Preach the word; be ready in
season and out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with
great patience and instruction.
For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine;
but wanting to have their ears
tickled, they will accumulate
for themselves teachers in
accordance to their own desires,
and will turn away their ears
from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
2 Timothy 4.2-4
The Word of God must remain central in the church. It cannot be a treasured relic but,
rather, must be seen as a trusted guide for ministry and living. The Apostle Paul has just been talking
about the fact that “All Scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching” (2 Timothy 3.16) and he now
turns to admonish Timothy to “preach the word.” Paul even instructs as to how this preaching should
function; it should “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” This should be preaching that seeks to shape the behavior
and heart-attitudes of the people of God.
Paul knows that there will be varying seasons and that the church is
ever in danger of losing her desire for the Word of God. Some will stop wanting the Word and
will seek out teachers and teachings that “tickle their ears.”
We are increasingly living in such a season of the rejection
of the Word of God in our culture.
A couple of recent Barna reports evidence this rejection of the
Word. The first report concerns
“America’s Most Bible-Minded Cities.”[1]
Each year, in partnership with
American Bible Society, Barna ranks the nation’s top media markets based on
their level of Bible engagement.
Individuals who report reading the Bible in a typical week and who strongly assert the Bible is
accurate in the principles it teaches are considered to be Bible-minded. This definition captures action and attitude—those who both engage and esteem the Christian
scriptures. The rankings thus
reflect an overall openness or resistance to the Bible in various U.S. cities.
The top ten cities ranked as “Bible-minded” are all in the
Southern “Bible Belt.”
Chattanooga, Tenn. was ranked #1 with 52% of its population been seen as
“Bible-minded.” The city ranked
last—100—is Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York with 10% of its population being
“Bible-minded.” Phoenix-Prescott ranked 92 with a rating of
16%.
The second Barna report tracks the increase in those who are
“post-Christian” and again Barna lists 117 cities as to their ranking.[2] Barna looked at 15 different measuring
standards and if a person met 60% or more of the factors (nine or more) then
were counted as “post-Christian.”[3]
Over the past two years—from 2013 to 2015—the country as a whole
experienced a 7% increase in those who qualify as “post-Christian”: 37% to 44%.
Cities with the lowest percentages of
“post-Christian” people were in the south of the country with Augusta-Aiken,
Georgia coming in the 117th spot with 14% of its population
considered “post-Christian.” The
top spot went to San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, California with a rating of
66%. Phoenix-Prescott is ranked 26th with a rating of 51% of its
population as being “post-Christian.”
Statistics and figures are not destiny but they do let us
know the cultural temperature around us.
We live and minister in a city that is increasingly biblically
illiterate and “post-Christian.”
We need to take this into account as we speak to non-believers and even to
many believers. We also need to
look at our own lives—do we esteem and engage with the Scriptures on a regular
basis? Do we give ourselves to
reading, meditating, and obeying the Word of God? Let us pray together for an unleashing of God’s Word across
our city and land—and in our church!
May God in his grace bring many to himself through his Son, Jesus
Christ.
[2] https://www.barna.org/barna-update/culture/728-america-more-post-christian-than-two-years-ago#.VqpY-Cj_Tao
[3] The 15 metrics are:
1.
Do not
believe in God
2.
Identify
as atheist or agnostic
3.
Disagree
that faith is important in their lives
4.
Have
not prayed to God (in the last year)
5.
Have
never made a commitment to Jesus
6.
Disagree
the Bible is accurate
7.
Have
not donated money to a church (in the last year)
8.
Have
not attended a Christian church (in the last year)
9. Agree
that Jesus committed sins
10.
Do not feel a
responsibility to “share their faith”
11.
Have not read the Bible
(in the last week)
12.
Have not volunteered at
church (in the last week)
13.
Have not attended Sunday
school (in the last week)
14.
Have not attended
religious small group (in the last week)
15.
Do not participate in a
house church (in the last year)
