Treating scripture only as a story that took place long ago can be very dangerous. Even though scripture describes God and the journey of His people, both good and bad, the bible is not a storybook. Yes, there are many stories / accounts but together is God’s living word and not a book. As the hymns state, people “love to tell the story” and, “tell me the old, old story of Jesus and His love, tell me the story often for I forget so soon.” That last part of the line is a pretty sad statement, especially when we have been warned not to forget. Paul said 1 Corinthians 11:23 “For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” We are also told, Deuteronomy 8:6 “Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Becoming proud and forgetting go hand in hand. That is the problem when you treat the bible as an old, old story thus making God’s word irrelevant for today’s world and no it is not irrelevant but as you can see by looking at today’s church, the bible is not revered as it should be. Malachi 2:5 “My covenant was with him, a covenant of life and peace, and I gave them to him; this called for reverence and he revered me and stood in awe of my name. 6 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. 7 “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. 8 But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi,” says the Lord Almighty.” The bible is an actual account of the commands of God, not just a story. If you treat the bible just as a collection of stories that happened in the past, you miss the fact that the bible is the living word of God that you must live by in the present. How you follow those commands in the present will also affect your future destination in eternity. Peter describes these words as 1 Peter 1:23 “the living and enduring word of God.” We are also told Hebrews 4:12 “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” That’s why many do not like to read the bible and prefer books about the bible even though Moses said, Deuteronomy 32:47 “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.” Jesus said John 6:63 “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” You wouldn’t know it by looking at the church today.

     When the bible is treated as just words from long ago, the danger also increases and the stories become mythology. One writer gave his personal view of scripture. He said, “Reading Biblical stories as mythology gives me the freedom to understand their underlying meaning in a way I never did when I was taught as a child that these stories were factually true.” (Notice that he fell to the deception of satan who says, “did God really say?”) He also said, “I fear that an insistence on a literal or historical reading of the Bible will ultimately lead to the irrelevance of Christianity in our society. By throwing off the shackles of having to believe in the historicity of the Bible, we are free to interpret the stories as a testament to the religious experiences of people from a different age -- a testament that communicates a meaning about their experiences of ultimate reality, of God. I understand that their experiences of the divine ground in their lives were interpreted through the lens of a pre-modern view of the world, and my own religious experiences will take on a different form today.” As if the modern world now has everything figured out. Another writer said this is a post-theistic world that takes God out of the picture. He said, “religion was borne out of human ignorance; our lack of scientific knowledge, historical knowledge, philosophical understanding and reasoning. Religion was the result of primitive thinking, underdeveloped reasoning, and a severe misapprehension of the world we live in.” They basically came to this conclusion because they refuse to accept “in the beginning God,” and “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Christianity did become irrelevant because the church treats God’s commands as old, old stories and mythology so they can interpret how they see fit. I thought that this was humorous. He said “From a scientific standpoint, many of the "facts" in the Bible are simply wrong. One of many examples: according to Genesis, the universe is just over 6000 years old. According to physics, the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago.” 13.7 billion -really? I laughed at the .7 billion part, as that is pretty specific, give or take a billion. But who says this? What person did this writer reject God for. Did he reject God to listen to the ones who are still looking for the Theory of Everything and the ones who can’t explain where everything came from in order for the Big Bang to even occur? The writers like many, simply refuse to believe God and the supernatural events that occur all through scripture. The bible then becomes humanized and what you want it to be and prefer it to say; your preferred underlining meaning. This article should have been titled. I don’t believe in God, nor do I believe in His word and I want the world to know. You have to ask, what is the point of even reading it, but since so many do not read the bible let alone with awe and reverence, you can see the result of satan’s deception. The bible is always relevant because God does not change but unbelief makes you irrelevant before God and you will face His wrath.

