Friday, June 15, 2007 at 12:12am
A life of faith needs God's Word
Column: For His Glory
This past Sunday I visited a church of a different denomination. I was there to attend the baptism of a young lady whose sister is of my denomination. My wife and I were there to rejoice in the fact that another sinner was giving her life to Christ.
We arrived around 10 a.m., just before the start of their worship hour. We waited a couple of minutes in the foyer for the arrival of our friend. The praise team took the stage and led out in worship. It was well done, and you could tell they were aiming to glorify God. The time spent at the church was not uneventful, though.
I have visited many churches outside my specific denomination, yet I have never encountered what I did at this church. I was surprised that the man who preached said, "If you do not have time to read God's word, that's OK; you can read [he held up two thin books] these books and it will be OK." I was quite surprised that in a Protestant denomination someone who was preaching would say that not reading your Bible is OK. If the Protestant Reformation taught us anything, it is that the Word of God should be central in our lives and we should read it and meditate upon it every day.
I'll share four brief verses from the Bible that make that clear:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Unless we read the Bible constantly, our faith will not increase as it should.
"Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth" (John 17:17). If we want to be holy, meaning growing to be like Jesus, we need to be reading His word
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). How can we learn unless we take the entire Bible seriously?
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11).
I was also surprised how the preacher downplayed the baptismal ceremony, considering how important such an event is. He actually dismissed the congregation after the sermon and prior to the baptism. He said, If you want to stay and see the baptism, it's OK; otherwise you are dismissed.
In the following verse from the Bible, notice how excited the person is:
"When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:6-7).
In other words, the whole church should be rejoicing when a sinner repents; yet this pastor dismissed the crowd before the baptismal ceremony. I ask, shouldn't the church be rejoicing with the sinners?
I am happy for my friend's sister, because baptism is a big step, regardless of which denomination it took place in. Something about that commitment opens you up more to the Spirit's leading. Therefore I will continue to pray for her and ask her to spend time in her Bible, to search for truth. And we must do likewise as a godly example.
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.
We arrived around 10 a.m., just before the start of their worship hour. We waited a couple of minutes in the foyer for the arrival of our friend. The praise team took the stage and led out in worship. It was well done, and you could tell they were aiming to glorify God. The time spent at the church was not uneventful, though.
I have visited many churches outside my specific denomination, yet I have never encountered what I did at this church. I was surprised that the man who preached said, "If you do not have time to read God's word, that's OK; you can read [he held up two thin books] these books and it will be OK." I was quite surprised that in a Protestant denomination someone who was preaching would say that not reading your Bible is OK. If the Protestant Reformation taught us anything, it is that the Word of God should be central in our lives and we should read it and meditate upon it every day.
I'll share four brief verses from the Bible that make that clear:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Unless we read the Bible constantly, our faith will not increase as it should.
"Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth" (John 17:17). If we want to be holy, meaning growing to be like Jesus, we need to be reading His word
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). How can we learn unless we take the entire Bible seriously?
"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11).
I was also surprised how the preacher downplayed the baptismal ceremony, considering how important such an event is. He actually dismissed the congregation after the sermon and prior to the baptism. He said, If you want to stay and see the baptism, it's OK; otherwise you are dismissed.
In the following verse from the Bible, notice how excited the person is:
"When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:6-7).
In other words, the whole church should be rejoicing when a sinner repents; yet this pastor dismissed the crowd before the baptismal ceremony. I ask, shouldn't the church be rejoicing with the sinners?
I am happy for my friend's sister, because baptism is a big step, regardless of which denomination it took place in. Something about that commitment opens you up more to the Spirit's leading. Therefore I will continue to pray for her and ask her to spend time in her Bible, to search for truth. And we must do likewise as a godly example.
— — —
Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. Copyright 2007 by Gio Marin.