Biblically Relevant
Series: We are here!
Sermon 1: We are here!
Summary: We are called to be a Spiritual Oasis in a dry parched weary land. We are called by God to be a church which distributes healing water to our community and to other Christians. We are to be a place that helps others to heal from the wounds of this world, this life and the wounds from other Christians. John 4:13-14: Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The new motto of our ministry is: “A place flowing with healing waters”
Thesis of the series: We are here in 2013 as a church and as Christian individuals to declare the message of Jesus and to bring in God’s heavenly harvest of souls. We are here to be the salt and the light of this world. To do this we must develop our 7 core values. Our seven core values are like our core muscles in our body they are there to prevent us from hurting ourselves, to give us stability, to help us keep our balance, they make it easier to do life’s daily tasks and they when strong help us to be healthy.
Our first core value is that we are Prayer focused!
Sermon 2: Prayer Focused!
Thesis: The church and all of us Christians should be prayer focused within our lives. Business should never choke out our prayer life instead we should be committed to prayer first. When we pray we discover God’s presence then we receive God’s power. The sequence I see in Scripture is Prayer-Presence-Power!
Our second core value is that we are Spirit empowered!
Sermon 3: Spirit Empowered
Thesis: Christian Hills Church recognizes that we need to be a Spirit empowered church which means we follow the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. It also means we yield our hearts as individuals to the Holy Spirit so that the power of Holy Spirit flows through our lives into others lives. We will receive this power by getting our 7 core values into shape and practice in our church daily. We know the key to overcoming in this life is being spirit empowered in our life and church. We understand that flesh gives birth to fleshly things but the spirit gives birth to spiritual things.
Our third core value is we are worship driven!
Sermon 4: Worship Driven
Thesis: Worship and being worship driven does not always imply music, instruments, singing or even the lifting of hands. To be worship driven for God means we honor God with our heart, mind, soul and our daily actions. It’s a matter of the heart to heart connection with God not so much the outward actions we do. Worship can look very different for each person depending on their personality but it can be done in various places and even through acts of service to the Lord.
Sermon 5: Biblically Relevant
Thesis: The Bible is relevant as much today as it was 1,000 of years ago. It still speaks to issues which are relevant to life today. We as Christians need to teach and model to others how relevant the Bible really is. The Bible has been impacting people from every race, nation and continent for over 2,000 years and is still the best-selling Book in the world. I call that relevant!
Introduction:
We believe that one of our core values here at Christian Hills Church is to show how relevant the Bible is for today. The Bible speaks to every facet of life and to just about every situation in life you may encounter. It’s covers subjects such as sociology, psychology, humanity, humanism, spirituality, afterlife, demons, angels, death, life, sacrifice, faith, science, biology, history, archaeology, philosophy, business, visions, dreams, math, problem solving, morality, ethics, arts, music, betrayal, love, forgiveness, purpose for life, success, failure, and many other topics. The Bible is unmatched by any other form of literature in the current world or from the ancient world.
The Bible has so many amazing facts says David Peach. Here is a list of ten of them.
1 – The Writing of the Bible
The Bible was written over a 1600 year period by approximately 40 men. The time of the writing was from 1500 BC to AD 100.
2 – The Divisions of the Bible
While the Bible is 1 book, it contain 66 smaller books. The books of the Old Testament were written before the birth of Jesus Christ and the New Testament covers the life of Christ and beyond.
3 – Chapters and Verses
Each of the books, except 5, are divided into chapters and verses. The 5 which aren’t divided by chapters are Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude. These are short books which only have verse divisions. Chapters were introduced to the Bible in 1238 by Cardinal Hugo de S. Caro. Verse divisions were not added until 1551 by Robertus Stephanus.
4 – The Longest and Shortest of the Bible
The longest chapter if the Bible is Psalm 119 with 176 verses. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117 with only 2 verses. Incidentally, the middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 117.
The longest book of the Bible is Psalms with 150 chapters, or psalms. It contains 43,743 words. The shortest book is 3 John with only 1 chapter and 299 words.
The longest verse in the Bible is Esther 8:9 with 90 words. The shortest verse is John 11:35 with only 2 words, “Jesus wept.”
