` Reflections on the Bible

Reflections on the Bible



Reflections on the Bible

This past month I was privileged to teach two classes for Concordia University Wisconsin.  One of the classes was in Mequon and the other was at their Adult Education site here in Kenosha.  Since this meant that Messiah had to share their pastor for three weeks, I thought you would appreciate hearing about some of the things I learned in this process:

  1. The Holy Scriptures have a richness and a depth which is easily missed.  For most people, their exposure to God’s Word is limited to snippets that they hear in Church on Sunday.  But you get a very different picture when you read the whole Bible in three weeks!  The variety of writing, language, expression and mood is astonishing.  More than that, though, it is amazing how God continues to love and bless His children at every step of the way, even though they are sometimes rebellious and unrepentant.
  2. We have a lot of work to do teaching the Bible.  In both the college class and the adult class, I was amazed at how little these students knew of the Scriptures.  I don’t say this to criticize or belittle them.  Many of these students grew up in churches that pride themselves in being Bible based.  But what does it matter that we believe the Bible is true if we don’t actually hear and read and study God’s Word? 
  3. Mission opportunities appear in the strangest of places.  As I was teaching these classes, there were people in both classes that had never read the Bible, never gone to church, indeed, this was their first exposure to God’s Word.  What a wonderful opportunity!  By giving me that chance to do this, we as a congregation have proclaimed the Gospel to lost souls both in our back yard and from as far away as mainland China.
  4. The Old Testament is a treasure waiting to be mined.  I haven’t taught a bible class on the Old Testament since I’ve been here.  As we read the whole Old Testament together, it amazed me how much the New Testament comes alive when you know the context!  How many gifts does God want to give us as a congregation in His Word that we have neglected to hear and receive?
  5. The Scriptures are filled with stories of real people.  One of the things we spent a lot of time on in class was the Messianic Line.  Who were Jesus’ human ancestors?  The people in Jesus’ family were not the pious and perfect people.  They were human beings, who made mistakes, who sinned and messed up all the time.  It is into this messed up life that Christ was born.  What does this tell us about who we are and how Christ comes into our life?
  6. Our study of the Bible can be enriched by art and music.  Just as the Scriptures are full of real people, sometimes it helps to see depictions of these real people and events.  This is one of the things we have lost over the years in our church architecture.  In churches 150 or more years old, you will see stained glass and pictures, sculptures and artwork depicting these forefathers and foremothers in the faith.  We are not alone.  Walking into church should remind us that we are a part of something greater than ourselves.
  7. Time is a precious commodity.  As I was working on these classes for 10 hours a day, it reminded me once again that time, for each of us, is a precious commodity and gift from God.  When it gets down to the end of the day, how have we used our time and our resources from God.  Have we used them to the best of our ability, or have we squandered them on wasteful and useless activities?

Thank you again for the opportunity to teach these classes.  I believe that they have born much fruit, and will continue to do so in our midst.

 
+ The Lord be with you +

Pastor Peperkorn

From the February 2001 Messiah’s Messenger

 
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This page was created on 02/08/2007 and last edited on: 02/08/2007
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