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Viewpoint from Rev Mike Flynn 28/07/2023
 Rev Mike Flynn
Minister, Gorleston Baptist Church
In praise of the Bible – it speaks to us today
You don’t need to go far to realise that Christians have many different views on things, including how to interpret the Bible. When you think about it, it is hardly surprising of course, as we are all different; and the Bible itself was written a long time ago into a culture that was very different than ours today
And yet we discover that the Bible is very relevant to us in our 21st century society, it just needs a little effort to interpret it sensibly for today. Or some of it! Some is a bit harder, but that’s fine. The writer Mark Twain once said “it ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand”! I wonder if he had in mind the challenge that he saw there, and high standard of love set for us – even to the extent of loving enemies..!
 Someone once said that it’s not so much that we read the Bible, but that it reads us! The writer of Hebrews (one of the letters in the Bible) says “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.” (Hebrews 4:12)
What I like about the Bible most of all is that it reveals what God is like – and we discover that He is all-loving, and amazingly patient with a rather mixed up bunch of people that is the human race. We see His love most perfectly expressed through the person of Jesus, who is indeed God in the flesh: ‘God with us’
If you are new to the Bible or haven’t picked it up for a while, give it a go. Start with the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) which are all about Jesus and his teachings and what he was about. Then see if you are not challenged! Don’t worry about the bits you don’t understand; but ask God to speak to you about the bits you do! I promise you, you’ll never be the same (in a good way)!
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