The Word

We’ve been reading through Luke at night with Nate. I think Luke is probably my favorite of the Gospels. Anyway, I read these verses last night, and though they are familiar to me, I saw a detail I’ve never noticed before. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Here are the verses;
"Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”" (Luke 6:47-49, ESV)

These verses caused me to realize one fact and ask two questions.

Fact:
Hearing the word, reading the word, and even knowing the word does absolutely nothing for you. Doing the word is the only thing that counts, it’s foundational. I feel like all the emphasis in the world is placed on “getting into the word”, but not much on doing the word. I’ve been taught how much the word will “bless” me, but I feel a little short-changed because the application part of the word is what blesses. We can memorize a hundred verses, but they are powerless if we don’t act on them. To borrow from the idea that Jesus is conveying here, the word is basically just the blueprint, it’s not the product. If a builder has blueprints in his filing cabinet, they have potential, but they are currently only paper. Even if the builder looks at them all the time and gets together with other builders and talks about them, they are still virtually worthless, still just paper. The word is the same, it’s not magical, just because I read it, understand it, and even talk about it and say I believe it, it does nothing for me. It is only the act of applying it that has any true value. I know a lot about the word, but I apply little. It would be much better for me to know a little, but apply all that I know.

Question #1
If you know me, you know I’m analytical. I love words and meanings and dissecting them and discerning the real meaning. These verses were no exception. What struck me here was the realization that Jesus is saying that applying the word is the foundation. Sounds simple right, but my question is, if acting on the word is the foundation, then what is the rest of the structure look like? Because I’ve always thought the word was the foundation and acting on it was the building, I’ve never thought about this. But, what if there’s more? I guess for the past 10 years, I’ve always thought about Christianity as one big Bible study; just keep learning the Bible so I can look good. God knows I haven’t applied most of it. Because of this, maybe I’m not ready for the building, maybe I’m still working on the foundation, I’d be a lousy contractor. But, I can’t help but feel a little misled. All this time I thought the building was in progress and it looked pretty good, but I haven’t even started it. It’s like the story, “The Emperors New Clothes” (If you’ve never read it, do so, it’s short and probably online).
Anyway, I can’t help, but wonder what the building will be like once the foundation is laid. My conclusion is that we won’t see this building here, everything we do here is “foundation”. We’ll see the building or lack of building when we leave here.

Question #2
What is the real extent of the word? Let me explain this question a little. In John 1, we’re taught that Jesus is the Word. We’re also taught that He lives inside us when we accept Him? Yet, everything I’ve learned is based solely on the written word and not so much on the Living Word. I know Hebrews says “…the word is living and active…”, but I feel like there is more, I feel like the word says there is more. If Jesus lives in me, I want to hear from Him more. I don’t want to default to the written word all the time. I know that sounds extreme and perhaps it is, but I am not taking away the value of the word or its usefulness or its truthfulness or anything else, I just think that maybe there is more to Jesus (I know, I’m really exposing myself here, read my last post).
Consider the early church, they didn’t have Bibles, the New Testament, which is the basis of our faith, didn’t even exist. The printing press wouldn’t be invented until the 1400’s, so no one had Bibles at the house, Old or New Testament. What did those believers do? They were believers right? Of course, yet they didn’t have the written word to the degree that we have it. And I know that what we have is a privilege that comes with a great responsibility. But, those early Christians walked with God, more passionately than I, without the word. This makes me feel like I’m missing something even though I have the word. That’s why I again ask the question, what is the real extent of the word? Does it go beyond what is written (Obviously not contradicting what’s written)? Am I quenching the Spirit in my life?

Well, tell me what you think.

The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Standard Bible Society: Wheaton