How You Must Not Read the Bible – 2 Bible Reading: I John 1
As a teacher of God’s word, most times when I pick up my bible to read, I remember the difference between a water tank and a water pipe, and this has helped me a lot in my spiritual growth. What do I mean? A water tank is a vessel for storing water while a water pipe is a tube that just allows large volumes of water to pass through it but only stores water in drops and droplets. One reason why many believers, especially pastors and teachers are not growing spiritually is because they act as water pipes whenever they read their bibles. Their focus is on how to dish out the doctrine to other believers in Christian meetings. Whenever they pick up their bibles, they utter a prayer that is similar to – “Lord, give me a word for your people”. They never receive a word for their own lives. They are like mere pipes. Many words pass through them but they don’t retain any. You get close to them and you are confused because you cannot match their words with their deeds. I have handled my bible as though I was a pipe so many times. Occasionally, I still do so and I know it is a dangerous spot to stay.
Notwithstanding, I am particularly thrilled by the sequence of the effect bible reading should have in our lives. I deduced it from I John 1:1-2 (GW) which reads “The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. Weobserved and touched it … We are reporting to you about this eternal life”. I love the way John listed how they handled the word. First, they heard it, saw it, and later they experienced it (observed and touched it) in their lives. Thereafter, they reported their experience to us. They reported it after they had heard, seen and observed it. Many of us are reporters of the word without being observers of the same word. Being a reporter alone cannot make you grow spiritually. You have to be an observer of the word. You have to consciously ensure that you experience and live out all you read in the bible that pertains to you. What belongs to you potentially by the acceptance of Jesus should become yours experientially, and then you will be able to distribute it effectively. That reminds me of a water tank, it can store volumes of water and also distribute to others.
In addition, you will experience spiritual growth if you humble yourself when you read the bible. Matt 23:12 says “… whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted”. Many believers are not growing spiritually because they approach the bible with a proud outlook. When they pick up their bibles, you see them saying “oh, I know this already” or “My Pastor said this”. Some are just flipping through the bible in order to rubber stamp what Pastor said. They esteem their ideas and Pastor’s statement above whatever they read. They find it difficult to make adjustments in their lives and accept what the bibles says if it contradicts their personal philosophies. I Tim 6:3-4 “Whoever teaches false doctrine and doesn’t agree with the accurate words of our Lord Jesus Christ … is a proud person”. Do you always agree with the word of Jesus? Are you a proud reader of the bible?
In our next edition, we will discuss some of the right motives to have when reading the bible so that you can be sure it will lead to your spiritual growth.
– tope aladenusi
| How You Must Not Read the Bible – 1 Bible Reading: Ephesians 3
I once scored 68 in a computer science course I took when I was in the university. As soon as I saw my score on the notice board, I immediately became sad and started lamenting. To my greatest surprise, I saw a friend who scored 42 and he was seriously jubilating. To quench my curiosity, I went to him to inquire the reason for his celebration. After chatting with him for sometime, I realized that what led to the difference between my reaction and that of my friend was our motive for reading. My friend’s dad already had a ready-made company waiting for him to come and occupy, and so his father just wanted him to have the ‘school experience’. My motive for reading was to be much grounded in the subject and also prove that by having a distinction in the course. No wonder what I defined as ‘poison’ would be gladly celebrated as ‘meat’ to my friend.
In a similar manner, there are millions of Christians reading the bible regularly, but one thing that distinguishes the effect it has in their lives is their motive for reading. This motive is usually defined unconsciously and it becomes the driver whenever they pick up their bibles. I have noticed several motives why Christians read their bibles and I will share some of them with you. To be candid, I lived like a bad Christian for over 10 years after I became born-again, but my life changed drastically the year I decided to read the New Testament with the right motive. I could not believe the change because I had tried many things to make me grow and gave up along the way, but this particular change I experienced came effortlessly. So bible reading is very good and can lead to rapid spiritual growth if you do it with the right motive.
Why do you read your bible? For many Christians, the reason is simple – to fulfill all righteousness. Bible reading is just seen as “one of the things a good Christian should do”. Therefore, in order to run away from a guilty conscience or not be identified with bad Christians, they read their bibles. They want to identify with the fact that ‘I have observed my quiet time today’. Some of my friends who live in bustling cities like Lagosand London have confessed to me that because they have to leave their homes very early in order to get to work by 8am, they just flip through their bible with sleepy eyes every morning. They do this day in day out and it is becoming obvious that their lives are getting worn out. I strongly believe that a Christian who reads his bible for 30 minutes with the right motive will experience spiritual growth more that someone who has been reading the same bible for 30 years in order to fulfill all righteousness. Your location or work schedule does not matter much like your motive whenever you decide to read your bible.
I know some people who also think they are pleasing God and making him happy by reading the bible. You hear them make statements like “God has been so good to me; I just have to appreciate him by giving him thanks and reading my bible”. Does a good student study his books in order to develop or help his lecturer? Then when we pick up our Bibles to read, we should remember that it is time to enrich ourselves and not a time to thrill the father; it is primarily for our own good.
I Samuel 16:7 – “… man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart”. Beloved, let us not focus on having a form of godliness; let’s embrace the power that is experienced in reading the bible with the right motive.
– tope aladenusi
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I have come to realize bible reading is much more than reading to be able to parrot back. But bible reading involves a study of the bible with a heart ready to receive and be instructed in what the Word says we are. We can’t truly have made a study when we walk in contradiction to what we have read. There must be a saving of the souls in accordance with the word. There must be an awakening unto transformation in line with the word. This is the will of God.
It should be hard for us to see what the word says about us and walk contrary. We should find it difficult to lay hold on hate when the word says we ought to love.
We should find it hard to live sinfully knowing that we have received the very nature of God. This awareness comes to bear on us from a proper study of the bible.
Just as a man finds it difficult to wear bra and put on lipsticks so also we should not be comfortable discovering who we are in Christ and walking in opposition to it. A walk outside of who we have been made in Christ is a walk out of reality.
Learn to read your bible with a view to walking as God as made you. “… And if you will read what I have written, you can learn about my understanding of the secret of Christ”. (Eph 3:4 – Good News Bible)
– Dr bolaji akanni
