Something More | The Vision, Part 3
To me, teaching truth is a little bit like going to Tijuana Flats for lunch. Before you write me off as a heretic, let me explain.
Today, we are continuing our blog series looking at the five aspects of our vision as a church. At Summit, we have been called to form biblically functioning communities that reach lost people, connect in Christ-centered relationships, teach truth, serve others, and worship God. In this post, I'll be looking at the “teaching truth” part of our vision.
When I go out to lunch, I'm usually seeking one of three food groups—steak, chicken nuggets/strips, or pizza. Because of my limited palate, I don't venture too far from my go-to eateries.
But then one fateful Saturday, my wife Diana wanted to go to Tijuana Flats. I went begrudgingly, thinking there wouldn't be anything on the menu for me. It turns out, I was wrong. I ordered a delicious chicken quesadilla, chips with queso, and, to top it off, cookie dough flautas (I never knew such a wondrous dessert existed!). My life changed forever that Saturday afternoon. You can now catch me at Tijuana Flats at least once a week.
Here's my point: I assumed I knew what was on the menu at Tijuana Flats. But I didn't. When it comes to God's truth, many of us assume we know what's in the Bible. But maybe we need to take a closer look. (I told you I'd bring it back around to teaching truth.)
Engaging with the Bible isn't easy, even for people committed to following Jesus. When we love God, we genuinely desire to have a deeper relationship with him. But cracking open the Bible can feel like a chore. I think this happens for one of two reasons (or, more likely, a combination of the two).
1. We think we know what the Bible says because we've been told what the Bible says. It's not bad to learn God's truth from other people (we do that every Sunday!). But if we never investigate it for ourselves, we may reduce the Bible to a list of dos and do nots, without the context of God's story to give it meaning.
2. We think reading the Bible is kind of boring. (And we feel bad admitting that to ourselves.)
Both of these things prevented me from engaging with the Bible while in college. I knew I wanted to follow Jesus, and I just assumed I knew what that meant.
About ten years ago, my sister Darling asked if I would write a script for BCL, Summit's family production. ("Just one," she had said, and here I am—still writing!) In BCL, the goal is to teach biblical truth in a fun way. If we can get the whole family talking about what they saw on stage, it's a win.
Writing for BCL helped me to engage with the Bible in a fresh way. It forced me to take Bible stories I thought I knew so well—Noah's ark, Moses parting the Red Sea, Jesus feeding the 5,000—and read them for myself. I tried to check all my preconceived ideas at the door. Each week, I would ask myself, What is God teaching us through this story? How is it relevant to what kids and families are dealing with today?
The biggest thing I learned during this time is that the Bible isn't a list of things to do. It's a story. Specifically, it's God's story, and he invites us to be part of it. Like any good story, I can put myself in the shoes of each character. I can try to see things from their perspective and learn something new about God.
“It’s a humbling experience because no matter how much you study a Bible story, God always has something more to teach you. But that’s also what makes reading the Bible exciting!”
I recently had the privilege to preach my first sermon at Summit as part of the “Peacemaking” series. The text I preached on was Luke 23:33-43—the story of Jesus crucified between two criminals. As I prepared the sermon, I was so thankful for all the years of writing BCL scripts. It helped me to look at this story from different perspectives. I tried my best to learn something about God from these two criminals. I tried to imagine how they viewed Jesus that day. It's a humbling experience because no matter how much you study a Bible story, God always has something more to teach you. But that's also what makes reading the Bible exciting!
At Summit, we often say truth is more than a set of propositions. Ultimately, our quest for truth will lead us to the person of Jesus. So if you're feeling unsure about how to approach the Bible, I would encourage you to start with stories about him. Maybe begin by reading the Gospel of Luke for ten minutes each day. Luke is my favorite gospel because it highlights Jesus' care for broken and messy people.
And—as we like to remind kids in BCL—we don’t read the Bible to make God love us. There’s nothing we can do to make God love us any more or any less. We’re already fully loved. We read the Bible to get to know God better.
You may find yourself surprised by what you read and be able to engage in God's story in a whole new way!
Michael Murray is one of the kindest and funniest people you will ever meet. He’s a talented writer, lending his skills to BCL and Summit’s family musicals. He also started a devotional for messy, broken people called “Nobody Left Out,” and you can check it out here!
On Vision Sunday, we heard about how we can continue to be the Church together in this season this way. A house church is a community of folks who gather to participate in our online services together. If you are currently leading, are interested in leading, or would like to see if there is a house church near you to worship with, let us know!