“I don’t like the church, but I love Jesus.”
“I don’t care what Paul says (after all he was just a product of his time – with all the prejudices and problems accompanying that era), but I love what Jesus says.”
“The Bible is such a confusing book, I will just stick to the ‘red letter’ parts where Jesus is talking. The rest can be left to the seminary professors and professionals.”
“Who cares about biblical prophecy anyway. I wish my Pastor would just stick to the more practical sections.”
Have you ever thought these thoughts? Have you heard others say similar things?
At one level, these statements sound spiritual. Who could argue with someone who is affirming their loyalty to Jesus at every step? Well, I’ll tell you who could argue with that person … JESUS HIMSELF.
Did you know that Jesus Himself created the church (and is building it)? Did you know that Jesus Himself is speaking through the Scripture to us … through ALL the Scripture, not just the part with the red letters? Did you know that Paul was not just sharing his opinions, but was moved along by the Spirit of God to communicate God’s truth to us? Did you know that Jesus cares DEEPLY that we understand the fact that He is coming back to earth one day, and believes it is an incredibly practical message and something we need to prioritize in our study?
When we say that we want Jesus and not Paul; Jesus and not the church; Jesus and not the rest of Scripture; “how to’s” for daily life and not theology; orthopraxy and not orthodoxy – we are actually moving AWAY from Jesus and not TOWARD Him.
This principle comes into great clarity as we look at the conclusion to the book of Revelation. Specifically in 22:6-13 (8 of the last 16 verses in our Bible) we see a discussion of the doctrine of the Scriptures: how God speaks to us through them, and the importance of our response.
This Sunday at Wildwood, we will be in part 8 of our “Lord of New Heaven and Earth” series as we investigate this issue more. Make plans to join us for our study … and bring friends, to our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service.