Do Christians REALLY believe that the BIBLE is the Word of God?

I know many Christians say they believe the Bible. They believe what the Bible says about itself. They claim that they believe it IS the word of God.

What I have found out though, is that most have never read it completely. Most do not read it everyday. Most do not try to remember it, unless it says something they really like.

Pastors and teachers, who claim to have been called by this same GOD, are usually no different. Most have never read the whole Bible. A while lot do not read it everyday, and many make excuses for why they are not obeying it.

Here is the question: If it really is the Word and Will of the Supreme Being, why do those who claim to be Christians fail to treat it as such? Many will read their favorite authors three times before they read their Bible.

If there was a place where God Himself showed up everyday like clockwork, would you know make every effort to show up too? Wouldn't you want to know all there is to know about Him? Would you let other people tell you about Him and what he said? I seriously doubt it!

Well, there is, and He does.  It's in the Good Book. Read it, meditate on it, live it.

Church Leadership: 20th century style

Leadership.  Everybody wants to be a leader.  This is not a bad thing at all.  Church members want to be leaders, church leaders want to lead more people and larger empires. The more buzz words we can throw around, the better. So, we buy the books, watch the videos, and  attend the seminars. We compare our leadership programs with one another.  We want more, more, and more. 

The problem with this scenario is that these are people who are leading or seeking to lead a flock of Jesus Christ. We have the Bible. We claim that it is the Word of the Supreme Being. All knowing. All Powerful. The Only Wise God. yet we go in search of the wisdom of men! That is a contradiction in lifestyle. 

We are not running companies. Even if we were, there are enough Biblical principles to help with that. We must return to God's Word for every need in our lives and our churches. If the Word of God is insufficient, we should stop serving Him. 

When Jesus left the earth, He gave us the Holy Spirit, to teach and remind us of all things. The Bible says He has given us all that pertains to life and Godliness. Do we truly believe these things? Do we serve Him with our mouths, but all the time struggle really hard to be like the world? 

Do we realize that He says. love not the world nor the things that are in the world?

The church is the church of Jesus Christ. He leads, we follow.  Matt. 28:18, Matt. 23:10, Eph. 4:15,  John 10:11,14,16. He is the Shepherd. We are the sheep. When a sheep stops following the shepherd, it gets lost. It goes astray. 

The world is different from the Church. In fact, they are diametrically opposed to each other. Yet it is difficult to tell the difference today. The world is not trying to be like the Church. Rather, it is the Church that is trying very hard to close the gap. We have Church leaders who take their cues from other "bigger" church leaders. church members who worship at the feet of their leaders. The words of Jesus, the One who died for the Church, are left within the covers of the Book. Is the Bible the Word of the Almighty or is it not? If it is, we must begin to look to it for guidance. if we think it is not, we must get out of the pulpit.

There are enough leaders in the Bible to learn from:

Moses: Education, humility, delegation.

Joseph: Foresight, Frugality/savings

Daniel: Forthrightness, Conviction

David: Welfare, Boldness, 

Solomon: Wisdom, project management

I am sure smarter people than me can come up with more.

Do you want to know what Jesus, the Christ, The Creator, in whom lies all the knowledge, the Alpha, the Omega, the Good Shepherd, the Living Word, The Wonderful Counselor,has to say about leadership? It is SIMPLE:

"Whoever wants 2 become great among u must be ur servant, & whoever wants 2 be 1st must be ur slave— just as d Son of Man did not come to be served, but 2 serve, & to give his life as a ransom for many."

And He said, by the holy Spirit in I Peter 5: 2-4:

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

The problem is that many of us want our accolades here. We want the praise and honor here. We want the rewards here.  Brethren, to be a minister is to be a servant. As many of us as teach God's Word must recognize that it is a PRIVILEGE to be used by the Almighty. It is not an opportunity to lord it over people and use them, and fleece them. 

You want to be a leader? Serve.  Serve with joy, gladness, and be happy that He has found a place for you in His Kingdom. Stop "beating/fleecing the sheep."

And if you go to a church where the pastor does not have a servant's heart, prayerfully seek another.

Return to the Word.