Just the Word

Something To Think About, It's Living and Powerful:

I'll give you a warning up front.  This STTA is preacher-oriented.  I think it is relevant to you non-preachers, but I'm a preacher.  I'm prejudiced.  You have been warned. Over my years of preaching there have been a few times--as I look back, way too few--when I have, instead of preaching from the Bible, read or recited the Word.  It's more work than you might think.  Anyone who is thinking about just showing up and reading should stay home.  Reading the word well takes preparation and effort.  But, that's not my point today. What impresses me, every time I share "just the scripture" with a group of people, is I see the power of the Word of God reflected in the faces and body language of the audience.  Last night was one of those occasions; as someone said, "You could hear a pin drop."  We ought not be surprised at that response. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.   (Hebrews 4:12–13, NLT) Not everyone has the privilege of standing before a group of people and reading the Word of God.  All of us, though, have the opportunity to read or listen to the Bible.  It is something that we ought to do on a daily basis  Here is a good place to start:  Biblegateway.com.   There you'll find searchable copies of the Bible in many languages, including a number of English translations.  I'll share some recommendations on translations, tomorrow.  A number of the translations even have an audio option available, so you can listen to the Bible being read aloud.  There are reading plans and various other features.  Whether you get into the Bible online, or by the more traditional method of turning the pages in a book, if you open your heart to God's Word, you will find it to be powerful, so powerful, that if you open your heart, it will change your life. It's STTA.   Here is a link to a message I've been privileged to share several times that uses only the words of Scripture to share God's Story, in His Own Words. For you preacher-types, here is an article about that message and about preaching "just the word," in general.