In his 1539 treatise, Martin Luther outlined seven “marks” of the church that help to identify the characteristics of the “true” church. Briefly, they are: Proclamation, Baptism, Eucharist, Office of the Keys (Discipline), Ordination, Catechesis, and Discipleship.
What is abundantly clear is the rightful placement of “proclamation” as number one on the list. This is indeed as it should be, for there is nothing that supersedes His Word for His people! Everything else concerning the church and our life together, flows out of the preeminence of the Bible and its teachings.
In 2nd Timothy 3:16–17, we find these insightful words:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is the self-revelation of God to man. It is a living, breathing Word. Through God’s speaking, all things were created. In Jesus, God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among the people. Jesus said that whoever sees him, has seen the Father. When Jesus died, God’s Holy Spirit was sent to dwell within us—for He was unwilling to leave us alone, as orphans. The Holy Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—are three separate and distinct parts of one sacred and eternal whole. They each have their own role and purpose, and together they contain the power of illumination for man’s understanding, instruction, and salvation.
The Word brings meaning to our existence and calls us out in response to it. The words on these pages are “alive”, for they literally hold the power to transform us on the inside, which in turn, changes how we relate to the world around us. It changes the entire framework and direction of our lives—we are born anew.
Our physical births are followed by our very natural, infantile, self-serving neediness. Our world revolves around us and our needs alone. Our spiritual births, however, are concerned with otherness. In the most natural of ways, our rebirth compels us to care for and to serve the needs of others. It may be through our words of witness and testimony, or by the work of our hands, or through our gifts or our prayers on another’s behalf. This new creature we are becoming is a finding of our truest and best self as we discover the uniqueness with which God lovingly made us. We are then able to fully grasp our place in the world, which is to love and serve God. Whether physical or spiritual, each birth is marked by utter dependence upon parental love and care and provision for our very survival.
From Genesis to Revelation, these words challenge us and comfort us. They contain the best of us and the worst of us. Residing within its message is a holy, living communion between God and man. The perfection of these holy words are eternal, speaking to every generation—past, present and future. Jesus informs us that while the world may pass away, His words will never pass away. In addition to its eternal, sacred perfection, this Biblical revelation is a fully completed work. No one must add to, or take away from it, as stated in the closing words of the book of Revelation. Every single human emotion and every single human experience is contained within its pages. Nothing that is necessary for man’s edification has been compromised or excluded; the Bible is exhaustive in its content.
The Bible is also wonderfully mysterious and miraculous! Like the burning bush that was not consumed, the eternal flame of faith that is expressed throughout God’s Word can never be extinguished. It lives and breathes and never ceases to light our way. No matter how many times we may read or study the Bible, we will always unearth some new nuance of understanding. Its mystery lies in the rich and endless layers embedded within itself, which speaks to us across the many seasons and situations in our lives.
We have all experienced the reading of a passage that just seems to pop right off the page, and we marvel at the fact that while we must have read it numerous times, it seems as though we are seeing it for the very first time. God’s intimacy is being revealed as He provides a fresh word of meaning for our lives.
I share again this favorite quote from my blog intro:
You take a divine promise, spoken thousands of years ago, and lo, it is fulfilled to you! It becomes as true to you as if God had spoken it for the first time this very day, and you were the person to whom it was addressed. Charles Spurgeon
Aside from the many accounts of supernatural miracles that were performed throughout the Old and New Testaments, the miraculous circumstances concerning the Bible itself speaks of a holy sovereignty. It has witnessed to its own sacred authority and brought comfort in times of utter devastation. I am speaking of an often recurring event where a fire or storm has completely decimated a home, a building, a church or a chapel, and the only remains found in the rubble is a perfectly preserved Bible, completely untouched.
No other book can do what the Bible does. It changes us. It saves us. It sustains us. Libraries, bookstores, the internet—think of all the worldly knowledge that is made available to us—right at our fingertips with the press of a button. Yet, none of it is salvific. No other book holds eternity between its cover, they are all fleeting at best.
Walk into any bookstore and look in the self-help section. Shelf after shelf, bookcase after bookcase lined with choices for “living a better life”, “getting what you want”, “creating a happy and fulfilled life”, etc. There is no shortage of self-help gurus in the kingdom of publishing. Some of those books may give temporary comfort and guidance, but they lack the one critical element for a life of meaning and value—discovering the One who created it.
If any one of those secular authors truly possessed the “secret formula” to a better life, then why so many books in the genre? If it was a run-away success in the lives of its readers, then that would be the only book needed on the topic of healthy human behavior. (I realize I am over-simplifying to make a point.) That’s world wisdom though, temporary and fleeting; ineffective at satisfying our deepest needs or sustaining true change.
Spiritual wisdom on the other hand, is the only thing that ever has and ever will, continue to sustain a people. It alone gives the assurance of a better life, a more fulfilled life, a life of eternal value. There isonly one book that is needed, one book that speaks to all people at all times. One book that contains every human emotion, circumstance, and response. Only one that teaches the root essence of morality, love and peace. To this day the Bible remains, as always, the number one selling book around the world! There is no truer Truth than scripture; there are no wiser words to be found than the wisdom that comes from Almighty God.
The Bible speaks to us right where we are, with what we need most; its truths are timeless. Its simplicity a child can understand, while its depths no adult can exhaust. It embodies both history and future. It is poetry that widens love, and lengthens time. It takes us to high places and lays them low. It stretches the mind in wonder and contemplation. It perfects our gait as we walk the narrow road of life, and when we trip up—which we inevitably will on numerous occasions—we are able to seek the forgiveness we so desperately need. It restores our soul. The Holy Bible holds the power to speak to each of us, revealing what we never before realized we needed, but having found it, we wonder how we ever lived without it! It exposes us for the purpose of re-clothing us; it preserves our soul.
