{"id":30812,"date":"2022-09-10T15:05:29","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/fixing-our-firsts-and-lasts-trading-our-screens-for-scripture\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:05:29","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:05:29","slug":"fixing-our-firsts-and-lasts-trading-our-screens-for-scripture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/fixing-our-firsts-and-lasts-trading-our-screens-for-scripture\/","title":{"rendered":"Fixing our Firsts and Lasts: Trading Our Screens for Scripture"},"content":{"rendered":"
Aaron Burden photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

Is your time in the Bible and your time with a screen in the proper proportions? The contrast can be embarrassing and convicting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Chuck Peters<\/em><\/p>\n

Your phone is an amazing device that you\u2019ve completely and totally come to take for granted.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more processing power in your smartphone than NASA had in all of Houston when they launched the Apollo missions. It’s a camera, a computer, a web portal, a video recorder, a music and podcast player, a step tracker, a TV, an app operator, a calendar, and, lest we forget\u2014a phone! <\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re checking your social feeds, texting a friend, answering an email, or ordering something from Amazon, your phone is likely the first thing you reach for in the morning and the last thing you put down at night.<\/p>\n

Only about 1 in 3 U.S. Protestant churchgoers read the Bible every day. Evangelicals are twice as likely to check Facebook today than read their Bible. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

We carry our phones everywhere. Always. There\u2019s an addictive aspect to them. Behavioral scientists tell us we get a dopamine rush every time our phones ping and ring and chime with social likes and message alerts.<\/p>\n

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We panic when we can\u2019t find our phones. There\u2019s a psychological condition associated with the fear of losing your phone or not having connectivity: ‘nomophobia,\u2019 which is an abbreviation of \u201cNO MObile PHone phoBIA.\u201d Yep. It\u2019s an actual thing.<\/p>\n

Studies tell us the average person touches their phone 2,617 times per day. That\u2019s a lot more than I\u2019d like to believe.<\/p>\n

Titus Before TikTok<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Like our phones, our Bibles are an astounding and powerful resource we\u2019ve come to take for granted. But unlike our phones, we don\u2019t seem to be nearly as attached to them or concerned when we can\u2019t find them and lose our connection.<\/p>\n

As I evaluate my own habits, I have to admit my time in the Bible and my time with a screen aren\u2019t in the proper proportion. The contrast is embarrassing and convicting. Studies from Lifeway Research indicate that it\u2019s not just me. Evangelicals are twice as likely to check Facebook today than read their Bible. Only about 1 in 3 Protestant churchgoers read the Bible every day. That\u2019s a lot less than I\u2019d like to believe.<\/p>\n

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See also  3 Practices That Reveal the Power of a Vulnerable Pastor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Church leaders, we have to fix this.<\/p>\n

What if we, as ministry leaders and influencers, were determined to defy that trend and faithfully spend time in the Bible? What if we carried, accessed, and referenced our Bibles throughout the day like we do our phones? How might we think differently? Walk differently? Talk differently? See differently? React differently?<\/p>\n

Let this summer be the season where your Bible replaces your phone as the \u2018first\u2019 and \u2018last\u2019 of your days. \u2014 @_chuckpeters Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

This summer, as you take steps to review, revamp, and refocus your ministry in preparation for fall, I\u2019m challenging you to make active and intentional decisions to place Scripture before screens\u2014in your own life, for the volunteers who you lead, and for the kids, students, and families you serve. Challenge yourself (and all of them) to open a physical, paper Bible. Highlight things and make notes on the pages in your own handwriting.<\/p>\n

May we be people who read Timothy before Twitter, Philemon before Facebook, Titus before TikTok. Let this summer be the season where your Bible replaces your phone as the \u2018first\u2019 and \u2018last\u2019 of your days.<\/p>\n

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Chuck Peters<\/h2>\n

@_chuckpeters<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Chuck\u00a0is the director of Lifeway Kids. Before his role at Lifeway, Chuck had a prolific career in television and video production. He is a three-time Emmy Award-winning producer, director, writer, and on-screen talent. A graduate of Columbia Bible College, Chuck, and his wife, Cris, have served in student and children\u2019s ministry for many years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n