This post will probably cause a few angry scowls at first but I ask you to bear with me, and to also realize that some of the things mentioned here may not be the case with you. Approach everything by prayer and asking God to reveal to you areas He would have you to work on.
On that note, I feel like our Bible apps have created a bit of an issue. We no longer carry Bibles around with us, we are constantly ‘plugged in’ to what is happening and on an even more serious note, I think it may be affecting our witness to the world.
When you become or became a new Chrisitian carrying your Bible to church can feel a bit awkward or out of place. You tuck it in under your arm, or stick it in your handbag. The walk from your front door to your car can seem overwhelming. “What would the neighbors think? Or that one guy who is a loudly professing atheist? What if he wants to debate me on it?” And the Bible slowly gets tucked further and further out of view.
Let me present to you the all inclusive one of a kind Bible App! The entire Bible at your fingertips, and no one will even know your reading it. Avoid conversations and witnessing opportunities with this sleek new app.
And there we go, leaving our houses on Sunday, no Bibles, nothing to set our day apart from any other day. The neighbors wouldn’t know whether we were going to church or to the local park for a round of baseball.
I think we miss a few crucial aspects of carrying around a physical copy of the Word.
Our use of the Bible will be tied to cell data, battery life, etc. Your physical Bible will never die due to battery life.
Despite what everyone says there is something to being ‘in’ the Word, no distractions, no phones.
And most importantly carrying our Bibles ‘openly’ causes a growth in our faith and walk with Christ.
You grow in your public stand. If you are too embarrassed to carry your Bible what are you going to do if you are ever in a position of being persecuted for Christ?
Also, it is a great witnessing tool. Everyone's carrying around a smartphone, but how many folks are carrying around their Bibles?
*If you have no desire to confess Jesus before men, I beg you to examine your faith.*
But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 10:33
If our salvation in Christ means so little to us that we want to hide it under a bushel, we must ask ourselves are we truly grateful and truly aware of what Jesus’s sacrifice means for us?
I pray this never happens to you, this is in a theoretical way. But, if you were in a car accident and your car burst into flames and a random good samaritan risked their life to saves yours and pulled you from the car, (or in the heart of a parent) they pulled your small child from the car, you would want to shout their name from the rooftops. How many Facebook posts would you make thanking that person for what they did for you? Most people would want there to be a news article written about what a hero that good samaritan was (and yes that person would deserve a huge amount of gratitude.)
But do we not realize what Jesus has saved us from? Has our culture so watered down Hell and the after life that we have very little gratitude for where we were headed as sinners? The fires of Hell will be a million times worse than that car fire, and they last for eternity. How does that not affect our walks? How are we not shouting from the rooftops to let others know what salvation there is to be had through Christ?
Now I am not saying Bible apps have been the sole cause of the weakening of our faith. By far no, there are so many other things in our churches and homes that are destroying the foundations of Christianity. But what I am saying is I feel like Bible apps, if not used carefully, can feed our insecurities.
We live in such an environment that we don’t want to offend anyone so we keep our religion to ourselves. So let me ask you something. Do you truly in the deepest part of your heart, believe what you profess? This is not an accusation, but a loving call from someone who cares about you. If you answered yes, shout it from the rooftops, Sing praises and glories to our King. Don’t let one more day slip by, where you miss an opportunity to share that wonderful news of the gospel with someone else. This vapor of a life will soon be over, and when you are standing at the gate of eternity and you see the look of disappointment on Jesus' face when your life's work is brought before the throne, and He asks, “Why did you not share me with others? Why was I an embarrassment to you?” I can promise you that moment of nervousness you feel sharing Christ here and now will not come close to the heart wrenching grief you will feel at disappointing Christ with the sacrifice He made, and with the life that should have been lived in service and dedication to Him.
It has been well said that if a great king should bring us a great heap of gold, and bid us take as much as we could count in a day, we should make a long day of it; we should begin early in the morning, and in the evening we should not withhold our hand; but to win souls is far nobler work, how is it that we so soon withdraw from it?
Spurgeon : Morning & Evening
Let’s be bold for Christ! Let’s carry our Bibles with us! And let us not for one more day neglect to share the wonderful news of Salvation in Christ!
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