The Instruction Manual

I do not know why, but I have found many Christians who do not like the Bible being referred to as a "manual of instruction." I suppose that if one only refers to the Scripture as a manual, and does not give it any other credit than a "religious book with great morality and integrity," then yes, they would be wrong. However, the Bible refers to Itself as our Instruction Manual. Turn again (for those kind enough to read last time) to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work" (emphasis added). Don't manuals train and equip one with knowledge of how to function in whatever capacity is needed? Don't manuals teach and correct? Yes, they do; and God gives us instructions for how to deal with the issues of life through His Word.

Look at Romans 15:4, "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (emphasis added). That means all those boring (yes, I know that sounds rude, but try reading Obadiah sometime) Old Testament stories are there for the specific purpose of instructing us in how to live by faith. Many of those characters we see in the Old Testament are listed in Hebrews 11 as "champions of faith." Their example shows us how God expects us to live. If man had never committed treason against God, the Bible would end at Genesis 2. However, since we are prone to the sinful nature, God has given us reams of instruction, through direct commands and story-book examples, of the life we are to lead by faith.

Since we know that all Scripture is from God, and that the writings of the Old Testament are for our benefit, look at Proverbs 4, "Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, and give attention that you may gain understanding... My Son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep the in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those that find them and health to all there body" (Prov 4:1, 20-22). Again, based on what we have already seen in Scripture, not only are these Solomon's words to his sons, but God's words to His children. He implores us to incline our ears unto His instructions. We do this by keeping the Word constantly before us. I understand that many people do not feel that they have the time to dedicate to Scripture in such a manner. However, I ask, how many hours do we spend doing other things for "pleasure?" We watch many hours of TV, read countless other books/magazines, commit time to recreation and other entertainment... You get the idea. We have the time; and it is vital that we use it wisely. The Word is our Instruction Manual for life. And God promises us that by giving it the time and honor It deserves we will live a long, healthy, prosperous life.

The Word must become final authority in our lives. Whenever issues of life arise, the first response must be "what does the Word say about that?" In times of financial crisis, what does the Word say? The Word instructs us to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Phil 4:6). That is our instruction. Jesus instructs us "do not let your heart be troubles, nor let it be fearful" (John 14:27b). That's not a suggestion, it is an instruction (actually, it is a command). When someone is dealing with sickness or disease, the Bible instructs that "he must call on the elders of the church and they must pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick" (Jas 5:14-15a). God gives us the full of scope of instruction, including the end result: you pray with the elders, have them anoint you and believe - and then you will be healed. Jesus instructs us that, when we pray for things, "believe that you have received them, and they will be added to you" (Mark 11:24b). Get the picture? The keys to life and godliness are found in God's Instruction Manual, the Word. Use it. 

Scripture as Word

This is part one of a small series the Lord has begun cultivating in my heart on the roles of Scripture in the Christian life. It is by no means an exhaustive list, as the Scripture is fuller and deeper than any one human being will grasp this side of Heaven. It is designed to expand our thinking on the various reasons it is so vital that we make time everyday to read and meditate on the Bible. The Scripture references are a base, meant to begin one's Biblical foundations (again, nothing overly exhaustive). Today: why do we refer to the Bible as the "Word of God"?

One would think this is an obvious question to answer. However, I have had personal experience to the contrary. I had a professor in college - at my Christian university - who did not appear to take the same view as I did on this matter. This individual is supposedly very well-respected in academic religious circles, so much so, that they believe it is their duty to blast any and all opinions contrary to their own.  If you do not believe what this person believes, you are flat wrong. I was given the task at the end of one quarter to write a paper expressing my personal beliefs regarding God, the Bible, everything in the Christian life. We had just completed a university-mandated course on Biblical theology (zzzz...), and the professor wanted to know our beliefs/opinions at the end-of-quarter as compared to prior (I believe it was nothing more than a shameless attempt to see how mush the professor had changed our thinking to conform to their own). I got blasted on the assignment. I have grown-up in the church. I have volunteered hundreds of hours of my life to the Gospel. Now, I am by no-means building myself up; if anything, I do not do enough for the Lord anymore. I just want to set the stage for what I am about to tell you. After all my decades in the church - after all the missions trips, youth leadership meetings, camps/retreats, and so-on - after a year of intensive discipleship/Bible study in Master's Commission, and even after a year of ministry training at my Christian school as a Ministry major... I got a C. My beliefs were not good enough. I was told I had a lot to learn about God. The atheist who sat two chairs over... got an A. The professor's biggest knock on my paper?? "Where does it say the Bible is the 'Word of God'?" WHAT!?

How is it possible for a leading Christian "authority" to question such a basic, fundamental element of the Christian life? How is it possible for someone to have missed such obvious Scriptural proof? In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul says "All Scripture is inspired by God..." The King James Version says it is "given by inspiration of God," and the Amplified calls it "God-breathed (given by His inspiration)." In short, the entire Bible comes straight from the mouth of God, through the Holy Spirit. Every last word is a direct result of God's intention for all humanity. If it weren't, why would you even bother to read it? Paul puts it another way in his first epistle to the Thessalonians, "...we constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which performs its work in you who believe" (1Thes 2:13). If what Paul teaches is the Word of God, then all thirteen epistles are God's Word to His people. And if every word in the epistles is God's, then God is telling us in 2 Timothy that every other Scripture is from Him and is His Word. THAT'S why I can say without a shadow of doubt that the Bible is God's Word. 

