“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
Fran Sciacca taught High School Bible in Colorado Springs and then Birmingham, while raising four children and teaching seminars all over the world. His podcast The Road to Shalom provides a clear and insightful summary of his conclusions and exhortations to the American church – information that is now also available in his excellent book Have we Lost the Plot? (I suggest starting with episode one of season three of the podcast.)
Fran begins by asking the question “What is the Bible?” Often we think of the Bible as a citadel of truth to know, a textbook to understand and defend. Certainly God’s Word is under attack and the discipline of apologetics is vital to understand the truth and guard ourselves from false teaching. But is that all the Bible is?
Surely Scripture is meant to be applied to our lives – it is a living document through which God speaks to us today by His Spirit. So we also think of the Bible as a handbook to consult on the many issues and challenges of life – a “disciple-o-pedia” if you will. Without question God’s Word is sufficient for all of the problems and opportunities of life – and while it doesn’t address every topic we can find principles to apply as we seek to live a life of wisdom that honors our God. But is that the whole picture?
Mr. Sciacca exhorts us to recognize that the Bible is primarily the story of God’s great work of salvation – a story that is still continuing today, and in which we can find meaning and purpose in life (check out this OT summary). In fact, there is no other place to find significance and lasting fulfillment. Fran shows us there are only three ways to think about life.
“Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, work at their play, and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.” Gordon Dahl, in Have we Lost the Plot, p. 58
Most of us would not be taken in by the hedonistic, materialistic message of atheism that there is no meaning to life so “eat, drink and be merry,” (Ecc. 8:15) “for tomorrow we die” (Is. 22:13). But we can be taken in by the “choose your own adventure” post-modern relativism of our culture because there are apparently Christian versions of it.
- The prosperity gospel invites you to find “your best life now,” and dresses up in much of the garb of historic Christian faith, while downplaying or denying key teachings of Jesus regarding sacrifice, suffering and service.
- A shallow gospel offers salvation as a ticket to “heaven,” by raising your hand and praying a simple prayer that promises “eternal security” while allowing you to live however you want.
- The most common deception is a compartmentalized faith that “believes in Jesus” but keeps religion in a corner of your life that doesn’t influence the other parts and leaves you “free” to choose how you will spend “your” time, money and effort.
Recognizing that the Bible is the One Story of God and that life is about finding our place in that story corrects these errors and calls us to submit to the Author and pick up the script He has written for you and for me.
“My responsibility to this Story is to study it, know it, and submit to its storyline because I’m now in it. This is the true basis for what we summarily call discipleship… submitting to God’s storyline.” Have we Lost the Plot, p. 67
It is so easy – it is your default setting – to assume life is about you and you are the main character in the story being written. Our culture shouts this message at us constantly. But the Bible shows us the true and better way: that Jesus is the main character in the Story of God, and as minor supporting actors our job is to direct all the attention to the Hero of the story as the plot moves toward its final consummation.
“Making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
Ephesians 1:9-10
This is God’s plan: to unite all things in Christ. God is actively working to restore SHALOM – peace, wholeness, intimacy, goodness – in a world that is broken and corrupted by sin. His agents of restoration are you and me.
Mr. Sciacca is so helpful to show us that our destiny is not “to die and live in heaven forever.” That is a distortion of the shallow gospel. Christians will not live in heaven forever! Read Revelation 21-22! Where will we live? On a restored Earth, in a renewed Eden that covers the globe and is united with the heavenly city Jeru-shalom (vision of peace).
So our great privilege and calling is to join God in His unfolding story. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” is only true to the extent that you realize that His plan for your life will only be found in His plan for the world; only as you submit to His story and find your place in that story.
Our series Experience God (August-Sept. 2023) is about helping us hear from the Lord in order to better align with His kingdom purposes and plans. 8/20 – Hear God’s voice. 8/27 – Know God’s heart. 9/3 – See God’s hand. 9/10 – Show God’s love. 9/17 – Share God’s grace.
Let’s join God in His work this fall!