My, Devotion to Him #321
Christians understand the importance of God’s Word. While we may understand it, we also want others to understand. But when it comes to the younger generation, especially those under twenty, for example, there is a pattern that can be found where we have tried too hard to make God’s Word relevant to them.
Not only is this found as an approach to reach a younger generation, but churches worldwide have taken this approach to reach everyone to highlight a more “modern” church.
Examples of this are the adaptation sometimes of more trendy Bibles where the words have been stretched past their meaning, omitted, or twisted out of context entirely. Pastors, group leaders, and others preach a hipster-like Jesus, and youth groups focus more on fun to keep numbers up. We are not saying some newer Bibles do not hold well under the light or that youth groups can’t have fun. But we need to be careful. We are not dealing with some minor issue topic here.
When we try too hard to make God’s Word relevant and loose, we end up substantiating the apprehensions of those who think the Bible is uninteresting and irrelevant. So many have missed one of the most extraordinary things about the Bible: It’s continuously relevant. Throughout history, cultures, nations, and tribes, the Bible has connected billions of people. The messages inside its cover and the words written on its paper have influenced and impacted the world for thousands of years.
Instead of making the Bible more relevant than it already is, why are we not addressing another potential problem: spiritual stagnation.
Verse Passage: 1 Peter 2:1 “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.” – ESV
There is a problem with the spiritual milk, causing some to address it by modernizing the Bible as if that is to solve the problem. If you do not want something, simply changing it will not solve the problem. By modernizing the Bible, people are being fed a manufactured Bible. They are not bonding with the authentic Jesus because they have rejected that kind of Bible. Instead, they want something comfortable, different, kind, uncontroversial, and soft.
We should be drawing out how suitable the Bible actually is in today’s world, not changing what it says. There is no need to add more cream and sugar to this when the flavor is already there. We need to bring out the flavors that are already within.
- Explanation
Understanding why I need to do something has already been my go-to. It has undoubtedly gotten me in plenty of trouble. I have difficulty getting myself to do something if I don’t know the why.
I believe this is a great way to showcase the Bible itself. The Bible almost always gives us the why, and more often than not, when it comes to today’s Christians. It is essential to understand that nothing else can nourish our spirit-man needs and His Word’s impact on our life when we read, follow, and implement it.
2. Examples
I’ve never needed examples to understand anything except the occasional “how to.” YouTube video when trying to put an Amazon purchase together. But here is another excellent way that can aid us. Pointing out examples in the Bible that we may be going through (bullying, pain, depression, sickness, heartache, sadness, identity issues, sexuality, etc.) The Bible is full of them all and so much more. In addition, we are given solutions that can differ from how the world would tell us to respond or even how a modernized church would preach Jesus’s fix.
Today’s Bible remains the most incredible self-help book ever written with a proven track record. There are no costly seminars or hours of watching repetitive videos, no special diets, and weekly secretive retreats in the middle of nowhere. The Bible is full of fixes for everyday problems, and Jesus says to come.
3. Relate
We can relate every example and solution to what Jesus has done, is doing, and will continue to do for you, me, and everyone who has made Him their Lord and Savior.
When we go through difficult times, we often wonder, “Does God really care?” Many times we’ve wondered, “Where is God?”
The Bible’s relevance will meet with their experience.
Verse Passage: Isaiah. 40:27-31 “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God”? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, he increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” – ESV.
As they wait for Him to intervene, God gives power! The answer may not come immediately, but God empowers us as we trust Him to act. This is what Jesus encountered on the cross, after all. The Father turned away from the Son, then raised Him on the third day. And because we’re united to Jesus through faith, we know God will act for us, too.
To share a deepened relevance of the Bible with anyone, we need to continue learning more about it ourselves. If we comprehend the relevancy of God and His Word in our lives, we can unquestionably share that relevance with others and how it also impacts their lives. The Bible can break through to any heart with the power of the Holy Spirit. Why must man always try to fix something that is clearly not broken?
Now, the problem we will run into is people will go to the extreme and want to live like we are under the laws of old and not the New Testament. Many subjects have people on both sides of the extreme, and this one is no exception.
The Bible is relevant, and we need to believe it, preach it, teach it, and live it. There is no sequel coming out to keep our engagement. This is the central attraction as it always has been. We can find ways to preach to a modern society without compromising and sugarcoating what the Bible says. The Bible is the written Word of God, and God is alive! Let Him be the guide in reaching a new generation.
God Bless,
Copyright © 2023 by Jacob Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 