Good morning and happy chilly Saturday. We had an incredible night of worship on Friday evening. It truly was beautiful to gather together with people from various countries and languages with the opportunity to worship our God as the body of Christ. A glimpse of heaven here on earth.
One day was driving down the highway and read the notice on the overhead message board. It said, “Tailgating? Drive sober.” To be honest, at first, I was confused. I wondered why the highway department would be seemingly endorsing tailgating. I thought that was illegal. If not, it really isn’t a good idea to follow someone too closely on the highway. Obviously, it is a good idea to drive sober. If you have been drinking, then your reaction times will be slower. If you add that to the fact that you are tailgating, well, that is an accident waiting to happen. Anyway, my confusion over the message only lasted for a moment (and I was sober). It dawned on me that there was a Chief’s game that weekend and they were talking about the other kind of tailgating. You know the one, it is where people take up multiple parking spaces at Arrowhead for their cars, trailers, BBQ grills, games and, of course, their coolers. Finally, the lightbulb went off and I understood the context for the statement on the message board. If you go to the game and tailgate, make sure you drive sober when you leave the stadium.
Whenever you see a short statement like that and there is no context, it can be difficult to discern what is trying to be communicated. It happens with text messages all of the time. Sometimes you look at the statement and wonder what in the world they are talking about. Other times, you try to figure out the tone they are using in their pithy little statements. The bottom line is that context is important in communication. This is especially true in the Bible. Over the span of 66 books and over 31,000 verses the Bible has a lot to communicate. Written over the span of a millennium, with approximately 40 different authors (all guided by the Holy Spirit), written in different languages in different cultures, sometimes addressing specific and immediate issues with principles that endure to today, it becomes apparent that context is important. Taken out of context, some verses are made to say things that are quite different than the author’s original intent. Even though I am a proponent of memorizing even singular verses, it is imperative to understand the context of the passage from which it is taken. Please allow me to encourage you to read the chapter surrounding your favorite verses. In fact, read the entire book to better understand the message the author is seeking to share. You might be surprised at what you discover.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV).
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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