Respecting God's Word

Do you respect God's Word?  What a silly question, you might ask.  Well, it isn't, and I'll tell you why.  Last week I listened to a preacher who told about the way people in the Slavic countries regard God's Word written.  He said that it is wholly inappropriate for anyone to place anything on to of the Bible, for that is to disrespect it.  Nor is it deemed to be proper to leave the Bible on the floor.

But here's the one that registered with me: it is deemed to be improper for a preacher to preach with one or both hands in his pockets because that is to show a most casual attitude to God's truth written.  I have done that at times, and even then I felt it was a wrong thing to do because it revealed a certain attitude of heart towards the work that I was engaged in. 

God's Word can be disrespected by those who hold it is highest esteem.  And the disrespect does not necessarily have to be in external behaviours.  External behaviours reveal the true state of the heart.  A heart that is not right with God is a heart that is not surrendered to God and to God alone. 

Christians must learn anew what respecting the Word of God entails.  One thing is reading it with a heart that is hungry for God and for His Voice to speak into your heart.  It is reading the Word with a desire to meet afresh with the living Lord.  It is coming to it for the food that you need to sustain your spiritual life and vigour.  It is wanting to learn more about the Lord so that you can know Him in a more deeply personal way. 

For preachers, it is about sticking to the Bible when you pray and when you preach.  Not only must your sermons be biblical, but so also must your prayers.  Further, have you ever heard a minister read a passage of Scripture and you got the feeling that he did not understand what that passage was about?  he did not respect the Word.  Respecting the Word in this scenario means that you get to understand what the passage means and then you will read it properly.

For ministers, respecting the Word entails ensuring that everything you do in your church has biblical warrant, and is done in a way that honours its Holy Author.  The sacraments must be administered in a way that teaches clearly the meaning of these precious aids.  Church membership must be limited only to those who are genuine Christians.  And because the minister or eldership cannot read accurately the heart of the religious professor, if the profession is credible, that is, believable, then you accept it, and then you look for fruit appropriate to such a profession of faith.  If such fruit is not forthcoming after a reasonable period, say 12 months, then that individual will be interviewed to ascertain the reasons why, and if these are acceptable, give him/her another period to prove their worth.  If not, then their membership can be rescinded until they are ready for the responsibilities of full church membership.

Marriage must be regulated according to the teaching of the Bible, and not as is proposed today - civil partnerships, and soon to be passed, same-sex marriages.  To accept the law of the land in this matter is to go against God's will and provision for mankind. 

All the activities of the church must contribute clearly to the furtherance of the Gospel.

In these, and in other, ways, the Bible is respected as the Word of the living and true God.