When I was a young child, my sister's favorite movie was "White Nights" starring the famous ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. At least once a year, she'd pull that VHS cassette out of the cabinet to re-watch the movie. For those of you who never had a Baryshnikov-infatuated older sister with whom to watch the movie repeatedly, the basic plot of this 1980s movie is that a Soviet ballet dancer (played by Baryshnikov) who has defected gets stuck back in the Soviet Union after his flight has to make an emergency landing in Siberia. The Soviets want him to dance for their country again. (This is obviously because he's a freaking brilliant dancer...seriously, if you've never seen the man dance, go youtube him. If he'd lived in Ancient Greece, I'm pretty sure someone would have declared him to be some dancing demigod. Anyways...) The ballet-dancing, former defector wants to escape again. It's a tense movie with some brilliant dancing thrown in. Back to my own story though...I started watching this movie from around the age of 5 or 6. I had absolutely no understanding of the plot. I remember sitting there wondering why the character was frantically ripping up documents in the bathroom of a crashing plane, why everyone seemed so tense and grouchy with each other, and when would he EVER dance again. I would stay for the whole movie even though the only thing I could remotely appreciate was the dancing. I did this for years of viewings. However, I remember the year that my sister pulled out the movie and I actually understood the whole defection portion. There was suddenly a reason for all of that tense dialogue and non-dancing. I was amazed and re-captivated. The movie obviously hadn't changed at all, and yet it was a completely different viewing experience for me suddenly. I had new things to consider and explore in the very familiar movie.
Even with as many times as I've watched "White Nights," I've read the Bible more. I've been reading the Bible for as long as I could read, and I was listening to it before that. I have spent 32 of my 32 years hearing and/or reading the Word. I have a secret for you though. I didn't understand it all when I first started. I have an even more shocking secret. I don't understand it all now. However, I don't consider that a flaw on my part or on the Bible's part. My lack of understanding doesn't keep me from returning for more because I know that there is always something there that will captivate me.
I'm concerned that some believers may have bought into the lie that if they don't have a FULL understanding of every part of Scripture that they hear or read, then they are somehow incapable of engaging in Scripture-reading independently. Sometimes I wonder if the church has become so used to presenting the Word in "relevant" ways that we've started to believe that it needs to be filtered or watered down or paraphrased in order for it to be taken in by others. What I want to say with my loudest voice to both of these ideas is "PHOOEY!!"
If you don't understand some or all of Scripture, you can still have meaningful, life-altering time in it...on your own... independently... without a teacher interpreting it for you. When I watched "White Nights" as a 6 year old, I didn't have enough life experience and background knowledge to be able to make the inferences necessary to understand the plot. I kept re-engaging in it viewing after viewing though. I couldn't comprehend the political struggles, but I could recognize beauty. It captivated me. It awed me. It left me wanting for more. Was the viewing of the movie worthless for me because I didn't understand huge portions of it? Not at all! How is the heart and mind of a child shaped by seeing strength and power transformed into art and elegance? I'm not sure, but I think it's significant. I think it mattered long before I was able to articulate or understand how it might matter. You may not have enough background knowledge to understand every aspect of what you read in the Bible right now, but there are so many things that you can recognize: beauty, love, joy, peace, encouragement, sorrow, agony, heartache, nobility, family, mercy, etc. You may not have the background knowledge or life experience to be able to articulate or even comprehend exactly what you're getting of significance out of a passage, but don't discount the work God is doing in you when you spend time in His Word. Ecclesiastes still leaves me lost for words usually. I'm mostly baffled by it, but I seem to come out of reading it with a renewed sense of the worth of enjoying each day. I can't explain that well, but it's real and worthwhile. In fact, I'm coming to believe that enjoying the life that God has given me today is one of the most significant things I can do for Him. One of the beautiful things about reading the Word is that God can speak to you through it TODAY. There is not a minimum amount of knowledge necessary to begin. Not only that, but God can keep speaking to you through it every day, for your entire life because it is The Living Book. It's like it grows with you to be applicable for each new life stage, but really, you grow with it!