     Now of course most are not going to admit that their belief in God is limited to old, old stories, nor acknowledge that the bible is not really their daily bread, and most are definitely not going to call the bible mythology, but their actions say it loud and clear. For most, the stories about Jesus occurred then but not now. They walk with, talk about and listen to the teaching of Jesus but unlike the lady who was healed, fail to reach out and touch Him. They would rather tell the old, old story than believe it can actually happen today. One lady in a crowd was a witness to the power of God. Matthew 9:20 “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.” For those who do not believe, Luke 13:25 “He will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” They do not believe that power is still available or that the church is supposed to be doing as Jesus did with power and authority from on High. They believe that Jesus did heal the lady, but that kind of healing isn’t available for today. They are content to hear the old, old stories week after week, year after year and never think for a moment that the living words of God also apply today which is why Paul’s prayer is so relevant. Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Jesus said Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Therefore, they do not actually believe that Jesus is John 14:6 “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

     Even though the bible is an actual account of God and many lives who either obeyed or disobeyed, each of us from the beginning of time will have a story to tell, also called a testimony and we will be judged accordingly. Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” Our testimony will either be a story of belief or unbelief, obedience or disobedience. At this present time, most stories are about unbelief and disobedience because so many in the church today refuse to believe God’s word to His people as they do not believe God’s word is possible for today. Instead of repenting they prefer to keep the bible on the shelf with all the other storybooks. But there is hope and our story can change when God hears our cry, but we must repent and turn from our wicked ways, believe and stand firm on God’s word,. Psalm 107:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south. 10 Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness, prisoners suffering in iron chains, 11 because they rebelled against God’s commands and despised the plans of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. 13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. 14 He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, 16 for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.” Sadly, the church today doesn’t seem to know enough to cry out in desperation.

     The problem that has been happening for generations, is that there is no fear of God. The God that has been created is a god of love who doesn’t seem to mind if we do not obey his words and love Him wholeheartedly. As we saw from the writer above, the God of the bible is not appealing, so something different is created. This preferred god also doesn’t mind if his words are distorted or altered so that they are more palatable. The true God who holds people accountable for their sins is not the God people want to follow. Most want a different version of God that is closer to a human representation. They want to live according to their own words, not God’s. Isaiah 30:8 “Go now, write it on a tablet for them, inscribe it on a scroll, that for the days to come it may be an everlasting witness. 9 For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” Because there is no fear of God, most are not really worried about facing the consequences of their sin because their god is a god of love. Ezekiel 33:18 “If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.” If you were to ask most people who call themselves Christians, most think they are bound for Glory and will spend eternity with Jesus. Many are so secure in the false teachings that they will die thinking and singing all is well with their soul, only to hear Luke 13:25  “I don’t know you or where you come from.” Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

     Without the fear of God, people do not repent and turn from their wicked ways. Psalm 36:1 “I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. 2 In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” Ecclesiastes 8:13 “Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.” Psalm 55:6 “As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. 17 Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. 18 He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me. 19 God, who is enthroned from of old, who does not change— he will hear them and humble them, because they have no fear of God.” Jeremiah 5:20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah: 21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: 22 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it. 23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say to themselves, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’ 25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.”

     Jeremiah told the people, Jeremiah 11:4 “I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’ 9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.” Pride comes from a stubborn heart and because the people did not fear God, they did not tremble at His word even though they were warned over and over what would happen if they disobeyed.

     The opposite of fearing God is pride and arrogance. It is pride and arrogance that allows someone to ignore God’s word or say to God you don’t know what you are talking about which is what the writer above did by saying God couldn’t have created the earth in six days! He listened to man but not God. Isaiah 45:11 “This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? 12 It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.” As God said to Job 38:3 “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone— 7 while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” Put yourself in Job’s sandals when God questioned him. (Job 38-41) God would say to the writer above Ezekiel 28:2 “‘In the pride of your heart you say, “I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.” But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. 3 Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? 4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. 5 By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.” Daniel told Belshazzar about his father Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 5:20 “But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes. 22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain.” Ezekiel 28:6 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, 7 I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. 8 They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you then say, “I am a god,” in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.”

     Scripture makes it clear that God detests pride, especially in His own people. Amos 6:8 “The Sovereign Lord has sworn by himself—the Lord God Almighty declares: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.” Psalm 5:5 “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong.” Proverbs 8:12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. 13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” Proverbs 16:5 “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. 18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Most think they will get away with their pride but Obadiah 1:3 “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?” Jeremiah 49:16 “The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, from there I will bring you down,” declares the Lord.” Proverbs 6:16 “There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, 19 a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” Proverbs 26:25 “Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts. 26 Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.” Proverbs 21:24 “The proud and arrogant person— “Mocker” is his name— behaves with insolent fury.” Isaiah 2:11 “The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 12 The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted and they will be humbled.”