Thursday, July 17, 2008
- Dennis Newkirk
...continued from earlier post.
To read previous posts from Dennis Newkirk click here.
Theology is the study of God, who He is, and what He says. What could you possibly learn that would be more important than that? We were created to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. It is impossible to do that without knowing Him. This knowledge of God doesn’t come from looking around and “seeing God in nature” even though He has revealed Himself in nature. It doesn’t come from how you “feel in your heart” about Him because your feelings are manipulated by many things. It comes from the written word of God. The Bible is God speaking to us, revealing Himself page after page through the Old and New Testament.
The temptation is to just leave the deeper things to the pastor; after all he has the calling and education to understand Scripture. If that is your philosophy, how would you know when your pastor is mistaken, or worse, what if he is teaching false doctrine (Eph 4:14)? Church history is replete with examples of this very thing.
Additionally, if you leave the understanding and teaching of the Bible to “the professionals” you miss the tremendous joy of hearing from God on your own! For you to grow into spiritual maturity, you must study Scripture on your own and earnestly desire to be taught theology. The results of spiritual laziness, a junk food spiritual diet, and “three simple points to make you healthy, wealthy, and wise” preaching is that you destine yourself to a life of spiritual childishness. That is a waste of your life!
Remember too, we will all face difficult, hurtful, frightening, and disappointing times in life. It is part of being human and living in a fallen world. I’m talking about the kind of things that shake you to your very core, when you cry out, “Why would God do this to me? Is He even there?” Simple “three steps to a nicer life” sermons don’t cut it in a time like that! You need the assurance of knowing that you know who you are dealing with and what His plans are for you.
Your pastor,
Dennis Newkirk
Future posts on this topic to come...