There is treasure of course. But no one believes it. I am so sick of tired of the theological joy Robbers that suck all the life out of the word of God by explaining away the parts that are rich and full.
Every page in the word of God has truth meant to enrich your life. I have made this challenge to those who teach or preach. Open the Bible at random. Any Page. Look for the buried treasure. It's there. Any preacher or teacher of the word should be able to build a whole sermon including a life changing altar call from any single page of the Bible. It shouldn't be that hard to do.
Most can't do it.
They are expert at explaining the historical, chronological, theoretical, hermeneutical, theological context of the text from something they learned in seminary and strip out the joy and richness from the application of the spoken and written word of God. The mystery and awe is robbed by intellectual analysis.
This isn't about the gifts of the Spirit although it could be. It's about the Glory of God revealed on every single page of his word but unseen and unread. Like standing on a faboulous treasure and never digging deep enough to find it.
Because of this intelectual approach people feel inadequate to read the Bible. They can't "understand it". Instead of looking for clues to riches in Christ they look for intellectual grasp and miss the clues.
People don't read the Bible today because they don't think there's anything in there for them. Then at church they are taken on a guilt trip because the pastor tells them they need to get into the word of God to be good Christians. Because they don't they feel guilty. Then next week the Pastor spanks them again. And they feel guilty. Round and round it goes.
What really needs to happen is for the pastor to start showing them clues. Showing them how to start finding the gold for themselves. Showing them how to get past all the hermeneutics and start digging for jewels.
Only then people will start reading the Bible. It will change their lives. They will be richer in spite of the theologians who try to rob them by explaining away the glory and mystery of it all.
If I sound a tiny bit angry and upset by all this I am. If I could I would close all Christian Bookstores for a while I would. Teach people to read the Bible for what's in there for them and then after people have learned to hear from God for themselves you can start writing books again. When blind book writers write books for spiritually blind people they both fall in the ditch.
The Bible is better than Prego Spaghetti Sauce. It's in there.
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