4/9/2025

Sometimes I will jokingly say that Christ Church is a church for “smart people.” 

But it’s really no joke. 

One of the first things we decided about Christ Church was that Bible study would be a major priority. After all, in Acts 2:42, we learn that the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” I’m not an apostle, but my degree is in Biblical studies, and I’ve been a student of the Bible pretty much all my life. If someone really wants to learn and study the Bible, Christ Church is the church for them! 

I’ll often pray, “Help us love like you love; help us live like Jesus lived.” How do we know what that is? How do we see Jesus? How do we know him? The primary way we know Jesus – what he said, what he did, his heart and character and plans for his followers – is through the scripture.  

To know God, it’s important that we study God’s word.

But I learned years ago that much of what passes for Bible Study is really not Bible study. The Bible is often used as a jumping off place for some topical study or to give the leader an opportunity to talk about his or her own life. A lot of what passes for Bible studies are forums to dish-out pop-psychology  – good advice rather than Good News. And just to be clear,  it’s not necessarily bad advice . . . in fact, it might be good advice; it’s just not Bible. The scripture itself is rarely explored. The text gets only a cursory glance. 

A lot of “Bible study” is more like mowing a lawn rather than digging a well.

And Bible Studies are big business –  just go online and search! But with a super-abundance of Bible Studies that aren’t really Bible Studies, too many church-goers end up like Paul’s description in II Timothy 3, “who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

Mastery of anything takes intentional work. 

A Bible study is a study of the Bible. Our goal is what Paul urges for Timothy in II Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” 

Training. Proficient – well advanced, competent, an expert. Equipped. Paul isn’t calling for just a casual stroll – this is an intentional workout! And in II Timothy 2, Paul writes: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.” 

So that’s what we need to do! And why?  “So that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, trained, equipped” so we can be able to “rightly explain the word of truth.” 

And although it’s really helpful, you don’t have to have a degree in Biblical Studies to really have a good grasp on the scriptures. When I say Christ Church is a church for “smart people,” I don’t necessarily mean highly educated people. Anyone can learn to read and interpret the Bible.  

The foundation for a really good understanding of the Bible begins with simply paying attention to what is on the page. 

Now I know that Bible apps are all the thing now and they’re very convenient, but to really interact with a text, you should work from a hard copy of the scripture. True, you can highlight and stuff on your phone, but for easy access, to circle words, to write in definitions, to write big question marks in the margins (I do that sometimes), to really interact with the scripture, you need a physical copy.

And it doesn’t need to be expensive. In fact, the better Bibles for study are inexpensive paperback copies with thicker paper so that your marking doesn’t bleed through. 

And yes, marking. I always read with a pen or pencil in my hand. Reading the Bible (and this can be true for anything you read) is a conversation with the text. Don’t be afraid to write in your Bible. The Bible is not a museum piece. The writer of Hebrews says in 4:12, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In his book, How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler encourages readers to actively engage with the text by underlining, circling, and writing in the margins, viewing this as "the highest respect you can pay [the author].” 

And slow down. I’ve repented of “reading the Bible through in a year.” It’s fine once or twice in your lifetime to get the overall story, but the Bible is much too rich and challenging to just plow through it over and over. Slow down. Savor it. Ask questions. Look for keywords and repeated phrases. Listen for echoes from older passages. Don’t rush. To quote Adler again, “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.”

And that’s what we want. That’s why we study the Bible. That’s why we engage in all the essentials – Worship, Service, Giving, Sharing Your Faith and Study – because these are the means through which the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ. 

Blessings,
Pastor Terry
 
PS:  Speaking of essentials, next week is Holy Week! It’s the biggest week of the Christian year, and we’re offering several opportunities to experience services designed to deepen your faith, increase your understanding of God’s love, fellowship with one another, and worship. I look forward to experiencing these vital services with you!