a glimpse towards Sunday 4.4.14

Fishing on the Toccoa River yesterday, I met up with a Bass Master wanna-be. He was all of twelve years old. His baseball cap was flipped. A blue and gray hoodie touted Fannin County sports. His hair was brushed to the side like a young Justin Beiber. In fact, this kid may have been the Justin Beiber of the Toccoa River in the North Georgia mountains. He certainly moved about with such confidence.

This kid knew everything about fishing. Lures, bait, hot spots, correct distance between bobber and sinker, and water depths were all a thing of fact and authority for my young fishing friend. Funny thing is, I bought everything he was selling… hook, line, and sinker. He was a force to be reckoned with. He was an authority, and this was no fish story.

On Sunday, we’re kicking off our new series in Genesis called: “Eleven (Reclaiming the authority of scripture.)” I’m excited to jump into the turbulent and debated waters of the first eleven chapters of Genesis. For many, this is where authority of scripture either stands or falls. For many, this is also where debate begins, and the glorious wonder of God is unfortunately set aside.

Our trek will keep the glory of God’s story fully in tact. We’ll see the incredible, continuity of God’s story as we practically apply the rich textures of Genesis.

Your confidence in scripture will grow through this series. Your opportunity to engage skeptical friends will increase. In fact, I believe you’ll want to invite many skeptical friends into our time of study and application. They’ll be challenged with the challenging authority of scripture.

Timothy Keller, in his book “The Reason For God,” suggests a God who doesn’t challenge and ruffle a few feathers is not actually a real God. Such a sterile, no-riffs kind of God would be similar to a Stepford wife who is compliant, but not real. A real relationship has challenge, friction, and different perspectives to wrestle with. After all, this kind of exchange is what makes a relationship real; a thing of flesh and blood.

The authority of scripture will cause friction. Perhaps, as Keller suggests, this is what makes the Bible so alive, active, real, and a thing of dynamite!

So… flip your baseball cap around. Begin feeling a deeper sense of self-confidence. God’s gonna do some cool, authoritative stuff through our “Eleven” series. You’ll be a force to be reckoned with, and God’s glory and authority will be even greater.
Let’s go!!!

Blessings,

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