This past Easter I had the unique experience of reading the passion account of Christ’s sacrifice publically on the streets of Baltimore. Ahead of Resurrection Day, under the leadership of my local church, we gave away free Bibles, handed out tracts, and opened up the Word of God to read it aloud. In a worldly sense this seemed a foolish endeavor; even to us Christians. Yes…of course we know Isaiah 55
“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but sit shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”[1]
But do we live like we know it? Doubt sets in which says things like, “How could just reading the Bible while people pass by accomplish anything?” Or “Non-Christians are not interested in just hearing the Bible forced on them.” But then let us not forget we were once haters of His word.
“All who have received its gifts of wisdom and promises of new life and power were at first strangers to its redemptive message, and many were hostile to its teaching and spiritual demands.”[2]
As we read the word of God an amazing thing happened. While moving through Isaiah 53 a young man walked up, sat down his book bag, and pulled out a Bible and said, “Where are we at?” He was followed by another man who grabbed one of the free Bibles and struggled to find his place until helped by another. At the end of our time we had a small bible study coming together on the streets of Baltimore.
The Word of God cannot be bound. It only needs to be unleashed as God uses His word to accomplish His plans. I cannot explain any success to any strategy or technique. No marketing study to lean on. No explanation can be justified to point to man. Therefore all the glory belongs to Christ!
“For which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!”[3]
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 55:11.
[2] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 300.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 2 Ti 2:9.