5 – The Bible Claims to be God’s Word
There are many books written about and by various religions. But the Bible is the only one which claims to be the actual words of God. Those who believe the Bible also believe that God inspired various people through the years to write down His actual words for mankind. The Bible says more than 3,000 times “thus saith the Lord.” It claims that the words which follow are quotes from God.
6 – The Bible is Historically Accurate
There were several secular historians who wrote about the events of the New Testament at the same time the Bible was being written. Josephus is the most well-known of them. He was a Jewish historian. Tacitus was a Roman historian who would have no benefit from not telling the truth. Both these men, as well as others, can be used to back up the historical accuracy of the Bible. There are historical discoveries regularly coming to light that continue to support the accuracy of the Bible. Merrill Unger, who compiled a Bible dictionary wrote, “Old Testament archeology has rediscovered whole nations, resurrected important peoples, and in a most astonishing manner filled in historical gaps, adding immeasurably to the knowledge of Biblical backgrounds.”
7 – The Business of the Bible
There are more than 168,000 Bibles either sold or given away per day in the United States according to the Gideon’s, Wycliffe International and the International Bible Societies. Historically it has been said that the Bible is the most sold book of all time. It is regularly on various best seller lists. The Bible has been translated into more than 1,200 languages (In a more recent report 2002 on biblica.com it says it’s been translated into over 2,500 languages).
8 – The Bible Never Contradicts Itself
There are no contradictions in the Bible. Various people claim to find contradictions but they have to take verses out of context to do so. When looking at the Bible as a whole and understanding its teachings there are no contradictions. This is amazing when one considers that the Bible was written over such a long period of time 1,600 years.
9 – The Prophecies of the Bible
There are more than 3,200 verses with fulfilled prophecy either within the Bible itself or since the Bible was written. But there are still more than 3,100 verses with unfulfilled prophecies.
10 – The Writers of the Bible
While there were at least 40 different people who wrote parts of the Bible, some were more prolific than others. The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books of the Bible. He may have also been the author of the book of Hebrews. Moses wrote the first 5 books.
The Bible attributes more than 3,000 proverbs to King Solomon. These are not all written in the book of Proverbs. However, most of that book is said to be the proverbs of Solomon.
To Read more see: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/10-amazing-bible-facts/#ixzz2KziwR2Q9
T.S. - So to our topic: Is the Bible relevant – The Church relevant – Jesus relevant for today?
Opening Video Illustration from Bluefish TV - Is the Church Relevant?
While you listen to this video please pay attention to the answers of the people.
T.S. - Let’s explore the same question is the Church relevant today?
I. Is the Church relevant today?
a. What were some of your responses to the following comments from the video we just watched?
i. Church is the new family dinner? Do you agree?
1. Here is my response what would yours be: The new in thing is an irrelevant thing because church is for families and is the new family dinner? Not sure what this guy was thinking? But maybe he meant that family dinners no longer exist in most families today so does he mean it is no longer considered valuable to society to have dinner together as a family? That the church is for families and not singles? That the church is not relevant to a single culture?
2. I believe the church is to be relevant to our younger generations, singles, youth, college and career age and it can be relevant to them if we as church leaders choose to make this a priority. It can also be a safe place in this world of chaos. It’s to be a place flowing with love for one another –it’s to be a place where we support one another through the trials of life. I also strongly believe that the older mature Christians need to be mentoring the younger generation:
3. The following is taken from http://www.discipleshiptools.org/pages.asp?pageid=64822:
a. What is Mentoring?
i. “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2
b. Being a mentor is modeling and teaching other Christians the precepts of the Bible and Christian life-mainly prayer, doctrine, Christian living, and worship. It is the practicing of what Romans calls mutual faith, which means encouragement, support, and our spiritual gifts, all working as a team to inspire, encourage, and instruct one another (Eph. 4:15-16).
i. This is the strength of the church; without it, we will fail personally and as a church.
ii. Mentoring has two main aspects: one, it is learning, and then, it is being a coach to the learner.
c. I believe this is a missing element in the church today – I find very few older men or women who are discipling younger men or women like Paul did Timothy, like Barnabas did with Paul, like Barnabas with John Mark.
d. Christian Hills is going to seek to mentor others in Christ –it’s part of our vision and it’s a core value of our church. So I do encourage you to personally look around and find some to mentor and encourage in their faith.
i. Jesus disciple 12 men – who are you investing in for the Kingdom of Heaven?
ii. Nowadays, the church has a declining, negative role in society? Do you agree?
