"Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching."
There is nothing that makes my spirit sink more than hearing from the pulpit, "...but we're not going to take the time for that now." This usually happens after the speaker has just referenced a longer passage of Scripture.
Forgoing the reading of these passages implies several interconnected things.
- It implies time constraints on the Holy Spirit. Sure, the Holy Spirit is allowed to work in the pastor's heart or the hearts of the people in the congregation, but he only has until straight up noon or until time for kick off.
- It implies that everyone in the church has ADHD and can't possibly tolerate listening to longer portions of God's Word. (There are any number of times in the Old Testament that we are told that the nation of Israel listened to the reading of Scriptures for hours at a time, all while standing.)
- It also implies that the speaker cuts the reading short in order to use the time for his own words. Which, in turn, implies that his words are more important than God's.
The parallel challenge for the laity? Don't short sheet your pastor's Bible reading! God's purpose for us is to be conformed to the image of his son and not conformed to this world (Romans 8:29, Romans 12:2). This world is concerned with time and fleshly pursuits (like football and whether the roast is burning). The pastor's job is to shepherd the flock in spiritual concerns. He should not feel pressured to cut out portions of scripture just to get us out "on time". Leave your watches at home. And take down the one in the sanctuary!!
There are also applications of this in our private lives as well. Do you spend more time reading what man has written about the Bible or reading Scripture itself?
**note** This has nothing whatsoever to do with anything that has happened in my church and is not directed at anyone in particular.
1 comment:
AMEN!! i have been involved in so many "Bible studies" that use books written by men about the Bible than actually studying the Bible. there are pastors who do all their preparation for sermons by researching commentaries rather than immersing them in the passage the Spirit puts on their heart. i agree with you. when i lead studies i emphasize using the passage, not other reference works.
Post a Comment