Francis Chan delivered a powerful message to over 40,000 young people at the Passion Conference in the Georgia Dome last week. “I beg you… read God’s Word for yourself. This world is giving you so many false messages and if you do not read God’s Word for yourself, you will not know the difference between a lie and the truth!”
I teach seventeen- and eighteen-year-old high school students. Though they have access to more information than anyone in human history, there is a frightening absence of knowledge of the Word of God. What advantage is unlimited information if we fail to focus on what is most important? What good is technology that can instantly supply the answer to any question if we don’t have the ability to discern the truth? What deception accompanies amazing sophistication that drowns out the Word of God?
As the devil quoted Scripture to Jesus while tempting him in the wilderness, Jesus declared that man lives on every word that comes from the mouth of God. What did Jesus mean? What warnings did the Teacher give his listeners regarding the Word of God?
Jesus was careful to fully explain one of his parables: “The Word goes out as seed from a sower. Know this: the devil is determined to steal the Word. The hard heart has no hope; the Word is taken before it has chance to take root. The rocky ground receives the Word with joy, but when trouble or persecution comes, these listeners with good intentions fade away because there is no root. Growth begins in the thorny ground, but riches and pleasures and life’s worries choke out the life. ‘But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.’” (see Luke 8:1-15)
Jesus, the Word made flesh, wants the children of the Father to receive strength, wisdom, and power from the living and active Word of God. He then wants us to hold out this Word to others… the Word of life that brings hope to all men.
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” Philippians 2:14-16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22