“But the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:25 NKJV). In no way comparable to the inspired Word of God, nevertheless the written word of God’s children shares some of the same characteristics. First, whatever biblical literature Christians produce ought to be filled with “sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13) derived from the Word of God—the Gospel.
Second, the written word of God’s servants is durable. Written material is always ready whenever and wherever the reader is ready for it. In some cases, this may be many years (e.g., the Bible itself). In the middle of 2020, a church secretary from Anchorage, Alaska informed me of an article written about “Encouragement” by Bonnie Rushmore, which appeared as parts 1 and 2 in two successive church bulletins. That article by my late wife was published in 2002 in Gospel Gazette Online—13 years before her death and 18 years ago now. Maybe not classified with the Bible character Abel, however, Bonnie “being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4 NKJV). The written Word and the written word, too, are durable.
Third, the written word of God’s servants travels well. Also in 2020, I received an email from overseas, I presume, in which the writer offered lauds regarding Gospel Gazette Online. He wanted me to know that the magazine was his library from which he draws substance for his television programs, sermons and Bible classes. Alaska or Africa, for instance, are places to which neither Bonnie nor I have ever been, and yet, our writings and those of so many other brothers and sisters in Christ have traveled and continue to travel to places on earth to which we have never been and to which we may never go.
The churches of Christ distribute good Christian literature stateside and especially abroad to a degree nearly unimaginable. The written word can outlast any of us and go more places (simultaneously in different directions) than any of us can. Christian literature, filled with “sound words” (2 Timothy 1:13) derived from the Word of God—the Gospel, is always a wise investment.
