“Taking it to the Streets Ministry”

August  2025

 

 

 

      We live in a world where shortcuts are tempting—especially when it comes to truth. It’s easier to let someone else do the thinking, the reading, the interpreting. Whether it’s a preacher, a beloved elder, or a centuries-old tradition, we often accept spiritual claims without ever “doing the math” ourselves. But Paul’s charge to Timothy is clear: *Be diligent.* Not casual. Not passive. Diligent. Like a skilled worker who knows his tools, we are called to handle the Word of God with precision, care, and reverence.

 

     Imagine this: You’re hired at $20 an hour and work 8 hours. At day’s end, your employer hands you $100. You don’t need a calculator to know something’s off. You’ve done the math. You know the truth. But when it comes to eternal matters—who God is, what He’s said, how we’re to live—we often settle for secondhand answers. That’s dangerous.

 

Consider Mary Magdalene. For centuries, she was labeled a prostitute—a “sinful woman” whose past defined her. But Scripture never says that. Not once. The Bible introduces her simply as a woman healed by Jesus, from whom seven demons had been cast out (Luke 8:2).

 

     The confusion came later, in 591 AD, when Pope Gregory I merged three women into one. Tradition took over. And for generations, the truth was buried beneath assumption.

 

     This matters. Because misinterpretation doesn’t just distort facts—it reshapes lives.

 

     Mary Magdalene wasn’t a cautionary tale. She was a disciple. A witness. The first to see the risen Christ. And when we fail to study Scripture for ourselves, we risk missing the beauty, the power, and the accuracy of God’s Word.

 

Reflection: -

 

Are you handling the Word like a skilled worker—or like someone hoping others will do the hard work for you? 

 

What traditions or teachings have you accepted without testing them against Scripture? 

 

How might your understanding of God—and others—change if you studied the Word more deeply?

 

Prayer: