Friday, September 9, 2016

The B-I-B-L-E That's the Book for Me!

In Nehemiah 8, the wall was built and all the people in Jerusalem came together to worship the Lord. The priest Ezra read from the Book of the Law of Moses. (The Torah) They stood from daybreak until noon as Ezra read and listened attentively. That in itself is amazing but what happens next is what is missing today. As the people heard the Word of God they began weeping over their sin... In our country there has been a controversy the past two weeks about using the Bible with unbelievers...some pastors are saying that it might turn the lost away from God and might not be understandable to them. I cannot say how very wrong this kind of thinking is. If we don't have the Word of God to guide us, then what we have is merely man's opinion of what is right. These people in Jerusalem merely heard God's word read and repented...then Nehemiah said, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 8:10 A verse later says, "Then all the people went to eat and drink...because they now understood the words that had been made known to them." 12 When we try to find a "better way" to reach the lost rather than what God has said, we are making disciples of ourselves not disciples of Jesus. Are there parts of the Bible that at first are hard to understand...yes! But when the Holy Spirit comes, He gives us understanding. Today, believer, don't fall for the pop culture that says the Bible is not necessary...the words within it have the only defensive weapon against the enemy we have. Jesus Himself used scripture to fight with satan in the desert. If we listen long enough, we will understand and have joy!

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