Dear Legacy Dad Readers,
If Lance and/or I were to ask you what you Bible says about you? How would you answer? If we were to ask you what is your Bible speaking to you? What would your answer be? Could your defend your faith? Could you give a kind, but reasonable answer to a non-believer? The older I get (almost 50), the more I realize that the closer you get to God (through His word) the more you will see Him in your life and the less of you. The less that you spend time with God (through His word), the more that you look like the world. The latter of this is considered lukewarm by Jesus Christ. Hear what He has to say to us in the Book of Revelation on being lukewarm:
Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) 15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
If you are going to be serious about the Legacy Dad Process and being a true disciple of Jesus Christ there are some must haves:
- Be honest and transparent - on your sin, name it, confess it and ask other men to walk with you and to hold you truly accountable
- Read the Word (The Bible) Daily - this is your roadmap to living God's way and not the world's way
- Pray regularly
- Have the Word be an authority in your life - just don't read the book and memorize it - live it, breathe it and do what it says!
Moving from Milk to Meat:
Hebrews 5:11-14 (ESV)
Warning Against Apostasy
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 6 (ESV)
6 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings,[a] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Certainty of God's Promise
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham,[b] having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
When you read God's word accurately and maturely you are not only just reading it, you are letting it read you, sharpen you, and change you in ways that are pleasing to God because the world will see less of your worldliness and more of God's righteousness. Does that mean if I do this, that I will live without sin? Of course not, there is only one man on this earth that lived sinless and was crucified for our unrighteousness so that we could be with Him and His Father in Heaven. Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Heaven and Hell? Do you believe that if others do not believe in Jesus that they will spend an eternity in Hell - a place that was created for the Devil and his angels?
If you believe this to be true, but you are not living as a disciple should live, then you are guilty of sins of omission - holding back what God has in store for you? The plans that He has for you and the places that He intends for you to go? For some that may mean a mission field of your family and relatives, for others it may mean to be an actual missionary, an Elder, a Deacon, a lay leader, a mentor, a coach, a worship leader, a singer - are you using your gifts and talents to worship God in every aspect of your life? If not, why not? If you are calling yourself a Christian and yet you are not under the authority of God's word, then do you not see the hypocrisy in that statement?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Can you teach the word? Can you reproof others with the word? Can you train others?
If you answer no to any of the above questions, then would you be willing to be teachable? Mentored? Coached in the way to go?
If you can honestly say that you are not learning and gleaning from the word of God, then Lance and I do not need to say anything else on that because it is the condition of the heart and not of the hand and or eyes that are reading it.
Food for thought,
D