This past week I received an email from a friend with a forward from a newsletter by a Wycliffe translator. If you are not familiar with Wycliffe, they translate the Bible in to different languages for missionary work around the world. Anyway, the article was entitled The 81 Percent Life you can read it in its entirety at the author's, Jack Popjes, web site. In the article there is this piece:
An internationally know Orthodox Jewish rabbi once said, "Any Christian who tells me he is a disciple of the Rabbi Yeshua (Jesus) and who does not read the four gospels at least once a month is a liar. How are you going to know your Rabbi if you don't spend time reading what he did and what he said?"
Now you know why I have the title, "I am a liar". I certainly do not read the four gospels once a month. I have read them in the last six months and am starting them again, as a result of this quote, but I don't read them regularly. However the rabbi is right. We talk about the one we desire to be "like". Yet, we often spend minimal time studying his life in order to imitate it.
The author of the article goes on to say, that less than 20% of the gospels are consumed with the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The remaining 81% is focused on his life and ministry. Hence that ought to be our focus as followers of Christ.
I dare say, were I to simply narrow it down and focus on the Sermon on the Mount and nothing more - if that was my "daily bread", I would never hunger. The challenges there would be sufficient to keep me focused until eternity calls me home.
"Bread of heaven, feed me 'til I want no more..."
2 comments:
Interesting...guess I have some reading to do, too. :)
I expect that number may grow some as the article spreads. So we'll have company.
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