Liberty Vineyard family,
One of the many blessings of my seminary journey is learning helpful language to express important truths. Here’s an example from one of my Theology textbooks – have you ever tried to succinctly explain to someone what the “Word of God” means?
a. The phrase “Word of God” has three meanings: (1) the incarnate or living Word of God, who is Jesus Christ; (2) the written Word of God, or Scripture; and (3) the proclaimed Word of God, or the preaching of the gospel in the present.
b. These three forms of the Word are inseparably bound to each other in a definite order. When present proclamation is faithfully based on the original witness of Scripture to the living Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ, it becomes God’s Word to people here and now by the power of the Spirit.
I think it’s sometimes easier tell when that doesn’t happen …
- When present proclamation veers way off the original witness of Scripture …
- When present proclamation points to power or politics instead of the living Word of God incarnate in Jesus Christ …
- When present proclamation focuses so much on the personality of the speaker or other distractions that God’s Word to people here and now becomes distorted and hard to hear …
But when present proclamation hits the mark, we experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s freedom and transformation and reconciliation and forgiveness and so much more! And always with a sense of incompleteness, yet also an unmistakable assurance of God’s presence, urging us to lean in closer to God’s heart. We struggle, we suffer, we slog on … and we notice that Christ is present among us doing such good, holy, and beautiful work. What a privilege it is to freely give away all that the Lord freely and constantly gives us, so that we are strengthened and empowered to struggle with, suffer with, and slog on with “the other.” All glory to God!
What an adventure we’re having in the gospel of Mark! There’s more richness and depth than we can contain each week … I encourage you to tune in to Nancy’s awesome sermon this morning, Begging Jesus (link below) – We can beg, beseech, entreat, and call upon God for compassion for and on behalf of those who are poor, suffering, or impoverished. We can pray prayers of faith, seek help, and let God sort it out. The Lord is faithful and compassionate, always! There’s so much more to come!
With you on the journey,
Pastor Karen
Liberty Vineyard Church
Karen Sculley – (404) 388-0518, karen@srsoln.com
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