1. Here is my response but what would yours have been? In America today 40% of the people attend church on a regular basis. It is the same ratio of those who watch the Super Bowl. 40% of America watches the Super Bowl. The Super bowl is huge even because of the huge audience who watches it – commercials are designed for this audience base, this large group of people. But church attendance is huge but the main stream media actually attacks this large audience.
2. Why? Think about this for a moment, when was the last time in a movie or a Tv show did you see the characters portrayed as involved in a church, a worship service or even a Bible Study? Do you think or believe the media Hollywood is trying to attack the church –make it sound irrelevant - outdated?
a. You may think “Why would they do this?” Answer is because they do not agree with the Bible’s value system, the Bibles morals or God’s direction for right living? So they seek to justify their sinful behavior by making it a normal way to live in this world on their movies, their shows, their books, their magazines and their articles.
i. It’s a redefinition of what is right in wrong in the world. They are out to get you to ignore the Bible as outdated old fashion not a way you should be living your life for God.
3. Jesus said “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
a. Why? The main stream media does not represent God they represent humanism which is at odds with the Bible’s teaching and God’s words of life.
4. Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:18-19 the following: 18Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”
a. Don’t be deceived by the media – don’t get caught in their trap of deception.
iii. The church is too separated with all the different denominations? Do you agree?
1. Here is my response but what would yours have been: I agree with this one – the church is way to fragmented and at odds with one another – Jesus prayed about this and asked the Father to unite His followers in (John 17:20-26):
a. 20“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:
23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”
b. Jesus also said in Matthew 6:14-15: 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
2. Many Christians today in America and abroad don’t forgive or listen to Jesus prayer to the Father about unity. They ignore the warnings of Bible and choose to get angry and sin. They choose to not forgive and therefore get bitter and leave churches like they are a consumer business designed to cater to their every demand. They go to other churches – a the while slamming the church they left as if it is of the Devil and they never see how they are making Jesus’ church look bad to the unsaved world.
3. So is Jesus to blame for this as the head of the church –is this God’s fault or is it the Christian people who feel they have a right to slam others in the body of Christ and judge others Christians?
4. Here are some other questions to ponder:
a. Do we as Christians complain more about the church than we praise her?
b. Do we judge others rather than invite them in?
c. Do we shun those in the church who we think don’t deserve to next to me in my chair because they are below our standard of what we consider to be a good Christian?
d. Are we as Christian loving others or exerting power and control over others so we get our selfish ways?
e. Are we to blame for the church not being relevant by our unwillingness to forgive others and to show forgiveness toward one another?
iv. Being lost in the wilderness and eating bugs is not relevant to me? Do you agree?
1. Here is my response but what would your response have been? Is there a character in the Bible ever lost in wilderness spoken of in the Bible? Is there anyone other than John the Baptist who ate wild locusts and honey – which in some cultures is considered good eating by the way?
a. John was led into the wilderness by the Lord, so were the Israelites, so was Jesus.
2. To me this person does not know what the Bible really says other than she heard some stories from it and the blended them all together to form a view which is not accurate or even relevant to the Bible.
a. How many people do you think have a misunderstanding of the Bible because they never read it?
v. The church is too worried about stepping on toes? Do you agree?
1. This man believes the church is no longer calling sin – sin and therefore the church is compromising the Gospel. Could he be referencing this passage of Scripture prophesied 1,000 of years ago by the Bible:
a. 2 Timothy 3:1-5: 1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
b. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
c. 2 Timothy 4:2-5: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
d. Or how about this Scripture?
i. Isa 5:20-23: 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. 22 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks, 23 who acquit the guilty for a bribe, but deny justice to the innocent.
