4/3/2018 Why I Stopped Reading the Bible

Why I Stopped Reading the Bible

APRIL 3, 2018 | Steve Robinson

C H U R C H PL ANT ING

ACTS 29: CHURCHES PLANTING CHURCHES

“Don’t depart from the Word.”

That’s the correct—and obvious—advice that all church planters, leaders, elders,
and church-planting teams hear. No one in their right mind would contemplate
trying to start and lead a church without being acutely aware of the importance
of the Word of God. It must be central to every aspect of church life.

In fact, I’ve never met a gospel-centered church leader—or assessed a

budding church planter—who didn’t have the Word of God at the center of their
plans for their church. Isn’t that what the church is for? To showcase the
wisdom and glory of God as we proclaim the gospel? To depart from the Word
would be to drain the very lifeblood of the church.

And yet, there are many churches around the world for whom the Word of God
is central, while they are led by people who leave the Word to the side in their
daily lives.

How do I know this? Because I’m one of them.

Running on Empty

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I love the Word of God. It’s a wellspring of living water for my thirsty soul. But
sadly, there have been many moments in my life when I’ve attempted to lead
people to this living water while wandering in the Sahara myself. Even now—as
I reflect on those times—I can hear the justification and excuses rattling around
my head.

“I didn’t wake up one day and

decide: I’m going to stop reading
God’s Word on a consistent basis.
It happened slowly over time.”


Finding myself in the proverbial Sahara was something that crept up on me. I
didn’t wake up one day and decide, I’m going to stop reading God’s Word on a
consistent basis. It happened slowly over time. Other things became more
urgent, even more desirable.

We’d replanted a church, and it was growing. Another church had been planted
from that church, and we had a third church plant in the pipeline. On top of that,
our family was growing. God had given us a surprise fourth child, so we were in
the process of moving to a new house. We were also recovering from an
emergency treatment that our eldest daughter had to have (oh, and the dog
died in the middle of all this tumult).

Little did I know, I was running on empty. I’m not talking about a lack of
capacity to live in the midst of the life’s difficulties; I mean empty of life. As I
slowly departed from the Word of God, I was closing the conduit through
which living waters were to flow to me. I was in free fall, trying to lead a church
to Jesus without spending enough time with him myself.

Restoration
My co-pastor stepped in and, in love, confronted me. He’d been trying to catch
my attention for months, but I was avoiding him (which was awkward, given
that we share an office).

“I was in free fall, trying to lead a

church to Jesus without spending
enough time with him myself.”


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When he asked me if I was consistently reading God’s Word, I think he already

knew the honest answer. I’ll never forget what he said next: “Steve, you’re
looking for life in the midst of chaos, but you’re avoiding the very place you
know you need to go to find it.” He was right. I’d been running from God and his
Word—not because I didn’t love him—but because I didn’t want to face my sin.

But God’s Word truly does heal and restore. My co-pastor and I spent weeks
reading and praying through Psalm 119. By God’s grace, gospel wind began to
blow in my sails again. I was on my way out of the Sahara, being brought back
to the fountain of life.

As I was refreshed and restored by the Word, I was reminded how desperately
I need it. I need to be reminded, every day, of who God is and who I am in
Christ.

I even preached through sections of Psalm 119. As I did so, I shared my

struggles, confessed my sin, and sought forgiveness from the flock that I’ve
been given the privilege of leading.

Church planter: do you want to know the most important thing you can do in
your ministry? Chain yourself to the Word of God. I know you have a million and
one things to do. I know the needs of your congregation feel unending. But if
the Word isn’t your lifeline, you won’t have anything to offer your needy people.

Fountain of Life
My time in Psalm 119 was life-changing. Here are a few things the Lord taught
me during this season:

When trouble and anguish find me out, God’s Word is my delight (Ps. 119:143)

Trouble and strife will come your way, as they came to me. It’s inevitable, and it
comes with the territory of being a believer (never mind a church planter).
Life’s difficulties will expose what’s going on in your heart. The Word of God
was the ballast that kept the psalmist steady—and it could do the same for me—
in the midst of many troubles.

“As I was refreshed and restored

by the Word, I was reminded how
desperately I need it. I need to be
reminded, every day, of who God is
and who I am in Christ.”


God’s Word gives me understanding, that I may live (Ps. 119:144)

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The temptation to quit will cross your mind at some point, even if just for a
moment. I wanted to run away, and the thought of pressing on scared me. I
needed clarity, truth, and understanding. The Word of God gave me language to
make sense of what was happening. More than anything else, the Word showed
me Jesus (John 5:39). I was reminded of him who “for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). Because of Christ, the true Word, I
can press on and have life to the full (John 10:10).

God’s Word brings comfort and joy (Ps. 119:76–77)

We all long for comfort and joy, but we often pursue it in places where it won’t
truly be found. For me, the temptation was to run from the Word, thinking it
would bruise and batter rather than comfort and refresh. But you won’t find
true, lasting joy anywhere else. Psalm 119 is teaching me to cling to the
promises of God’s Word. Only as I’ve held on to them have I experienced the
comfort and joy that I so desperately need.

So church planter: don’t depart from the Word of God. Drink deeply from it,
daily. It’s what you—and your people—need more than anything else.

Steve Robinson is the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church in

Liverpool, England. He is also the director of the Cornerstone
Collective. Steve is married to Sian, and they have four children. You
can follow him on Twitter.

