Back to Basics - Word 101

One of the things we as Christians must work on is the basics. These are some of what I would call “best practices” that we need to remember when we study the Word of God. Now I didn’t learn these all on my own but I’ve had many mentors and friends over the years that have taught me these things to remember and it has been very valuable to me over the past. From the time I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior in 1980, entering the ministry in 1982 and being a lead pastor since 1990, these ministers have helped me set a solid foundation. Some of the mentors I’ve had were: Handel Price, who got saved during the period after the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival led by Evans Roberts, Pastor John Osteen from Houston, Pastor Casey Treat, Seattle, Pastor Brian Houston, Hillsong, Dr. George O Wood, former Superintendent of the AG, Bayless Conley from California, John Bevere, Dan Chun HIM and Lynn Schaal from Idaho.

Although they came from different backgrounds, different denominations, different size of ministries, the one thing they all have in common is their desire to speak the Word only. No opinions, no following the “fads” of the time, but God’s word first. So let’s look at some of the basics that I have had instilled in me and my Christian walk.

Jeremiah 1:4–12 AMP

4 Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah], saying, 5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth. 7 But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8 Be not afraid of them [their faces], for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. 9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. 10 See, I have this day appointed you to the oversight of the nations and of the kingdoms to root out and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. 11 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see? And I said, I see a branch or shoot of an almond tree [the emblem of alertness and activity, blossoming in late winter]. 12 Then said the Lord to me, You have seen well, for I am alert and active, watching over My word to perform it.

1. God is ready to perform His word, not ours!

God is ready to do what He said in His word. He doesn’t perform our opinion of what His word says, or what the popular majority says, He performs what He says. By nature we want to have our opinions of situations be right. We want to be in the right and hate being wrong. So the tendency is to look for scriptures that we can use to prove we’re right. So sometimes we can even take scriptures out of context to make it “agree” with what we’re saying.

The reality is this, God doesn’t have to line up to our opinions, we have to line up to His. God’s word is not “ammunition” for us to use. It is life giving and has to be used for the purpose it is intended for. To go into the world and preach the Gospel and make disciples that will in turn do the same so His kingdom grows.

2 Timothy 2:1–7 (NLT)

1Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.

2You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

3Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

4Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

5And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules.

6And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.

7Think about what I am saying. The Lord will help you understand all these things.

2. We must focus on God’s plan, not the world’s!

We live in a complex world. There are so many things hitting us everyday. Besides the pandemic that we are still dealing with, there’s school, there’s work, there’s this that and the other thing hitting us everyday, not to mention the “normal” challenges every family faces daily. With all that going on it’s very easy to get ourselves entangled in the present things and get our eyes off of what really matters, eternity!

The Word of God keeps us focused on what matters and we need to look to that as a soldier of the Gospel. As Christians we have the responsibility of bringing the Gospel everywhere we go. So for instance, if we are working in an office, we don’t take on the spirit of the office gossip, we being God’s perspective there when we have opportunity to. Now we need to be aware of what’s happening in the world, however, we don’t align ourselves up with anything that is contrary to our Gospel mission.

Revelation 2:1–7 NLT

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands: 2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. 4 “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. 6 But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. 7 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

3. Works never replaces relationship with God!

You and I can get really “busy” for God. If we do not continually police ourselves, we can get into so much work, we forget that this is God’s gig. We can start to get into the habit of saying we did this and we did that and we, we, we and get really far away from God without realizing we have left our first love.

How many remember your “first love”. He or she was on your mind constantly. You’d call them up. change your schedule to be with them, go out of your way to be there at the places they would go to. You know!! Well it’s the same with God. When we first get saved, we just want to spend time with God. But we can get busy and really be doing things without our first love. This is the relationship we need to make sure we are constantly nurturing. Here’s a question to constantly ask ourselves. Am I operating on auto pilot? In other words am I doing ministry work or activities based on this is what I’ve always done, or am I constantly fellowshipping with my first love to see if He’s changing my direction? The reward is awesome, fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Matthew 6:24–34 NLT

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

4. God is always first!

We just talked about God being our First love and so this dovetails along with it. Seek first. God is always first. What’s the first step? God. If we look to God before the news, we don’t get afraid. If we look to God first, before the opinions of others, including our own, we get His perspective. If we look to God first, our needs are met. We live in a country that actually prides itself on being self made. A self made millionaire. A self made business person. We made this or that, my ministry, etc. We prayed. But when we seek God first, it’s all about Him. Our language changes and it’s about what God did. God gave us the ability to do this, God answered our prayer because that is what He does. He gets all the glory.

So these are some of the basics that have saved me from going here and there throughout the years.

God is ready to performs His word, not ours!

We must focus on God’s plan not the world’s!

Works never replaces relationship with God!

God is always first!