THE ETERNAL WORD IS SUFFICIENT

“He to whom the eternal Word speaks is set free from many opinions.

From that One Word are all things and all things speak.”

Thomas a Kempis

“You shall not add to the word that God commanded

Nor shall you take from it.

Every word of God proves True

Do not add to His words.

God has spoken

And God will bring it to pass

God has purposed

And God will do it.

God’s Word does not return to Him void

It accomplishes what He purposed

It shall succeed in what it was sent for.”

Thus says the Lord God.

We live today in a world of many words, many interpretations, and many opinions.  They can become distracters and dismantlers of the Word of God and the Truth that lies within.  Human beings cannot comprehend God to interpret what He says even though we try.  God speaks clearly and directly to His People.  He tells us what we need to know and then wants us to listen and obey His counsel.  He has given us His Spirit to know the Truth of what He speaks and to give us the understanding and the power to do as He says.

Rather than attempt to speak for God to one another we are to exhibit our wisdom and understanding by living His commandments, statutes, and rules as a witness to how great God is.  What we can speak to with confidence is what we see with our own eyes and what we experience of God in our own lives.  We are to be witnesses to what Jesus did and continues to do in our lives and in the lives of others.  We are to be witnesses to show that His teachings and His life were True and continue to be True today.  These are Truths not just opinions or interpretations.

Stories are a good vehicle for this.  Personal experience as a person encounters God and interacts with Him helps us build relationships with one another.  We see God’s working within us sometimes the same and sometime different from how He is working within others.  It brings life into our interactions with one another and that results in truly knowing one another and loving one another.

Sermons have been used for generations in our churches as the central part of the service.  That is not a bad thing but one must ask oneself, “How has that been working for us?”  Do we know God better?   Do we know one another better?  Do we love God better?  Do we love one another better?

Sermons fill the ears and head

Stories fill the heart

Sermon’s mix God’s Word with man’s words

And can dilute the influence of the Eternal Word.

If this has been working for us, fine.  If this has not been working for us maybe we need to think about doing things in a different way.