Some of you were there because you are always there. Some of you were there because of a family tradition of attending church at Christmas and Easter every year. Yet, some of you were there because you are beginning a spiritual journey, and this Easter was a part of it. You are the ones I want to speak to today as I write this column. I think about you in terms of 3 groups, which I call “New Starts”, “Fresh Starts”, and “ReStarts.”

You “new starts” are those who are seeking to find meaning and purpose in life…trying to find the reality of God in your life. It was so good to see you in our fellowship, and know that you have a special place in the heart of the Lord Jesus. He said in the Gospels that he came to “seek and find” to one not in the fold with Him. You are special to God. If fact, you are really what it’s all about, lthough to our shame, sometimes we in the church don’t act like it.

Some of you were “fresh starts”, in that you have become believers in Jesus Christ and His gospel in the recent days, and are now His disciples. And, some of you have been believers for a while, but have never really been very involved in a lifestyle of following Jesus. I sometimes refer to you as my undiscipled attendees, and I have a burden for you to understand what you are missing out on in your life of not following Jesus.

Some of you were “restarts”, in that you are a believer. You even have a past of extensive involvement in a church family and have invested a lot of work and effort in following Jesus in the past. Yet, for whatever reason, you became unplugged and dropped out of involvement in all the things connected with following Jesus, and now you feel the need to get plugged back in. All I have to say to you is, welcome home fellow pilgrim.

The key thing for all three groups, is to commit to learn and become grounded in the truth of the Bible, the word of God. I have built my pastoral career around this truth, and intend to emphasize it even more in the second half of my pastoral career. Biblical illiteracy is not only a problem in the culture at large, but is also a major problem in the mainstream established churches of our Day. I have committed my life to overcoming this problem every way I can.

Let me draw your attention to some key bible passages to understand and know well. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” I want to be honest with you, it will take some effort, but the pay off will be a productive and fulfilling relationship with God through the Lord Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may by competent, equipped for every good work.” (ESV) You need to learn and turn to the Bible because it is how God tells us what to believe, how to know what is wrong (sin), how to overcome what is wrong, and it enables us to learn how to live effectively as a follower of Jesus. This sounds to me like the Bible has a critical place in the life of every believer, and is not to be an optional part of a Christian’s life.

Finally, Hebrews 4:12 adds to the Timothy passages when it adds the following information: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (ESV) The Bible is relevant and powerful in life of the disciple of Jesus Christ today. It is not just a book of ancient history, but a source of wisdom and power for living today.

As I close down this column. let me encourage you to understand 5 key reasons for learning and knowing the Bible: Knowing the Bible gives substance to my faith. Knowing the Bible stabilizes me during times of testing and trials. Knowing the Bible enables me to handle the Bible correctly. Knowing the Bible equips me to detect and confront errors. Knowing the Bible makes me confident in my Christian walk. As a fellow traveler on the journey of life with you, if I can help you in your task to learn and know the Bible, just ask. I would love to help you.

With Pen in Hand,
Dr. Chuck
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