The Bible is not only the foundation of all our preaching, but it must permeate all aspects of church life. Congregations, as well as preachers, must move on from paying lip-service to the importance of Scripture, to actually demonstrating it.
Of course, church leaders have a major role to play here; if they are obviously getting their sermons from the Bible, using its teaching as the basis for church decisions and for planning their own lives, the congregation is likely to follow their lead. So how can we release the Bible from being trapped in Mark Twain's definition of a classic: 'A book everyone wants to have read and no-one wants to read!'? Here are some ideas.
Encourage private use
All Christians must be encouraged to read, study, meditate on and memorise the Bible. You may be able to stimulate interest by having people give public testimony to their own growth through their own private meditation on the Bible, or through writing an article for the church magazine or running a seminar on 'How to get the best out of your Bible'.
We can develop our knowledge and love of the Bible in other ways too. Commentaries and study guides can open up whole areas of truth to us which we can explore. Bible meditation with a friend can be an exciting adventure as Scripture yields its secrets to this combination of reading, prayer and fellowship. Or why not give several hours to reading a whole book in one sitting? Or spend one hour meditating on one verse?
Of course, there is no 'set' method or time for this; we should be encouraged to be creative in our approach to it. For instance, not everyone is a lark, at their most awake first thing in the morning; or an owl, more lively late at night. Some may find that they are more free (and awake!) at lunchtime. There are lots of good Bible reading aids, but they must be servants, not masters. Another excellent way of exposing yourself to Scripture may be to listen to it on a cassette.
Organisational use
It is not enough to begin a church business meeting with a verse or two of the Bible, only to close it quickly and get on with the real purpose of the evening! Take a little time to allow its message to sink in. The Bible must be significant in the 'business' of the church as well as its worship. Keeping the Bible open in a prominent place is a useful visual reminder of this. It is important to make it clear that the principles and priorities being followed during the evening are derived from the Bible.
Our children's and young people's work, as well as ongoing work among adults, must give a high priority to the Word. Each group in the church must be encouraged to find fresh and relevant ways to use the Bible and to stimulate its members to use it.
Encourage ministry use
Encourage people to bring their Bibles to church and to keep a copy in their desk at work. Suggest that it can be used to respond to a question or stimulate discussion: 'You'll never guess what verse our minister preached on yesterday!'. Many people who are not Christians will be drawn into discussion and will come back with all sorts of questions related to half-remembered stories from school: 'Doesn't it say in the Bible that ... ?' is a common query.
In counselling, try to avoid just giving good advice. Wherever possible, refer people back to verses and passages from which they can draw strength - and can continue to do so after they have left you. In general pastoral visiting, the reading of a short piece of Scripture can add authority to the 'prayer before we leave'. In marriage preparation and Baptismal classes, Bible passages can be used to provide guidance and strength while clearly identifying Christian forms of behaviour. Too often these classes can degenerate into focusing exclusively on where the bride's mother should sit or what the temperature of the water should be!
In all these ways we are attempting to let God's Word loose among God's people. We must put into practice what we say we believe about the Bible - that is central to our Christian life and faith.
The Bible awaits us. It is milk for the newborn Christian and meat for the mature, a feast of good things to satisfy every palate and nourish every soul. And it is food to be shared with a starving world. We have a message of invitation to the feast. The message must be proclaimed by preachers who can relate to God and modern people, and by churches absorbed in the book of life.
'Gird each one with the Spirit's sword,
The sword of Thine own deathless word;
And make them conquerors, conquering Lord,
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.'
Mary Gates
Stephen Gaukroger
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