| How we use it:
Though the Bible and its many parts has, at times, been read as a series of rote commands, it’s larger intent is to deliver deep insight into God’s heart for people and the mission He has for us now and forever. With that said, there are principles and instructions which flow out of a broad and sweeping story surrounding Jesus Christ (generalities such as, sacrificial love, forgiveness, and willing devotion to an invisible God). Our job as we read the Bible in its full context then (in a very general sense), is to continually ask, “If Jesus is the focal point of all of this, what am I reading today that helps me draw closer to Him, know him better, or help others to do the same?” As we read the story of Jesus, we continually find ourselves confronted by the driving force of His eternal mission of radical love, sacrificial service, and complete redemption. An example of working with a topic while applying this view is demonstrated well in the issue of church leadership structure. Throughout history this has been a frequently debated issue. In Paul’s letter to Titus in the New Testament he instructs the young leader to install “elders” in each of the town’s churches. If we were bound to mimicking this description due to an ideology such as, “that is how they did it, so that is how we must do it”, then, in order to remain consistent with our method, we would need an apostle to choose each of our pastors and the pastor would ultimately install each elder and be in authority over that region of elders (Titus oversaw the entire region of Crete). The point is, we are not obligated to mimic that description of leadership structure, but we ought to thoughtfully consider the purpose of Paul’s instruction. The heart in this organizational principle (as well as in multiple other writings of Paul) is that people would always seek an orderly, effective, and Godly way of leading the church and serving the community. Jesus calls us each daily to observe His life mission, immerse ourselves in it, and live out this mission with reckless abandon. We believe that if our Bible study does not lead us into a life lived intentionally for Him, then we have missed the paramount essence of the Bible reading process. As is clear from this statement, the Bible points us to Jesus, with whom we have our relationship. The act of simply accumulating Bible knowledge however, should never become our focus of worship or replacement of our relationship with the real and living Jesus.
MORE... Inconsistencies we hope to avoid when using the Bible:
We humbly suggest that there are other habits we form when applying the Bible that can distract us from the central focus of Jesus Christ and His mission. Examples of this are:
Biblical Mimicry
Preference Assumption
Systematic Theology Method
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