THIS IS MY BIBLE

This is my Bible…

This is the Word of God…

I believe in the Word of God…

I have what the Bible says I have…

I am who the Bible says I am…

I can do what the Bible says I can do…

Today I will be taught the Word of God…

I am about to receive the incorruptible…

Ever-living Seed of God’s Word…

I will never be the same…

Never!  Never!  Never!

I will never be the same…

In Jesus’ Name, amen!

I first heard a declaration like this in a church in Houston, Taxes USA.  The pastor got the whole congregation standing and waving their Bibles.  The declaration was shouted out in gusto by the whole church, as Pastor John Osteen led the congregation.  That was more than 20 years ago.  (Pastor John Osteen has since gone home to be with the Lord, and I believe his son Joel Osteen is now pastoring the church.)

Back then 20 years ago, I was leading the Youth Fellowship in my home church, the church which I subsequently left JKR to serve in full-time Christian ministry.  At that time, I thought the declaration was cool and powerful.  And so I actually made the young people in my YF do the declaration!  I wonder if they liked it… I wonder if the declaration did them any good…

Several years later (after I have moved on from my home church to serve in a Christian organization), I remembered hearing a similar declaration in a church in Malacca.  The youth pastor there was doing exactly what I did in my YF years ago.  Hmm…  And then earlier this year, I came across this declaration again while listening to a sermon CD from a mega-church in Singapore.  And most recently, I heard this declaration again at a youth camp.

As usual, I began reflecting and thinking…

I guess one of the first thing to think about is our intention as speakers when we ask the hearers to recite such declarations.  Well as what I said earlier, when I did this years ago, I thought it was both powerful and cool.  Powerful… because I thought it would help the hearers get ready, get focused, and get excited with the message that was to come.  It seemed so biblical too!  I mean… such an important emphasis on the centrality of God’s Word!

Cool… because this kind of stuff is like an “ice-breaker”.  You know, something to wake people up and loosen them a bit.  Preachers are taught to get connected with people they are speaking to, part of homiletics training.  And also, stuff like this does make the speaker looks cool and happening.  We probably cannot fault any speaker for wanting the hearers to like them.  Nonetheless, if as speakers all we have is just a bag of tricks (or jokes and stories), then something is seriously wrong.

But we need to go deeper…

I think behind declarations such as this one, is the subtle likelihood of an erroneous theology of “name it, claim it and get it…”  Perhaps also a simplistic theology of positive thinking...  I have what the Bible says I have…  I am who the Bible says I am…  I can do what the Bible says I can do…

In many sense it is not wrong to talk about our possessions and positions in the Word of God.  But what about the requirements of the Scriptures that we read the Word of God, study it and obey it?  How about the Bible’s teaching regarding repentance and submission?

Maybe we could modify the declaration to look something as follows:

This is my Bible…

This is the Word of God…

I believe in the Word of God…

I have what the Bible says I have…

I can do what the Bible says I can do…

I will read and study my Bible everyday…

I will repent if needed, as the Bible commands…

I will obey as the Bible requires…

Today I will be taught the Word of God…

I receive the life-changing Seed of God’s Word…

When I align my life with the Word of God,

I will never be the same…

Never!  Never!  Never!

I will never be the same…

In Jesus’ Name and by the power of His Word…

Amen!

These modifications may not be that dramatic.  But I think they are significant enough to correct the imbalance, and to help us see “the other half” of the full truth…

We need to know that very often half truths may be more dangerous than blatant lies!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

If this article has blessed you, or if you think this article will bless someone; please feel free to forward it or used it in any way that would bring glory to God.  If appropriate, please acknowledge the source when quoting this material.  Jason Fong also welcomes your thoughts and comments for mutually edifying interactions.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this article may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.