‘These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so’, Acts 17. 11.
The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. Each year there are about 100 million Bibles printed, and it is estimated that over five billion copies of the Bible have been printed over time. This is astounding. There is no doubt that God’s message through the scriptures transforms lives. Paul could write, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth’, Rom. 1. 16. This is the message that God has for rebellious mankind, and it is a beautiful message of love and grace.
God does not want us to stop there. He wants us to progress through our spiritual lives. He wants, as it tells us in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19, ‘to make disciples of all the nations’ NKJV. To become a true disciple of Jesus Christ, we need to learn of Him and read from God’s word.
In the UK, we have the privilege of being able to freely read from the Bible. It may well be that we do not always value it enough. It does us good to remember the words of 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16, that ‘all scripture is given by inspiration of God’. This means that it is breathed out by God and is His specific guidance to us. If we stopped to think about that and try to grasp exactly what the Bible is, it would cause us to read it more. The end of this verse tells us that it ‘is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness’. God tells us, through the Bible, how we should live, yet when we get things wrong, we are shown through scripture that we have stumbled. God does not leave us there; we are told that we are corrected through the inspired pages and instructed in the way that we should live. The following verse in 2 Timothy tells us the reason for this is ‘that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work’, 2 Tim. 3. 17 NKJV.
God wants those who have trusted in Him to mature and grow and be doing God’s work in His way.
The Bible, in some places, is a very simple book, yet in others we need guidance to help us to understand. We can get help in understanding the scriptures in a number of ways. Many local assemblies convene teaching meetings, often called ‘ministry’ meetings. These would fall into two main categories. First, if there are teaching meetings that are arranged weekly by our own assembly, then we should be there. Acts chapter 2 verse 42 tells us that, ‘they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine’ NKJV, and Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 tells us ‘not … [to forsake] the assembling of ourselves together’.
Second, there are meetings and teaching weekends organized by others. These are very useful and are also great times for making Christian friends.
When listening to a Bible teacher, remember that the art of a good teacher is to make the complicated simple. Listen to those that do this avidly as they demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the scriptures, and God has given them the gift to teach for your spiritual growth.
Magazines, such as the one you are reading at the moment, are very important. Small articles that ignite interest in scriptural topics might be transformative in our spiritual growth. Ask an older Christian who you respect for their recommendations for magazines.
Bible commentaries are a valuable resource also. Over the years there are many excellent, helpful books that have been written to help us to understand the scriptures. These are readily available and can often be purchased second-hand at a reasonable price or are available online, sometimes free of charge. It should never be an exercise in accumulation, but acquiring a good selection of helpful commentaries is a useful thing to do.
Online Bible teaching can be another useful resource. This, however, must come with a health warning. There are many sites on the internet that are at first glance good, but subtle twists to doctrine can lead to error. The Devil is the master of lies and we need to be aware.
We should read and study the Bible regularly; we should see it as essential as eating. After all, if we starve, we die. If we are not reading, spiritually we are starving, and we will suffer spiritually. Feed regularly on the word of God
