More on Reading What's God-Breathed
It's been great to read all the emerging church comments here in the month of January on reading the Bible through the year. Because evangelicalism has been accused of collapsing Christianity down to nothing more than reading the Bible and praying, it's been encouraging to see that folks understand that the answer is not to read the Bible less, but rather more closely.
I came across Robert Murray M'Cheyne's plan for reading thru the Bible in a year.
M'Cheyne has us read the OT once in the year and the NT twice and helpfully divides the Scriptures into family and private reading.
courtesy of Rich Johnson.
Monday, January 17, 2005
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I pop in from time 2 time and don’t have much to say but I might here.
I agree totally with the idea of reading the Bible more closely. I called it, reflective reading. Now, all the skills needed to read any form of literature are applied when reading the Bible, mainly the work it takes to understand context, but once that is done (as best as one can…yet today there have NEVER been more resources to understand if one truly seeks this) the issue to me is not head anymore, but heart.
I sit in church each week and hear a good sermon from scripture. It is sound doctrine. Yet, after the sermon, there is song and closing prayer. I exit the auditorium and then the big issue is—where do we go for lunch?
Multiply this week after week and then by five, ten…you fill it in...years. There is a core naivety here amongst leadership to assume the flock is being fed past the head and into the heart.
I always ask this question internally each week: How does my pastor measure his success? Is he content with his role?
IMO, this is crucial because there is A LOT of energy spent on minor issues when core issues are largely left unnoticed. This is not the Bible’s fault! This is a leadership issue from start to stop.
Most pastors, IMO, are as consumed with building their empire as the cast on The Apprentice. Maybe we should all go back and watch, Bridge on the River Kwai again and ask ourselves—Am I building a bridge to actually save others or to see my name engraved for generations to come? Maybe then we will reexamine our motives and priorities as to why we do what we do, and how we will measure this. Isn’t the goal of the church more than saving the lost, but in becoming like Christ? This might be a good start—what does it really mean to be like the Lord.
Just my thoughts.
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