When you are dealing with something of SUBSTANCE, you don’t need to worry when the layers are peeled back because the core will remain intact.
What does that mean in the context of serving Christ?
It means that because Jesus IS alive and the Word of God IS infallible, your inability to...
- wrap your head around something from scripture
- explain something from scripture convincingly to someone who is challenging you
...doesn’t diminish the SUBSTANCE of the Word.
Irrespective of your ability to process or explain the facts, the LORD remains omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, the Word remains living and active and sharper than a double-edged sword, and Jesus remains the Saviour of the world.
That being said - let it never be said of us that:
“...You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.”
Matthew 22:29 ESV
We need to know both the scriptures and the power of God.
Today is a good day to start if you haven’t already 🙂 Jesus loves you. He wants you to know the Truth! He wants you to know Him! He’s not afraid of your questions. He’s not afraid of you wanting to “peel back layers” because, when you do, you’ll see that He is substance Himself.
Knowing the scriptures means that:
- You actually have to spend time in the Word every day. It is your daily bread not your Sunday treat. This is not a burden - it is a privilege! You are meeting with Jesus, the Word Himself. Podcasts and online sermons and inspiring Christian IG accounts are all good and well - but are you IN THE WORD daily?
- You believe that "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." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
- You believe what the Word says irrespective of your (1) level of understanding or (2) experience of it. If the Word says “lay hands on the sick and they will recover” (which it does) then believe it - and do it! It is the “doers of the Word” who are blessed in their actions. Not the “hearers.”
Knowing the power of God is knowing His Holy Spirit and His Word.
The Holy Spirit is wonderful and He is available to every born-again Believer! He is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby.
Even one moment in the (very real) Presence of God is enough to wreck you for normal and leave you transformed. The beautiful thing is that we are invited to so much more than just one moment.
We need to realise that we must accept the Word of God in it’s entirety - or not at all. Either all of it is true - or none of it is. And I can assure you that IT IS TRUE.
The time for dead religion is over. It’s time to serve Christ wholeheartedly. It’s time to be Spirit-led.
When it comes to the Word - there’s no picking and choosing. The Truth is non-negotiable. For example, you cannot serve Christ genuinely and support abortion. It is murder. Likewise, you cannot serve Christ authentically and support homosexuality. The Lord made marriage to be between a man and a woman only.
Go to the Word. You cannot serve Christ properly if you aren’t in the Word. So start there. Know what it says. Believe what it says. Apply what it says. And let the love of God and the truthfulness of His Word transform you forever.