See, that wasn't exhaustive by any stretch of the means. However, it is important simply to remember the simple. If the Bible is not God's spoken Word to his people, why would any of us bother to read it? It simply becomes ancient religious text without God's intervening. Without God's inspiration, we cannot trust the Bible. However, the Scriptures are given directly from the mouth of God, through the Holy Spirit. It is a perfect book; it needs no interpretation. We need to stop adding our own spins and twists to the Bible. We need to quit placing more emphasis on the literary techniques of each book and remember this is God's spoken Word to His people. The Bible is God's instructions to us (which we will get into next time), not a compilation of ancient writings that Christians need to "figure out." That is not to say that there are not difficult passages that we need to decipher. Actually, the Bible even refers to Itself as containing the "mysteries of God" that are stored up for the righteous (go find it, it's in there). That means it is even more vitally necessary that we spend as much quality time with it as possible. Do not simply plow through as many passages as possible to meet your religious quota; but rather, meditate in it often. That is when the Lord will speak to your spirit through His Word, and all the Scriptures you found difficult to understand/apply will become clear. When you meditate in God's Word, it will bypass your head (which screws it up like my old professor's did) and will go straight to your spirit-man, where it will affect the whole of your being - including your head. It is were direction is found; it is where understanding is found; it is where life to the fullest is found. Be renewed through the transforming of your mind by understanding the Scripture as God's spoken Word to you. 

The Holy Spirit's Work

"When you pray in the Spirit, you are praying the perfect will of God" ~George Pearsons.

I had a disturbing conversation with a pastor at my church a few months ago that has frequently gnawed at my spirit. It has caused such an agitation that I have difficulty walking through the doors of the place, or taking anything anyone in leadership says seriously. You see, I was raised in a pentecostal(ish) church. I have an Assemblies of God background, being from the South; and I currently align myself most closely with the Word of Faith tradition (you know, those crazy preachers who actually read the Bible as God's spoken word). Therefore, it should come as no surprise to many of you that I have been baptized in the Holy Spirit. I have the same gift as the early church members: the ability to pray in the Spirit as He gives utterance. Apparently, in the Pacific Northwest, that's weird.

Upon hearing this, the pastor immediately went on the defensive. It was brought to my attention that our church, while teaching the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a biblical truth, does not engage this gift of God - and that I should expect to see any such manifestations from him or any other member of the congregation. What irritated me most of all was how he immediately "clenched up" around me from that point on. He made it abundantly clear that he wanted no part in this wonderful gift of God. He doesn't find it a necessary element in the Christian life; he doesn't want; he doesn't need it. I got the feeling that he thinks this manifestation of the Spirit of God is contagious, and if he spent too much time around me he might "catch it," and look a fool around the rest of the church. He treated me like some strange coot one might see parading around on TBN. The conversation quickly deteriorated. I was glad when it was over.

Why such hesitancy? What is it about this region of the world that has so many people turned off to such an essential part of the Christian life? Romans 8:26 says, "In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." I was part of a men's Bible study at church on the book of Romans, and when we got to this verse our facilitator had the gall to say that this verse means the Holy Spirit is off in some corner of the earth praying on our behalf. ...what?! The "groanings" come out of our mouths! I know that this sounds strange to many people. It took me nearly 20 years to finally come to the place of accepting this manifestation of the Holy Spirit; and nearly two more years to come to a place where I am comfortable praying in such a way. Do not be like me.

Praying in the Spirit opens the airways of heaven. It calms the spirit, and shuts down the mind (literally; it has been shown that when people pray in the Spirit, their brains are not active in the process). It is the gift of God to any who will step up and boldly receive it. It is a vital tool in combating the devil. Many times the Lord has used it to "cleanse" my Spirit. There have been times when I have been so down that no prayer I have prayed has been of any use. I can recall praying in the Spirit, and having the Holy Spirit take control of my mouth and speak something unknown to me. I know my prayer language, and in these cases it was something new - something I could not replicate or even remember. As I would pray, I could feel my spirit lifting. It was as if the very poison of the enemy was being released out of my mouth as I prayed. There have also been times when I could not hear God if my very life depended on it. Yet, as I would pray in the Spirit, revelation knowledge would begin to flood my heart and mind. Understanding of difficult Scriptures would immediately come into my mind. Direction for my life would manifest itself in my spirit. I will walk away refreshed and excited about the things of God.

Ephesians 6:18 admonishes us to "pray at all times in the Spirit." Let me ask you: if the Bible is God's Word, in accordance to 1 Thessalonians 2:13 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17; why do we automatically assume that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is out of date? How has it become the one thing we no longer "need" in our Christian life? I can tell you from personal experience that it is essential to going to the next level in one's understanding of God. For those of you who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, yet feel uncomfortable praying in such a way: keep going. It is a gift that must be "stirred up" within you (1 Timothy 1:6). Whenever you neglect the operation of the Holy Spirit, it will become difficult to re-engage this gifting. Remain steadfast. As you do so, your prayer language will grow; it will feel less awkward to you, and you will find that you can walk around your house for hours just praying in the Spirit. I encourage those of you who, like my pastor, are put off by the very idea of baptism in the Holy Spirit, to do some research on the subject. Follow the teachings of the apostles; take a closer look at the book of Acts. It is awkward for many of us at first, but it is essential to becoming closer and more intimate with God. Isn't that what we all want?