Volume 1 • Issue III | 2015
Friends, let’s take a few small quizzes on some various topics and see how you do. For each set, match the letter in one column with the number in the other. The answers will be at the end:
MATH:
1. 5 x 2 A. 7
2. 5 + 2 B. 3.14159…
3. Value of ᴫ C. 3
4. 5 – 2 D. 10
LITERATURE – Authors of Famous Books:
1. “The Chronicles of Narnia” A. Dr. Suess
2. “Harry Potter” series B. C.S. Lewis
3. “Green Eggs and Ham” C. Herman Melville
4. “Moby Dick” D. J.K. Rowling
OLD MOVIES AND WHO STARRED IN THEM:
1. “Gone With the Wind” A. Humphrey Bogart
2. “Old Yeller” B. Dana Andrews
3. “Casablanca” C. Tommy Kirk
4. “State Fair” D. Clark Gable
SPORTS ALL – TIME RECORD HOLDERS:
1. Most rushing TD’s & yards – NFL A. John Stockton
2. Most Steals and Assists – NBA B. Henry Aaron
3. Most Goals and Assists – NHL C. Wayne Gretzky
4. Most Combined HR’s & RBI – MLB D. Emmitt Smith
BIBLE PASSAGES:
1. Hebrews 1:1–2a
2. John 3:16
3. Ephesians 2:8–9
4. Matthew 28:19–20
A. By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
B. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
C. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only–begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
D. In many and various ways, God spoke to His people of old through the prophets; but now, in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.
[ANSWERS: MATH – 1-D; 2-A; 3-B; 4-C. LITERATURE – 1-B; 2-D; 3-A; 4-C. OLD MOVIES – 1-D; 2-C; 3-A; 4-B. SPORTS RECORDS – 1-D; 2-A; 3-C; 4-B. BIBLE PASSAGES – 1-D; 2-C; 3-A; 4-B]
How did you do? I will admit that the first four groups are basic trivia – you are no better off if you know them, and no worse off if you don’t. But what about the Bible passages? Ok, I will grant that some people can share the faith of the Scriptures extremely well, but are not nearly as adept at remembering the exact Bible passages, as well as their assigned chapter and verse. I will also grant that the Bible was originally written without the numbers marking chapters and verses.
But still – the faith that we confess is based on Scripture – and certain passages of Scripture are at the heart of this. While the above four may be just an example, these passages are both important enough and well-known enough that most of us should have had no trouble remembering them. And yet, not only are there too many people in the world who would struggle with that final quiz, but even amongst church-attending Christians, their ability to identify key Bible passages is not near where it probably needs to be.
Recently, I shared the results of a Pew Research poll to several of our Boards and Committees that shows how well Americans know their Bibles. The results were eye-opening, to say the least (if you would like a copy of this PowerPoint, e-mail me, and I will gladly send it to you). But as if this were not enough, I am finding out that, even from our own fellowship, there are those who, when I have made passing reference to a few of the most basic and well-known Scripture passages, they do not know what these passages are I am referring to.
It makes me apologetic, for it is never my intention to “talk over”people. But it also makes me realize that, while we are called to share the faith in as many settings as we can, that process must begin with a never-ending effort to keep learning more and more and more about our own faith.
Does this involve spending more time reading our Bibles in our personal lives? It most certainly does. Does it involve intentionally spending more time in our groups just opening up Holy Scripture for the sake of making sure we never neglect it? Yes. And even that is just a start.
But whatever each of us intends to do, it also needs to include a thorough look at what both I and our congregation decided to do – and whether it is God’s Word shared in the pulpit, in meetings, or with whatever other interaction I have with people, that I will make sure I work harder at from now on.
In the meantime, let us not let a single day go by without spending time reading the Bible. It probably doesn’t matter whether we are covering new ground, or reading (what should be) extremely familiar sections again (like Psalm 23). But if are to “go and make disciples”, the disciples need to be ready and equipped, with God’s Word both in hand in heart.
PEACE TO YOU!
Pastor Tom Wenndt
II Thessalonians 2:16–17; 3:16, 18
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