The Truth that Doesn’t Disappoint
“If anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Who doesn’t love to have a good time? If I see people playing a game, and they are laughing it up, I want in. I’ve been this way since I was a kid. Back in the day, when there were only three television channels and you couldn’t skip the ads, there was one commercial that stole my attention. Anyone heard of Gnip Gnop? It was this amazingly delightful game where you faced off on opposite sides of a boundary line, aiming to be the first to catapult three balls into the opponent’s side. Think of it as a tiny little game of dodgeball where the goal was be the fastest, hurl the hardest, and conquer!
One Christmas, I sat open-mouthed and hopeful every time I saw the Gnip Gnop commercial. I wasn’t subtle. Surely, surely my parents noticed and the game would be waiting for me under the tree.
But it wasn’t. I wrestled with some serious disappointment that year.
The next fall, the ads started up again. A Dr. Seuss-like voice wooed me. “While you’re gnipping, he’s gnopping. You’re trying to out-gnip him before he out-gnops you! So gnip down to your store and buy this new game from Parker Brothers before they’re all gnopped. Gnip Gnop!” Oh, how I wanted to try it. And finally, wonderfully, my parents handed me a game-shaped box on December 24th and it fulfilled my greatest hope. I tore into that present and got anybody—ANYONE to sit down and play with me.
I think it lasted…maybe through Christmas Eve.
Adults oohed and ahhed with me (even though I’m sure they were covertly rolling their eyes) as we competed, but…there just wasn’t a lot to it. The game wasn’t all it had promised to be. I had these high expectations, and the reality didn’t come close.
I was talking recently with Rob, and he shared that some visitors to the Bridge had recently thanked him for teaching the Bible. They said they’d visited four other churches in the area, and basic Bible-teaching hadn’t been their experience.
I felt Gnip-Gnopped all over again. I mean, isn’t that one of the basic things you should be able to expect from a church? Disappointment for their repeated experiences hurt my heart. What are other churches teaching? One of the church’s primary purposes is to preach the gospel and teach people everything Jesus commanded, right?
This should be our heartbeat. The Truth in the Bible should affect us and transform us, but we must read it and know it for that to happen.
I used to love when people would ask what the Bridge Bible Church was about. I’d say, “We like to read the Bible and do what it says.” I think I heard that from Ray Comfort or Kirk Cameron. But it’s true, isn’t it? Sure, it’s a little oversimplified, but it’s CENTRAL. Foundational.
We know the Truth that sets people FREE. We can invite people to church and know that they’re going to learn what the Bible says about things. And, if they’ll welcome the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, they really can be transformed. We don’t just read the Bible. We do what it says. In James we read:
“If anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
At the Bridge, people will hear what the Bible says. What do we do with that? That’s between God and us, but if it does truly transform us, we shouldn’t be keeping it a secret. A love for the Word, for the gospel, for the work and the mission of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and for our neighbors.
It’s like what those t-shirts say that you’ve probably seen some of the folks on our prayer team wear: “The Word, the Spirit, and your neighbor. Know them, love them, and involve them in your life.”
