Grave Need
By: Lavern Stewart (1975)
Nine out of ten church members know little of the Bible! They are not unlearned in most other areas, especially when it comes to making money or having a good time. Most of us are informed very well in "funology" or "paycheckology" (I did not find those words in the dictionary), but we are woefully ignorant of theology. In fact, I fear we are willfully, woefully waning in our knowledge of God. It is not a matter of being unlearned, but a matter of staying that way when we can do better.
We must do the will of God to go to heaven (Mt. 7:21); however, one cannot do God's will unless he knows it. That is why God tells us to learn (Ephesians 5:17; 2 Peter 3:18). Now, brother, don't say that you do not have time to study the Bible - devote as much time to it each day as you do to the newspaper. Or give one third as much time to Bible study weekly as you do to television or other entertainment. For that matter, if a person studies in every class that we have for him here at the church house, he will learn something. If you do not attend the classes, that shows you need more Bible knowledge. What a shame that mothers and fathers will stay up so late (and their children) on Saturday night that they miss Sunday morning study.
This Old Testament scripture might apply to
us today, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt
be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also
forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6).