TAGS
ACTS 29 • CHRISTIAN LIVING • CHURCH LEADERSHIP • WORD OF GOD

Young Mom Clings to Christ as

Tolerance Shifts in India
APRIL 3, 2018 | Brian Orme

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C H R IST IAN L IV ING

Just under five feet tall, Kusum,* a young woman from Central India, is wearing
an emerald-green sori, accompanied by a dupatta scarf that’s lavender, gold,
and green. She has a small nose piercing—a gold pendant with three small
beads.

Kusum represents her country—known for its brilliant colors and traditions—
well. But there’s one thing that sets her apart.

She’s a Christian. Not a Hindu.

Kusum was born into a Hindu family, but when she was 11 years old she secretly
attended a Christian church service and converted to Christ. For Kusum, this
faith has been the reason for both unspeakable persecution and relentless hope.

With more than a billion people in India, Christians are only 5 percent of the
population. And life for these Christians is becoming increasingly difficult—and,
at times, even dangerous.

In many ways, India is like a powder keg of Christian persecution.

Shifting Tolerance in India

The election of Prime Minister Modi in 2014 was seen by many as a tacit
acceptance of Hindu nationalism—essentially, the belief that India must be a
Hindu nation, and other religions are not welcome. If anything, Modi’s
acceptance of religious extremism has only increased since his electoral
victory. Some radical leaders in the nationalist government have even declared
war on non-Hindu religions—seeking to eradicate Christianity, Islam, and all
other religions from the country by the year 2021. x
Free simulcast of MLK50: Gospel Reflections from the Mountaintop live
In addition, India (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-
from Memphis, TN beginning at 12 PM (CDT)
watch-list/india/) almost broke the top 10 on the Open Doors 2018 World
Watch List (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-
WATCH
watch-list/), a research report on NOW
the most oppressive countries for Christians.
Due to the rise of Hindu extremism against Christians, India moved up to
number 11, right behind Iran and Yemen.

With the rise of Hindu nationalism, Christians—and Muslims—are in a precarious

environment. If they embrace their own religion, they in many ways forfeit their
citizenship as true Indians.

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Women like Kusum, who live in a rural environment, are often embedded in
majority-Hindu villages that embrace the sentiments of Hindu nationalism,
sometimes with force.

As is the custom in her country, Kusum married at a young age and had her first
child, a boy, at just 16 years old. Four years later, Kusum had a second son, and
shortly after his birth her husband became deathly ill and passed away. The
others in her village knew that Kusum was a Christian and that she tried to
persuade her husband to go to church with her. So, instead of comforting her in
her loss, the people in Kusum’s village believed that her Christian faith was to
blame for her suffering, bringing a curse on the village.

“They blamed me for his death,” Kusum says.

India, once known for its focus on civil rights and tolerance with activist leaders
like Mahatma Gandhi, has drifted far from any celebration of religious freedom
today.

Gandhi once said, “Tolerance is the only thing that will enable persons
belonging to different religions to live as good neighbors and friends.” But that
was yesterday’s India. Even though the Indian constitution affirms religious
freedom, the reality is increasingly much different.

Loss and Persecution

After the passing of her husband, Kusum did her best to provide for her two
sons, but her faith turned out to be an obstacle. When employers discovered
Kusum was not a Hindu, but a Christian, things often turned quickly. “First, I
worked as a cook, and then they fired me,” Kusum shares. “Then I got a job at a
school, but was again kicked out. They told me it was because I refused to
recant my faith in Jesus.” For the next five years, Kusum struggled to earn
money to feed her boys.

Then, in the summer of 2015, tragedy struck again. Doctors diagnosed her
youngest son with sickle cell anemia, and he later passed away. She was
broken.

When she returned home from the hospital to bury her son’s body, the people in
her village wouldn’t allow it. In a trembling voice, Kusum remembers their
words: You brought this curse upon your family. Because of your faith, your
husband and your son are dead!

In the end, the leaders of the village forced her to take her son’s body to the
outskirts of town and made it known that no one was allowed to help her. So,
alone, Kusum carried her son. She dug the hole. She lowered her 5-year-old in
and covered it with dirt. “I was all by myself,” Kusum says.

Later, at home, she heard a knock on the door. It was her father-in-law. He was
angry and threatening to kill her, waving an ax in his hand. He blamed Kusum
for the death of his son and grandson, due to her Christian faith. Fearing for her
life, Kusum withdrew to a corner of her home and silently prayed.

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“I had only one certainty,” she says. “I would not betray Jesus. Despite all the
tragedies, he has never disappointed me.”

In the end, her father-in-law walked away and took his ax with him. To this day,
she doesn’t know if he will come back to kill her or if others will.

Still broken from her son’s death, she says, “I miss him so much. I hear him talk.
I see him. I feel him here on my lap. I know from the Bible that God will not
bring him back to me, but one day I will be brought to him. God gives me
strength.”

Kusum represents millions of Christians seeking religious freedom in India

today. We don’t know what the future holds, but for Christians in India it will
likely come with a price.

Stories like this are happening all over the world every day. Christians are
marginalized, oppressed, beaten, tortured, and sometimes even killed for their
faith. Stories like Kusum’s remind us to engage the global body of Christ
through prayer, support, and solidarity.

After all, if one part suffers, we all suffer. If one part rejoices, we all rejoice.

Today, Kusum is living in the same village on her own while her oldest son is
staying at a boarding school to receive an education. The villagers are still not
accepting of her religion, but she is surviving. “God gives me strength,” Kusum
says.

She adds, “I’m thankful I’m counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.”

*Representative name used for security.

Brian Orme is a writer and editor. He currently works with Open

Doors as the senior content director. You can follow him on
Facebook.

TAGS
BOLDNESS • HOPE • PERSECUTION • SUFFERING • WORLD RELIGIONS

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