Devotional for Wednesday Feb 22, 2006: A Learning Church
Greg Laurie Senior Pastor Harvest Christian Fellowship Riverside, Ca
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The church we read about in Acts 2 turned their world upside-down. Considering the moral and spiritual condition of the world right now, we need to do the same. But it seems nowadays that the world is turning the church upside-down. It seems our culture is making more of an impact on the church than the church is making on our culture.
This early church lacked every worldly advantage. They did not have tremendous resources. They did not have mass media. They did not have many of the advantages that the church has today. But though it lacked every worldly advantage, and though it was attacked both spiritually and physically, the church not only survived, but it flourished.
They were a learning church. Acts tells us, "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. . . ." God has given me, as a pastor ,a clear direction as to what I should be doing. It is given, among other places, in 2 Timothy 4:2, where Paul wrote to Timothy, "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." In the original language, there is an urgency here. And that is not just for me as a pastor. That is for all of us as we take God's Word to others.
Everything we need is in the Bible. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV).
We don't need something else, because the Bible is sufficient.
