Dr. Charles Stanley (well-known Teacher for In Touch Ministries and former First Baptist Atlanta Pastor) who went to heaven this week would often in his messages use phrases such as “God’s Word says” or “the Bible says” because he believed so much in the Bible. We feel the same way at Celebration Church. We believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God and that it’s God’s guidebook for our lives.

In a recent Staff meeting, I shared with our Staff 7 primary beliefs Christians must have if we are to live victorious lives and make a difference in our world. I said that the first belief we must have is that God Is All Powerful And He Really Cares About Us, and the second belief we must have is that Jesus Is The Only Son Of God And Savior Of The World. I wrote about both of those beliefs in previous Connecting Points (Click here to view previous Connecting Points). But another essential belief that Christians must embrace is that the Bible Is God’s Word And Authority And Guide For Our Lives.

Lots of people in our day question the inerrancy, reliability, and authority of the Bible. They believe that it was good back in the “old days,” but that it’s not applicable or relevant to people in our day. But the truth is that the Bible is more in vogue than ever before. It’s still the #1 best-seller in all of the world by far every year, even though many people throughout history have tried to discredit the Bible, has its teachings removed from the public sector, or in some countries ban the reading or distribution of Bibles. The Bible is still the #1 best-seller every year because people want to find truths that can transform their lives – which is what the Bible does when its principles and practices are read, heard, meditated on, embraced, and lived out.

At Celebration we tell people they can learn and benefit from the teachings of the Bible by:

• Hearing the Bible taught by gifted teachers (2 Timothy 1:13) – We encourage people to hear the Word by participating in worship services, Life Groups, discipleship classes, and by listening to devotions, podcasts, etc.

• Reading the Bible (1 Timothy 4:13) – Reading God’s Word daily helps us stay spiritually strong, helps us to hear from the Lord, and keeps us on the right path in our lives. There are many daily Bible reading plans that are available to help us.

• Studying the Bible (Acts 17:11). The difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible is the difference between water skiing and scuba diving. When you are water skiing you’re only seeing the beauty of the landscape above the water. But when you go scuba diving you get to see the beauty and animal and plant life that is below the surface. When we study God’s Word (there are plans to help us do that), we find ourselves growing stronger in our faith and ability to live for the Lord.

• Meditating on Bible Principles and Practices (Psalm 1:1-3). The Greek word for “meditate” literally means “to attend.” It means that we are to hear, read, and study God’s Word with much attention and intention, regularly reflecting on the principles and practices found in the Bible that are designed to help us live godly lives. And meditation on the truths of God’s Word is what helps us to really learn how to apply it to our lives.

• Living Out God’s Word in our Daily Lives (James 1:22, John 8:31). It is not just enough to hear, read, study, and meditate on God’s Word. The principles and practices found in God’s Word must be lived out in our lives on a daily basis. A person would be foolish to go to a physician, receive a diagnosis, and then think just because they have heard from the doctor they will get well. What someone must do is take the prescribed medication or go through the prescribed surgery in order to get well. Likewise, just hearing or being exposed to God’s truths won’t make us mature, strong, and healthy. We must do what the Bible tells us to do and live like it tells us to live if we are to become the mighty men and women of God that God has called us to be, and that we and others need us to be.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed in life” (Joshua 1:8). If we want to really live strong, successful Christian lives, we must regularly hear, read, study, meditate on and live out God’s Word in our lives on a daily basis.

I saw a commercial one time for The Simpson’s television program. In that commercial, Homer Simpson was holding a Bible and saying, “This book doesn’t have any answers.” From my personal experience and from observing the lives of thousands of others, I have to disagree with Homer Simpson. The Bible, God’s Word, has all of the answers that we are looking for – if we want to live healthy, holy, and happy lives. So, I encourage you to “get into the Bible” as never before. God’s Spirit will use God’s Word to transform us into mighty men and women who make a difference for good and God in the world around us.

Speaking of “getting into the Bible,” this coming Sunday at Celebration we will continue our sermon series, There’s A “Script” For That. We’ve given our series that title because 130 million Americans swallow, inject, inhale, infuse, spray, and pat on prescribed medication every month according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, Americans buy much more medicine per person than any other country in the world.

Now we aren’t opposed to medicine, health care, or therapy. We know these products and services have helped many people find health, healing, balance, and freedom. We also know there were Scriptures for mental and emotional health long before there were Prescriptions for emotional and mental health. And we wonder how many people would find freedom if they ingested the Scriptures of God with the same faith they place in the Prescriptions of the world. We discovered in the past couple of weeks that there is a Script for Hopelessness and a Script for Anxiety. This Sunday (April 23), we’re going to discover that there is a Script for Depression.

Psychologists have said that almost 20% of Americans struggle at times with some sort of overt discouragement or depression in their lives. That’s 1 out of every 5 people that we work with, live beside or encounter in our lives. The good news is that the Lord and His Scriptures can help them overcome that discouragement and/or depression in their lives. So, if you know of someone who is struggling with discouragement or depression, please do everything you can to bring them with you to Celebration this Sunday, or encourage them to log on to our Online Service HERE.

This past Sunday I preached at the newly renovated Celebration River Parishes Campus. It was a great blessing for me to see the joy on people’s faces as they worshiped in their facility that had been virtually destroyed by Hurricane Ida. One reason they were able to worship in this newly renovated facility was because of the generosity of our people from all of our Congregations.

We still need to raise the money to pay for the renovation costs of that facility as well as for the renovation costs of our Kenner and Westbank facilities, and we’re raising those monies through our 52 CHALLENGE initiative. If you’ve not yet given generously or made a commitment to our 52 CHALLENGE initiative, I want you to do so this week. If you would have been with me this past Sunday at Celebration River Parishes you would understand why all of our people at all of our Campuses need to give generously to our 52 CHALLENGE initiative. Doing so will bring lots of joy to people’s lives, and lots of transformation to other people’s lives, circumstances, and relationships in the months and years ahead. You can find out more about the 52 CHALLENGE initiative and how you can support it by going to www.celebrationchurch.org/the52/.

Our Pastors and I look forward to seeing you and your friends and family members that you bring with you this coming Sunday because Jesus Changes Everything.