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The Context of the Great Commission

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Erik Raymond has a thoughtful piece entitled “The Context of the Great Commission is a Miracle.” He combines a number of helpful OIA skills: context, observation, overcoming familiarity, and head and heart application.

Sometimes we get discouraged about the mission. We don’t see the results we’d like. The sting of rejection lingers. The footsteps of apostasy haunt us. The seemingly unanswered prayers fatigue us. Looking through natural lenses, we could conclude the gospel is not working. Thinking like entrepreneurs or fishermen, we might conclude it’s better to pack up and go home. Maybe we should do something else.

But this is thinking naturally, not supernaturally. Remember the context of the Great Commission. Everyone was ready to go home after Good Friday. That’s the point. Christ rose from the dead and surprised everyone. He changed the whole narrative. He’s alive, ruling, reigning, and unstoppable.

Check it out!

The Staggering Consequences of Neglecting Your Bible

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Erik Raymond looks at Psalm 1 to draw out “The Staggering Consequences of Neglecting Your Bible.” He observes the severe contrasts in the psalm to draw the following conclusions:

So often we minimize doctrinal differences, but we cannot forget, doctrinal error leads to eternal punishment. We must be sure above all that we have that essential doctrine clear and see the Bible as God’s holy Word, given to us as a treasure to for reading, meditation, prayer, preaching, and singing. Too often our doctrinal confessions that assert a belief in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures are betrayed by lives that ignore them. We must be sure that we are not succumbing to the false teaching that denies the supernatural nature of the Bible.

When we look at the result of a life lived drinking and delighting in the Word contrasted with one that rejects and belittles it, we have ample cause for evaluating our habits and our hearts.

Here in the dawning of a new year, it is certainly healthy to ask yourself what changes you should make with your life in order to give yourself more faithfully to this Word. For motivation, you need only to consider the staggering consequences of neglecting your Bible.

Check it out!

God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading

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Erik Raymond reflects briefly yet gloriously on “God’s Subtle Work in Your Bible Reading.” With a personal anecdote, he models how important Bible reading is, even when it doesn’t rock your world every day. The persistent work of God over time is worth the effort we put in.

Here is a taste:

Here’s the thing: God uses your regular exposure to the Word of God to mold you into the image of his Son. Your faithful reading of and meditation upon the Bible makes grooves. And the wheels of your life ride along in these tracks. You might think, What’s the big deal if I don’t read my Bible and pray today? The big deal is this, you are missing out. You are missing out on being exposed to the gloriously infinite treasure of the Scripture. And you are missing out on the privilege of God pressing down the mortar of his Word into your life with all of the force of your current circumstances and emotions. You are missing out on the supernatural compound effect of Bible reading in sanctification.

Check it out!

Two Things Not to Say When Leading Bible Study

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Erik Raymond writes of “A Couple Phrases I Wish Preachers Would Stop Saying So Often.” And though Raymond directs his comments at pastors, Bible study leaders would be wise to listen in:

In recent years I’ve noticed an uptick in a couple of phrases from preachers and teachers. I don’t want to go so far as to mark them as homiletical cuss words, but I do want to draw a circle around them and ask why we are saying them so much. These two phrases are “I think” and “I feel.”

Let me explain. Suppose someone is preaching through Colossians and they come to chapter 3. They then read the following words aloud:

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:1–2)

Then they say, “I think what Paul is saying here is that we need to be seeking the things above.” After a pause, he goes on to say, “I feel like this is especially hard for us today because of all of our temptations for distractions.” Later he says, “I feel like too many of us, myself included, are really susceptible to this. I think it can really hinder our walk with Christ.”

Now what’s wrong with this phrasing? On one level, nothing. He is not saying anything wrong. But, at the same time, he is not saying it like he could. If he is not completely declawing the passage he is at least filing down its nails. He is saying it in a less authoritative and offensive way. And while he may still be bouncing the ball to his congregation for application it is a bit of a deflated ball, or at least not as pumped up as it could be.

To see how Raymond would revise such comments to sharpen their claws, you’ll have to read the full article. Check it out!

However, I will make one disclaimer. When we are not (or cannot be) certain about the meaning of a passage, “I think” would be a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Or if we move off the main point into the sub-sub-sub-points of the passage, we should also avoid confident bluster and bravado. Remember, the main points are the ones worth fighting for. And they are the points whose claws must never be pared.

The Coming Fizzle

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Erik Raymond has another insightful article this week about how to prevent a gospel-centered fizzle out. He’s concerned for the next generation of Christian pastors and Bible teachers, and he’s wondering whether we’ll be able to replicate the great teaching we’ve been hearing for a generation. Will we learn not only how to repeat what we’ve been told, but also to draw new conclusions from the same old texts on our own?

It’s one thing to have been able to say you have been to the restaurant and eaten a meal, but, if you don’t know how to get there yourself then you’ll never be able to eat that food again, much less take someone else out to enjoy the same experiences. My concern is that too many have been piling into Sproul’s theological minivan to go eat a feast but never learned how to actually find their way to the meal.

He writes of how important it is for us to learn to read, interpret, and rightly apply the Bible on our own. I couldn’t agree more.

Check it out!

Why We Don’t Read the Bible

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Erik Raymond proposes 5 reasons why many of us don’t read our Bibles:

  1. It makes us uncomfortable
  2. It’s too hard
  3. We are undisciplined
  4. We think it is stale and lifeless
  5. We have a dysfunctional relationship with God

Did you notice what’s missing from the list? “We’re too busy.” Raymond doesn’t buy that for a moment, and I think he’s right. We always have time for what we value the most.

Raymond’s conclusion:

Let’s be honest: if you don’t read your Bible it is because you don’t want to read your Bible. And to bottom line this further, this is indicative or your relationship with God. We cannot separate a love for the Word of God and the God of the Word.

Do you want to read your Bible? If not, why not?

Raymond’s article explains each of the reasons with helpful action steps of repentance. Check it out!

Making Use of the Sermon to Teach Bible Study to Kids

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Parents, you have a weekly opportunity to train your children to study the Bible. It’s taken me some time to realize it. Perhaps this nudge will help you take advantage of it as well.

Erik Raymond writes about “Helping Children Benefit from the Sermon.” He offers tips for both parents and pastors. Parents, have you considered:

  • Reading the sermon text before church?
  • Asking the children questions about the text?
  • Praying together for the preacher?
  • Asking and expecting your children to take notes or draw pictures about the sermon?
  • Reviewing the children’s notes after church?
  • Praying together for what God taught you?

Raymond’s ideas challenged and encouraged me. I encourage you to check it out.

God’s Word is Powerful and Undefeatable

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Check out this reflection from Erik Raymond about the Word of God:

Because it is God’s word, it is an undefeatable word. The Bible has all the essentials of the life and power of God to do his work! Isaiah says that the word of God does not return void; it does his work, powerfully so. The Word of God is powerful.

Just think with me about a couple of implications here:

From the standpoint of your own sanctification or spiritual growth, you need this book every single day. You need to read it, meditate on it, memorize it, and delight in it. You need it preached each Lord’s Day and you need it singing in your head all day long. It is a powerful book.

Erik goes on to give further implications for evangelism and apologetics. Sometimes we’re so careful to defend the Bible that we fail to unleash its power in people’s lives. I say, let ‘er rip.

Check it out!