As a child new to reading the Word, I had one favorite passage (Psalm 1), one favorite character (David), and a whole lot of not knowing where exactly to go from there. When I was on my own, I went back to my favorites over and over again. I had no reading plan. I had no devotional. It was just me and the Bible. I stumbled into new areas to explore on my own, and I listened carefully to good teachers who could fill in pieces of background knowledge and point out fascinating new-to-me sections and concepts in Scripture for me to explore. I am so grateful to the Bible teachers that I have learned from, but you need to understand something. If you are a believer, you have a teacher with you always. When Jesus talked to His disciples about the upcoming time when He would no longer be physically present with them, He explained, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:16-17, 24-25) Don't wait until you have "enough" background knowledge before engaging in time in the Word on your own, and don't think that you can only grow with a human teacher holding your hand through it all. God has sent His Spirit into you to guide you in the truth. Read the Word on your own with confidence. God wants to speak to you individually through His Word today.
If you have the tremendous privilege and responsibility to teach His truth to others, do not hesitate to speak the Word...word for word even! Nowadays, we do so much paraphrasing and trying to make His truth "relevant" for others that I think sometimes we act as if His Word is not already relevant for others. We think we need to shrink His truth into a bite sized morsel to make it easier for others to consume. How will the listeners ever get a glimpse of the bounty available in His Word if we do that? How will the listeners be inspired to explore the feast that is available to them if we only ever present pre-processed bites? Don't get me wrong here. There's nothing wrong with exposition. There would be no point to this blog if I thought that people couldn't point other people in the direction of the truth by sharing thoughts and experiences. However, don't ever presume that your teaching is more nutritious, sustaining, or interesting than the Word itself! If you're short on time, edit out some of your words, not His Word!! If we speak the Word itself, we can rest assured that God is capable of ministering to and captivating every level of listener!
To practice what I'm preaching here, I want to share with you now from a book of the Bible that has surprised me several times over with its relevance to my life even when I approach it expecting absolutely nothing in return, I want to share with you Hebrews 4: 12-16:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Thank you, God, for providing an alive and active Word that can cut into any stage of my life, any thought pattern that I have, any attitude I'm harboring, to shine a light on much needed truth. Thank you that I can trust this seemingly dangerous Word, this Word that cuts and divides and changes me, because I know that you Jesus empathize with my every weakness. You are not a harsh God with a Word of mass destruction. Instead, you are a loving Healer who can cut out infections and administer healing balm. I am continually amazed that you allow us to approach You with confidence and that you will give us exactly what we need when we do so. I pray today that those who read this will approach You by going to Your Word with confidence, knowing that they can and will receive mercy and find grace to help them in their time of need.
Even with as many times as I've watched "White Nights," I've read the Bible more. I've been reading the Bible for as long as I could read, and I was listening to it before that. I have spent 32 of my 32 years hearing and/or reading the Word. I have a secret for you though. I didn't understand it all when I first started. I have an even more shocking secret. I don't understand it all now. However, I don't consider that a flaw on my part or on the Bible's part. My lack of understanding doesn't keep me from returning for more because I know that there is always something there that will captivate me.
I'm concerned that some believers may have bought into the lie that if they don't have a FULL understanding of every part of Scripture that they hear or read, then they are somehow incapable of engaging in Scripture-reading independently. Sometimes I wonder if the church has become so used to presenting the Word in "relevant" ways that we've started to believe that it needs to be filtered or watered down or paraphrased in order for it to be taken in by others. What I want to say with my loudest voice to both of these ideas is "PHOOEY!!"