2. Question: Are some church leaders doing this today redefining God’s Word and changing what He calls good and evil?
a. Not calling sin – sin?
b. What do you think God thinks about this?
c. What does the Bible say God thinks of this?
i. God will never bless sin – He never has and never will!
ii. God has always judged unrepentant sin. He calls what it is!
3. Let’s look at some other responses from our video today:
vi. Church is a place to find answers! Do you agree?
1. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11: “7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
2. James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
3. In light of these two Scriptures and I could have highlighted more I agree the Church – that is prayer focused, spirit empowered and biblically rooted will be a place to find answers to life’s questions and concerns
4. How many today can raise your hand up and say that you found answers to some of your questions of life from the Bible?
a. Have a show of hands.
vii. Whatever situation you fall into, you can find one just like in the Bible! Do you agree?
1. Here is my response and why I agree:
2. Here are just a few life scenarios the Bible covers from “The Bible for Hope – caring for people God’s way: This Bible describes 116 of life’s most difficult moments and outlines from the Bible how to handle these situations in life.
a. Abortion - The debate of the right to life – Psalm 139:16, Ex. 21:22, Jer. 1:5; Luke 1:41
b. Abuse- Hope for healing - Judges 19:25; Gen. 19:4-9; Gen 50:20; 2 Kings 16:3
c. Addictions- Overcomers – Col. 3:5,6; Is. 5:11; Hos. 3: 1 Cor. 6:9-12
d. Adolescent Problems – The disconnected generation – 2 Sam. 15; Luke 15:17,18; 1 Sam 2:12; Deut. 21:18-21; Proverbs 1:8-19
e. Attitudes – How to be positive in a un-positive world – Mic. 6:8; Rom 12:1.2: 2 Sam. 6:16: Ex. 9:12; Col. 3:2: Phil 2:2-4
i. Show the Bible of Hope and reference other topics to the congregation, have other Bibles on a table to show what they focus on.
ii. All these different Bibles reveal that the Bible has answers to real life dilemmas and situations.
viii. When people say the Bible is not relevant, it’s because they do not read it! Do you agree?
1. This response says it all – if you don’t read the Bible you don’t know how relevant it is – let ask another question here this morning how many of you have read through the entire Bible? How many read it every day? When you read it does it speak to your situation?
2. But here is the key to understanding the Bible and for it to be relevant - you have to read it and ask the Lord to speak to you through it and help you be able to apply it to your daily life.
3. The Holy Spirit will speak to you through the Bible – I have experienced this in my life and I recall the specific time that the Lord gave me a verse to affirm my call here to Christian Hills Church as lead pastor:
a. Proverbs 14: 4: “Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.”
b. After hearing the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit to go look up this verse then upon reading it I knew the Lord had spoken to me about my calling.
ix. All people are reaching out for religion in one form or another! Do you agree?
1. I believe everyone is searching for truth in the realm of the spirit but for too many they get deceived by the Devil and believe in something that is not true at all. This is why it is so important for the church to rise up and point people to Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God’s word of truth for today.
2. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20 the following: “18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
a. We are called to help those who are searching for truth to find it in Jesus!
3. Jesus also said in Mark 16:15-18: 15He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
4. He told us to go tell the world the truth – why? – so that they would not be deceived and instead be set free! This is the primary mission of the church! For us to be relevant we have to go communicate the truth of the Bible and of Jesus to the people around us.
T.S. - Transition from Video statements to We are Biblically Relevant as a church and as individual Christians!
II. Is the Bible Relevant for today and the future?
a. So how are you doing at answering the real question being proposed today: “Is the Bible relevant for today?”
b. Video Illustration: The Bible by sermon search
i. Once again in our video clip we do discover the power, and the uniqueness of the Bible!
ii. The Bible was completed about 1,900 plus years ago written by 40 different authors in various time frames of history (1,600 plus) and from different places on the earth (3 different continents) which is remarkable and unmatched.
iii. But its revelation of Jesus and God the Father, its accuracy, its historical data, its archaeological data, its understanding of human behavior, its scientific information and its relevance for everyday life is unmatched by any other written literature in the world.
iv. The Bible has a primary objective and that is a revelation of God to us of who He is and also revealing to us His plan for humanity.
c. The Book is amazingly relevant today and for our time frame! The Bible is about God’s story and His relationship with mankind.
i. Quote answering “Is the Bible relevant?”: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-relevant.html
1. However, the Bible is not a history book, a psychology text book, or a scientific journal. The Bible is a description God gave us about who He is, and His desires and plans for humanity. The most significant component of this revelation is the story of our separation from God by sin and God’s provision for restoration of fellowship through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, on the cross. Our need for redemption does not change. Neither does God’s desire to reconcile us to Himself.
