THE IMPACT OF GOD'S WORD

"But the word of God grew and multiplied." - Acts 12:24

The Bible continues to be the #1 best-selling book of all time.  If you visit a Christian bookstore, you'll probably notice that a large portion of the store is dedicated to Bibles.  These days there is no shortage of Bibles.  Numerous versions of the Bible are available (too many in my opinion).  Additionally, Bible software is available, as well as on-line Bibles and Bible resources.  Teaching and preaching podcasts are free on the internet for any believer. 

As Christians, we believe that the Word of God changes lives.  The message of the Gospel has the power to penetrate a human heart and bring a sinner to repentance.

With all the resources available to the Church today, I can't help but ask, why isn't the Word of God impacting society like it did in the first century?  Acts 12:24 states that "... the word of God grew and multiplied."  If you read the book of Acts, you'll note that the Holy Spirit moved in a dynamic way:  souls were saved, lives were changed and the culture was impacted.  The Word of God grew and multiplied during that time.  In spite of all the resources available to believers today, there seems to be so little impact being made here in America.    

I believe that the problem lies in very fundamental areas.  For instance, our response to the Word of God is different today than it was in the first century.  In the first century, there were no Bibles available for the average believer. Obviously, the resources and ministries that we take for granted today did not exist then.  Yet their attitude towards God & His Word was vastly different from our own. 

I want you to consider three things about the early church's response to God's Word.

1.  THE WORD OF GOD WAS TREATED SERIOUSLY

First of all, the first century believers took God's Word seriously.  I don't think that is always the case with believers today.  In fact, these days most believers only read from their Bibles in church on Sunday.  I fear that most Christians treat the Word of God lightly.  We don't have the fear and reverence for God's Word that the early church did.  They treated God's Word like it came directly from God.  We typically treat God's Word like it only came from the bookstore.  The first century believers treated God's Word as something sacred, we treat it like a dry book of rules.  If we don't treat God's Word seriously, we aren't treating God seriously.  If we aren't treating God seriously, we shouldn't expect Him to bless.

2.  THE WORD OF GOD WAS OBEYED ZEALOUSLY

Secondly, the early Church obeyed God's Word.  As you read the book of Acts, it is obvious that believers obeyed God's Word zealously.  Today, the commands of God are treated more like options.  It is rare to find Christians who are zealous in their obedience to the Word of God.  The unbelieving world around us has taken note of our willful disobedience to the Word of God.  They recognize that we don't treat God's Word seriously or obey His Word zealously.  Thus, they don't take our message or mission seriously.  It's not hard to understand why, is it?

3.  THE WORD OF GOD WAS SPREAD CONTINUALLY

Finally, the early church continually spread God's Word.  The Word of God was more than a subject for church on Sunday.  For the first century believers, they had a mandate to share God's Word everywhere they went.  Are we doing that today?  Quite honestly, outside the church doors, our society has pressured believers into keeping our faith silent.  If a believer is a visible and verbal witness for Christ, he is belittled & considered to be a "religious fanatic."  In some cases, a verbal witness for Christ is subject to social pressure & even legal threats.  What ever happened to Christians who would boldly stand for Christ regardless of social or political pressure?  We need more Christians to be like the Apostle Peter, who said, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

There is power in God's Word, but if we fail to treat God's Word correctly, we are to blame for the anemic results of our efforts, not God or His Word.

The unbelieving world needs to see Christians take God's Word seriously, obey God's Word zealously and share God's Word continually. 

What is keeping you from doing this today?