TYPES OF BIBLE READERS (Part 2)

Isn’t information just revealing? It’s what I felt from the previous post. Many conversations arose and I am here for all of it.  Transformation doesn’t happen in a vacuum, it  happens in the midst of community where interaction brings revelation whose goal isn’t to demean but to invite awareness which translates to actionable prompts. Coupled with all the learning, were laughs at how passive we were in reading God’s word and then came praises as we looked at how each journey has fed into the current state of  devotion to the word we evince. We deepen our desire for the word the more we study it.

“Nothing can make us hungry for scripture than scripture itself.”

We all want to be excellent Bible Students and be transformed by the truths we store in our hearts. We want to continue to know this God.

The test of everything will be: How much of God really came in by our having been here (in our Bible Reading)? How much of it results in more of God- not more of knowledge, not more of mental apprehension, but how much more of God.

-T. Austin-Sparks

We continue with some of the counterproductive approaches, as earlier begun in Part 1:

4. The Magic 8 Ball Approach

Again, there is great need to localize this language.  A Magic 8 ball  is a plastic sphere, made to look like an eight-ball, that is used for fortune-telling or seeking advice. According to that reliable source, Wikipedia, the Magic 8-Ball was invented in 1946. The little answer cube floating in liquid inside the plastic ball is covered with twenty different responses appropriate for “yes” and “no” questions.

You can already see where this is going. The Bible  gives us direction. It is our guide book. God uses His word to give us direction (Isaiah 30:21) and yet we should not randomly come to the word to gamble and see if signs will point to yes for an action you need to do when you have already predetermined our course of action. I am inclined to say that this can be a huge pitfall for indecisive people ; those who never seem to stay still and settle to do one thing or those that want a hundred confirmations.

“The Bible is not magical. It does not serve our whims. The Magic 8 ball approach misconstrues the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the Word. A well rounded approach to Bible study is more concerned with the decision maker than the decision itself. Its aim is to change the heart  so that we can desire what God desires rather than to spoon  feed us answers to every decision in life.” Jen

5. The Telephone Game Approach

I will be honest, I like this game; it keeps me cracking up with laughter to the point that I cry. A a  group of people gather in a circle/ line and  one person whispers a sentence/ word to the person beside them who then relays what they heard to the next one. It goes all the way to the last person and gets back to the originator who then confirms whether it is what was initially sent out. Often times, if not all, there is usually a great difference between what was said by the first and last person;  barely recognizable, the sentence gets so garbled. Yet this is where the fun is. The fun of the game is when people get it all wrong and mixed up.

I have my favorite authors who have articulated topics and themes so well but I never bank on their word more than I do the Bible. When we do this, it serves as opting for a substitute, an  easier way of getting the message to my heart; reading books about the Bible instead of the Bible itself.

“Visit many good books but live in the Bible.” Spurgeon

If you can quote speakers more than the writers of the Bible who followed the leading of the Holy Spirit then it is an evidence of the Telephone Game at play. Bible literacy invites us to a place of feeding directly from God’s word. Our preachers are all human and sometimes, interpretation can be misconstrued and often times even the great Bible commentaries have disagreed on interpretations of various verses.

“A well rounded approach to Bible Study recognizes that books about the Bible are a supplement to personal study and not a substitute for it. Unless we are growing in Bible literacy, their ability to help us will be limited. The more we grow in Bible literacy , the more helpful supplements and commentaries become.” Jen

Rely on the Holy Spirit as your teacher (John 14:26) and lean into His companionship for He lives in you and you will not need to be entirely dependent on ministers (1 John 2:27) .In so doing, you will be alert in knowing those who intend to lead people astray with false doctrine for you learn to distinguish the good and evil as you partake solid food (Hebrews 5:14)

6. The Jack Sprat Approach (The picky eater)

It is picky eating the word of God. Like earlier mentioned, there are books in the Bible which we are more inclined to reach out to e.g. Psalms , Proverbs etc. “Stick to your favorites,  choose what you like and leave the rest” is what using this approach encourages us to do.

A well rounded approach challenges us to learn the full counsel of God’s word. It helps us build a collective understanding of how the Bible as a whole speaks of God.

Gaining Bible literacy requires allowing our study to have a cumulative effect – across weeks, months, years- so that the interrelation of one part of scripture to another reveals itself slowly and gracefully, like a dust cloth sipping inch by inch from  the face of a masterpiece. Jen

Is your goal still to be a disciplined student of the Bible? A student who is committed to gain biblical literacy; to know the God of the Word and to Delight in His word? A disciple is a learner  and one who is committed to rightly divide the word of truth. Therefore, dive deep, use these approaches as supplementary and not the primary way in which you meet with God.

You are light and you are so loved. Stay anchored and keep His light shining through