I’d like to think that though very few people read my blog that passing on the information of very capable people like Mike Ratliff has a good purpose for some.
I pray that I can continue to do this positively, and with some clarity. And a large dose of Humility.
Two of my favorite verses come early in Paul’s writing inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Mike’s article today talks about Tyndale. He had earlier written about two other martyrs.
It’s worth reading their stories also.
From the Tyndale post here are a few quotes:
In our time, the superficiality of the Compromised Church is manifest most tragically in how it’s ministers treat the Word of God. Since few of them are Bible scholars they do not know their Bibles, therefore, they use them as if they are nothing more than the user’s manual that came with the monitor on their computer. They never dig into it so the Holy Spirit can break through their calloused hearts with the pure truth from God. This is seen vividly if we listen to their sermons or teachings. They are nothing more than pep talks on how to get by in this life instead of the pure milk from God’s Word. Of course, the goal in what they do is to keep there followers “addicted” to their “leadership,” such as it is, so that the money keeps coming in. Oddly enough Tyndale wrote about this very thing that was prevalent in the Catholic church of his day. Here is an excerpt from The Obedience of a Christian Man.
And as they are false prophets which prove with allegories, similitudes and worldly reasons that which is nowhere made mention of in the scripture. Even so count them for false prophets which expound the scriptures drawing them unto a worldly purpose clean contrary unto the example, living, and practising of Christ and of his Apostles and of all the holy prophets. For saith Peter (2 Peter 1) no prophecy in the scripture hath any private interpretation. For the scripture came not by the will of man: but the holy men of God spake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. No place of the scripture may have private exposition, that is it may not be expounded after the will of man or after the will of the flesh or drawn unto a worldly purpose contrary unto the open texts and general articles of the faith and the whole course of the scripture, and contrary to the living and practising of Christ and the Apostles and holy prophets. For as they came not by the will of man, so may they not be drawn or expound after the will of man: but as they came by the Holy Ghost, so must they be expounded and understood by the Holy Ghost.- William Tyndale
What then does this mean for us who teach or preach? Shouldn’t it be that we must not teach from the Bible unless we do it correctly by rightly dividing it? We must never pull out of it a point here and there to make it say what we want it to say. Instead, keep scripture in context and stay with the literal sense of it. How many false teachings have you heard where people have allegorized scripture to teach something that tickles the ears? Instead of trying to make up an interpretation of scripture, we must use scripture to interpret scripture. This is why we must learn to do word and grammatical studies in the original languages as well as how to use Bible concordances and dictionaries. If we become diligent students of the Word and careful expositors of it will we treat the Word of God superficially? In turn, will our ministries be simply a veneer of superficiality that look grand on the outside, but inside it will be no more than compressed sawdust? No, if we honor the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will use us to reach the hearts of all those God draws to Himself through us.
Rainbow Trout 