God gave us a memorable morning at IBC Sunday as we commissioned Pastors Brad and Josh and the team for planting Grace Church. “Bittersweet” described many of our emotions. It’s tough to send people we love; but it’s exciting to see how God is working and anticipate what He will do. Remember our 9-second prayer: “Lord, cause your Word to run and be successful through IBC, Grace Church, and our missionaries for your glory.”
Sunday was also a milestone in my expository preaching ministry, as I completed 2 Thessalonians, so that I’ve now preached through every book in the New Testament (and 18 books of the Old) at IBC over the last 32 years. I look forward to our next series on “The Love of Your Life” (Deuteronomy 1-11), which starts this Sunday. Later this year, I’ll be back to the New Testament; but we are always encouraged with the richness of the Old as well.
HOW IS YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE HOLDING UP DURING THE PANDEMIC? Pastor Phillip called an article to my attention called “COVID-19 Is Disrupting Americans’ Engagement with Scripture.”
In this article, Joe Carter writes, “The State of the Bible Polling found that as of the first week in June, Scripture engagement among adults had fallen… representing 13.1 million Americans who were no longer consistently interacting with the Bible ‘in a way that shaped their choices and transformed their relationships with God and others.’”
Wouldn’t you think that with less people attending in-person church gatherings, their Bible reading would increase to make up for it? Most often, just the opposite is true: “To increase Scripture engagement, we must increase relational connections with one another through the Church. The pandemic—and now this survey—have shown that when relational church engagement goes up, so does Scripture engagement, but when it goes down, Scripture engagement drops with it. In other words, it’s probably the relationship people have with one another through Church that really make the difference.”
Why is being in the Word so critical? To quote Joe Carter’s article again, “It is through engagement with the Bible that we hear and encounter God.” Then, he quotes one of my favorite authors, J. I. Packer who went to be with the Lord recently. Packer wrote in his powerful book Knowing God, “What were we made for? To know God. What is the ‘eternal life’ that Jesus gives? Knowledge of God… What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God.” In the Bible, we hear our Father’s voice and connect with Him personally.
I encourage you to assess your spiritual life—including your relational involvement with other Christians and your engagement with your Bible daily. What can you do in our current situation to stay in fellowship with Christians and stay strong in your Bible reading?
At IBC, we’re here for you—in person and online. Join us as we help one another grow in what we were made for—knowing God and making Him known!