THE DANGEROUS BOOK

It is an honor to offer a guest post written by Nate Whitley. Pastor Whitley is a tremendous minister of the gospel. He serves as the Associate Pastor of the First Apostolic Church in Knoxville, TN. His blog, A Life of Study, is always insightful, well written, and relevant. His anointed preaching has been a rich blessing to the kingdom of God. I appreciative and thankful that he would take the time to write a post for Advancing Ministries!

A Dangerous Book

I’m in love with a dangerous book. Between it’s leather bound cover is trouble. Every day I glean from it’s pages.  I have yet to learn that the black font causes me much suffering. The words on the pages are soaked with the blood of it’s Author. This book has shed much blood throughout it’s prolific history. The book calls itself a sword cutting anything it touches. When it’s not a sword it turns into a hammer breaking everything that comes into contact with it. 

This dangerous book has caused me to lose friends. What I believe in this book gets me labeled as intolerant. If that isn’t enough, what I see throughout it’s pages gets me called a heretic by some and others see me as old fashioned, irrelevant and misguided. When I speak from the blood stained pages listeners feel as if I’m the one to blame for it’s deadly claims. Their sin gets exposed by it’s commands and I get the backlash. The very ones I’m to watch over reject it’s words and want to debate it’s value.  

I can concur with the prophet Jeremiah when I no longer want to mention it’s Author or speak in His name anymore. I want to put the book down and allow it to collect dust. But His word is in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones. So I pick it back up. Woe is me if I do not preach what I read from the dangerous book. 

Woe is me! Woe is me indeed. This troublesome book not only disturbs others but the sword turns into a mirror and reveals it’s reader. I sit to enjoy it’s wonders and truths only to feel guilt and shame. Conviction comes from each sentence, each paragraph and each page. My conscience is provoked by my own sinfulness. It preaches to me to repent of my own sin. No other book leads me to repentance before it’s Author. No other book that I own causes me to mourn over my own carnality. No other book cuts so deep into my hard heart. Woe is me! 

The Bible has caused me much grief and trouble and yet I am in love with it. I’ve even fallen in love with the Author of the book. The blood drenched words that cover it’s white pages have given me life. I continually pick it back up. A psalmist wrote “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” My love for the Word of God exceeds my offense from the Word of the God. It is a sword but it is also a light. It is a hammer but it is also a creative force. It has caused much death but has given more life. 

I will continue to be in love with a dangerous book. 

 

  Check out the lastest blog from Pastor Nate Whitley -  A Life of Study