Rediscovering the Word: The Path Back to Authentic Faith
2 Kings 21-22; 1 Corinthians 8; Psalm 150
How did we get here? How are we so off course?
The church itself is lost. We can sing our songs and run our programs, but we need more than that: We must contend for the faith that was delivered to us (Jude 3). We must come back to the main and plain, and sift all things through The Book.
Yesterday, in my mom’s devotional, she shared about coming back to the “it is writtens” of the truth. Jesus, in his wilderness discourse with Satan, and his head-to-heads with religious leaders, often said, “It is said,” and “it is written.” He validates the scripture, and expressly says he came to fulfill the law, not abolish it.
We need to come back to the main and plain!
According to the Ponce Foundation: Of over 2 billion Christians in the world, less than 30% will ever read through the entire Bible. The fact is, over 82% of Christian Americans only read their Bibles on Sundays while in church. A little over 20 years ago, Gallup released the results of a major study indicating that 86% of Americans claimed to be Christian, although only 70% of these admitted to being “born again” according to the biblical measure. In recent studies, the Pew research indicates that only 25% of Americans now attend church any given Sunday, significantly down from 47% in 1990. The study also shows that, in evangelical churches throughout the United States, statistics show 36% of those who attend church weekly indicate that believing in Jesus Christ is the only true way to Heaven. A shocking 57% of American Christians believe other religions can lead to eternal life. One of the main reasons why American Christians don’t read their Bibles is, only 22% of them believe the Bible is fully inspired by God Himself, and written by men who were divinely appointed by the Lord Almighty. Over 1 in 4 American Christians believe the Bible to be a book written by mere men, not at all the word of God.
Is it any wonder we are so off course? Is it any wonder that the church itself is lost?
In our quest for revival, in our pursuit of the next move of God, maybe, just maybe, the way there is the way back? We want a new thing, and God calls us back to the ancient way. Do you want to live revived? Get in the Word. Eat the scroll! Immerse yourself in the truth. Our preachers will get better if we demand they get better. Our churches will preach the Word if we demand they preach the Word.
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to preach in China to the underground church there. For one week, I preached for about 9 hours a day to the same group of students. These were pastors from all over China, and the training was intense. Those pastors, many of whom shared a Bible with their entire village, knew the Word. They would pass out the Bible book by book to the believers in their region and memorize it section by section. I can tell you this, preaching to people who know the word brings a fear of the Lord like nothing else. Their loyalty and love for the Word pulled something out of me that week. It made me a better teacher.
You may not be a leader or a pastor, but the fact that you are committing to read through the Word this year is doing something. It’s doing something in your life for sure, but I believe if the body will make a commitment to the scriptures again, we will come into what we’ve been asking for all along: Revival.
2 Kings 22:8-13 And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it before the king.
It’s amazing! For a long time, Israel had lost the book. They still had a temple and priests and services and songs, but they had lost the book of the Law. They had lost the Torah. And because of that, even with all their religious rituals, they were living in apostasy.
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”
When they read the truth, they came back to doing the things they had done at the first. And so will we. So will America!
I believe America shall be saved! And how shall it? We’ve got to come back to our first love, and do the things that we did at the first.
Revelation 2:4-5 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
How do we recover? How do we come back to God as a people and as a nation? Come back to the main and plain and read the book. When we do, we will repent. And God will do what He promised to do. He will hear from heaven and heal our land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Deepening Faith: Reflective Journal Prompts
- Reflecting on Personal Bible Engagement: Considering the statistics mentioned about Bible reading among Christians, where do you see yourself in these numbers? How can you commit to engaging more deeply with Scripture?
- Identifying Modern-Day Idols: In light of the discussion on idolatry, take time to examine your own life. What “idols” might be taking precedence over your relationship with God? How can you begin to remove these distractions and focus more on Him?
- The Importance of ‘It Is Written’: Reflect on the power of Jesus’ response, “It is written,” during His temptations. How can adopting this stance of referring back to Scripture in times of challenge or temptation strengthen your faith?
- Revival through Returning to Scripture: The post suggests that revival in the church could begin with a return to Scripture. How do you envision this revival starting with you and your local church community? What steps can you take to contribute to a Scripture-centered revival?
- The Role of the Church in Your Spiritual Life: Reflecting on the current state of the church as described, how does your church align with the call to focus on Scripture and contend for the faith? What changes or initiatives would you like to see in your church to address these concerns?
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