July 8, 2008
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meditate
I read an interesting story in the book "Faith that Endures" (about the persecuted church) - actually two related stories. One about a pastor who spent some 10 or 20 years in prison. After coming out, he said that he had preached about many Bible verses beforehand, but while in prison he had nothing better to do than to just meditate on them, and apply them to his life... he was very appreciative of the whole experience, because it helped him get to know God much more deeply. The second story about a man who wished to get the Bible out to persecuted christians in a certain country. So he took small stones, and wrote one Bible verse on each one, and began distributing them to peasants, one stone per person. The person would take the stone and meditate on that verse all week, and apply it. One persecuted pastor made the statement: "it is dangerous to learn more and more truth without applying the truth one already knows."
I think that is quite true...
Comments (6)
"it is dangerous to learn more and more truth without applying the truth one already knows." --- BINGO
I'm reading _Safely Home_ by Randy Alcorn - also about the persecuted church (realistic fiction). In it, one of the pastors called prison "seminary."
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So, now to apply these statements...
I completely agree. I run into this problem as a pastor. If I'm preparing three lessons a week, how can I possibly apply all that I'm expecting my listeners to apply?
I like that statement.
In what way "persecuted?"
~Sol
Yeah . . . one of the unfortunate side effects of religion is that a lot of people will use it to discriminate against others. Muslims, Christians, Atheists, Scientologists, Buddhists . . . People can find in any religion, or lack thereof, a reason to be nasty. I suppose, though, that these people would probably - probably not necessarily - find a way to be cruel even if religion didn't exist.
Wise Ardy, would always remind us of this: "The more you learn the more responsible you are." It is true. With knowledge of any sort there is the greater opportunity then to be different and the lesser excuse there is to remain the same. Small stones with Bible verses...this makes me wonder "how consumed should our every day lives and even the every day things that we use and see be used to think on and cause others to think on God and the changing power of His Word?" "Are we preparing to be satisfied alone with God and His Word?" Someday soon, that may be "all" that we have to hold dear and be sustained by; better off we will be in theory though it may take our hearts a bit of time to catch up with God's grace. Your heart might resonate with Chris Etter's new Sunday school series of lessons beginning in September on the persecuted church.
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