A “RELEVANT” MESSAGE
thoughts by Charles P. Schmitt, founding pastor
Rel·e·vant = from the Latin, to lift up. Meaning—uplifting, pertinent, to the point, appropriate, fit, applicable
In Immanuel’s Strategic Plan we find these words: “We commit ourselves in our teaching to be orthodox and evangelical, wholly Scriptural, well-balanced, spiritual and relevant.”
The question on the table today is what does it mean to be “relevant”? Certainly practical teachings on our walk with God,
on marriage and family, on finances and health are relevant. In
some churches and to some preachers, however, “relevance” unfortunately does not include being “wholly Scriptural.” A verse may be thrown out as a springboard, but the message is basically pop-psychology, all for the purpose of leaving the constituents “feeling good.” Now, it’s good to feel good, but sometimes it’s even better to feel bad, especially when “feeling bad” becomes the birth pangs of repentance! The fruit of this “relevant,” feel-good message has been disastrous. For a nation such as the United States, with such a high percentage of Spirit-filled evangelicals (25% Spirit-filled; 33% Evangelical) to be on such a seemingly irreversible secular, humanistic, downward spiral should tell us that something is wrong! The weakness may well be in our new brand of “relevant” evangelical Christianity. The “seeker-sensitive” movement in modern day evangelicalism is one of the chief proponents of the “relevant” message. But this movement was recently weighed in the balances and found gravely lacking. By their own internal evaluations, they themselves concluded that their lack of biblical content has birthed
a generation of anemic and ineffective Christians!
We are divinely obligated to commit ourselves afresh and anew to the relevance of inspired Scripture! Scripture in and of itself, even apart from any human comments about it, is the most dynamically relevant book ever written! Paul tells his spiritual son, Timothy, “the holy Scriptures … are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed
[inspired] and is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly [perfectly] equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-16). The author of Hebrew also writes: “the Word [logos] of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit … it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). And Jeremiah the prophet testifies, “when your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight…” (Jeremiah 15:16). Our daily personal study of Holy Scripture, our weekly corporate Bible studies, our Sunday morning expositions of God’s Holy Word become the most relevant messages we can ever embrace! The Word of God in and of itself is “uplifting, pertinent, to the point, appropriate, fit, applicable.” The Scriptures are God’s relevant message to us! Let us passionately give ourselves to them! Amen!