2. The Bible contains a great deal of accurate and relevant information. The Bible’s most important message—redemption—is universally and perpetually applicable to humanity. God’s Word will never be outdated, superseded, or improved upon. Cultures change, laws change, generations come and go, but the Word of God is as relevant today as it was when it was first written. Not all of Scripture necessarily applies explicitly to us today, but all Scriptures contain truth that we can, and should, apply to our lives today.
ii. The following quote is from http://www.biblica.com/bibles/faq/10/ answering the question “Is the Bible relevant?”
1. Yet as far as reliability is concerned, it's only fair to note that the Bible contains the best documented text of any volume in human history. Perhaps the most amazing support comes from the Dead Sea scrolls which were discovered in 1947 after lying in the Qumran caves for nearly 2000 years. Here were literally thousands of pieces from the Old Testament, and some were nearly a thousand years older than anything we had before. And yet there is a 98% similarity to the texts that are in common use. Both Christians and Jews were confirmed in their faith in the trustworthiness of the text handed down through the centuries. The attempts to tamper with the text have basically failed, and our treasure of God's revelation has come down to us intact.
a. Yes, the Bible is accurate and relevant to us today and God has seen to keep it so.
d. But is the ancient book really relevant to the issues of our frantic, post-modern world of microscopes and satellites?
i. Christians do find that it is relevant! For us, life is not simply an empty journey, a trip to acquire more toys until eventually it's all over. From the pages of the Bible we read about our role in God's design and kingdom, and how our lives are touched with purpose and meaning. And at the end there is more than a gloomy extinction at the conclusion of a hectic life, but a great reunion where I plan to meet Jesus face to face.
e. Story of Voltaire - French philosopher Voltaire said that in a hundred years from his day the Bible would have passed into the mists of history as people became more liberated and enlightened. He is dead now and the Bible is still the best-selling book in the world and still influencing billions of people yearly in this world. It’s also interesting to note that the house Voltaire lived in was eventually remodeled into a Bible Distribution center to get the Bible out to the people.
f. DR. R. G. LEE ON THE BIBLE
i. The late Dr. R. G. Lee, former pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis TN expressed the value of God’s Word in this way:
1. "The Bible is a book beyond all books as a river is above and beyond a rivulet. The Bible is a book beyond all books as the sun is above and beyond a candle in brightness. The Bible is a book beyond all books as the wings of an eagle is above and beyond the wings of a sparrow. It is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, immeasurable in influence, infinite in scope, divine in authorship, human in penmanship, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, and inspired in totality. This is the Book that has walked more paths, travelled more highways, knocked at more doors and spoken to more people in their mother tongue than in other book this world has ever known or will know." (From a sermon by Rev. John D. Jones, That Ye May Grow, 7/20/2011)
g. Let’s look at what it means to be Biblically Relevant:
i. Definition Biblical – a. of, relating to, or being in accord with the Bible b. suggestive of the Bible or Bible times.
ii. Definition Relevant – a. having significant and DEMONSTRABLE bearing on the matter at hand b. AFFORDING evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion relevant testimony c. having social RELEVANCE.
h. Here I just one Scripture which speaks of the Bible’s relevance Psalm 119:11, 98-105:
i. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you…
ii. 98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.
99 I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.
100 I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.
101 I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word.
102 I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
i. Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
j. Our desire at Christian Hills Church is to show you all how relevant the Bible is in guiding and directing you life.
Conclusion:
How relevant is the Bible –the church – Jesus?
Article from Fox News: Does the Bible still matter in 2012?