If you don't understand some or all of Scripture, you can still have meaningful, life-altering time in it...on your own... independently... without a teacher interpreting it for you. When I watched "White Nights" as a 6 year old, I didn't have enough life experience and background knowledge to be able to make the inferences necessary to understand the plot. I kept re-engaging in it viewing after viewing though. I couldn't comprehend the political struggles, but I could recognize beauty. It captivated me. It awed me. It left me wanting for more. Was the viewing of the movie worthless for me because I didn't understand huge portions of it? Not at all! How is the heart and mind of a child shaped by seeing strength and power transformed into art and elegance? I'm not sure, but I think it's significant. I think it mattered long before I was able to articulate or understand how it might matter. You may not have enough background knowledge to understand every aspect of what you read in the Bible right now, but there are so many things that you can recognize: beauty, love, joy, peace, encouragement, sorrow, agony, heartache, nobility, family, mercy, etc. You may not have the background knowledge or life experience to be able to articulate or even comprehend exactly what you're getting of significance out of a passage, but don't discount the work God is doing in you when you spend time in His Word. Ecclesiastes still leaves me lost for words usually. I'm mostly baffled by it, but I seem to come out of reading it with a renewed sense of the worth of enjoying each day. I can't explain that well, but it's real and worthwhile. In fact, I'm coming to believe that enjoying the life that God has given me today is one of the most significant things I can do for Him. One of the beautiful things about reading the Word is that God can speak to you through it TODAY. There is not a minimum amount of knowledge necessary to begin. Not only that, but God can keep speaking to you through it every day, for your entire life because it is The Living Book. It's like it grows with you to be applicable for each new life stage, but really, you grow with it!
As a child new to reading the Word, I had one favorite passage (Psalm 1), one favorite character (David), and a whole lot of not knowing where exactly to go from there. When I was on my own, I went back to my favorites over and over again. I had no reading plan. I had no devotional. It was just me and the Bible. I stumbled into new areas to explore on my own, and I listened carefully to good teachers who could fill in pieces of background knowledge and point out fascinating new-to-me sections and concepts in Scripture for me to explore. I am so grateful to the Bible teachers that I have learned from, but you need to understand something. If you are a believer, you have a teacher with you always. When Jesus talked to His disciples about the upcoming time when He would no longer be physically present with them, He explained, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:16-17, 24-25) Don't wait until you have "enough" background knowledge before engaging in time in the Word on your own, and don't think that you can only grow with a human teacher holding your hand through it all. God has sent His Spirit into you to guide you in the truth. Read the Word on your own with confidence. God wants to speak to you individually through His Word today.
If you have the tremendous privilege and responsibility to teach His truth to others, do not hesitate to speak the Word...word for word even! Nowadays, we do so much paraphrasing and trying to make His truth "relevant" for others that I think sometimes we act as if His Word is not already relevant for others. We think we need to shrink His truth into a bite sized morsel to make it easier for others to consume. How will the listeners ever get a glimpse of the bounty available in His Word if we do that? How will the listeners be inspired to explore the feast that is available to them if we only ever present pre-processed bites? Don't get me wrong here. There's nothing wrong with exposition. There would be no point to this blog if I thought that people couldn't point other people in the direction of the truth by sharing thoughts and experiences. However, don't ever presume that your teaching is more nutritious, sustaining, or interesting than the Word itself! If you're short on time, edit out some of your words, not His Word!! If we speak the Word itself, we can rest assured that God is capable of ministering to and captivating every level of listener!
To practice what I'm preaching here, I want to share with you now from a book of the Bible that has surprised me several times over with its relevance to my life even when I approach it expecting absolutely nothing in return, I want to share with you Hebrews 4: 12-16:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Thank you, God, for providing an alive and active Word that can cut into any stage of my life, any thought pattern that I have, any attitude I'm harboring, to shine a light on much needed truth. Thank you that I can trust this seemingly dangerous Word, this Word that cuts and divides and changes me, because I know that you Jesus empathize with my every weakness. You are not a harsh God with a Word of mass destruction. Instead, you are a loving Healer who can cut out infections and administer healing balm. I am continually amazed that you allow us to approach You with confidence and that you will give us exactly what we need when we do so. I pray today that those who read this will approach You by going to Your Word with confidence, knowing that they can and will receive mercy and find grace to help them in their time of need.
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