Ministry|
Lewis Memorial Last Sunday we looked at the need for restoration of our soul from the 23rd Psalm and we used the King James Version of the Bible for its poetic beauty and eloquence. The Sunday before we used the most updated version of the Bible, The Message, as we looked at the 116th Psalm for some of the reasons why we love the Lord. I remind you of this to encourage you to look at different versions of the Bible when you are studying the Word of God to help you understand it and to help you apply it in your life. Let’s face it, scripture can be hard to understand sometimes, but we must keep reading it and studying it. There is a difference in these two things I just said – reading and studying the Bible are two different things! Many of us read the Bible every day, but a whole lot less of us study it! There is a difference between the two but this is not a negative thing I am talking about. Reading the Bible is so important and I encourage you to pray before you start reading that God, by the Holy Spirit, will enable you to understand what you are reading and to apply it to your life. Bible study differs from Bible reading in that you are being intentional in your reading to see what was going on at the time it was written and you want to concentrate on the events going on at the time. You look up other scripture that helps what you just read to make sense. You use Biblical reference books and Bible dictionaries to explain things like the Sanhedrin and the Arc of the Covenant and what a manger scene actually looked like. Don’t get me wrong! I am not saying that one is better than the other; that studying is better than just reading! I’m just saying there is a difference and if you want to get deeper in the Word of the Lord then I encourage you to join a Bible study or get involved in a Sunday school class. Both reading and studying brings you joy! Here’s the thing about the Bible – whether you are reading a few verses every morning with your Upper Room or with another devotional guide, or you are dissecting the letters of The Apostle Paul in a corporate Bible study – both ways lead to spiritual growth! And there is joy in spiritual growth! Just look at our scripture reading again from 2 Peter 1. This is Peter’s 2nd letter to the Christians in Rome mainly because of the false teachings that are troubling the churches there. Peter’s intent of this letter was to encourage Christians to grow in the knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. Chapter 1, verses 3 and 4 says that God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and that He has given us His great and precious promises! Where do we see and hear about these promises? Through the Word of God! Right here in the Bible! Peter goes on to say that these promises from God help us escape from the corruption and evil desires of this world. When we live by God’s promises and not by the ways of this world then we are able to have spiritual growth, and great joy comes with it. When we grow spiritually then several things happen. It brings joy to God, joy to others, and joy to ourselves. If you have had children then you probably recall the great joy you had when you brought your baby home for the first time. Great joy also filled your heart when your child started recognizing you and smiling at you when you walked in the room. As your baby grows you delight in the different stages he or she goes through. The same joy comes to our heavenly Father as He watches us grow in our spiritual walk with Him. When we grow spiritually it brings great joy to our heavenly Father who rejoices with us as we gain knowledge and grow in our faith. God is like a proud parent when we do the things that bring Him joy! Look with me at 1Timothy 2:1-4. Paul writes to Timothy, a young pastor serving in Ephesus, and he tells Timothy a few things that bring joy to God. Paul wrote, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” The only way most of us are ever going to pray for our local, state, national, and world leaders – whom Paul called kings and all those in authority – is if and/or when we experience spiritual growth. As we grow in our prayer life then we find ourselves praying for people and situations that we never prayed for before. And this pleases God! It brings joy to the Lord because God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth which is Christ Jesus! When you grow spiritually it brings joy to God! When we continue to get into the Word of God and grow in our spiritual walks with the Lord then we start living our lives more after the example of Jesus. One of the most important things Jesus taught was to love others! Spiritual growth leads us to love everyone and it brings joy to others! Read and study this Bible and you will see so many occasions where helping others, putting their needs before our own, and reaching out to the least, last, and lost were words from Jesus to His followers. Starting today our church hosts 3families – a total of 8 people, through Interfaith Hospitality…………… Jesus said at the end of Matthew 9 that “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” Jesus’ words, found here in the Bible, reminds us that through studying the scripture and through prayer we can experience spiritual growth and it will bring joy to God and to others! This is also serving out of joy – not duty…..! There is one other thing that happens when we grow spiritually and it should not be over looked! Our own spiritual growth makes personal happiness possible! When you were growing up did you ever get your mom or dad to measure you on your closet door to see how tall you had gotten since the last measurement? Or maybe you would stand back-to-back with an older sibling or another family member to see how tall you had grown. I had a favorite uncle who always seemed like a giant of a man to me when I was growing up. He was 6-4 and I always wanted to be as tall as my uncle Bill so every time I saw him I wanted to measure up to him. I finally caught him and it was a joy to reach that physical growth! The difference in that kind of growth and our spiritual growth is that one ends but the other never stops! I caught up to my uncle Bill and stopped growing physically, but I will never fully stop growing spiritually. None of us should! As we live we should do as Paul told Timothy to do in 2Timothy 2:15 and study to show ourselves approved unto God, so we can correctly handle the word of truth. It is through our spirits that we grow the most and it shows in our every day living as a child of God. I think Peter had it right in his second letter he wrote as far as what we are to add to our lives to be better suited to serve and follow and love the Lord our God. Do you remember what we read this morning? “Add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love!” If we add these things to our lives through prayer and reading and studying of the Bible then we will experience spiritual growth all of the days we are on this earth. I want to encourage all of you to either start or to continue to read AND study the Bible because as you do so you will experience spiritual growth which will bring joy to God, joy to others, and joy to yourself. |