Living Word Week
This week was living word week. Which simply means a week focusing of the bible. Before it began i was not looking forward to it at all, i figured it was going to be very long and boring. Once again i was wrong. Our teacher for the week is also one of the staff for our DTS his name is Bryan Hundsburger a canadian who is starting a bible school on the sunshine coast. The week started off with these questions and i challenge you to ask yourself the same:
1.Why am I here?
2. Where am I going?
3. Who is Jesus and do I really know him?
4. Why am I following him?
5.What does it mean to follow him?
6. Do I struggle obeying?
7. Am I willing to suffer for him? If so, how much?
8. Am I willing to die for him? Why or why not?
9. Is the life I'm living worth Jesus dying for?
I challenge you to answer these questions like its the final on your toughest exam.
Throughout the week I began realizing how the bible truly does hold all the answers to all the questions one could have. We learned about two ypes of christians, Bible based and spirit based. Bible based christians are led by the word of God and it leads to legalism. Spirit led christians sre only spirit led and it leads to mysticism. I feel God calls us to have a bit of each in our life. We learned a lot of crazy facts this week and here are just a few:
-92% of North Americans have a bible
-15% of North American christians look at the bible outside of church
-60% North American christians believe the bible is totally accurate
-1 out of 10 teens raised in christian homes think in christian morals
Some of these facts are crazy but all they do is cause me to realize how important the bible truly is. I was very convicted this week, i have been reading my bible on a consistent basis since i got here, but God still convicted me to take it more seriously and to put more heart into it. On quote that hit me hard is a quote from Harry S. Truman, it says "All readers arent leaders, but all leaders are readers". I feel a gift of leadership on my life and how am i supposed to lead if i have no knowledge of what I'm doing?
During the week we went in depth and "behind the scenes" on scripture and looked more in depth on scripture then i ever had in my life. The word is anything but boring and bland. I found out this week about how intriguing and exciting it truly is. I have been praying for wisdom a lot recently and i can honestly say i have found where the source of wisdom for man lies and it is in God and his word. Im so excited everyday to get into the word and see what else I can find in a scripture or book of the bible. My challenge to you is to really look into scripture when you read the word. When we look outside we see nature or whatever is out there, but if we really look into the scenery we see little things we didnt notice when we just looked outside. This is what I want for you when you read the word, to look into it and see the things in the scriptures.
On a different note my roommate from Switzerland got engaged on saturday and we are all real excited for him and keep him in your prayers as he prepares himself for this stage in his life.
God is moving here and its so amazing. Any questions or anything feel free to email me at thetfordaw@mail.lipscomb.edu. Also continue to keep my outreach team in your prayers as we are set to depart for our India and Nepal mission work on March 27th. Pray for our unity and our vision of what all God wants us to do on our trip. God is good and we are not, press into him and you will find him!!!!!
In Christ,
Andrew Thetford
