I had the opportunity to spend some time with an Indian brother in Christ. He shared his story with me and as I heard it I was excited again about the power of the written Word of God. While living in India he was facing getting laid off at his job. Visiting a church one Sunday the pastor gave a prophetic word to him that he would not lose the job.

This man went back to his apartment and began to read the Bible. (I think his pastor gave him one and told him to read. Someone else helped him by showing him the gospels and said, “Start here.”) When he got to the last three chapters of Mark he said his world changed. He didn’t know what it was at the time, but the presence of God filled the room where he was and he knew something was different. He consumed the written Word and just couldn’t put it down.

In our western constructs we get into unnecessary battles over the authority of the Word. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, people are picking it up and the Spirit is using it to rock their world. We spend so much time in the West arguing about the Bible. Maybe if we would just heed that admonition that came to Augustine, “Pick up and read,” something fresh, new and exciting would happen.

Just a thought.