Reflections – 2012.04

A Congregational Experiment

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing
one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

[Jesus said,] “He who hears these words of mine and does them will be
like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. And the rain fell,
and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it
did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.”

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and
of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for
reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the
man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

The Word of God: heart-dwelling, thanks-inspiring, worship-informing,
spirit-convicting, work-equipping, life-shaping. Our foundation as
Christians and our delight. Truth. Gift.

It is the God-breathed Scriptures that we are called to read, to hear,
to meditate on and rejoice in. Beginning in May, we will be doing
this together as I preach through the Gospel of Mark. I have prepared
a daily reading schedule for you (and for me) so that we can read
through Mark together between Sundays.

On occasion, I may send some of my first thoughts to you as I read
what you are reading. Why? Because this congregational experiment in
Scripture reading is meant to be a dialogue – between you and me, and
me and you, between you and your elders and your elders and you, and
with one another. Your schedule also has Psalms 1-41 scattered
throughout, so we don’t forget where we’ve been and so we are ready to
continue in the Fall as we return to the Psalms (Book II).

I want to encourage you, every one of you, individually and as
families, to do this – and to ask questions. The Gospel of Mark will
lead you to ponder things – share your thoughts with others, ask
without fear questions that you have, pray that the Lord will use this
time in His Word to teach, train, reprove and correct you – to equip
you to serve Him … and enjoy the gift of God, breathed out and
written down for His people. And as we read through and as I preach
through the Gospel of Mark in particular, may your love for Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, grow, that God might be glorified.