Friday, June 11, 2004

What I'm Working With

Whenever someone starts quoting the Word of God, the reader (or listener) should always double check that what they‘re being fed complies with the actual scripture. There are a multitude of denominations within the Christian faith: Catholics, Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodist, 7th Day Adventist, Mormons, Church of God In Christ, and so on, the list is monumental. Sometimes these differences or 'splits' of the church come about due to theological differences, or in traditional practices. I try not to get into all of that kinda stuff. There’s so many different ways that people choose to worship God that are based on traditions instead of scriptural direction that it will make your head swim if you try to keep up with them all.

I was raised a Southern Baptist, a denomination who‘s beginnings some trace back to the Anabaptists movement. I actually prefer to trace the Baptist church back to Biblical days and the prophet John the Baptist. Because it was John the Baptist 'The Voice in the Wilderness' that first started immersing believers in water and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, so obviously I have my own theological myopic slant that all Christians have to some degree. But instead of working about these differences, I instead choose to focus on what God says in His Word. I have 2 main Bibles that I read:

1) The MacArthur Study Bible (New King James Version): An EXCELLENT study Bible that will help the reader understand historical context and theological summaries. This was the first Bible that I read in it’s entirety . I could think of no better study aid for the novice Bible reader than this. The facts and scriptures I quoted concerning the intertestamental period in Thursday’s Hebrews post was ‘jacked’ directly from Mr. MacArthur’s Study Bible

2) New Strong’s Reference Bible (King James Version): Dr. James Strong’s Bible has a lot less contemporarily translated verses, it’s written a lot closer to the original manuscripts accepted as canons. My parents gave me this Bible (pictured) as one of my gifts for my 33rd birthday, along with..

3) The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. For those that are seeking to get ‘rooted’ in the Word, this is an indispensable study aid. Because in this concordance, Dr. Strong compiles all of the original Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) words to go along with their era’s translation. For those seeking to get that Word pure and uncut, this is the closest thing to actually learning how to read Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

So there it is right there, when you see me quote scriptures those are the tools that I use. Reading the Bible is not a singular feat, but rather a never-ending journey. Once you get IN to it, you’re going to read it daily. Even if it’s only for a few passages, because it is what feeds the Christian soul. There are a lot of religions which recognize other ‘scriptures’, but not me. I believe that the 66 books of the Bible is the complete and inerrant Word of God. There is nothing to be added to them, or to be taken away from them. Some people try to compromise God’s Word…
Jesus didn’t say that! PAUL said that! I only go by the stuff in red, cuz that’s what JESUS said!

Well, the Bible is a fabulous work, but it’s not to be taken literally, there’s no way God could have made ‘everything’ in 6-24 hour days!!


I used to struggle with all the translations and versions of the Bible. My suspicious nature towards men wouldn’t allow me to believe that the Bible we have today was ‘God’s Word’. But once the Spirit touched my heart and allowed me to become a teachable servant, I now know that the Bible is 100% God’s. When you think about it on the common sense level, it all flows..


Hmm..now if God DID put a book out, how would it sell? How widely would it be distributed? Who all would know about it?

Using that train of thought, anyone who KNOWS God is all the way real, will quickly understand that God’s Word is #1. There is no more widely distributed, publicized, talked about, sold, given away and preached about Book in the history of man. Isaiah wrote it down thousands of years ago, God’s Word shall NEVER return void. Real never goes out of style mane, it’s always on point. Today. Yesterday. When our grandparents were children. When our great grandchildren are parents, God’s Word will remain.

So for those who are following doctrines and ‘scriptures’ that are not part of those 66 books? We’re going to have differences, and it’s going to start with whatever you’re trying to add or take away from God’s Word. Some may call me ‘ignant’ for having such a blinded view of ‘God’s Word’, but that’s just me. I give everyone their respect for believing what they want to believe, but it’s my duty as a Christian believer to always explain the reasons for MY faith. Because I know that there are a lot of servinemup.com readers who have the same spiritual void that I had before the Spirit touched my heart.

Every believer has their own calling that God bids them to do. We’re not supposed to wait on the sidelines and observe, we’re supposed to get out on that battlefield and fight for the Lord. Some people preach, some teach, some write, some sing, some dance, some build, some engineer, some account, some fish, some speak, there are millions of ways and capacities to serve the Lord. I encourage each and every one of you to reach down deep and listen to that calling that God is bidding to you.

I am fortunate to have an army of Christian believers to lean on for support and guidance. I was mulling over God’s calling for D., when I picked up the phone and called my uncle who also happens to be the Pastor of Eastern Star Baptist Church in Port Arthur,Texas.

Hey Unc?

Hey nephew..what’s going on?

I have a question for you.

What’s up?

How did you know when God had called you to preach?

Well..I’ll tell you like Pastor Richardson used to say, ‘It’s the same and it’s different’.

What does that mean?

It’s the same, in that all callings come from the Holy Spirit.

Okayyy...


And it’s different, in that it hits each person differently. How I was called is not going to be the same as how someone else is called.

I think the most common restraint for would-be believers is pride. Submitting yourself to be a servant of God will make you do some things that you wouldn’t normally do and it's a very vulnerable experience. Being vocal about your faith makes you a visible target for criticisms and cries of hypocrisy. Everything you do will be watched and observed by those who have not submitted their lives to Christ.


Mmmhmm..he’s talking that Jesus, but he’s right here drinking just as many tequila shots as err body else.

You can’t let the fear of that spotlight deter you from serving God faithfully and diligently. But you don’t have to believe me just because I’m writing it, watch what it DO! Pick up your Bible and study it prayerfully. Once you read it, you’ll better understand why I’ve got that fire in my heart. All signs point to Jesus mane…FO-REAL!! He's what I'm working with, or rather I should say, I'm what He's working with. Please be patient with me, He's not through with me yet.