November 2017
put their pen to paper. They preach, shuttle frenziedly
across the world, immerse themselves in administration,
and their life is gone. We must leave these alluring jobs to
those gifted in those ministries and give ourselves to
writing (Acts 6:2-4). It does not mean we should not do
other things. They add flavour to our writings. But if
writing is close to your heart, then commit yourself to
writing. You have to decide what's important. Keep your
priorities straight and remember that the pen is mightier
than the gun.
Now we come to the nub of the issue The contents. What
do we write? “Write the Vision” means the writer must
have a vision, or as the NIV puts it 'a revelation.' He must
hear from God. One need not ask, “How do I hear?” When
you hear, you will know, and you'd want oth ers to hear it.
Sometimes you will sit down to write and be scratching
your head, throwing paper balls into the waste paper
basket. Other times you will have difficulty writing at the
speed of the thoughts that bombard you. Don't worry, both
are ok.
Luke took extreme care in writing the Gospel
according to Luke and the Book of Acts. He was particular
about accuracy. This is a must for a writer. If a writer is not
theologically accurate he will be misleading many. So
Luke collected firsthand information from eye witnesses
and servants of the Word (Lk 1:1-4). Before putting it
down as words, he himself, not from hearsay, carefully
investigated everything, not some facts, but all details to
make a flawless write-up. Do not take a casual attitude
when it comes to writing.
In the Book of Daniel, the Book is mentioned as the
Book of Truth (10:21). When we write we must make sure
it is the truth and nothing but the truth. It is better that our
writings go through the scrutiny of a sound Biblical
scholar. An oft repeated phrase in the Bible is, “It is
written.” We must take care to confine our writings to the
boundary of the written Word, that is the Bible. “Brothers
and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and
Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the
meaning of the saying, Do not go beyond what is written”
(1Cor 4:6). We must learn to “rightly divide the word of
truth” (NKJV) or “correctly handle the word of truth”
(NIV) (2 Tim 2:15).
During Luke's time many were writing down
whatever information they could gather about Jesus. But
only a few were found fit to be published. If we write, it
should be good enough the content, the presentation and
the language. The religious market is deluged with books.
So avoid type casting. Does your writing have something
what the others lack? Does it have quality? Will a reader
recommend it to others? A good book is one of the finest
things the world has to offer. The quality of the contents
depends on the time the author spends with God's word.
Milk is the word. You need to take out the butter. Consult
Study Bibles and other means within your reach. “The
Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh BY THE
WORD OF THE LORD. And THE WORD OF SAMUEL
came to all Israel (1 Sam 3:21; 4:1).
The ultimate purpose of Christian writing is to
confirm the faith of the reader. Article after article, book
after book, do the job. There is a strong undercurrent of
spiritual knowledge. Supply it. Wake up the conscience of
people and rekindle the vision.
One can write evangelistic messages for
unbelievers, edifying articles for believers, stories for
children or songs for worship. Israel had a song book to
minister through songs at the temple which today we call
as the Psalms. They are rich in prophetic content. Song
writers also must wait on the Lord to receive a 'message'
or 'theme' (Dt 31:19,22,25), for the songs they plan to
write. Songs must be rich in Word content, whether they
be songs of praise, supplication or thanksgiving. It must
minister to the hearts of people and bring joy to the heart
of God.
A catchy title, a striking thought, an interesting
illustration, an experience of the author, good language
and an appealing format make the reader to sit glued to the
end.
We may not be able to do the article or book in one
500th Issue
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