(Don’t listen to those who try to get you to think less of the Bible.)
Some people claim to “follow Jesus, not a book,” but if they don’t obey the Bible, inspired by Jesus, do they really follow Him? The Bible’s objective testimony helps us discern between the risen Jesus & a counterfeit Jesus (what Paul calls “another Jesus”).
People who want to separate Jesus from the Bible’s revelation, seem to want a Jesus they can make fit their own specifications. To make Christianity and the Bible a smorgasbord where you can just choose the parts you like, is to make your feelings the standard for faith.
It’s dangerous to think you can discern the voice of God 100% by yourself without the anointed testimony and teaching in the Bible. It’s also dangerous to reject the clear moral and theological teachings of the Bible because you think that you know better.
We are fortunate to have the writings of apostles, prophets, and others inspired by God, but if we ignore the Bible it won’t help us. I think some Christians criticize and/or ignore the Bible because they don’t like being held accountable to God’s moral standards.
Who headed up the last Sunday morning Christian meeting you attended? The body of Christ (Christ’s ekklesia) isn’t built on what Simon says (Simon Peter aka the Pope, the Bishop, or the Pastor), but on the living Jesus and His presence with and direct, supernatural revelation to the individuals who gather in His name.
The boldness and love of the early Christians came from Christ living inside of them, not from great sermons that they heard. One of the ways the risen Jesus reveals Himself powerfully to me is by reading the Bible. I believe the Bible’s supernatural because it powerfully speaks to my heart and although ancient it speaks to right where I am. Daily Bible reading, with an open heart, will rock your boat and transform your life! Try it.
If the Spirit is quenched, a Christian meeting needs human control, but if the Spirit is allowed to freely work, He takes charge. Reading Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, as I was writing this post, I saw: “Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit.”
Let Jesus be the GPS on the dashboard of your heart. (Then He will personally direct you where you need to go.) Make war against the wrong in your own heart. Win within by aligning with God and His Word.
Remember that true prophetic thinking breaks with the mold of culture and religious tradition, and aligns with God and His Word. (That’s why Bible prophets were persecuted.)
