The Word of God Andy Nagahara
A. Let us be mindful of the word of God (13)
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
1. Spoken by humans, received by humans
2. The word of God at work in us
B. The challenge of sharing the word of God (14-16)
14 For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews,
15 who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men
16 in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.
1. Misunderstanding and persecution
2. The appropriate response to suffering
Summary
The messages you hear during the service are communicated through the human tongue. We take the words of the messenger, accept them as God's message to us, and try to apply it to our lives. Both the messenger and the receiver of the message need to be submissive to God in order for the message to become the word of God. The messenger is but a channel through which the word is revealed, not the source of the word itself. Church is where the word of God is spoken and received. A church that truly belongs to God has the power to change the world. In creating change, we will inevitably face opposition by those who don't want to change, but the word of God gives us the power to overcome challenges and to continue his work.
For Discussion
1) What is the word of God?
2) Why do we face opposition when sharing the word of God?d?