To truly begin to comprehend and appreciate the breadth and depth of God’s sacred Word, we need look no further than our pastors and their proclamation of the Word. I have always been mystified by the myriad ways with which God speaks to His servants—those who have made a solemn vow to be yoked to the Lord in the ministry of God’s people. Without a doubt, they have been called to an awesome and challenging task.
Our pastors are led by the same Spirit that touched Philip as he was sent to the Ethiopian. They are sent, in a very profound way, to answer the question that has been hanging aloft from the most ancient of days: Do you understand what you are reading? And our hungry response should always be: How can I, unless someone guides me?
If we pull back the lens and take in a wider view, we can easily see how God continually provides a fresh word for our hearing. A simple Google search produced for me the following evidence from an article dated August 22, 2020:
According to the National Congregational Study Survey, there are an estimated 380,000 churches in the U.S.
While these numbers may have changed post-COVID, and given that some churches may have only one pastor, the majority of churches likely have two or more pastors on staff. The point is, the sheer volume of pastors preaching on any given Sunday is astounding to contemplate! God’s Word is very much alive and well in the United States. God is speaking through every single one of these pastors—it is a vast domain.
The riches of His word are inexhaustible, and the creative ways in which that spoken Word is cultivated in the heart of a pastor for his or her congregation is simply amazing! God’s sacred truth is being echoed throughout this country, and indeed the world. It never dries up and it never returns to Him empty. There is always fresh growth and new meaning to be gained.
The sheer power of this one finite book, with its rich and infinite layers, is like a multi-faceted jewel: You could have one hundred clergy preaching on the same scripture passage on the same Sunday, and no two sermons would be alike! Similar perhaps, but not the personal expression of God’s leading for a particular congregation in moving hearts and changing lives.
For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 1st Corinthians 1:5
There is an expression that relates to the proclamation of God’s Word: The Word that kills and makes alive. In other words, like a skilled surgeon with a scalpel, or a sculptor with a chisel, it is a cutting away of what is dead, while fostering new life from within. The daily goal is that constant chipping away until nothing remains in us that doesn’t look like Jesus! Until we reach home, it shall remain a work in progress.
The pastor carries the privilege of delivering the Good News in a way that brings a reverent balance between law and grace, and makes even the most ancient of truths relevant to today, and to us personally. They continually open our minds to a better understanding of what it means to live a life of faith. We are growing in knowledge and wisdom and are being called to ever greater service out of our deepening love for our Lord and Savior.
In essence, through their unique and artful gifting, they begin to make visible those things that are hidden. Even in the dimness of our now-vision, our eyes are being opened anew. They consistently reveal to us in greater and greater ways, the riches of the glorious treasure we possess in Christ for salvation—and in so doing, they radiate His Light to shine upon our hearts. They greatly assist in keeping our faith vital and alive!
The Holy Spirit is guiding their hearts, their thoughts, their research and their words—FOR US! God loves nothing more than to open up His word and reveal Himself to us in ways we could never anticipate. He knows us intimately, and He knows the love-words we need to hear. While we can all benefit from a particular message, He may have had a special revelation for someone in particular that speaks personally to whatever it is they may be going through. How important it is (for many reasons) to faithfully attend Sunday worship, but none greater than the knowledge that God has prepared a message for our hearts to hear.
A single moment of understanding can flood a whole life with meaning.
(Unknown)
I just happen to be writing this blog entry in the month of October, which is nationally recognized as “Pastor Appreciation Month”. May we flood the hearts of our pastors with encouraging words and acts of thankfulness. These pastors deny themselves daily in answering the high calling that we may grow in faith and in our discipleship. They sacrifice much personal time and expend much mental and physical energy in the planning and tending of the flock God has tenderly placed in their hands.
It seems as though pastors never truly have a “day off”. Congregational needs of a prayerful presence in the face of illness, loss or unexpected life events, is not a thing to be “scheduled”; it all happens in real time. This is why vacations, sabbaticals and retreats are so critically important as a means of personal rest, refreshment and renewal for our clergy men and women.
I would not be the person I am today apart from the many ministers who have profoundly touched my life along my personal faith journey. I sincerely thank God for those who have answered the call to full time ministry; for those who are feeding the flock week after week, month after month, year after year. That is no small task, and I am sure at times, they must feel a burdened weariness. We, the beneficiaries of their faith, study, knowledge and commitment, should carry them in our hearts and lift them up in our prayers week over week. This is a good and right and needful thing for us to do; holding one another—clergy and congregant—in our daily prayers.
As Christians, we hold to, stand on, grope, grasp and in every way cling to, the promises of God that abound in His Word. We put all of our hope and trust in Him and in His sacrificial love for us through his Son, Jesus Christ. That is our part, that is one directional flow—from us to Him. What about the flow from the other direction—from God to us? Look at the absolute trust he places in us; look at the enormity of The Word that has been placed in our hands and in our hearts. Look at what He has entrusted to us! Working alongside the Creator of the universe?! To be used to spread His word and love and righteousness throughout the world?! What an amazing trust and bond and holy privilege. Dive into the Word deeply, and resurface all the richer for the experience.
I close with these beautiful words from the hymn, As The Deer:
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after thee
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship thee
You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship thee
You’re my friend and You are my brother
Even though you are a King
I love you more than any other
So much more than anything
You alone are my strength, my shield
To you alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart’s desire
And I long to worship thee
And I long to worship thee
Martin J. Nystrom