Post by Josh on Feb 5, 2007 20:06:22 GMT -8
Making Bible Study Meaningful: Become a Minister by Joshua Coles, MS
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103
Sadly, most Christians don’t spend much time reading the Bible- good intentions not withstanding.
Then there are those who, not relying on their current moods, strive to make time for the Word of God.
Still, many of those who endeavor to study the Bible in some consistent way, with a commendable sense of duty, still often wonder why they don’t feel they are getting much out of their efforts. Now, I know God sometimes brings ‘dry times’ to teach us to let truth rule over our feelings, but surely He intends His word to be more than a cure for insomnia.
Beyond a sense of duty or reliance on shifting interests, is there a better motivation we can find to transform our experience with Scripture?
I’m not normally one for simple answers to complex questions, but I’m going to suggest one. Is there some key to making our Bible study more meaningful?
Yes. Become a Minister.
You think I’m joking, perhaps. But I’m totally serious. What do I mean by Minister? Become a Pastor and all your Bible study will improve? No, of course not. By Minister I don’t mean a Pastor or a Teacher or any other specific calling that God may have for only certain individuals. I’m talking about the calling of God on the life of every Christian. I’ve capitalized it because I think we need to think of it as a formal calling. The fact is that Jesus has called all of His followers into a great occupation, to be His Ambassadors and Ministers of His grace.
Unfortunately, many Christians think Ministry is something for a select few. Nothing could be further from the truth. But Ministry is costly; following Christ is risky business- so it’s easier to pretend it’s for someone else.
Ministry calls us to walk by faith into uncertainty, to confront our fears, to battle on behalf of others, to say and do difficult things, to learn to balance love with truth.
But the beautiful thing about Ministry is this: when a person accepts these kinds of challenges, that person becomes desperate, and desperation is the key to a meaningful experience with Scripture. Starting the adventure of Ministry makes us desperate for a strength we know we don’t have on our own, for a wisdom we know haven’t acquired. It makes us hungry for spiritual food in a way we’ve never experienced, because we never really knew what it was like to run so hard or far before.
For me, ironically, it did take becoming a pastor to begin learning this. Suddenly I found myself in a mission way over my head. And the desperation I’ve felt has revitalized my experience with Scripture (and prayer). I certainly haven’t arrived, but I have learned this: if in any given week I am truly living out the Ministry to which God has called me, then I am hungry for His strength, I am famished for His word. And that hunger can turn the Bible into a necessity and duty into sustenance- can make the Word of God relevant and meaningful.
If any of this resonates as true to you, but you’re unsure what ministry might mean for you, I would love to talk with you further in this regard. It’s just that important.
Of course, all of this doesn’t replace the importance, work, and necessity of just getting to be familiar with the Word of God in the first place. It’s pretty difficult to be hungry but then not have the utensils to actually eat properly. That’s why it’s important to learn the basics- Bible study strategies, core Biblical concepts, etc.. But God definitely has intended our experience with His word to be so much more than we might initially be able to imagine. Let’s pray for each other than we might actually experience the real promise of the Word of God, the outgrowth of the desperation that true Ministry brings.
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4
"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103
Sadly, most Christians don’t spend much time reading the Bible- good intentions not withstanding.
Then there are those who, not relying on their current moods, strive to make time for the Word of God.
Still, many of those who endeavor to study the Bible in some consistent way, with a commendable sense of duty, still often wonder why they don’t feel they are getting much out of their efforts. Now, I know God sometimes brings ‘dry times’ to teach us to let truth rule over our feelings, but surely He intends His word to be more than a cure for insomnia.
Beyond a sense of duty or reliance on shifting interests, is there a better motivation we can find to transform our experience with Scripture?
I’m not normally one for simple answers to complex questions, but I’m going to suggest one. Is there some key to making our Bible study more meaningful?
Yes. Become a Minister.
You think I’m joking, perhaps. But I’m totally serious. What do I mean by Minister? Become a Pastor and all your Bible study will improve? No, of course not. By Minister I don’t mean a Pastor or a Teacher or any other specific calling that God may have for only certain individuals. I’m talking about the calling of God on the life of every Christian. I’ve capitalized it because I think we need to think of it as a formal calling. The fact is that Jesus has called all of His followers into a great occupation, to be His Ambassadors and Ministers of His grace.
Unfortunately, many Christians think Ministry is something for a select few. Nothing could be further from the truth. But Ministry is costly; following Christ is risky business- so it’s easier to pretend it’s for someone else.
Ministry calls us to walk by faith into uncertainty, to confront our fears, to battle on behalf of others, to say and do difficult things, to learn to balance love with truth.
But the beautiful thing about Ministry is this: when a person accepts these kinds of challenges, that person becomes desperate, and desperation is the key to a meaningful experience with Scripture. Starting the adventure of Ministry makes us desperate for a strength we know we don’t have on our own, for a wisdom we know haven’t acquired. It makes us hungry for spiritual food in a way we’ve never experienced, because we never really knew what it was like to run so hard or far before.
For me, ironically, it did take becoming a pastor to begin learning this. Suddenly I found myself in a mission way over my head. And the desperation I’ve felt has revitalized my experience with Scripture (and prayer). I certainly haven’t arrived, but I have learned this: if in any given week I am truly living out the Ministry to which God has called me, then I am hungry for His strength, I am famished for His word. And that hunger can turn the Bible into a necessity and duty into sustenance- can make the Word of God relevant and meaningful.
If any of this resonates as true to you, but you’re unsure what ministry might mean for you, I would love to talk with you further in this regard. It’s just that important.
Of course, all of this doesn’t replace the importance, work, and necessity of just getting to be familiar with the Word of God in the first place. It’s pretty difficult to be hungry but then not have the utensils to actually eat properly. That’s why it’s important to learn the basics- Bible study strategies, core Biblical concepts, etc.. But God definitely has intended our experience with His word to be so much more than we might initially be able to imagine. Let’s pray for each other than we might actually experience the real promise of the Word of God, the outgrowth of the desperation that true Ministry brings.