Back to
the Book

We have walked through a lot this week

What we loved. What is real. What went too far. The prosperity trap. The honor culture. The fallen leaders. What the world sees. And now, where do we go?

Back to the Book. That is where. Back to the only standard that does not fail us.

Not the book as we have used it

Let me be clear. I am not talking about the book as we have used it. I am not talking about the verses taken out of context to justify whatever we wanted to believe. I am not talking about the proof texts used to support the latest prophecy or the latest prophet. I am not talking about the Bible as a tool for building the movement.

I am talking about the Bible as it actually is. The whole story. The whole counsel of God. The parts that make us uncomfortable. The parts that challenge our favorite theology. The parts that expose our own hearts.

That is what we need to go back to. Not the Bible as we have weaponized it. The Bible as it is.

The whole Bible

Here is what I mean. We need to read the whole thing. Not just the verses about blessing. The verses about suffering too. Not just the verses about faith. The verses about doubt as well. Not just the verses about healing. The verses about thorns in the flesh.

Paul had a thorn in the flesh. Three times he asked God to take it away. And God said no. My grace is sufficient. My power is made perfect in weakness.

That is in the Bible too. The prosperity gospel does not like that verse, but it is there. And it matters.

We need to read the whole thing. The parts about money that make us uncomfortable. The parts about submission that make us uncomfortable. The parts about judgment and mercy and grace and law and all of it. The whole counsel of God.

Testing everything

And we need to test everything. Every prophecy. Every teaching. Every experience. Every leader. Every movement. Everything.

Paul told the Thessalonian church to test everything. Not just the things that seem suspicious. Everything. And hold on to what is good.

That means testing the things we want to believe. Testing the things that confirm what we already think. Testing the things that feel right. All of it. Because the enemy knows our weaknesses. And one of our weaknesses is uncritical acceptance of things that feel spiritual.

We need to test with the whole counsel of God. Not just proof texts. Not just our favorite verses. The whole story. The whole picture. The whole Bible.

The gift and the Giver

Here is the thing. The gifts were always supposed to point to the Giver. The miracles were always supposed to point to the Miracle Worker. The healings were always supposed to point to the Healer. The tongues were always supposed to point to the Speaker of all languages.

When the gift becomes more important than the Giver, we have lost our way. When the experience becomes more important than the One who gives the experience, we have lost our way. When the movement becomes more important than the One who called us, we have lost our way.

Going back to the Book means going back to the Person. Not the teaching about the Person. Not the experience of the Person. The Person Himself. Jesus. The one who said follow me. The one who said I am the way, the truth, and the life.

He is what remains when everything else falls away.

What remains

So what remains when we go back to the Book? What remains when we strip away everything else?

What remains is Jesus. Not a movement. Not a teacher. Not a prophet. Not a denomination. Jesus. The Word made flesh. The one who loved us and gave Himself for us. The one who died and rose again. The one who is coming back.

What remains is Scripture that points to Him. The Old Testament that prepares for Him. The New Testament that reveals Him. The Spirit who testifies of Him. The Church that is supposed to bear His image.

What remains is faith that is not based on personalities. Hope that is not based on circumstances. Love that is not based on performance. The fundamentals. The foundations. The rock that does not move.

That is what remains. And that is enough.