Living Truth

“If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” I John 1:10

While speaking at a church recently, I think I shocked them when I said that, at this stage in my life, I do not need any more Bible studies to attend or small group gatherings to banter about the Bible. Yes, the room went quiet as they tried to understand why those words would come out of my mouth. My answer to their mental rhetorical question was that I don’t need any more information; I don’t need some new thought or inspiration – I need to DO what I already know to be the truth.

This phrase of John’s sticks in my mind today: “His word has no place in our lives”. I can stuff a lot of information in my brain but that does not mean that it becomes a part of my life. I have heard both Catholic and Protestant teachers say that the Bible was never meant to be dissected the way we are taught to do so in our seminaries. Jesus wasn’t really an expository preacher, so many ‘scholars’ would look down on Him today.

In his moving book, Jesus the Pastor, John Frye reminds us that the Bible is not the end, but only a means to an end:

“…just as in any exciting trip, the thrill is not in getting to know the map. This seems to be the primary goal of much evangelical teaching, with the map being the Bible. An exciting trip means more than reading the map; it means enjoying the sights and sounds of the places along the way. For the Christian, the destination is always God, and who will ever be able to fully explore him?”

Jesus did not teach seminary courses. He taught life as lived through the power of God. He got so excited about this new possibility with God the Father that He called it the ‘abundant life’. Jesus told stories, painted word pictures, and used common items and events to teach the most important spiritual truths. He wanted to make it so clear that everyone could grasp these life-giving truths and, as a result, transformation could occur.

I was talking to a pastor by phone one day and I told him that I could not remember what I had preached on the last time I was at his church. He quickly set me straight by telling me it did not matter because even if I preached the same message again no one would remember. I accepted that truth, but only partially. I said to my friend, they may not remember what I preached on, but they will remember the stories.

I have had people come up to me and tell me that they heard me ten years earlier and they remember a story I told about my dad, or my son, or my wife. They will even remember jokes that I tell. Jesus knew that the human mind may not hold on to systematic theology, but it will hold on to stories that illustrate a spiritual truth.

It is this living truth, or should I say, the Truth living in us that brings about change. So you must stop and ask yourself, “Have all of the sermons I have heard, all the Bible studies I have been in, and all of the conferences I have attended changed any one thing about my behavior that I can identify?” The way that you and I answer that question is of extreme importance.

John indicates that the ‘Word of God’ must indeed have a place in our lives, meaning it should transform the way that we live. Eugene Peterson wrote “All truth must be experienced personally before it is complete, before it is authentic.” We must return to the Gospels often to read the words of Jesus to find out how we are to live. His parables, illustrations, and stories are there for us to integrate into our very way of living. The story of the Good Samaritan is not just a nice bedtime story; it is meant to be lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit.

No, I don’t need to hear another sermon on the Good Samaritan; I need to become the Good Samaritan. I am not anti-church or anti-sermon at all. I just believe that most of our churches are filled with people who really don’t need more information; they need a model of how you live Christ in the world. As one pastor recently told me, “If I don’t model this behavior of working with the down-and-out then I can’t expect my church to become involved with these people on the street.”

Find a teaching of Jesus this week and live it out. As Eugene Peterson said - Experience it personally”.

Peace to you,

Dan

P.S. By the time you receive this devotion I will be well on my way to Rwanda with a team of 25 people. Can I ask you to stop for a moment and pray for us as we go to bless the poor and share Jesus Christ with the multitudes? I would sure appreciate your prayers. Thank you!

Copyright 2009 Eternity Minded Ministries