I have taught a lot of people how to study and teach the bible inductively over the last 20 years or so. But among my students and staff I have seen a pattern in their questions and once I noticed it I started seeing it in peoples questions everywhere. It seems that we as human beings always want to find the thing that nobody else has seen, that secret knowledge that will make everything else makes sense. I think it is the same impulse that draws people into conspiracy theories. They are all looking for the secret knowledge that ties it all together. Cults work on that same principle, people believe there is some secret that ties everything together and they will do various rites or pay the shaman or prophet, or leader, or generally go to all kinds of extremes to find that secret.

For bible students they often believe it to be some theological question or other that will finally tie it all together. Or maybe some atheist barb has gotten under their skin and they want biblical ammunition so they can go back and win an argument with someone or other. Now, I do try and help them with their quandaries and sometimes I even feed some of their wandering curiosities. After all, part of my role as a bible teacher is to stoke a hunger for studying the bible. But in the end it is not the hard to find answers that are the most powerful or important, it is the obvious and often repeated truths that really need to be understood and applied.

The power is in the object of our worship, not our knowledge.

What makes the simple things so powerful?

As I have thought about this I think simple things are powerful because God ordained it so. The important truths are accessible to everyone, not just those with advanced degrees. But more than that it’s the simple things that stick in our minds, simple things direct our decisions. No one makes decisions based on theories regarding quantum mechanics. And no one is saved by their eloquence in making some obscure theological case or another. We are saved by trusting in the love and grace of God, we are saved by trusting in His Son Jesus. Faith in Jesus is simple and it is actionable, and it is based on a surprisingly small collection of simple stories that tell us who he is and what it looks like to follow him. Those stories are what brought me to the keyboard today.

Isaiah 52-53 tell us of the coming servant and about his humility and sacrifice.

Philippians 2 tells us how he set aside his position and authority in heaven to become human like us and die in our place.

Luke 1-2 tell of his birth and identity and destiny.

Mathew 1-4 speaks of his birth and his connection to Israel passing the tests that Israel failed. Fulfilling the ultimate destiny of Israel.

And all the gospels are filled with stories of how he called people everywhere to repentance while announcing the coming of the kingdom of God. They all tell us of his death and resurrection. There are stories of his teachings, his prophecies, his healings, and his repeated demonstrations of authority as the Son of God. These are not complicated stories, they are very real and personal stories for the most part. But they are stories with a profound power to change the lives and destinies of all those who live on the earth.

The Gospel of John sums it up like this:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

Nothing here is complicated, but it is supremely powerful. Salvation is not to be found in the one tiny detail that no one else has seen. Salvation is to be found in believing the truth that has been proclaimed for two millennia and acting on it. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Rediscovering the story this advent season

My goal this advent season is to rehearse the Gospel stories, to reacquaint myself with who Jesus is, what he did, and why he did it. True power is in the person of Jesus and the love of God. These stories have life in them, they are truly unique. That is what makes them stand out among all other stories. They don’t draw us into a fantasy land to escape reality, instead they draw us back to reality. They tell us of God’s unending love for us and his eternal plan to bring us back into fellowship with Him.

There is always noise competing for our attention. Let’s take the opportunity this season to blot out the confused noise of this world, knowing that there is no life in confusion and strife, and let’s focus on the source of life himself. Let’s focus on Jesus this advent season, and let’s walk his way. His love is the most powerful thing in the universe, and we experience this love as we let it flow through us to others.

Have a great week!