I know the Word!

-
As a pastor, I'll get upset, frustrated, at myself for not being able to quote "an exact chapter & verse" of a biblical principle I'm trying to share. But, I don't look at scripture verse by verse. I try to include every verse in context, with it as it applies to scripture in its entirety. So, rather than looking at, or quoting one verse, my mind is thinking of thirty verses.
Anyway, I began this post with this in mind: I can know every scripture in the Bible. I can randomly quote chapter and verse on the spot. My scripture memory can rank among the best. I can be that scripture wiz kid! (Motive?)
But, you know what? Unless I am growing. Unless I am Changing. Unless I am growing closer to God. Unless I am allowing the Word to build me and cause Christ-like behaviors in me, then the Word is Useless to me.
I can know and quote all the scripture I want, and still, go to hell. Even Satan knows the word (Matthew 4) (2 Timothy 2)
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness (i.e. knowing the Word) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
What is the complete meaning of "Abundantly" in John 10:10 or "Judge" in Matthew 7:1 compared to 1 Corin. (look it up in the Greek) A simple point: A word in "Your English Translation" can have ten (10) different meanings in the Greek.
That is why you have pastors, leaders, etc. No man can be self-taught. And that is why simply knowing and quoting scripture is not enough. (James) (Psalm 119).
But, DO study and know the Word 2 Timothy 2:15
May the Word change you daily,
Pastor Gregg Crisp

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Speak

-
Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me .’” –  John 14:6 Are you being tolerant of other’s beliefs to the point of saying nothing? Not even sharing your testimony because you don’t want to offend anyone? Is the message of “tolerance” keeping you quiet? If so, you may want to consider who is influencing your decision to remain silent. A well-known biblical teacher recently quoted the phrase, “Preach the Gospel, and if necessary, use words.” But Scripture states the importance of using words, as  Romans 10:17  explains, “Consequently,  faith  comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Words are essential to use in leading individuals to Salvation.  1 Peter 1:23  emphasizes it stating, “For you have been born again, not of perishable see, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” Shutting up is the last thing Christians should be doi
Read more

Repent

-
At Evident Church, part of our mission is to heal, and empower, men and women that struggle with addiction (99% of us have an addiction). Our community believes that in every mistake, there is potential for healing. Nothing a person can do will close the door forever with God and with a loving and forgiving community- even if that person feels beyond  redemption , is put back in prison, or cannot find sobriety in this life. Our practice is simple: take a step back, apologize, make amends, learn something new, and move on. Once, a women relapsed after she had been working with Pastor Gregg for more than a year. During that time, she borrowed money she would never pay back. She stole from her friends and lied to them too. The damage to her relationships was like a tsunami of destruction. Her downward spiral of devastation ended when she found herself back in prison. One of the first steps on her journey to restoration was to write letters to those she had hurt to say how sorry s
Read more

CR seven features

-
I believe great churches are built by broken people, ministering to other broken people. Brokenness is a willingness to abandon our pride, our pretensions, and our self-righteous posturing. And it is the prerequisite to God’s blessing on our lives and our congregations. Jesus said,  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”  (Matthew 5:3 NIV). When we reach the end of our rope and give up our self-sufficiency, that’s when God moves into our lives with healing and growth. Sin is addicting, and “all have sinned.” That means we’ve all created ungodly and unhealthy methods for handling life, so every church needs to have some form of a recovery ministry. Not one of us is untainted, and because of sin, we’ve all hurt ourselves, we’ve all hurt other people, and others have hurt us. Each of us needs repentance and recovery in order to live our lives the way God intended. At Saddleback, we’ve watched the miracle of  Celebrate Recovery  develop and expa
Read more