“For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The second commandment of ministry is Bible Study. Stockstill talked about the dysfunctional untaught church. It is the Word of God that will restore the untaught church to its right place. He writes “The devil’s ‘rat poison’ is a lack of knowledge of the true Word of God and lack of application and transformation from that Word.” In Hebrews 5:12-14 the writer explains how some people only partake of milk and not solid food. The mature in the faith need Solid Food. When solid food is ingested, one can then distinguish right from wrong. The problem with so many today is there is the availability of the Word of God but it is not taken advantage of nor is it applied. The Bible must be preached. Scriptures are the foundation of what we are to believe, not opinion. Ones personal Bible should be their best friend. There must be an interaction with the Word of God. “Interaction with the Word means to handle it, hold it, make use of it and become familiar with it.” The Word of God is our guide to life. As I heard many years ago, it is the ‘Manufacturer’s Handbook.’
We as leaders must relate the Word of God to others demonstrating its relevance in our everyday lives. At times this takes creativity, but in the world of computers and the World Wide Web, this creativity does become much easier. There are volumes of resources out there to help make the Scriptures come alive. Daily devotions in the Word of God are also necessary. “The devotional habit of the daily reading of Scripture is the single most important thing we must instill in believers.” Amen to that. I believe it was Billy Graham who said that he reads through the Bible every year, and each time he does, God reveals new revelations into his life. The reason for this rests in the fact that the Word is God is living. It breathes new life into our lives each time we read it. We can read the same verse everyday and then suddenly one day, God will reveal something special to us.
Last week we talked about Prayer and Fasting, this week, the importance of the Word of God. Practicing these will change our lives, change our church, and change our nation.
