumer.  This is not only sad, it is dangerous! Sad and dangerous because the church regularly translates into church consumerism. Which regularly translates into “watering down” God’s Word to make it acceptable and palatable to as many people as possible.

I Timothy 3-4

Paul, having instructed Timothy that Gods Word is God breathed and all the implications of that truth, then charges Timothy to “Preach The Word….”. As a part of that charge, Paul goes on to say:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5 ESV)

You see, what you see in churches today who have bailed on God’s Word regarding: sexual purity, marriage, family, parenting, and on and on….  is not so much about those issues. Drill down deeper than the surface issues and you will find a church or individual members and or pastors who no longer believe God’s Word is the Authority.

When God’s Word is no longer the Authority – the pastors and churches will cave to the pressures of people, fear of man, and consumerism.

You do not want consumerism to drive your church! 

A Long Way Around The Block:

Sorry, I took you a long way around the block to “get the mail”. But, here is my main point. What is your conviction about YOUR local church and about God’s Word in that local church? Is there ANYTHING more needed in the consumer driven culture that we live in than the Word of God?!? ANYTHING?

Actually, my friend, I do believe we are in the consumer driven church mess that we are in BECAUSE we have pushed God’s Word to the perimeter of church life.  No, I am not saying the Word is not read! OR that the word is not preached. I am saying in the consumer driven church the Word is used to “prop” up a sermon rather than “drive” the sermon. The Word becomes secondary rather than primary. Perimeter rather than at the Core.

3 things to consider:

1.)  Is the Word of God the priority in your church?  (This does not mean that the Word is read or even preached.  It, means…is the conviction that Gods Word is GODS Word permeating into the life of the church?)

2.)  Is the Word of God the authority in your church?  (All of us have an authority! Opinions or what you picked up from the professor in college or…….?)  If the Word is not your authority, what is?

3.)  Is the Word of God enough in your church?  (I am not saying other things (i.e.programs and ministries) are not important, but even other things must be built on the Word of God itself.)