This reflection largely comes from Francis Chan's session during Passion. Again, the sessions weren't complex at all, just pure truth.
Chan's main point was that we as Christians need to be studying the Word for ourselves and to know it well, because there are many people who question Biblical truth and twist passages from the Bible to justify actions or beliefs that aren't Biblically true. He referenced the first part of 1 Timothy 4 and several stories from the Old Testament that show the importance of knowing and trusting in God and His Word. Here is 1 Timothy 4:3-4:
1 Timothy 4:3-4 is true today in our culture. If you want to justify something using Scripture, there is most likely a book out there that has already done it. Homosexuality, materialism, the nonexistence of hell, etc. There are books and people that justify things like these; they have turned away from the truth and sound doctrine. In our culture, we need to have sound doctrine, and that comes from reading the Bible for yourself.
Francis Chan also mentioned the story in 1 Samuel 14 of how Jonathan and his armor-bearer trusted God and attacked the Philistines when the entire Israelite army was hiding in fear. Knowing the Bible for yourself will increase your trust in God to provide for you in whatever situation. Reading all the stories of how He's provided for His people and all the encouragements and promises He gives us in the Bible will increase your faith in Him. We need to take the Word for what it is: truth. It will give us sure footing in the midst of a culture ridden with slippery paths.
Chan's main point was that we as Christians need to be studying the Word for ourselves and to know it well, because there are many people who question Biblical truth and twist passages from the Bible to justify actions or beliefs that aren't Biblically true. He referenced the first part of 1 Timothy 4 and several stories from the Old Testament that show the importance of knowing and trusting in God and His Word. Here is 1 Timothy 4:3-4:
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."One of the stories from the Old Testament is of the prophet who was killed because he listened to another prophet who was lying (claiming to have a word from the Lord) instead of trusting what God had already told him. Another story he used is of the one king of Judah who was lied to by 400 prophets but told a true prophecy by one prophet. The 400 prophets were telling the king what he wanted to hear, but it wasn't from God.
1 Timothy 4:3-4 is true today in our culture. If you want to justify something using Scripture, there is most likely a book out there that has already done it. Homosexuality, materialism, the nonexistence of hell, etc. There are books and people that justify things like these; they have turned away from the truth and sound doctrine. In our culture, we need to have sound doctrine, and that comes from reading the Bible for yourself.
Francis Chan also mentioned the story in 1 Samuel 14 of how Jonathan and his armor-bearer trusted God and attacked the Philistines when the entire Israelite army was hiding in fear. Knowing the Bible for yourself will increase your trust in God to provide for you in whatever situation. Reading all the stories of how He's provided for His people and all the encouragements and promises He gives us in the Bible will increase your faith in Him. We need to take the Word for what it is: truth. It will give us sure footing in the midst of a culture ridden with slippery paths.
No comments:
Post a Comment