The last few weeks I’ve noticed much talk on various blogs and Internet news sources discussing the impact of the Internet on our brains. They say that people can no longer read a book – concentrate through it completely – because the Internet has reshaped the way we learn. While humankind (since books became common) use to read for enjoyment and information, now all we’re concerned about is information and knowledge. Thus the advent of speed reading and Internet search boxes. You don’t have to have read the Iliad to know who King Agamemnon and Achilles are, you just need an Internet connection and Wikipedia. Anyone can tell you who lead the NHL in penalty minutes in 1988 simply by Google-ing. (And if you don’t know what the NHL is, or penalty minutes, you can Google that too).

Chances are, for most of us, we use our bibles the same way that we use the Internet – gathering information. Now, let’s be fair, we surely want the information that is going to cause us to have a more intimate relationship with God, the wisdom that affords us to encourage a church or family member, and the ability to recall scripture when we’re doing evangelism or ministry. But as we saw on Sunday, God’s Word is so much more valuable than the Google/Wiki/Knowledge base that we some times treat it as.

Looking at Psalm 119 we concluded that the Psalmists’ desire was that God would “teach me your statutes (permanent/inscribed) … give me understanding … that I may know your testimonies (witness of God’s dependability/warning of obedience). Teach us the Word, God, that we might have understanding. We looked at two (and didn’t have time for a third) reasons why. First, that we might worship God rightly – knowing Him as He really is according to His Word. And, second, that we might walk the Christian path well (2 Timothy 3.16).

But there is a third reason, that we didn’t get to on Sunday. In Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christlike to be used for God’s purposes. It’s the progression from sinning less – following our own purposes, and becoming more obedient, following God’s purposes – being “set apart.” Jesus prays that this would happen, and in His prayer, shows us that it happens by the word. So, sanctification happens as we are continually convinced of the story of Jesus working in our actual life, as we read (not just gather information) from God’s word.

Have you ever cooked something that made such a lasting effect on your cookware that simply rinsing it off didn’t clean it. Something that on the first run of the dishwasher didn’t even make progress. Something that you have to let… s o a k ? Just cleaning the outside doesn’t get the job done (Matthew 23.25-26) – your dish is still a mess on the inside. Like dirty dishes our hearts are a mess. We’ve been cooking meals in the same dirty pot – never cleaning it. The lasting effects of sin needs to be soaked out – greed and pride and lust and anger and emotions and envy need to be soaked in the Gospel soap (or rather the blood of Jesus!) until love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control manifest themselves in our lives and continue to grow and develop until “everyone is mature in Christ” (Colossians 1.28).

This soaking is done by soaking in the Word.

How are you reading God’s word? Are you throwing it open praying that whatever verse your finger lands on is God’s “special message” for you to do that day? (information). Or, are you taking time to sit down, slowly read and discover – to meditate – to see what God’s word speaks about Himself, what it speaks about you, and what it speaks about the Gospel working in you? (delight)!

I started a book Sunday afternoon titled Why Johnny Can’t Preach: How Media Has Shaped the Messenger. The authors point is that preachers can’t preach well because preachers don’t read and write well. And we don’t read and write well because we’re too busy, too shaped by the media age of the twenty-first century. His advice, slow down. Citing another author he says, “the harder it is for you to slow down, the more you need to be rescued from the twentieth century; the more you need poetry.” It’s true. The harder it is to slow down the more we need beautiful things to draw our attention into. I think this is why children and sunsets and brides astonish us.

But more than these beautiful things we have God’s word. Manifest in paper and ink – and incarnate in flesh and blood. And both the Bible and Jesus are lovely to long for and look into.

Bible intake; hearing the word, reading the word, memorizing the word, meditating on the word, will have a direct impact on your life in sanctification – Christlikeness and godliness. It will also have an amazing impact on our church as the more the word stretches us the greater we will worship, the better we will love and comfort each other, and the more we’ll see the story of Jesus impact and transform the people of our city.

Let us be people of the Book – people of God’s word.

Less than three weeks ago we came across a building that would supply us with expanding space for our expanding church. Good space for our worship and ministry needs, good space for our growing children, good space for hosting multiple uses, good location, good price – all good news for us to proclaim Good News.

We quickly put together a plan and budget and a goal for raising the funds we would need to make this new space our own. Immediately we needed $2500 to secure the space and another, planned, $1500 for paint, cleanup and prep. Over the next month we hoped to raise funds for chairs and a sign. The next month after that, we planned to raise funds for an extra three months’ worth of rent. In all we hoped to raise $10-11,000 over sixty days.

With the great generosity of one family we were given $2500 if we could raise another $2500 – and with the great generosity of another family we did. In just a few days we already had $5000!

Funds continued to trickle in – it was a nervous and anxious week knowing we were just $5000 away from getting into a new building. It became more nervous and anxious when no new support came in for a few days consecutively. But when we replaced our anxiety with the truth and knowledge that if this was the space Jesus would have us to be in that He would bring in all we needed the fund raising doors were blown off the hinges again.

Yesterday we received $3000 – and today another $1400! Our church, our friends, and our partners have helped us raise $9400.00 in just one week!

We’re now just $1400 away from having all the funds our budget requires which includes our first months rent and deposit, paint, cleanup and prep, a new sign, new chairs, and three extra months worth of rent in savings.

We are hopeful that this last $1400 will come in soon, and prayerfully even more so we’ll be prepared for the things we haven’t thought of, like clocks, a vacuum cleaner, a coffee maker (actually we did think of a coffee maker, of course we did, look at us – all cranked up on caffeine, we’re coffee junkies so we thought of it we just didn’t think of it), etc.

So, a huge thank you to all of you who have given in huge ways – and a huge thank you to the people of TcD who are committed to continue to give towards paying the rent and utilities and maintenance of this new building. Because of you all (note the grammar here TX and KY friends!) we’re just about ready to make this good space a great place to share the Good News.

If you would still like to contribute to this new space for our Worship and Ministry you can give online at www.reachingdekalb.net or mail a check to:

Redeemer Fellowship
1125 Oak Street
St. Charles, IL 60174

As always, thank you for your partnership in the Gospel – the Good News that Jesus is excited to have being shared in DeKalb!

Grace and Peace,
Jamie