October 5th, 2010
The Bible - pt.1
Did you know there are an estimated six thousand-eight hundred distinct languages in the world? Did you know that The Bible has been translated into 3,000 different languages? Did you know that when “The Bible” is typed into Google, approximately 136,000,000 sites come up? Impressive numbers, here’s one more; did you know that world sales of the Bible are slightly more than 100 million copies per year, more than any other book? Just makes you want to spit out your coffee, and scream “WOW!” right? Probably not.
While it is and has been the world’s bestselling book, I can’t help but wonder why? Why is the Bible the world’s bestselling book of all time? You’d be hard pressed to find ten people, even in church, that have actually read the whole thing. I regularly meet people that quote or reference the Bible. The problem is, what most say, claim, or quote, simply is not in the Bible.
Here are just a few of the most used and extreme examples; “God helps those that help themselves!” Got to be honest with you, that is not in the Bible. “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” Fail again, that’s not in there either. “God hates gays!” Wrong again, not in the Bible (it’s a despicable claim and action and a gross mis-use of God’s Word and love). The bottom line is this, in my twenty years of professional ministry; I have been, at times, shocked at the blatant ignorance surrounding the Bible; and in church, at that! So, what does the Bible say? And why is it so incredibly popular when it is so mis-understood? Such great questions! These and many more questions will be answered with our new series, “The Bible; is it still relevant?” You’ll find us on the corner of 70th & Sandy Blvd in NE Portland.
If you are interested in what comes from my brain (good luck), you can find it here. I think I have "enabled" the ability for people to respond or give an opinion. Please be nice and respectful to everyone that posts. I hope everyone contributes, and please be patient as I learn how this works.
