Hebrews 5:11-14 MSG
I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you've picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.
When kids start back to school, many times the first thing that takes place is they have some classes that go back over what they learned the previous year.
That is what the Holy Spirit does with us from time to time in our Christian journey as well.
I. Reading…
Psalm 119:66-67 NLT I believe in your commands; now teach me good judgment and knowledge. I used to wander off until you disciplined me; but now I closely follow your word.
Mark Brown in a "talk" he gave to "a Christian Leadership Conference on the topic of Bible in the church today." In part one he points out the shocking statistics on Bible reading among Kiwi (and even worse, US Christians).
…In similar studies recently conducted in the U.S. showed that only 12% of professing Christians read the bible. Twelve percent! This is an issue that faces the Western Church and this is an epidemic.
Some statistics:
* About 92 percent of Americans own at least one copy of the Bible.
* The average household has 3 copies.
* About 67 percent of Americans say that the Bible holds the answers to the basic questions of life.
* The Bible is the world's all-time best seller.
* At least 20 million copies are sold each year.
* Gideon International annually distributes more than 45 million copies.
Biblical knowledge (Biblical illiteracy is rampant):
* About 15 percent of Americans participate in Bible studies.
* The number of people who read the Bible, at least occasionally is 59%.
* Less than 50% of Americans can name the first book of the Bible.
* Only 1/3 of Americans know who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (more people identified Billy Graham rather than Jesus).
* 25% of Americans don't know what is celebrated on Easter.
* Twelve percent of Christians think that Noah's wife is Joan of Arc.
* Eighty percent of born-again Christians (including George W. Bush) think it is the Bible that says "God helps them that help themselves." (Actually it was said by Benjamin Franklin.)
Only 11%,” of Americans read the Bible every day.
More than half read it less than once a month or never at all. 18% of born-again Christians read their Bibles once a day, while 23% who professed to be Christians said they never read their bibles at all.
"Biblical illiteracy is one of the biggest problems facing the Church in America today. A recent survey indicates that the average American owns three copies of the Bible, but doesn’t read any of them. According to Woodrow Kroll, president of Back to the Bible, the organization that conducted the survey, “The problem is not that people cannot read the Bible, it’s they don’t read the Bible…Bible literacy is not (a) problem in the church. Bible literacy is (THE) problem in the church. It impacts everything else we do.”
Psalm 119:57-64 NLT LORD, you are mine! I promise to obey your words! With all my heart I want your blessings. Be merciful as you promised. I pondered the direction of my life, & I turned to follow your laws. I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.
Evil people try to drag me into sin, but I am firmly anchored to your instructions. I rise at midnight to thank you for your just regulations.
I am a friend to anyone who fears you—anyone who obeys your commandments. O LORD, your unfailing love fills the earth; teach me your decrees.
What will it take for YOU today to become one of the numbers it will take to change that 11-12% who read the bible every day?
Do we have enough passion to see it move to at least 50%???
Psalm 42:1-2 CEV As a deer gets thirsty for streams of water, I truly am thirsty for you, my God. In my heart, I am thirsty for you, the living God.
II. Writing…
Writing, to teachers, is a critical way of communication in our society today. Especially as we see computers, iPads, Cellphones playing such a BIG part of people’s lives today.
Ezra 1:1 NLT In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom…
God moved his heart to put this proclamation in writing & have it distributed throughout the kingdom.
I want you to notice that numbers of times in the New Testament we find God leading people to write…
1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1 NLT I am writing to God’s church…
2 Corinthians 13:10; Galatians 1:20 NLT I am writing this to you…
Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2 NLT I am writing to God’s holy people…
1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1 NLT We are writing to the church…
1 Timothy 1:2;3:14; 2 Timothy 1:2 NLT I am writing to Timothy…
Titus 1:4 NLT I am writing to Titus…
Philemon 1:1 NLT I am writing to Philemon…
1 Peter 5:12 NLT My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you…
I want us to see that God has been moving in His people to write since the beginning.
He knew that writing was a way that helped us in seeing things clearer that just thinking about it in our minds.
Journaling is so important for people in retaining the things that are exposed or revealed to them as they go through life.
I read this article about writing;
The Value of Keeping a Journal
President Kimball said, "People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life's experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted."
But as Christians there are so many more reasons that we should value writing in our lives…
• How about answers to prayer that happens in your life?
• What about things God speaks to your heart while in prayer? If I believe God truly gave it to me, isn’t it worth writing down?
• What about prophetic words that are spoken over my life? Some may not be set to fulfill for a couple of years; if it is written down I will be able to identify it & give God the glory.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 NLT Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.
III. Arithmetic…
There are 4 basic areas that we are drilled to learn while in the elementary time in school; those would be addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division.
You may be asking yourself about right now; What in the world does this have to do with my spiritual life?
I am glad you asked! Lol.
In the spirit world in order for us to get our arithmetic basics right we had better be good at the first 2, Reading & Writing, because they will give us the ability to know how to deal correctly with the arithmetic.
Check it out!
In the life of a Christian 2 of the arithmetic’s carry a positive value & the other 2 carry a negative impact with them on the body of Christ.
Acts 2:41 NLT Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Acts 2:47 NLT And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
Acts 5:14 ESV And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women…
Do you see how God began showing the church that the desire of the kingdom was that people be adding to the church daily.
Acts 7:17 NKJV But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt…
Now we begin to see the Heavenly Father teaching multiplication.
Acts 6:7 NKJV Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Acts 9:31 NKJV Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.
Can you see all the great things that were going on for multiplication to work the way it was designed?
They were being edified by one another which produced peace. Because they were walking in the Fear of the Lord they had the supernatural comfort of the Holy Spirit.
In order for a math equation to work right it has to be done with the correct formula.
It is important that we read, then write, so we have the right knowledge & wisdom to make sure I stay in the place of adding & multiplying for the body of Christ!
We do not want to be practicing subtraction & division in the spiritual things of life!
1 John 4:10 NCV This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God's love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.
Jesus took care the main subtraction problem for our life so we could get involved with adding & multiplying in the church.
Revelation 3:11 NCV I am coming soon. Continue strong in your faith so no one will take away your crown.
Subtraction is not gone from the spiritual, but it is not what I want to be a part of when it is happening!
Revelation 22:19 NCV And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away that one's share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written about in this book.
Division in the spirit is something we want to pay close attention how we are involved in it as well.
Matthew 13:47-49 GNT Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish. When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away. It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good…
There is definitely going to be some dividing in the spiritual realm that I don’t want to be on the wrong side!
Psalm 133:1-3 NLT How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing, even life everlasting.
So today God has set in motion the desire for us to do a check up in our spiritual lives in these basic truths to make sure we are still on track with our Reading, Writing, & Arithmetic skills spiritually.
• Do you need to get to know the Awesome developer of these great truths? Jesus came to subtract & divide our sins from us so we could give our lives to adding & multiplying HIS church.
• Maybe you feel the Holy Spirit saying you need to come & let Him touch you in some areas that you seem to have let slip.
• Let’s receive whatever we need today to move forward! Is it reading? Writing? Or Adding & Multiplying?
