For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires... -2 Timothy 4:3
The word of God and the proclamation of that word is an offense in our day. As we draw closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we approach the greatest moments in human history; moments that many in our world today do not know about, care about, or believe. But the apostle Paul reminds us that, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ as reported in scripture is not a true, historical event (and by implication, if his physical death is not a real event as well), then our faith is useless, even less than useless - it is pathetic (1 Cor 15:12-19).
We believe that the word of God is complete, sufficient, understandable and trustworthy. Now, just because we believe that at LifePoint doesn't mean it's true. So, how do we know? My suggestion would be to go to the source. Someone might say, "Why do you care so much about this? Do you care if Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer is complete, sufficient, trustworthy and reliable? How about Dante's Inferno, or Shakespeare's Macbeth?" My answer is, "No, not really." However, I would be inclined to add, "None of those books, nor others of which I am aware, claim to be telling me the way to eternal life and are backed up by 3,500 years of history and countless stories of changed lives." With that type of track record, I would be a bit more interested in the book's reliability, especially when the book makes outlandish claims for itself. I love Tom Sawyer; it's the first book I read cover to cover. I read it to my daughters when they were young (note to reader - not exactly a thriller for young girls), but Mark Twain didn't ask me to consider its sufficiency or reliability, and he made no claims that the book would change my life.
God's word is sufficient for all our needs. It contains "all things pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3). People will seek answers to life's issues in a multitude of places, from drugs/alcohol to pop-psychology to simply wasting their time or endlessly working, so as to push every problem further into the future. I can't say that I blame non-believers for trying to find relief where they can find it. Life is extremely difficult at times. But, my brothers and sisters, should we be looking in the same places? If the answer to your problems lie in events or activities that do not ultimately bring you closer to God, they are not God's answers to your problems. I hold a Masters Degree in psychology, and I'm here to tell you that man-centered psychology will leave you wanting in the end. It offers no long-term relief for you. God's word, on the other hand, claims that it does offer you answers, and I believe it delivers on that claim.
Some churches today say that folk like us are stuck in the past, living in an archaic world that remains static and cannot change with the times. If by that they mean that we believe that 2,000 years of church history has something to teach us, then I plead guilty. If they mean that we need to stoke up our courage and face the fact that the word of God, like all things, is in flux and says different things to different people, and is "living" in such a way that it flows with the times by bending to culture and adapting to new ways of experiencing life - well, you probably already know what I think about that. The new hip phrase is "we take a redemptive approach to scripture." Sounds swell, but that really is just church-speak for "the Bible adapts to us, we don't adapt to it. We can't draw crowds by insisting on the word of God as God's final word, so we just say 'it is redemptive.'" Don't buy it; if God's word is just "blowin' in the wind," you'd better start looking elsewhere for answers to life's most important and difficult questions. And, by the way, life is short. I would start looking as soon as possible.
Be prepared my friends, the day has now dawned when holding fast to the truth of God's word will cost you something. Jobs, relationships, friends, even family. No need to go looking for a tussle, it will come to you soon enough. When it does, don't be surprised and don't be mean-spirited, just keep doing the task before you. "As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Tim 4:5).
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym