The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Bible (Page 1 of 9)

Core Scriptures

January 20, 2025 / / 0 Comments

We all know that some Bible passages are more important than others.

Oh! Scandalous! What did he say?!

No, you can’t freak out about that.

But all Scripture is the same!

No, it’s not. Not all the verses in the Bible are on the same level. It’s not flat. And we know this. It’s not controversial. We all know this about Scripture.

Our Lord Jesus taught us this. He pointed us to what he calls the weightier matters, the parts of Scripture that are closest to the heart and will of the Father. He clearly believed and taught that some biblical commands are more important than others–he ranked them!

Plus, think about our own experiences within our churches. You probably spend a lot more time in the Gospels than in Haggai. You likely have more Bible classes on Exodus and Acts than you do in Jude. And you don’t think you’re preacher is bad because he hasn’t preached through 2 Thessalonians or Nahum. We all know and practice the fact that some Scripture is more important than others.

So how do we get those Scriptures inside us? How do we make the most important sections of the Bible part of who we are?

Our shepherds and ministers worked together for two months last fall to identify what we are calling our “Core Scriptures.” There are ten of them–the nature of God, his character and his mission, how we’re saved and why, how we treat others, where all this is headed–and we’re going to read one of them every single Sunday during our morning worship assembly. Over and over again, a different core Scripture every week. Regardless of the day’s sermon, the season of the year, or the theme for the week, we’re going to read the next core Scripture. And when we read the tenth one ten Sundays from now, we’re going to start all over at the top of the list and keep going. We’re not going to be afraid of repetition; we’re going to embrace it, because we think it’s critical that we get these foundational, essential passages inside us.

We believe these passages can change us. We believe if we’ll view the whole Bible through the lens of these key verses, we’ll be better interpreters. We believe we’ll have a more perfect understanding of the heart and will of our God and that it’ll lead to more Christ-likeness for our whole congregation.

Here are GCR’s ten “Core Scriptures:”

Matthew 22:37-40
1 John 4:7-12
Romans 8:28, 31b-35, 37-39
Matthew 28:18-20
Exodus 34:5-7a
Ephesians 2:4-10
Colossians 3:12-15
Philippians 2:1-11
Micah 6:6-8
Revelation 21:1-7

These are the passages that just soar. These are the verses that cultivate a love and adoration for God’s Word. Through these Scriptures, we see how large and splendid and magnificent life really is as a beloved child of God, redeemed by the blood of his Son, and restored by the power of his Holy Spirit.

Instead of reading through the whole Bible this year, it might be better to dig into a few core passages and really get them inside your soul. Memorize them, meditate on them, read them and recite them out loud, pray them, journal them, make them a part of who you are. Just try it. And see if you don’t have more strength and stability and better balance. Who you are and everything you do is connected to and extends from your core.

Peace,

Allan

The Bible: Our Transformation

January 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Continuing our conversation on whatever Bible reading plans you have for 2025, and reminding you of this statement concerning what the Bible is and what the Bible does: The Bible is God’s revelation for our transformation. This is what the Bible is and what the Bible is for. We addressed the revelation part of the statement in the last post. Today, let’s tackle the transformation.

“The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” ~Hebrews 4:12

“When you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” ~1 Thessalonians 2:13

The Bible works in us. The holy words of Scripture do something inside us. They give us health and wholeness and life. They give us holiness and wisdom and hope. The words of the Bible are supposed to get inside our souls and shape us; they’re intended by our God to change us into a people who are more and more in tune with the new world he is creating, the salvation he is bringing, and the people he is gathering.

These are formational words. They’re intended to transform our lives, not just stuff more information into our brains. We want the Bible to get into our guts, not just our heads. We want the words of Scripture flowing through our bloodstreams. We want to receive them in a way that changes us and shapes us more into the image of Christ. And that takes a different kind of reading. We’ve got to chew on these words and swallow them. The holy words of Scripture need to become a part of you.

What happens when you eat something? It becomes a part of you. You assimilate it. You are what you eat–that’s exactly right! And we know this, we experience this. If a nursing mother eats fajitas for lunch–with onions, jalapenos, pico de gallo, and salsa–she’s going to be up all night. Not because she’s sick, but because her baby is sick! The fajitas have become a part of her! You are what you put inside you. I look in the mirror and I can see Whataburger and Blue Sky. It’s become part of me. The biggest part.

The words of Scripture are written by the Holy Spirit in a way to get inside us. They’re intended to become a part of us and change us. In Colossians 1, the apostle Paul prays that the Christians there would be filled with the knowledge of God and God’s will “in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work” (Colossians 1:9-10).

The true test of whether the Bible is in you is seen in your transformed life. Your Christian formation is measured or proven by bearing fruit through your good works as a result of a changing life.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the child of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” ~2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Bible is not primarily about theological doctrine or the right facts or being more correct. It’s not. The Bible says the Bible is all about changing lives and producing good works. We don’t read the Bible to know more, we read the Bible to do more!

We don’t study the Bible. We don’t learn it. We don’t use the Bible. We eat it. We ingest it. We assimilate it. We take it into our lives in such a way that it metabolizes into acts of love, cups of cold water, hospital and prison visits, casseroles and cakes, comfort and encouragement, evangelism and justice.

So, how do we get the Bible inside us? How do we make the Scriptures a part of who we are?

What about focusing for a full year on just ten core passages? Reading just those ten. Dwelling in them. Praying them. Meditating on them. Memorizing and reciting them. For a full year. More on that tomorrow.

Peace,

Allan

The Bible: God’s Revelation

January 15, 2025 / / 0 Comments

I want to continue the conversation about our Bible reading plans for 2025 with this statement about what the Bible is and what the Bible does:

The Bible is God’s revelation for our transformation.

Let’s start with revelation. Consider just two key passages that remind us the Bible is a communication from God given to us by God himself.

“When you received the Word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the Word of God.” ~1 Thessalonians 2:13

“All Scripture is God-breathed.” ~2 Timothy 3:16

The Bible is not just a collection of truths or a set of laws. It is a very complex, multi-faceted thing through which God has spoken, God is still speaking, and God promises to keep on speaking. Our God has not stopped talking. He hasn’t developed laryngitis. He’s not silent. He reveals to us who he is and his character and his will. He personally reveals to us what he is all about and what he is doing in this world all around us. He tells us how and why we were created and what his plans are for us. And the primary way he does that is through the Bible.

So, reading the Bible is everything. It’s life and death, and what you had for breakfast, and what you’re planning to do in April. It’s everything. So, you read the Bible with your whole life, not just with the gray stuff inside your skull.

The Bible is God’s Word straight from God himself. That’s what we believe. So, we know it’s right and we know it’s true. But sometimes we let the right and the true get in the way of our God. The whole Bible is about God–every line, every word. It’s about God. But we lose that sometimes. We’ll read all four chapters of Jonah and then spend eight weeks arguing about and trying to figure out how a man can live inside a whale and, if so, what kind of whale was it? Wait! Jonah is about God, not a whale! We’re missing it!

It’s like the football player who’s so in love with his uniform, he forgets he has a game to play. Or like the college student who finds a wonderful social life, but forgets to study. True, you can’t have Jonah without the whale, you can’t have a football game without the uniform, and college doesn’t really work without a social life. But they’re different things! We can’t miss the point!

The Bible is a revelation from God about God. And this direct revelation from God carries ultimate authority. But it’s not an impersonal authority like a collection of science facts and truth. It’s not a legal authority like volumes of legislation in a law library. It’s not a factual authority like a geometry textbook. It’s not historical authority like an ancient artifact under glass in a museum. The Bible is a personal, relational revelation that carries personal, relational authority. The Bible is God letting us in on something, showing us what it means to live as women and men created by him and in his holy image.

So, how we read it matters. We don’t pick and choose or copy and paste different verses together to win an argument or prove some point. When we open up the Bible, we open up something big, something huge and eternal, something personal from the Creator of Heaven and Earth and the Sustainer of Life. What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no mind has conceived has been revealed to us now by God’s Holy Spirit.

