Dear Church Family,
I grew up in a family that sang. Rarely did my parents turn on the radio as we rode in the car. Sometimes we talked, but usually we sang. Neither my mom nor dad allowed us to sing loud except for certain songs. They allowed us to belt it out as we sang a part this song. Here are the lyrics with the part I would shout in all caps and bolded. Feel free to sing along and shout if you wish.
The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s that book for me; I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E!
God’s Word shall never fail, never fail, never fail. God’s Word shall never fail, NO! NO! NO!
My parents taught the family that the Bible could be trusted because it contains the inspired Word of God. It was true when it was first inspired by God and it remains eternally true. Yet Satan’s number one tool of temptation remains in use today – he casts doubt on the authority and truth of the Bible. He began his conversation in the garden with four simple words to Eve, “Did God really say?”
Life will disappoint everyone at some point. We will fail. Others will betray us. Death, sickness, loneliness, job loss, financial pressure, and more will take their toll on us. In those down times the evil one will lead us to question God. In the good times Satan will whisper that we are doing great without God and we might be come self-reliant. Ultimately people who turn from the authority of the Bible replace it with a dependence on self as the basis of truth.
Every person has a list (spoken or unspoken) of what they believe. Janie B. Chaney writes in WORLD that asking someone why they believe provides a great opening to a deep sharing of ideas. She points out, “credos are an excellent place to begin a conversation. Many of us adopt beliefs without knowing why—sometimes, at least in part, because those beliefs are breathed in with the atmosphere. Sometimes, in part, simply to fit in with the cultural milieu.”
Trusting in Scripture alone as the only rule of faith and practice transformed the world five hundred years ago with the Reformation. We must continue to be reformed and ever reforming as God’s truth takes deeper root in us as we “stand alone on the Word of God.
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin