Re-discovering the Word of God

Please be forewarned, the reason I am not a pastor or a teacher is my communication skills when it comes to my beliefs about the Bible.  If I am talking one-on-one with you this would probably be less crazy, radical sounding.  However, in online media I feel that I can “tout” my opinions more forcefully.  That said, if you disagree or think I misrepresented something, I will be the first to admit that I am not infallible and I will humbly retract, or re-express my thoughts in a more helpful way.  I hope, even after that long disclaimer, that this post is still helpful or at least thought provoking (as I hope all my posts are.  Why I would I post them if they weren’t?  I have journals aplenty).

I visited the Junior High room today at my home church to catch up with my small group girls.  While I was there, Tim Rowe gave an excellent sermon on the Word of God.  My wheels were spinning afterwards (props, Tim!).  Afterwards, a leader got up and gave us a “quiz” someone (Dave?) made.  I think the question was something like “What is the word of God?” I don’t really remember.  One of the answers was “The number 1 way God speaks.”  He commented that this may not necessarily be true as there are LOTS of ways God speaks.  He said, “But it is definitely one of the ways God speaks.”

Valid.  I think I get why he said that.  We don’t want to discount everyone’s experience.  However the statement was meant, the reason I bring it up is because I disagree.  This is not the only reason I bring it up either.  The reactions of my small group to the thought of picking up their Bibles and reading them and even other people I have talked to recently about this have made me truly sad.  The Church and the people of God seem to be trading truth for what feels good.  I will be the first to admit I don’t read my Bible enough.  Does that mean it’s not God’s number one way of speaking to us?  I don’t think so.

First of all, practically, even if you don’t agree, why do you think God would choose, above all other modes of communication to speak to us primarily through the Bible?

I want you to ponder that, as I have done, because I think there are a lot of good answers completely backed up in the Scriptures that I will get to in a minute.  I think the biggest reason is the infallibility of it.  It is the time tested, archeologically tested, completely true word of God.  Nothing in it is man’s invention.

Some more Biblical reasons:

The Word of God never fails.  Our words will pass but his won’t.  “All your commandments are sure…Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens ” (Ps. 119:86, 89).  I know I don’t want second-hand stuff that passes away!

I don’t think it’s an accident Paul wrote this passage right before he died.  I originally looked up this Scripture to prove that God spoke the words and wants us to use them for instruction.  Beloved, it’s so much deeper than that.  He warns of something that I just spoke of occurring—the dangerous trade-off!!!:

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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” (II Tim 3:14-4:4).  3 times he speaks of the Word in specific ways. 

1. It is able to make you wise for salvation. 

2. It is God breathed and profitable for teaching and reproof. 

3. It is necessary for the times ahead when the truth will be traded for myths!!!!

Along those same lines, the Word is perfect so nothing in it taints us.  We are ready vessels to be filled by good things! David says, “How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).  As he reads the word, God gives him purity.  The more pure he becomes, the more understanding he gets.

If you read all of Psalm 119, David goes on to say that God’s Word (his commandments, his precepts—clearly the Bible) fills him with hope, makes him not be put to shame, and begets more desire for the Word (Ps. 119:9-16, Psalm 1119).  The more we read the word the more we want it!  Mike Bickle says, “It’s the opposite of normal hunger.  The more you feed on the word, the hungrier you get.”

God LOVES his word!  Jesus himself did not just stand up and declare he is the Messiah.  He read the word (Luke 4:16-21).  He constantly used prophecies from the Old Testament to prove that he is the Messiah.  When he claimed to be the Son of Man, for example, he was quoting a Messianic Scripture from Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14; Luke 22:69).

One of my favorite teachers at IHOP likes to say, “Yeah, I know you know that verse, but does that verse know you?”  He was after one thing: intimacy with God’s words.  If we’re after intimacy with him, we should be about knowing his word in the depths of our being.  This is why it says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will done for you” (John 15:7).

I wanted to give you a few Scriptures that support what I was saying before I launch into my personal experience.  I am ALL about God speaking to us through crazy other methods of communication.  I’ve hung out with a lot of prophetic people.  You name a weird prophetic thing; I’ve seen it or probably experienced it myself!  I wanted to share what I have noticed about the Bible in relation to prophecy.

A couple years ago, while I was at APU, Shelley Hundley from IHOP (sorry, a lot of acronyms) visited Pasadena International House of Prayer and spoke on prophecy.  If there is anyone who I would call a prophet, it would be her.  She said in her sermon that she learned to ask the Lord for Bible verses.  This really struck me because of the things I mentioned above: our language can sometimes taint the truths God is trying to express.  Though we may have good intentions, the words are not what God intended!

Later, while I was attending IHOPU, Shelley taught us and said multiple times that the Bible is God’s “native tongue.”  This really stuck with because, like Shelley, I’m really into languages.  I can understand being able to speak other languages but really preferring to speak one language.  That is my easy definition of “native tongue”: the language one prefers to speak.

           

But, for those who are not into languages, I will put it another way. God is one God.  He does not contradict himself.  Every truth of Scripture is chronicled in who he is.  The more we study his word the more we discover these things.  Our experiences (the words he gives us) start to make sense in light of the truths that we study.  The prophecies start to blend and intermingle with the words we read on the page as we realize the same God spoke both of them!  Even if God speaks to us in a unique way, his words in our lives will look more like the Scriptures the more we let the Scriptures inform our conversations with Him.

Shelley used to also say, “If God is primarily speaking to you through movies, you’re in trouble.”  I do not share this to condemn but only to open your eyes a little.  What she meant was that God desires to speak to us.  If we’re watching movies instead of reading the Bible he will sometimes use those.  Yet he longs for us to come close.  To enter a reality close to his heart that, frankly, no movie has ever touched (because who makes those movies?  Are they studying the Word of God?).

Again, Shelley shared her own experience where she would get all these crazy words but did not understand.  She took them to her mentors Mike Bickle and Allen Hood who promptly told her they were straight out of the Bible and directed her to the word.  Suddenly she realized God wanted her to be reading the word so they could have a conversation on the same page.  And he had a lot more to say to her! 

           

The Bible says, “Test all prophecies.”  How do we do that? With the word of God!  Shelley understood the words God spoke when she studied his native tongue.  Vice-versa, she knew she was way off track when the words were the opposite of the Scriptures.

A personal note: I have noticed that God truly does love his word.  God actually speaks more to me if you allow him to use the Scriptures!  Just the act of opening my Bible and reading one sentence sometimes invites the Spirit to come.

As I wrap up this long post I’d like to be so daring as to say there are still secrets of the Bible that have not been cracked.  Will you be the one to figure them out?  Now, I’m not trying to be weird but at the same time, there are entire books of prophecy that have not been fulfilled!  Doesn’t that excite anyone?  Doesn’t that make anyone think God’s REALLY speaking primarily to us through the Word?  Well, if you are not convinced yet I would really love to talk to you.  Seriously.  Right now.  Let’s talk.  Facebook me.  E-mail me.  Call me.  Let’s talk.  I’m stirred.