By GDW
Looking through Facebook and watching PNGeans debate matters with an attempt to interpret Biblical principles has made me realise how starved of real Biblical teaching and studying we are. Suddenly we're all self-styled theologians, but how wrong some of us are. I truly wonder whether we really have private Bible studies. Where we open the word and have a concordance and some trusty commentary at hand, and say a prayer for the Spirit of Truth to help us understand…truly understand.
Christianity in PNG has become a feel-good thing. Prosperity gospel by popular preachers has made us treat God as a mere butler. People want to hear words that tickle their ears so they can shout "Amen!" Preachers aren't preaching about sin anymore because they want to keep their audiences.
But I'd wish we'd also teach people about living right by the Word of God, and not just by the words of popular leadership and life-coaching gurus. I wish preachers would say more of those things that make people squirm in their chairs and quietly go "ouch!" Rather than jump up and down at every ticklish catchphrase of a charismatic speaker. Like when Jonathan Edwards preached monotnously about Hell and Sin and his congregation fled from the church because the words struck at the core of their beings and their realisation of sin became too much too bear.
We're still babes of the faith, we love to have every itch scratched, and every soft-spot tickled and soiled diapers washed without participating in the cleaning. We want to be fed soft words that others have already chewed and churned. We'd like the adults to speak to us kindly and softly like a child longs for "goo goos" and "gah gahs". We can't and don't want to handle the heavy stuff. It's too painful and difficult to chew.
People want to use the Word to make an argument but not to convict our own hearts and change our evil ways. In fact we'd use it to avoid being judged. To avoid change. We'd rather Jesus' words of "judge not lest you be judged", than "no one comes to the Father except through Me". Because we'd rather He not be the ONLY Way. We like His kind words of love but not His ultimatums of living sacrifice "eating of my flesh". We'd rather His love for sinners than His hate for sin.
And so we continue in sin, grieving his heart. Ignorant of His whole Truth and the wholeness of His message. In the words of Ravi Zacharias "Jesus didn't come to make bad people good, He came to make dead people live."
I must add He didn't come to give us ammunition for our petty debates, He brought words of eternal life. That's an important note. We're ignoring His words of Eternal life while gobbling up His words for this life. Come eternity we may find we're bankrupt in the words that REALLY matter.
So please return to the Word. It has instructions for living, for salvation and sanctification and glorification. If you stop at instructions for "living", you might find yourself short of a whole eternal package. Pastors preach HARD WORDS. You know! Words to REBUKE, CORRECT, AND INSTRUCT. Not just to uplift and encourage. And those "fans" of the Bible, get into it and read. Consume it so that it consumes you.
EAT OF HIS FLESH. He said so Himself! He is the WORD.
Heavenise day!
GDW
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Ganjiki
"INSPIRING PASSION"
"INSPIRING PASSION"
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