Better Late than Never

You'd think that as a pastor, I would have figured out by now that the Bible is the most compelling book ever written...but I just figured it out this week. As I've mentioned, I have been studying for this series on worship that I'm teaching at church. So, in order to talk about community worship in the Bible, I figured that I'd read some of it. Go figure. So I read Genesis through Deuteronomy and most of Paul's letters. And as I read, I was totally captivated by the story. I heard NT Wright say that the Bible is inspired in more ways that we can possibly imagine (my paraphrase) and I am beginning to see what he meant.

I was noticing recurring themes and ways that God had things figured out long before they happened. It's stuff I knew was there, but I've never read the Bible in such big chunks before and it's fantastic! A couple things that I noticed. God wants to hang out with people. I don't mean just in church. In Genesis, He's walking through the garden (Gen 3). In Revelation, His dwelling is with men (Rev. 21). And in between, he is literally with people (Deut.6). This is not an accident or a byproduct...this is the deal. God is all about the phrase "You will be my people and I will be your God." It is definitely a relational phrase, and as soon as we (the church) understand it and live by it, the world will be a much better place. To be continued...