Pastor’s Corner March 2006

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

Stay in the Word my brothers and sisters!

Colossians 3:16 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. As a follow-up to my recent sermon on Colossians 3:16, I would like to encourage each of you to spend regular, daily time in God’s Word. Letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly is a matter of regular, repeated ingestion. The “Word of Christ” refers specifically to the message of Christ’s payment for our sins, but it is also synonymous with the “Word of God”, meaning the whole Bible. Often we fail to read the Bible because we think it requires a lot of time and that we must read long portions in order for it to make a difference. The result is that we become more and more detached from the life-giving Word of God. Imagine if we quit eating because we lacked time and opportunity! We need the spiritual nutrition of God’s Word just as we need food to live. Simply try to read a couple verses each day. The Holy Spirit will use them and apply them to your heart. Keep your Bible in a place you frequent first thing in the morning, open it up and start reading. It doesn’t matter where you start reading, however, if you can only read a few verses, choose a Psalm, a few Proverbs, or one of the Epistles in the New Testament. Another option for those of you who spend time on a computer each day, is to log on to God’s Word before doing anything else. I also enjoy listening to hymns online in conjunction with a brief time of reading and prayer. If you will make it a priority to read just a few verses a day, your appetite for God’s Word will grow. Still, it only takes a little to go a long, long way, if it’s done consistently. One of my ardent prayers is for reformation and revival in the Church of Jesus Christ in this generation. Such transformation starts in the lives of individuals and is directly proportional to the exposure each of us has to God’s Word and the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit that attends. The Word of Christ must saturate our lives. For something to “dwell” in us means for it to be flowing through us. Think of the blood that courses through our veins to every part of our body. The Word of God should so run through us! Further, the Word of Christ must dwell in us richly, not simply as “head” knowledge but as a heart-felt, Spirit-guided, grasp of the truth as it is read, studied, taught, preached and lived out. Let us hold one another accountable to spend regular time in the Bible. At your Home Fellowship Group meetings your leaders will challenge you to let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly! Take this as a wonderful opportunity for growth in God’s grace. Can you imagine the transformation awaiting our congregation as each member has their mind and life washed in the water of the Word? This is the seed for reformation and revival in the Church. By God’s grace, let it start with us! In the Lamb, Pastor Tony Felich