After all the very visible fighting about public displays of religious symbols— from 10 Commandments plaques to graveyard crosses to faith-themed war memorials to holiday manger displays—you might have developed the impression that most Americans don’t think the Bible matters today and they like it that way.
You’d be wrong.
There is a lot of speculation about both the current role and the appropriate role of the Bible in America. But each year, American Bible Society puts the guessing aside and asks a sampling of Americans to tell us how they view and use the Bible and what they believe its role should be in America. Recently, American Bible Society released this year’s results from that research in the 2012 State of the Bible report.
The State of the Bible in America in 2012 can be summed up in a two words: encouraging and unsettling.
The research, commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research, found that the majority of Americans (69%) believe the Bible provides answers on how to live a meaningful life. But while 79% believe they are knowledgeable about the Bible, 54% were unable to correctly identify the first five books of the Bible. And approximately half of Americans surveyed didn’t know the fundamental differences between the teachings of the Bible, Koran and Book of Mormon, with 46% percent saying they believe all three books teach the same spiritual truths.
While nearly half of Americans (47%) believe the Bible has too little influence in society—a far cry from the anti-faith picture often painted in culture—approximately half (46%) say they read the Bible no more than once or twice a year.
What the State of the Bible report also confirmed is that the lack of engagement with the Bible among Americans isn’t caused by a lack of access to it. Here in the United States, 85% of households own a Bible. Actually, most families own more than one, with a household average of 4.3 Bibles.
Looking more closely at the data, something really interesting emerges. When we examine responses to the question “Do you believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to live a meaningful life?”, we find that older respondents agreed at a much higher rate than did younger respondents. While 61% of those surveyed between ages 18-27 agreed, those 47 years and older agreed at a rate of 75%.
Before you assert that older people are just naturally more traditional, remember that the older group is made up of the Woodstock generation, free-love ‘70s kids and the MTV generation. The data seems to say that the older you are, the more likely you are to value the Bible. Maybe it’s that our own life experiences prove the value of the Bible’s wisdom?
There is no doubt that the findings in The State of the Bible lead to some obvious questions. For instance…
If Americans believe in the value of reading and applying the Bible, why don’t more of us do so?
If we believe that the Bible has the right amount of—or too little—influence in society, why is so much negative attention given to expressions of the faith in the God of the Bible?
When survey participants were asked what frustrated them most about reading the Bible, the most oft-cited response was that they “never had enough time to read it.” The busy-ness of our lives often make it difficult for us to follow through on what we say we value. Another reason I often hear from non-Bible readers is that they find the sheer size of the Bible to be overwhelming.
So where does someone start who wants to be a Bible reader but doesn’t have a lot of time? A good place to begin is with the “Essential 100.” This list of 100 key verses and related stories do not contain everything the Bible has to say. What it does provide is a concise way to understand the bigger arc of the Bible without getting bogged down. For all of those who wonder what the Bible is really all about, The Essential 100 (available at e100.americanbible.org) is a great starting point.
Key statement of the Article: “So is the Bible really relevant in 2012? You won’t know until you read it.”
Lamar Vest is the president and CEO of the American Bible Society. Founded in 1816, the American Bible Society exists to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford, so all people may experience its life-changing message.
A note on survey methodology: The State of the Bible 2012 report contains the findings from a nationwide study commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research (a division of the Barna Group).
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/04/29/does-bible-still-matter-in-2012/#ixzz2KzoCYaEk
Our goal here at Christian Hills Church is to make the Bible relevant to your life – to help you understand it and apply it to your life and the life scenarios you find yourself in. We also challenge each of you as Christians to help make the Bible relevant to those you come in contact with by living it, reading it and passing it one to others.
The Bible! Quotes on its importance and relevance:
“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” ― Ronald Reagan
“I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from The Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“Take all that you can of this book upon reason, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier man. (When a skeptic expressed surprise to see him reading a Bible)” ― Abraham Lincoln
"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." — George Washington
“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon
"The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly."
— Søren Kierkegaard (Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard)
“If you really want to be a rebel get a job, cut your grass, read your bible, and shut up. Because no one is doing that.” ― Mark Driscoll
