Principle #3 - Teaching for the purpose of obedience.

This principle eluded me for most of my life.  It was only a couple of years ago that I saw this truth in Scripture.  Recall the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Did you catch it?  Read it one more time.  Do you see the typo?  I intentionally left out two very important words:  “to obey”.  The verse actually says:  “and teaching them TO OBEY all that I have commanded you.”  I’ve read this verse hundreds of times as a believer and never did those two words jump off the page at me.  They certainly should have!  Obedience is the essence of being a Christ follower (not just knowledge), and the only way to get to experience the excitement of the Kingdom.

For many years I focused on the concept of teaching His commands.  I now realize that this is not Biblical.  As a minister, it is my privilege to do all I can to help others obey.  Clearly communicating Christ’s teachings is but a small part of my job as a pastor.  

In fact, here in East Texas, most believers already have more than enough head knowledge of Christ’s commands.  They don’t need to hear another sermon.  They simply need help in obeying.  According to Matthew 29:19-20, that is where I come in.  And you too.  We get to do whatever it takes to help others obey.  This is how we make disciples.

Principle #4 - The word of God is a person and is fully alive.

The word of God is a person and is fully alive.  We live in the information age.  This all began in the early 70’s just after I was born.  The culture that we are in today bombards us with words, words, and more words.  We can’t escape the avalanche of information.  If you have a cell phone or a tv, your brain is overwhelmed on a daily basis with data.

Unfortunately, the church has jumped on the bandwagon.  God’s word has been reduced to principles, ideas, and teachings.  They come in many forms: podcasts, sermons, books, and movies, just to name a few.  Although God can use all of the above, it is good  that we ask an all-important question from time to time:

What actually IS the word of God?

I’m glad you asked!  The Bible has some descriptive words concerning the topic:

• God’s word is Jesus Himself.  Jn 14:6
• God’s word is God Himself.  Jn 1:1
• God’s word is alive.  Heb. 4:12

It would be a grave mistake to approach God’s word in the same way as we approach learning history, geometry, or how to bake an apple pie.  God’s word is not information.  God’s word is a person.  It is difficult, if not impossible, to read God’s word and not come face to face with its Author.  God’s word is like a bright neon sign, pointing us straight to the person of God.  

Will God get upset with me if I approach reading my Bible in the same fashion as I read a magazine on bass fishing?  Definitely not.  His love for me is always unconditional.  I don’t have to perform for God in any way to have infinite worth in His sight.  But will I experience transformation of the heart if I read my Bible only with my intellect?  Maybe not.  

Here’s the good news for you and me: 

Every time we open up our Bibles, God is there, He has something good to tell us, and He will do all the heavy lifting concerning the needs of our heart. 

He loves to do for us what we can’t do for ourselves.   He loves to speak His truth, and His truth will set us free.  

Principle #5 - God's word is guaranteed to cause healthy pain.

God’s word is guaranteed to cause healthy pain.  This is the part of God’s word that we don’t necessarily enjoy.  But it is crucial for our spiritual health.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us:

“ For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates, even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

Let me ask you a question.  What if you found out that three of your main arteries were 70%-80% clogged?  How would you feel?  More importantly, would you be willing to have the necessary surgery to correct the problem?

If your life depended on having surgery, you would gladly go under the knife.  Me too.  This is an important aspect of God’s word.  When our spiritual hearts need it, God’s word will do whatever surgery is needed to bring us back to life.  

Listen to the descriptive words in Hebrews 4: penetrate, dividing, judging.  This is not fun stuff. It can be exceedingly painful. 

Whenever we wander away from God, dabble in sin, get deceived, or become critical, God’s word comes alive and runs to our rescue. 

Our hearts can get dark with unbelief quickly.  Only God’s truth can expose this unbelief and restore our faith in God.

This surgery produces what we all desire:  transformation.  The Bible calls this repentance.  The word for repentance is “metanoia”, which means “change of mind.”  This is what God’s word does for those who have Christ in them.  This transformation of the heart is what the words in your Bible are all about.