How best to use the Bible?
Today we will look at the importance of coming together with other believers to listen to the word of God and also of reading the Bible on our own.
Exercise:
When was the last time you listened to the word of God being preached? What do you remember? What was the message brought to you?
The Bible is a living book where God speaks to us. The Bible is written to give us wisdom to live by and power to overcome when we are tempted to give up. So let God’s word have plenty of room in your life.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Col. 3:16
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matt 4:4
Now for some tips on how to get the best possible benefit from this handbook on life/how to live which God has given us. The important thing is to avoid the pitfalls and learn the rules of life so that we can live in harmony and at peace with ourselves and with our fellow men.
Hear the Word of God preached and taught.
This is usually the first way God’s word comes to us. We hear someone who preaches God’s Word or teaches from the Bible and this is something we Christians keep on doing for the rest of our lives. Jesus calls and equips people to preach and teach God’s Word. They are people with insight into God’s plan and understanding of His Word.
The first Christians gathered regularly to hear the apostles preaching and teaching God’s Word, and they were faithful to put the teaching into practice (Acts 2:42). Today we still need to keep the apostles’ teaching, because their revelation of God’s Word and insight into His plan will be of the greatest importance for Christians today.
It is important not to stay away from meetings in the church where God’s Word is shared in clarity and truth (Heb. 10:25). Faith comes from hearing the message of God’s Word (Rom. 10:17) and it is therefore important that you hear God’s Word preached by mature and Spirit-filled people who keep to the teaching of the apostles.
Read the Bible.
The Bible is written to be read. A Bible not read is like food not eaten, a love letter not opened, a buried sword, a map not studied or a gold mine in which no one digs. We shall look first at the subject of reading the Bible and later at learning it by heart, meditating on it and studying the Scriptures. Some Christians want to study the Bible without reading it, but that’s impossible. In Deuteronomy 17:19 we are given three reasons for reading the Bible daily:
1. That we shall fear the Lord
2. That we shall understand God’s will
3. That we shall do what is right and good.
Paul says in 2. Tim. 3:16-17 that the Bible gives us teaching and guidance, correcting us and training us in righteousness. The Bible equips us and prepares us for every good deed.