As I was preparing for this Sunday's message, I found myself thinking about how people can, and often do, read the Bible for the wrong reasons. For example, do you read the Bible for information or for transformation? A person who reads the Bible for information is focused on only two questions: "What does the Bible say?" and "What the Bible mean?" People who read the Bible for information approach it as an ancient document that may tells us about God and His activity 2,000 years ago. And that is where it stops. So we can find ourselves reading the Bible for the data, the doctrine, and the theology so that we can be religious people who spend their time discussing and debating, but not living a life that reflects its teachings.
A person who reads for transformation, on the other hand, is focused not only on what the Bible says and what the Bible means. The person who reads the Bible for transformation asks two additional questions: "What are the timeless truths that the Bible proclaims?" and "What do I do with the timeless truth that the Bible proclaims?"
The Bible was not inspired by God to be informational; the Bible was inspired by God to be transformational. The Bible was inspired by God to engage us in an encounter with Him that results in a life that is growing and maturing to look more like Him.
This Sunday, we will look at how God expects us to respond to the words contained in the Bible and how people who have a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ engage this timeless book of timeless truth. Hope to see you there...
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