Word and Spirit

Acts 2:42-47 paints perhaps the most breath-taking, awe-inspiring picture of New Testament church life. There are at least 10 key elements that comprised their life together first of which was a devotion to the apostle’s teaching, essentially Scripture as we know it. Now for those of us who are more on the charismatic side (the “without a seatbelt” version), we should pay very close attention. One of the first passions birthed in the heart of one who has just been baptized in the Holy Spirit, should be a red-hot devotion to Scripture. Not a casual assent to where you quote (or misquote) random verses, but to be devoted to it…dedicated to it…faithful to it.  

I think this is a beautiful picture of Word and Spirit. Clearly the Word teaches us about the Holy Spirit and how we can be clothed with power from upon high (Joel 2; John 14, 16; Luke 24; Acts 1, 2, 8, 9, 10 & 19 to name a few spots). To be faithful to Scripture, you can’t disregard the present day empowerment of the Holy Spirit. On the same token, if you love what the Holy Spirit does and are experiencing continual fillings of the Holy Spirit, you will find yourself loving Scripture more and more. A passion for Scripture and a passion for the Holy Spirit absolutely go together. This is what the early church found to be true. It confuses me, actually, that people try to separate the two. For example, in one aisle you have the word camp and in the other aisle you have the spirit camp and somehow they are diametrically apposed to one another. On the contrary, they are on the same team!  

So if you are all word and no spirit (you know what I mean), try living out a bit more of what the Bible says. I challenge you to read Acts 8, 9, 10 and 19 in one setting and ask yourself, “Is the baptism of the Holy Spirit automatic? Is it a gradual experience?” If you’re more on the spirit side and give little attention to the reading and study of scripture, I challenge you to read John 14 and 16 as well as Acts 1 and 2 and ask yourself, “What is the purpose and effect of being filled with the Holy Spirit? Am I experiencing these things?”

Does Good Doctrine Save Us?

Most pastors who ascribe to reformed theology (myself included) are very clear that we are not saved by “good works”, but I am not sure that we are convinced that we are not saved by good doctrine…at least not in practice. We are very careful not to tell people you need to do the right things so God will love you, but I am wondering if we are not unknowingly telling people they have to think a certain way for God to love them?

What got me asking this question is my recent study of the Passover meal found in Exodus 12. You know the story: God sends Moses to tell Pharaoh to “Let My people go!” Pharaoh refuses, so God sends a series of plagues – boils, frogs, darkness, etc. After nine of these plagues, Pharaoh still says no, so God decides to kill everyone firstborn…all of them. Now God comes to Moses and gives him a plan of salvation, which was to kill a lamb, paint the blood of that lamb on their doorpost and eat the meat for dinner than night. God would then send the “Destroyer” that night to kill every firstborn of every household unless there was blood on the doorpost of that home. Now what’s interesting for us to give serious thought to is that the “Destroyer” did not care if it was an Egyptian home or a Hebrew home. He gave no credence to race, color, or economic status. He didn’t care how good of a person you were and he didn’t even care what your theology was. The only thing he cared about was whether or not there was blood on the doorpost. In other words, there was either a dead son or a dead lamb in every household.

In our preaching, teaching and presentation of the gospel, we must never lose sight that at the heart of Christianity, is not good behavior nor is it even good doctrine. At the heart of Christianity is the substitute death of an innocent lamb.

When Reading the Bible is a Waste of Time

I began regularly teaching the Bible four years ago at Jubilee Church St. Louis. And since then, there are several verses that sober me if not haunt me. Such as…

• James 3:1, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur stricter judgment.”
   
• Mark 9:42, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

These verses (along with many others) are strong warnings to be keep my teaching Biblical and about Jesus, but none more haunting for me than John 5:38-40, Jesus addressed the Pharisees (who had the OT memorized) by saying,

“³⁸ and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. ³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

As one who studies and teaches the Bible, these verses are especially sobering because they say that it is possible to read the Bible and do so in vain. When might our study of Scripture be in vain? When we make Scripture an end itself and fail to see Jesus as the trajectory of any text that we are reading, studying or preaching.

Life and ultimate truth is not found in the study of Scripture if it doesn’t lead us to Jesus. When Jesus is taken out of the equation, reading the Bible is a waste of time at best and can even become an idol (something we value over God).

How Can we Then Make the Most of Reading the Bible?

I think Luke 24:44-45 gives us the best answer, “Now He said to them (the disciples), ‘these are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Bottom line to getting the most out reading the Bible is to have Jesus Himself open our minds to understand the Scriptures and show us that they are really about Him. Having the best study tools won’t help you if Jesus doesn’t “open your mind”. Without Jesus, reading Scripture is as helpful as turning on the lights for a blind man. For sight to occur you need both light (external) and a good eye (internal). To understand Scripture you need to actually read it (external). However, reading it isn’t enough. Jesus needs to open your mind (internal). Otherwise, you get caught up in the same game the Pharisees did called religion, legalism and idolatry. Therefore, pray before your read. Pray that He will open your mind to true understanding.