A few months back I was listening to a sermon and was challenged. In Revelation 2:5 it says, "Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the
deeds you did at first..."
The part that really stuck out to me was "do the deeds you did at first". I started asking myself... "When I first surrendered my heart to Jesus on October 27th 1993 what were the things I used to do?" I started going though a list and I discovered that I had stopped doing certain things (in my "22 years as a Believer I passed it off as "I am maturing" and do not have to do the things I used to do). That's WRONG!
One of the main areas was the "revelatory" reading of His Word. I used to sit down and read the Word and get revelation ALL THE TIME! God speaking to me about Flesh and Blood (John 6) or the vine that grew over Jonah etc... Bible reading had turned into a historic journey over the years... and I was trying to see "in context" what Jesus said and where He was in time and space. This is NOT WRONG... BUT for me it was killing my reading and I believe it is only seeing His Word 2 dimensionally when there are 500 dimensions to it : )
That was a fun way for me to read but I was missing out on a larger aspect of His Word... His Living and Active and Growing Word.
It was no longer about how the Word of God can change me. It was about the knowledge I received. It is not enough that we know about the Bible... even the demons know (James 2:19, " You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.") Or that we know who Paul wrote to and that there may be other letters from the Corinthians. What the biggest deal is, is "AM I CHANGING AS A RESULT OF READING HIS WORD?" Am I becoming more like Jesus? Am I applying the Galatians passage about the fruits of the Spirit? Am I applying the Sermon on the Mount? Am I preferring my brother and loving my neighbor and caring for the widow and being hospitable? This is the key. This is the reason we have His Word. To be doers of the Word not just hearers like it says in James 1:22, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.".
God gave us His word so that we would be more like Him. That we can see Him revealed in His Word. So we could see His plan of redemption and salvation. So that we could see how He has operated through history. Not so that I can impress you with where ancient Jericho currently stands. Who cares.
When we drift from the Word He has given us and make it to be a text/history book I think we miss out on a lot. The drift can happen subtly. We begin to read other books on subjects we love. Or on ministry areas we love. I love the Muslim world so I read and read and read about Islam and the cultures. I have to ask myself periodically, "Ezra are you reading more about Islam than you are in my His Word?" Or am I reading more from famous authors/preachers and theologians than I am spending time in His Word?
Or how about how we often let our culture and current event dictate to us what Gods Word says (that is a blog for another day)? Read the Bible... you will see how we ought to behave (1 John 2:26, 1 Tim 3:15, 2 Tim 2:24) and what is sin and what is not sin. Read the Bible we will see. Many of us do not bother. I have asked students in many different states and nations how long does it take to read the Bible? Some have said "Years"! In actuality we can read from Genesis to Revelation in 72 hours. We can do this. We can take time to hear what He has to say through this supernatural, unequaled, wonderful, easy to read, accurate, unadulterated, inspired and infallible Book. The Enemy has tried to deceive us into thinking we cannot understand this book... or that it takes too ling. Stop that lie!
Its OK that I read other authors and indulge in current events and ministry focuses, but ask yourself, "Whens the last time God gave ME revelation from His word... and not revelation from some author?"
So in conclusion: I am not saying studying the Scripture from a historical context is bad, it was not helping me. We must read it both ways. Also, am I spending as much time in Gods Word as I am in my area of interest? This is important.
Hope this helps.
The part that really stuck out to me was "do the deeds you did at first". I started asking myself... "When I first surrendered my heart to Jesus on October 27th 1993 what were the things I used to do?" I started going though a list and I discovered that I had stopped doing certain things (in my "22 years as a Believer I passed it off as "I am maturing" and do not have to do the things I used to do). That's WRONG!
One of the main areas was the "revelatory" reading of His Word. I used to sit down and read the Word and get revelation ALL THE TIME! God speaking to me about Flesh and Blood (John 6) or the vine that grew over Jonah etc... Bible reading had turned into a historic journey over the years... and I was trying to see "in context" what Jesus said and where He was in time and space. This is NOT WRONG... BUT for me it was killing my reading and I believe it is only seeing His Word 2 dimensionally when there are 500 dimensions to it : )
That was a fun way for me to read but I was missing out on a larger aspect of His Word... His Living and Active and Growing Word.
It was no longer about how the Word of God can change me. It was about the knowledge I received. It is not enough that we know about the Bible... even the demons know (James 2:19, " You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.") Or that we know who Paul wrote to and that there may be other letters from the Corinthians. What the biggest deal is, is "AM I CHANGING AS A RESULT OF READING HIS WORD?" Am I becoming more like Jesus? Am I applying the Galatians passage about the fruits of the Spirit? Am I applying the Sermon on the Mount? Am I preferring my brother and loving my neighbor and caring for the widow and being hospitable? This is the key. This is the reason we have His Word. To be doers of the Word not just hearers like it says in James 1:22, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.".God gave us His word so that we would be more like Him. That we can see Him revealed in His Word. So we could see His plan of redemption and salvation. So that we could see how He has operated through history. Not so that I can impress you with where ancient Jericho currently stands. Who cares.
When we drift from the Word He has given us and make it to be a text/history book I think we miss out on a lot. The drift can happen subtly. We begin to read other books on subjects we love. Or on ministry areas we love. I love the Muslim world so I read and read and read about Islam and the cultures. I have to ask myself periodically, "Ezra are you reading more about Islam than you are in my His Word?" Or am I reading more from famous authors/preachers and theologians than I am spending time in His Word?
Or how about how we often let our culture and current event dictate to us what Gods Word says (that is a blog for another day)? Read the Bible... you will see how we ought to behave (1 John 2:26, 1 Tim 3:15, 2 Tim 2:24) and what is sin and what is not sin. Read the Bible we will see. Many of us do not bother. I have asked students in many different states and nations how long does it take to read the Bible? Some have said "Years"! In actuality we can read from Genesis to Revelation in 72 hours. We can do this. We can take time to hear what He has to say through this supernatural, unequaled, wonderful, easy to read, accurate, unadulterated, inspired and infallible Book. The Enemy has tried to deceive us into thinking we cannot understand this book... or that it takes too ling. Stop that lie!
Its OK that I read other authors and indulge in current events and ministry focuses, but ask yourself, "Whens the last time God gave ME revelation from His word... and not revelation from some author?"
So in conclusion: I am not saying studying the Scripture from a historical context is bad, it was not helping me. We must read it both ways. Also, am I spending as much time in Gods Word as I am in my area of interest? This is important.
Hope this helps.
