The writer of the article watched in shock as one pastor walked around the room and asked each leader which book they had not taught. If they said, “Luke” for example, he simply took his copy of the Bible and ripped Luke out and handed it to him.
These stories reveal how much we take for granted. Research by Zondervan Publishers suggests that the average American Christian owns 9 Bibles and is in the market for more. Yet, with so much access to the Bible, commentaries, online helps, and a plethora of Christian books about the Bible, it would seem that we read it less and less.
At this point, you probably think, “yeah I should read my Bible more.” Sure, we have a lot of “shoulds” and “oughts” in Christianity. I should read my Bible. I ought to share my faith. But, what do we do when we continue, year after year, with these “shoulds” and “oughts,” even getting to the point where we don’t care?
This big point of this post is not “reading” but “treasuring.” For most Christians around the world, the Bible is a treasure. It’s precious. It’s valuable. Imagine if we only had say, 5 copies, for all of DBC. What would we do? Would we care? Would it affect our teaching or preaching to not have access to Scripture?
It’s amazing, some stats suggest that every day around 122,000 people come to know Christ around the world – mostly in places where the Bible is scarce, in churches led by pastors who might not even have their own copy. Churches are rapidly multiplying in these places. Yet, here, with so many Bibles everywhere (one ever two feet in our pews), churches are stagnant or declining.
It’s also interesting that God seems to be most at work in places where Bibles are few. It’s from these places that we hear stories of miracles, healings, resurrections, radical conversions, martyrdom, dreams and prophecies. (Not that the two things are connected. After all, many of these other places might have high illiteracy rates, so technically, people aren’t reading the Bible either.)
Why don’t we read (or treasure) the Bible more? I’ve asked myself this question. I tend to read it for some lesson or sermon. But, I sense God working on me to read it more period. Is it because we’ve made it so complicated to understand? I had a new believer friend say Sunday that he just doesn’t understand it. Yet, he’s hungry to know what it says. Those who would say they understand it don’t read it.
Is it because we have so many copies that we just don’t read it? Is it that we would rather someone else interpret it for us on Sundays?
I wonder what our Chinese brothers and sisters would say. Maybe I should send them one of my unused Bibles.
What do you think?
1 comment:
You know, I ask myself the same question. I think the answer is pretty complicated, but simple at the same time. God seems to be most at work where Bibles are few? In part, I think this has to do with wealth. Those in Third World countries need God, they really need Him. So they seek Him, and He is there for them. Bibles or no Bibles, they experience Him - and their faith is strong and sure because of that.
But for the developed world (for lack of a better term), we do love stuff so we collect all kinds of things, including Bibles. So yes, we have white ones, and black ones, and brown ones and red ones, and NASB and NIV, NLV, NLT, NCV and NKJV (just to name the ones that start with N), and exhaustive concordances and study Bibles and teen Bibles and life application and men's Bibles and women's Bibles and, oh dear! it never ends. But of course that is no reflection of our love for the Bible or God, only of our love for "stuff."
I can't answer for others, but really only for myself on this one. Why don't I read my Bible? You were right on some of your speculations. It can seem so complicated when you dig into the history, etc, and I get confused. And I think I need to have this super-spiritual hour-long tear-filled session with God each night, and I run out of time. But you know I do treasure not the books per se, but the message, and that time spent with Him. And then kick myself for letting so many days pass without taking that time out to be with Him.
Post a Comment