Paul said, “I DECLARED (gnōrizō: make known, give understand of) to you the gospel which also YOU RECEIVED and by which also YOU ARE SAVED, IF you HOLD FAST (katechō: keep secure, keep firm possession of) that WORD which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)
Jesus prayed this about the apostles, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me…they were yours; you gave them to Me and they have OBEYED YOUR WORD…I GAVE THEM THE WORDS you gave Me and THEY ACCEPTED THEM. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and THEY BELIEVED that you sent me.” (John 17:6-8)
- THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE DELIVERED: 33% American adults believe America would be the same with or without the Bible.
- THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE HERD (Received or Accepted): As of January 2021, the proportion of American adults who NEVER USE the Bible has fallen to 29%.
- THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE BELIEVED: 33% Trust and believe in the Bible’s reliability
- THE WORD OF GOD MUST BE OBEYED: Only 6% of all American adults, or15 million people, actually have what Barna calls a BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW, and they obey and practice its teachings. These are four notable findings from American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2021 report.
Just as the devil said to Eve, “did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1), He comes today to “…steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a). Will the devil be successful? Jesus said, “…the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. “FIVE of them were foolish, and FIVE were wise. “For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take EXTRA OIL with them; but the wise ones took OIL IN VESSELS with their lamps.” (Matthew 25:1-4) This oil represents the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And there was light.” (Genesis 1:2-3) The five foolish had to go out and find oil, when they came back to go in, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, I DON’T KNOW YOU.” (Matthew 25:11-12) That’s 1/2 of the church…
WE MUST BE SURE TO BELIEVE THIS THAT JESUS SAID, “I have come that they may have LIFE (zoēē: a life active and vigorous, devoted to God), and have it more ABUNDANTLY (perissos: more distinguished, more remarkable, more excellent).” (John 10:10b)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham