By Not Known
It is a defining feature of the Christian church that we regard ourselves as a
people of God’s book. We gladly affirm that all Scripture is inspired by God and
useful…. (2 Tim 3:16). Because we identify the Bible as the word of God, we
make Bible teaching and learning central to our private faith and our public
life as a church.
The secret things belongs to the Lord our God, but the things
revealed belong to us and our children forever, that we may follow all the words
of this law (Dt 29:29).
Note the emphasis of this verse: God has not told us
everything and it is not our business to be concerned about what we are not
told. Rather, our business is with what we are told.
Our business is to learn and do what the Bible says.
It is good to invest our time in Bible learning
because we must study the Bible carefully in order to know what it teaches.
Devotion to the Bible is not an excuse for sloppy or lazy Bible study – but it
is a motivation to do the best Bible study we are capable of. Singapore gives us
many opportunities of good Bible learning and we should make more use of them.
But, what do we do with our Bible knowledge? God’s interest seems to be more
with what we do than with what we know: Do not merely listen to the word and so
deceive yourselves. Do what it says (Jas 1:22). It is better to know only a
little and to do it, than to know much and do little.
Here at ORPC we have
committed ourselves to be an intentional disciple-making church. This means that
all we do is aimed at growing believers and followers for Jesus Christ. That aim
means that we are never contented just to see people informed by Bible study –
we want to also see them transformed. This flows through into sermons and small
group studies at ORPC, where we have an emphasis on understanding applications
of the passages and encouraging and helping one another to do as the Bible says.
Lord, I thank you for the Bible that is truly your book. I confess that I find
it easier to study than to obey. I also confess that I am often selective about
which parts I obey. And I am quicker to see the disobedience of others than to
see my own. Please give me the grace of your Spirit to hear and do.