We don’t read the Bible like we read the internet or a cookbook or a James Patterson novel. It’s not a constitution or a rule book or an owner’s manual for life. It’s God’s revelation. How we read it matters.

Peace,

Allan

Bible Reading Plan

January 10, 2025 / / 2 Comments

I’m convinced most of us don’t read our Bibles. I think we believe the Bible is God’s Word, I think we believe the Bible is our authority, I think we believe our lives are better when we read the Bible, but I don’t think we really read it. I think it just sits there.

Am I wrong? Man, I hope I’m wrong.

Let’s say you are reading your Bible. Everybody’s reading the Bible.

I’m reading the Bible every day. I’ve got this plan.
I read the whole Bible every year, front to back. I follow this program.

Most of us can read the Bible. It’s not that hard. If you don’t have a Bible and you can’t afford to buy one, you can get a free one at any hotel or hospital. I can’t speak for the Gideons as an organization, but I don’t think they care–just take it! Also, anybody at any church will happily give you a Bible.

It’s not that we don’t own Bibles. It’s not even that we don’t read our Bibles. It’s not that we don’t believe the Bible is the holy Word of God–we do! The problem is that we don’t read the Bible formatively. We don’t read the Bible in order to live. We mostly read it for information instead of transformation.

We are surrounded by words. Our society is drenched in words. We are word-saturated. But most of the words we read morning, noon, and night have no impact on our lives. They don’t change anything. Grocery lists, newspapers, energy prices, text books, Facebook and Twitter, novels and magazines, owners manuals, menus and billboards and the continual crawl at the bottom of the screen–we’re constantly reading. But whether it’s a Texas meme or a Washington tweet or a story about a kidnapping in Wyoming, it doesn’t really change our day-to-day lives.

There’s a temptation to read the Bible the same way you read an email from work. Especially when you download the Bible onto your phone, there’s a real danger to read the Bible like you read the internet. We read it for information, to gain knowledge. We read it for entertainment, to laugh or to kill time. We read it for inspiration, to find something to get me through a tough spot or encourage me to achieve my goals. We read it out of desperation, when we’ve got nowhere else to turn. Or we read it out of determination, to check that box on my Christian disciplines or New Year’s resolution list. We can’t read the Bible the same way we read a cookbook or a James Patterson novel. It’s different.

What if, in 2025, instead of reading the whole Bible from Genesis through Revelation, you hunkered down in ten core passages? What if you identified ten foundational Scriptures that speak to the most important things: the nature of our God, his mission, your holy purpose, God’s grace, Christ’s love, the Holy Spirit’s power, the ways we should treat each other and think about the world. What if you camped out on those ten passages for the whole year and really got them inside your soul? Memorize them, meditate on them, pray them, journal them, recite them out loud. Instead of every word of the Bible rushing by you this year, what if you dug down deep into ten core passages until they became a part of you?

What would those ten passages be? How would you identify them? How might our God change you this year if you committed to this very different way of engaging his Word?

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IF Texas commits zero turnovers…

IF the Longhorns commit fewer than six penalties…

IF Texas scores first…

IF Wisner and Blue combine for 130+ yards rushing…

IF the ‘Horns defense holds Jeremiah Smith to under 110 yards receiving…

THEN Texas will beat Ohio State tonight and advance to the national championship game.

I really believe all five of those things must happen if the Longhorns are going to hang with the Buckeyes tonight. If even one of those five things doesn’t happen, they’re toast. That means not one single fumble or interception, and no turning the ball over on downs, going for it on fourth down and not making it–that counts as a turnover. It means Quinn Ewers can’t throw the ball 35 times; Texas must control things in the trenches with the run. That means the ‘Horns must play a perfect game, the best and most complete game from start to finish they’ve played all season.

Hook ‘Em!

Allan

No End in Sight

March 27, 2024 / / 0 Comments

“Happy Holy Week! Let’s make America pray again!”

