So recently in my speech class students were learning how to teach a 30 minute group situation, similar to a youth group or small group setting. One group was addressing the question "What is the difference between believing in God and having a relationship with God?" They asked the class this very question and here is the most frequent answer:
Someone with a relationship with God goes to church and reads their Bible.
Sounds right doesn't it?
They didn't have churches in the sense that we use it today. They didn't hold weekly services or congregational meetings.
They also didn't have a New Testament. The documents that would become the New Testament were being written as letters and recollections, but they were not thought of as "The Bible" yet. And even when it was, most people didn't have one in their homes until the invention of the Gutenberg Press in the 1400s.
How did they do it then? How did they follow Jesus without weekly church services and daily Bible reading?
What did Jesus promise to leave them? What did He tell them to wait for?
The Holy Spirit.
He would come and live inside of His people. He Himself would shepherd us from inside our very hearts. He would lead us into all truth, remind us of what He said, comfort us in our need, and fill us with strength in all circumstances.
So, then should we just ignore the Bible? By no means! I can get to Chicago without Mapquest, but
though, on God Himself living in us, and His love, first and foremost. Let us love Him with all our hearts. The book is a tool, not the reality.
But that being said, the Bible is an incredible insight into the story of a Lover, the Father, seeking out people and then a story of the beloved, us, learning progressively how to live in that love. Once we see it that way, we can stop using it as a legal document or a replacement for our Father, and instead, enjoy the love letter He gave us.
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