Is the Word Inspired?

My friend Ken and I were talking over coffee, again.

He was discussing his thoughts on the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. He is not sure that the whole of the Bible is inerrant (as it's commonly understood).

He had an interesting observation about those of us who believe every word and idea is God breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), both the New and Old Testament.

He noted that the majority of Christians believe all Scripture is God breathed, inspired, infallible and applicable to the Believer today.

Do you?

Then, he remarked that most Christians actually DON’T believe that the Word is inerrant. He used as evidence, a simple few verses in 1Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. They are references for the qualifications of an overseer (elder).

If we truly believed these short verses, and selected our elders based on these and not on personality etc., how would it change our church? How would it change how we do church?

I find it interesting how, when brought up, people know that this is God breathed, but rationalize it away: “well, that was important back then”, “society has changed”, “we are more enlightened today”, “that is not what God meant”, “it was a cultural thing”, …

Do we truly believe that God knew what our culture would be like today, when He inspired these verses?

The Value of the Trial

Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, Phil 2:14-15

Paul tells the church at Philippi that a situation, which may cause grumbling or disputing, is there to “prove yourself to be a blameless and innocent child of God…” The word “prove” is not as our translation, “to prove a point” or “proving one is right” but rather, in the Greek, its meaning is “to become or cause to become” and would best be translated, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God…” In other words, don’t grumble about your circumstances, as they are there to cause in you a blameless innocence. Your circumstances have a purpose. They are there to produce something in your life. Grumbling is counterproductive. The children of Israel could have completed their journey, to the Promised Land, in two weeks. It took, however, 40 years, because they kept grumbling.

James too reflects on this principle when he pens, “Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance…” James 1

Rather than grumbling, meet the trial with joy, not because it is joyful but because of the end result, endurance and perfection, completeness and lacking nothing. 1:4

The value of the situation or circumstance, where God has led you, is to cause you to be perfect in Him. (The word "perfect" in the Greek is correctly translated "complete").

The Remedy for Bitter Waters

An important part of meditation is "visualization". Form a mental image of the people, standing at the bitter water, which they have spit out, grumbling to Moses.

So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. Ex 15:24-25

Now picture Moses directing his people, to the tree he was shown, to throw it in the water. They push on it, back and forth until the roots begin to lift and dirt falls from the roots. The tree drops, with a thunderous thud, dust flies from the place it landed.

They drag it to the water. Can you see the lines in the sand from the roots as they are pulled to the shore? As it falls in, it slaps the water with a crack. Circular ripples emanate from the tree on the water’s surface. As they do, the water sweetens. The people, cautious at first, begin to fall into the water, as did the tree, drinking from its clear sweetness.

Ponder what this illustrates for the Christian. You have a situation, which is bitter. Your response: grumbling. You grumble to God, to others, to yourself. Rather, look to the tree. Apply the cross to the bitterness. It becomes sweet. It has value.

Next, the value of the trial (bitter situation).

A Way Through The Wilderness

God's desire is to lead us out of bondage through our wilderness experience.

The journey of the believer is a time of purging, testing and humbling.

There are many types in the Old Testament. Pharaoh typified Satan; Egypt was an illustration of the world; Moses of Christ; the wilderness experience represented the journey of the believer; the pillar of cloud (and fire by night), the Holy Spirit; passing through the Red Sea, baptism etc.

The children of Israel, upon being taken out of Egypt by Moses were led through the red Sea into the wilderness. They were led by the pillar of cloud (led by Holy Spirit).

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Ex 15:22

Visualize this scene.

It is important to remember, that the people are being led by the pillar. It should be noted that there were times when the pillar moved; the people looked around, no pillar. They had to quickly catch up. Other times, they uprooted their tents, began to travel to the Promised Land, looked around; no pillar. They had to return and wait.

Sometimes, as Christians, we just plod on, not waiting, and have to look around and return, waiting on God to move.

Now, they went for three days without water. This is the maximum time the body can go without. They were taxed to their limit.

I visualize the animals, being first to sense water, their heads lifting, nostrils flaring and their pace quickens. The Israelites too felt the tension of the animals and walked faster.

Keep trying to visualize the scene.

And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?” Ex 15:23

When they saw the water, it gave hope. But as they bent to drink and brought it to their mouth, they spit it out because it was bitter. It was named Marah, meaning bitter

Of interest, is that they looked to Moses and grumbled, as though they were not being led by the pillar. In essence, they were saying, God did not know what he was doing. This is what grumbling is in our life. We say, “God does not know what he is doing. He led me to this place and it is bitter”.

Have you had situations that God brought you to and then you grumbled? Have you been led to something and it was bitter? What was your response?

Next, The Remedy for Bitter Waters.

Self-sufficiency

My friend Ken and I were talking over coffee, discussing sin and why we don’t have consistent victory. He believed it was due to pride. "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6 I struggled with his answer as I don’t consider myself a prideful person, yet struggle.

He came up with a more plausible answer, self-sufficiency.

I became a Christian because I found I could not conquer my failures. After I “gave my life to Him, I began efforts to “clean up my act”, to be a better person, after all, aren’t we to be “a light unto the world”. This caused me to mask my failures because I didn’t want people to know me, the person that I was before becoming a Christian, and still am.

I find that I change the outward in my own effort, my own strength but in reality, am still me.

Training from my youth tells me that “I can do it, keep trying harder, raise the bar”.

Why is it that we can’t be holy so we become Christians, then when we do, we try to figure out “how to be holy”.

Self-sufficiency is iniquity.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:6

Purpose

As Christians, we all seek purpose but we often seek the purpose that makes us look good or appears to be of value. This is iniquity.

Women and men of the church have a basic purpose and that is to train the younger believers. The original churches, which met in homes, did not have Sunday School, Children’s Church or child care. They did not take the youth on Mission Trips to give them that Spiritual high or separate them from the elder. Everyone sat in a common area in a symbiotic relationship. This was how growth occurred.

If one looks at today’s church, we see major separation and the separation is not good.

I was viewing several church web sites and noted that all had made a distinction of groups: Children’s Ministry, 18-20’s, Youth, Adults, Singles, Preschool… And, they had many different roles: Senior Pastor, Executive Director, Director of Life Skills, Director of Operations, Director of Outreach, Administration Pastor, Music Pastor, Office Manager, Multi-Media Coordinator, Creative Director, Christian School Director (Day Care), and many different ministries: Parking Lot Ministry, Television Ministry, Drama and Dance Ministry, Visitation and Touch Ministry, Recovery (divorce, 12-step)…

It is important that we look at the early church and compare it to what we have made the church today.

It has been my experience and that of many I have spoken with, that most of these ministries and roles are ineffective. We have reduced the church to a corporation. If I can quote a local, so called pastor, he referred to himself as a CEO.

Paul prescribes this direction to the believers:

[The older women are to ] encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be dishonored. Titus 2:4-5

[The older men] likewise urge (encourage, exhort) the young men to be sensible; Titus 2:6

This is very easy for women and men to accomplish. It is done without fanfare and in a quiet manner. Progress is slow and not easily measured; however, it is the mandate. It grows strong families. Strong families make strong churches.

Simple prescription. Simple practice. Lasting results.