Have you ever been in a church service where a pastor makes you turn to a minor prophet or like...Philemon or Jude and then calls it an "obscure passage?" Do you find that strange? I mean, it sounds like he privy to information that the rest of us aren't, which is strange, b/c the last time I checked, the Bible was the best-seller of all time...
There should be no "obscure passages" in the Bible.
Okay--in the pastor's defense--most Christians are lazy and would rather wear a W.W.J.D. bracelet (see Lisa's blog: http://arecoveringchristian.blogspot.com/2008/04/spirit-of-excellence-part-1.html ) than read the Bible, so telling them that a passage is unknown is not far from the truth. But it's not the obscurity of the passage, it's the ignorance of the church. This ignorance is a hole that becomes deeper and harder to get out of the less a congregation is fed--or encouraged to feed themselves.
The remedy is surprisingly simple. The message of Christ is energizing. It quickens the mind. Very little needs to be "done" to make it exciting. Since agenda fades after time and God's Word lasts through the ages, preaching strictly from the Bible makes for a much stronger sermon...The stronger the sermon, the easier it is for the hearers to nail down these passages in their minds and write them on their hearts...Then the passages would no longer be "obscure."
There should be no "obscure passages" in the Bible.
Okay--in the pastor's defense--most Christians are lazy and would rather wear a W.W.J.D. bracelet (see Lisa's blog: http://arecoveringchristian.blogspot.com/2008/04/spirit-of-excellence-part-1.html ) than read the Bible, so telling them that a passage is unknown is not far from the truth. But it's not the obscurity of the passage, it's the ignorance of the church. This ignorance is a hole that becomes deeper and harder to get out of the less a congregation is fed--or encouraged to feed themselves.
The remedy is surprisingly simple. The message of Christ is energizing. It quickens the mind. Very little needs to be "done" to make it exciting. Since agenda fades after time and God's Word lasts through the ages, preaching strictly from the Bible makes for a much stronger sermon...The stronger the sermon, the easier it is for the hearers to nail down these passages in their minds and write them on their hearts...Then the passages would no longer be "obscure."
Being a pastor is a hard job, but it is only made harder when the pulpit becomes a forum. Passages like: the Psalms, Proverbs, Matthew 5-7, I Cor. 13, Hebrews 11, Ephesians 5, etc....are great, but...they are preached so often they become sounding boards for agenda, especially when the rest of the Bible is neglected save for "salt and peppered" cross-references. The Bible is a big book. If talking down to a congregation's Bible knowledge is necessary, then "lesser known" passages are a great way of educating the flock.
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3 comments:
Lisa says... I imagine at times it must be tought to be a Pastor - especially if you don't know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are called. Think of all the insecurities that they must go through - I mean people look to them for spiritual guidance. So much pressure to be sure that your heart is in check and you are right with God. I can totally see why the Catholic Church back in the dark ages kept people from being able to read the Bible. If the common people could read the Bible and think for themsleves they would realize how wrong the Church was. I think too many times too people think that "ignorance is bliss" and they are too lazy to seek out the truth for themselves. Um, yeah, this probably has nothing to do with your post whatsoever so I just want to say - I agree.
I was thinking about this post and your blog on the way home from the gym this morning and I realized something. For me a lot of times I turn to Psalms, Proverbs, Hebrews, etc. because I want to feel something. It's like a drug - I just need a quick hit to get me through whatever it is I'm going through. What I really appreciate is that you are taking it to the next level. Your helping me to realize I need to grow up and step out of just feeling that I am saved to a place of really knowing I'm saved regardless of my feelings. You've really challenged me and I hope I am up to the challenge.
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