What does Tribe teach about god's word?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on God's word starts with a simple but weighty claim: treasuring scripture deeply is what makes it possible to follow God's heart faithfully. Brian Hunter has spent time with the congregation working through Psalm 19:7-11, asking not just whether people are reading the Bible but what actually happens inside a person when it gets buried deep enough to be recalled. The answer the text gives is five things: it revives the whole person, mind and will and emotions and body alike, it brings joy to the heart, it gives insight for living, it warns of danger that is often camouflaged rather than obvious, and it is itself a great reward, one that holds even when nothing material remains.
Brian draws a careful line between the word being planted and the word doing its work. A seed planted is not the same as a harvest guaranteed. The congregation pushed on this together, noting that good soil, tending, time, and even seasons of apparent deadness are all part of what growth requires. That conversation shaped the bottom line he landed on: where God's word is planted, a great reward grows. The shift matters because it keeps the expectation honest. Brian also pushes back on the idea that the insight scripture offers always looks like advantage or strategy. Sometimes it looks like humbling yourself before a difficult coworker instead of outmaneuvering them.
On joy specifically, Brian is direct that it is not the same thing as happiness, which moves with circumstances. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and Brian says, "Joy is a choice, and we don't manufacture that from our flesh because it then comes forward as wax fruit like you're wearing a mask." The gift may already be in your lap, he tells the room, but you still have to open it. And on the protective weight of scripture, he puts it plainly: Brian says, "What if God's word only ever kept me from stepping on a rake that would then snap up and hit me in the face? I would be so thankful."
Taught from Psalm 19:7-14 · Proverbs 4:20-22 · Romans 12:2 · Psalms 119:18
“Joy is a choice, and we don't manufacture that from our flesh because it then comes forward as wax fruit like you're wearing a mask.”
From Sweeter Than Honey
The passage taught · Proverbs 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
World English Bible
Messages that go deeper
- June 2, 2025 Sweeter Than Honey Brian Hunter walks Tribe through Psalm 19, exploring how burying Scripture in your heart revives the soul, brings joy, gives wisdom, warns of danger, and yields lasting reward.
- June 1, 2025 The Great Reward A Jackson Hole pastor leads his congregation through Psalm 19, exploring what happens when God's word is buried deep in the heart rather than just read from a page.