I suppose I’ll never get numb to it. I’ll never cease to be amazed by it. My stomach will continue to drop into my socks in despair every time. Over and over and over again.

When Donald Trump declared eight years ago that his supporters were so loyal to him that he could murder a man in cold blood in broad daylight in the middle of 5th Avenue and not lose a single vote, he was right. Amazingly, he was right. So incredibly insightful. He knew.

That single theory has been tested time and time again to the point that now it is absolute and undeniable truth. There is nothing that man can do–no crime he can commit, no person or group of people he can insult, no lie he can tell–that would cause his supporters to abandon him. If he shot a man in the middle of New York City’s busiest street, his supporters would claim political persecution and rise to his defense. That much we know. It’s been proven.

The fact that the overwhelming majority of his supporters are Christians is what I still cannot believe. I’m still surprised every time. I’m baffled by it. And dismayed.

Today, the cash-strapped ex-President is selling the “God Bless America” Bible for $59.99 plus shipping and handling. The Bible is a King James Version copy of our Holy Scriptures that comes complete with the United States Constitution, the United States Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Bill of Rights, and the Pledge of Allegiance. The holy words of our God and our Lord Jesus sandwiched in-between the founding documents of a worldly nation. The Bill of Rights literally bound together with Christ’s denial of his own rights. Jesus’ statement that his Kingdom is not of this world in the same book now as a pledge of allegiance to a rival kingdom. The Church’s Scriptures literally wrapped in a brown leather American flag.

We are told on the website: “This is the only Bible endorsed by President Trump!”

We crossed the line a long time ago and now there is no end in site. The fact that there is a market for this Bible is deeply disturbing to me. We have compromised our Christian principles, diluted our Christian doctrines, and sacrificed our Christian witness for worldly power and control.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Allan

Take and Read

August 31, 2023 / / 0 Comments

According to American Bible Society surveys, the number of Americans who read their Bibles is dropping dramatically. From 2011 to 2021, roughly 50-percent of Americans reported opening Scripture at least three times a year every year during that period. But, last year that number dropped to 39-percent. In other words, in the middle of domestic threats to this country’s democracy, threats of nuclear war in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, record inflation, and unprecedented gun violence, about 26-million Americans stopped reading the Bible.

Of the 39-percent who reported reading the Bible at least three times last year, only 27-percent read the Bible in print — a real Bible with two covers and paper pages that turn and crinkle. Nineteen-percent reported reading the Bible on an app on their phones, 18-percent online, and the other 11-percent listen to the Word on a podcast.

I find that data to be disturbing.

I’m also troubled to see new Ipsos research that shows Christians don’t know the teachings of our Lord. In response to the question, “Did Jesus teach people to turn the other cheek?” less than half of those who claim to follow Jesus said, “Yes.”

Evangelicals – 49%
Catholics – 29%
Mainline Protestants – 40%
Other Protestants – 51%

Those of us in the Churches of Christ would fit into that “other protestants” category so, yay, we win with just barely half of us knowing one of our Lord’s most fundamental teachings.

Please read the Bible. Please schedule the time every single day to read God’s Word. Please read it out loud in your home with your children and grandchildren. Be transformed by the holy words of Scripture. Let the ancient words sink into your soul and become a part of you. We are rapidly becoming biblically and doctrinally illiterate. We’re not sure what we believe and we certainly don’t know how to articulate it. Our God has saved us in Christ Jesus and called us to obey all that he commanded and to teach others all that he commanded. How are we going to live into that when we don’t read the Bible?

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The waterfall at Eagle Creek has evidently dried up for the season. My two mile hike to the site and back wasn’t without its pleasures — a mama deer and her two little spotted fawns, dozens of tiny and very colorful song birds whipping through the trees and brush, squirrels and some kind of chipmunk-ish things scurrying around. But I wanted to see the waterfall. Another time, maybe.

Today, I’m reading the Gospel of John out loud and trying to finish a manuscript I’ve been working on for almost four years. I had intended to also read Timothy Keller’s “Forgive” while I was in Ruidoso this week, but I’m not sure I’m going to get to it.

Peace,

Allan

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