Allow Me another Chance to explain!

About a month ago I gave a sermon that made a few people very uneasy. In that particular sermon I was talking about the bible and how I believed without a doubt that the bible was the "inspired word of God!" So far, no problem.  But I went on to say that many times our interpretations can fall far short of the intended meaning of some of the scriptures. I then went on to say that is why it is hard for me to say that the bible is the "infallible word of God."  Now I'm in trouble with some people.

So let me explain what I was trying to say and evidently said it poorly.  If you would go back and listen to my sermons you will find that I also have said on more than one occasion that the bible contains God's infinite spiritual wisdom that can only be decoded by the Holy Spirit.  In other words we can read the bible everyday and thanks to the revelation from Holy Spirit, we can continue to receive relevant wisdom from Gods word throughout our entire life.

So how do I rectify those words of teaching with my comment about having a problem with calling the bible the infallible word of God?  Well here is what I was trying to say:

Gods word is infallible, to that I have no doubt. But our interpretation can be fallible. All of us are capable of missing the point or the meaning of a particular scripture. My case in point and the example I gave on the night I preached on this was slavery. There was a time when some Christians used the bible to defend slavery quoting such irrelevant texts as:

Psalm 123:2

2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
    as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he shows us his mercy.

Ephesians 6:5-6

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

Colossians 3:22

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

And there are many others. Their argument was, this is the infallible word of God, and here it is in His word, "Slavery is OK." My point is, we are fallible and therefore our interpretations can be fallible and that is what many times causes much strife within the church. I think this is wonderful that this situation regarding my sermon was brought to my attention because it emphasizes the point of how much our interpretations can influence our decisions in life. 

I have a quote I love because it is so powerful to me. It is:

"If you really believe something it will affect your actions!"  Meditate on that one for awhile and then examine your life based on what Jesus taught.  To me that was a life changing paradigm.  

Here is the bottom line folks…the real deal.  Your pastor is very fallible, goofy, messed up, and probably has no business being a pastor EXCEPT for the fact that I know God has put me in this position for a reason. I love Him, and do my very best to live my life as an example of Jesus' hope, love, forgiveness, compassion and healing which still falls far short. But that is why we have Jesus. He is my advocate, my savior, and His sacrifice made me clean. And because of Him I can go Boldly into the throne room and fellowship with the Creator of the universe.  Just like you!

I always welcome all questions and comments. Please feel free to ask or comment on anything. This is how we grow and learn. To me the objective of my ministry is to make all of you ministers.  That is the only way to expand Gods Kingdom that makes sense.

Hope to see you soon.  God has a great plan for your life! Love, Pastor Kent