Captivated...

The last couple of days I have been reading a book that Tim, my boss, gave me to read, entitled "There is NO Time." While I appreciated the book in it's entirety, I want to mention one thing within its pages that the Lord has been trying to teach me lately...the power of the Gospel!
We, as Christians within the evangelical church circle, seem to demonstrate where we believe our success comes from by the way we plan, invent and try on one method after another of programs and ministries in our attempt to "reach" people, to "connect" with people...and this seems to be the expected modus operandi. While this does not, in itself, mean that we do not use the Scripture within these various ministry methods, it often appears that our energies are focused more on the method than in what should be the basis of our work...the life-giving Word of God.
The Bible is POWERFUL because it is the WORD OF GOD! Thus, in and of itself, it is what changes lives, by the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross and the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit in each heart! I heard someone mention this past week that in their church, which is labeled an Evangelical church, they rarely hear the Scripture read during a Worship Service...how sad is that?
Last night I came across a CD in my Outreach Magazine that is the New Testament narrated with multiple voices, background sounds and music...it was a special encounter. I popped it into the computer and began to play it...starting at Mathew 1:1 the Scripture began to come alive (I almost skipped over the genealogies before even they tugged at my heart) and I sat back to listen. After a few chapters the kids came up from playing in the basement to ask what it was that I was listening to (Andrew came in right during the Mathew 4 passage of the temptation of Jesus and from that moment on he was hooked...). After that we all sat and listened, captivated by the Scripture, as we listened all the way to Mathew 22.
This was a special moment for our family and it reminded me again that I am so thankful that our kids have not been over-stimulated by technology so that they were "bored" by the reading of God's Word...in fact, they were totally riveted to the spoken Word. Why? Because there is power in the Gospel! Oh that the Lord would continue to transform our family with His Word and that all people would hear and respond to Christ's work, for His glory!

Blessings,
Gerald