I was about twenty when I decided I really needed to sit down and read through the Bible. I can't tell you how many times I've read through it since then, and yet I am continually coming across passages I don't remember ever having read before. I know I've read them, but the Bible is just so big it's hard to contain it all in your head.
It's easy to forget how massive the Bible is; after all, you can get a version that will fit in your pocket. But when it's printed like a normal book, meaning proper paper and readable font ... well, Crossway used to publish it as a six-volume set. That's a lot to remember. Fortunately the church has produced a way to help us keep the most important things at the forefront.
Jesus' Parable of the Sower is a lot to chew on. In some ways it can be a little terrifying. But it also raises an interesting question in my mind, one I'd like to set before you.
The darkness is hungry. She doesn't know, but she can feel the danger, so she hurries. He doesn't mind; he enjoys the hunt. He enjoys her fear. He wants her to know he's there. When he is almost upon her, a door opens, and she rushes in. The door shuts behind her, and he can do no more. She is safe from him, at least this night.
In much vampire lore, the creatures of the night cannot enter a home uninvited. There is something about a home that protects us from them. It turns out there's some truth behind the mythology.
When someone is passionate about something, you can't help but notice. When they talk about it, some of their enthusiasm might even be infectious. Their interest can make the topic interesting.
I want that to be us. Let's get Christians to be passionate about something in particular. I came across an idea that I want to put before you: Make the Bible your hobby.
It's the early second century, and you've been arrested for being a Christian. You're taking the long road from Antioch in Syria to Rome. Your captors decide to remain in one place for a little while. How do you spend the time? Why, writing letters of course.
What would you write about? Religious freedom? Pleas for help? If you're Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, you write about church unity. He wrote to six churches and one bishop to exhort them to stand strong against division and heresy. But the most interesting things in his letters may be his off-hand comments.
Do you have a favorite way to present the gospel? There are lots of good ways to do it, but I've come upon one that I think really has a special appeal.
It's been over 20 years since The Da Vinci Code burst onto the scene, providing millions with reasons to doubt Christianity. There has long been a cottage industry for providing such reasons, but The Da Vinci Code was bigger than anything that came in the century before it. It's been thoroughly debunked, but there are still people who choose to believe its myths. This should have taught us that the enemies of Christianity are completely willing to traffic in lies, half-truths, and distortions.
At that time, a skeptic had to convince a major publisher to give him a forum. The internet has changed that. Now we have memes on social media and things like YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts that can give an appearance of credibility to ideas that do not warrant it. The modern world is full of dangerous people and dangerous ideas, but it also provides tools to combat them.
