It Will Still Work, If You Work It

Growing up on a farm, you learn to use technology both old and new. Sometimes we would clean out fences that were overgrown with weeds and undergrowth. We would use chainsaws and weed-eaters. However, dad would sometimes make me use an old bush-axe or a swing-blade. It was an old piece of technology. But dad would essentially say, "It will still work, if you will work it."

When it comes to evangelism, we sometimes think we have to utilize the newest, most innovative techniques and strategies. We tend to dismiss the "old methods" as moldy, outdated and ineffective. Yet, the best way to convert people to Christ is still the simple, person-to-person Bible study approach. It still yields more long-lasting converts to Christ than attendance drives, programs, and marketing approaches. Yet few seem willing to engage in the "work" of doing personal work. Jesus said that the laborers would be few (Luke 10:2).

However, a recent "Back to the Bible campaign" of old-fashion door knocking has yielded 35 baptisms in Oklahoma City, according to an article from Christian Chronicle (July 7, 2010) (see article here). At first, some of the participants were skeptical of this approach declaring, "You watch. We won't get 10 studies in 100 square miles." Yet after the first day, church members had set up 80 Bible studies. During the campaign, organizers found that apartment dwellers (those in transitional phases in life) were much more receptive than homeowners.

These folks used a simple approach. "We give them what the Bible says and let them make up their own mind. That's really all there is to it," one participant said. Not only have many Bible studies been set up, and 35 people were baptized, but the church that organized the effort was transformed. When people see the power of the gospel working, and that evangelism can still be effective, it becomes contagious. It will change a church, which in turn, will change a community. One person said, "It has amazed us at how many people are saying, 'yes.' None of us will ever be the same."

I must confess that I have been critical in the past of old methods of evangelism like door-knocking. I thought that our efforts might be more effective in other ways. Well, it turns out that the old ways of evangelism will still work. I guess dad was right, "It will still work, if you will work it."

Understanding God's Word

Can you understand the Bible? Is it even possible for an average person to comprehend the message of the Bible unaided by some "professional?" Must you have majored in theology or attended a seminary to know God's will?

The Dark Ages were just that...dark. The understanding of people was darkened. The average person was completely dependant upon the religious "professionals" in order to have any access to God's Word. The availability of Bibles was scarce. The ones that did exist were "chained to the pulpit." In order to hear God's word the average person ("layman") was dependant upon the "clergy." Some reports say that most priests had never even seen a Bible during the darkest of these days. False teaching and half-truths abounded as ritualistic tradition and the thoughts of men were peddled as God's Word.

Around 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the machine of the millennium—the printing press. Bibles became increasingly available to the common man. What followed was a great "Enlightenment." As individuals began to study the Bible for themselves, they saw a great divide between the church of the New Testament and the traditions and creeds of the church of their day. The result was an effort to "Reform" the corrupted church back to its original form. Eventually, a major movement of unity was made to fully “Restore” the forms and practices of the first century church in the present age. Going back to the Bible and restoring biblical faith and practice was (and continues to be) possible because people studied the Bible for themselves.

Surely, God is powerful enough to reveal his will in a way that all people can understand. From prince to peasant, God has revealed his truth in a form accessible to all who will dedicate themselves to diligently study it (John 8:31-32). It is true that we can benefit greatly from the study and guidance of others (Nehemiah 8:8; Acts 8:30-31; cf. Romans 10:14-15). However, we should not think that we are dependant upon "the professionals" in order to learn God's will for our lives. Spiritually responsible people make informed decisions about their beliefs based upon the evidence of Scripture. We must not blindly follow the teachings of those "professionals" who wear religious garb. God expects all Christians to personally study and arrive at truth (Proverbs 23:23; 2 Timothy 2:15).

The spirit of the Berean Christians is extolled in Scripture. These Christians received the preaching of Paul eagerly. But they did not blindly believe what he said just because of his reputation or the fact that he was respected in the brotherhood. They searched the Scriptures daily to make sure the things that Paul taught harmonized with known divine truth (Acts 17:11). We must do the same. Even the most well intentioned preachers, professors, writers and Bible scholars can be wrong. We must each have a faith of our own based upon our own study. Others can help us along, but ultimately we must each give an account to God as to whether we have kept His word or not (John 12:48).

I am blessed to have the opportunity from the elders to be engaged in the "ministry of the word" in this congregation (1 Timothy 4:13-16; cf. Acts 6:4). I am continually learning and will always be a student. I want you to know that I respect your personal study and want to benefit from it in my ministry. I welcome feedback and even kind correction (see Acts 18:26). I don't claim to have all the answers, but the Bible does. Let us all study individually and find those answers together.

Falling in Love with God

The most important command, above all others, is to “love the Lord your God with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Jesus says that all the commands and doctrines of Scripture can be summarized by this one concept (Matthew 22:40).

The old saying says, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.” Sometimes we get lost in all the details of Scripture that we miss the big picture. We can become so overly consumed with all the commands and doctrines of Scripture that we miss the real point. Too often we mistakenly think that right doctrine is the destination of our faith. It is not. The real destination is relationship with God. Sometimes detailed doctrine causes us to lose sight of the real goal of our faith—falling in love with God. That is not to say that doctrine and precise obedience are not essential. After all, you can’t even have a forest if there are no trees. The trees make up the forest. Likewise, individual doctrines are the small pixels that combine together to paint the beautiful portrait of true relationship with God. John put it best when he wrote, “…but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected” (1 John 2:5). Being motivated by his intense love for God, Jesus was compelled to “do exactly as the Father commanded me” (John 14:31, NASB). His motivation was not command-keeping that resulted in love for God. It was his love for God that produced a loving, and exact obedience.

When Jesus says that the most important command is to love God with all that we are, he seems to be describing a life that has completely fallen in love with God. Well, what does it look like to be completely in love with God? To understand this question maybe we should reflect upon the times that we have experienced the overwhelming emotion of falling in love with someone.

Usually, the first thing that happens when you fall in love with someone is that your mind is completely consumed with that person. Constantly distracted, you cannot seem to focus your mind on other things. Your mind is filled with thoughts of the object of your love. You try and visualize your loved one and your mind constantly repeats the words your loved one last uttered.

Dallas Willard describes what being in love with God is really about. In his book The Great Omission he quotes Thomas Watson who writes, “…the first fruit of love is the musing of the mind upon God. He who is in love, his thoughts are ever upon the object” (100). The person who is truly “in love with God” will not compartmentalize their life of faith as separate from their secular dealings. A person who is in love allows their loved one to penetrate every aspect of their lives.

If you are in love with someone, you don’t have to remind yourself to think about them. Being in love means that you naturally can’t get the one you love off your mind. The face of your loved one is ever before your mind. That is what it means to really be in love with God.

The French monk Brother Lawrence called attention to the fact that one must “practice the presence of God.” In order to “fall in love with God” he suggested that one must discipline himself/herself to constantly have an awareness of God’s presence. Similar to the lyrics of the favorite Christian hymn, “Be with Me Lord”, we must strive for a “constant sense of thy abiding presence.”

This is the very principle that David, a man after God’s own heart, had come to realize. He wrote in Psalm 16:8, “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” David is essentially saying that he had learned to make it a constant practice in his life to “set the LORD” before his mind. David’s mind was consumed with a constant sense of God’s presence. He had fallen in love with his God. Have you?

(Originally published July 12, 2009)