Making All Things New

Today, Verse By Verse Ministry launches our new website!

It's the product of a significant investment in time, talent and treasure. We're proud of the outcome, and we hope you agree it's a big step up from our previous site. Take a look around, and let us know what you think.

The launch of a new site illustrates how ministry in the 21st century can be a study in contrasts. VBVM's commitment to the Bible may be decidedly "old fashioned," but our reliance on websites, smartphone apps and video is cutting edge. We preach an ancient message, but we deliver it through ultra-modern methods.

Can a message of God's power coexist in harmony with testimonies to human achievement? Some might argue that the medium is the message, and so when the BIble is dressed up in modern technology, we're in danger of substituting style for substance. Rather than depending on the Spirit and the power of God's word to change hearts, some say modern ministry relies too heavily on slick presentation and razzle dazzle to win agreement from their audience...or so the argument goes. 

Certainly, many ministries fall to the temptation to substitute style for substance, allowing their message to take a back seat to the presentation itself. This tendency is hardly news; men commonly favor style over substance (how else do you explain Hollywood?). Even in ancient times, the wisest orators in Athens were known for their delivery, not necessarily for their command of the facts, as Paul revealed in Acts 17. 

So style may compete for our attention in an unhealthy way, yet we need not throw the baby out with the bath water. Modern ministries like VBVM successfully combine a steadfast commitment to the truth of God's word with an appreciation for the power of technology. In fact, our ministry is far more effective in preaching God's word because we rely on sophisticated, modern methods to distribute our teaching. The new website is just our latest technological advancement for distributing God's word to the world – and it won't be our last.

In a typical year, we serve millions of individual Bible teachings to hundreds of thousands of new visitors, and these numbers are doubling annually. Could a modern-day George Whitefield or John Wesley do better? In the end, every Christian minister or organization that bears fruit does so in the same manner: by the Spirit of God according to the will of God. So long as we remain true to His word and His purposes, we may please Him using an infinite number of methods or inventions. 

I hope you like our new website, and I pray the Lord will bless us with an even greater harvest through it.