As I have talked with pastor friends of mine from around the United States, I’ve found many of us share a common concern. Our people are not very biblically literate. Where once a preacher could make a passing reference to an Old Testament character or story in an illustration or could sprinkle in quotations from Paul’s epistles, we must now explain these references in great detail. People don’t know what the Bible says like they used to.
So when we read of the Bereans in Acts 17:11, and it says, “. . .they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so,” we find ourselves wishing. If only our congregations approached the Bible with that sort of respect, eagerness, willingness, and familiarity. We want our people to approach the Bible as God’s very words. (2 Timothy 3:16) We want our people to approach life with the Bible as their moral authority and source of confidence (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). We want our people to see scripture as accessible and open to them (John 14:26).
But wishing and yearning won’t make it so. To raise up people of the Book is an act of the Holy Spirit through faithful pastoring. Here are a few steps we can take to lead our congregations in this way.
1. Preach and teach the whole Bible
The Apostle Paul declared in Acts 20 that he preached “the whole counsel of God,” and we are to do the same. This doesn’t mean giving the same emphasis to every passage and every book. I once heard Ray Ortlund Jr. say, “Every verse in the Bible is equally true, but not every verse is equally profound,” so we teach it all and give more time and focus to certain portions. If we fail to do this, our people learn to downplay or overlook parts of the Bible altogether. One common way this happens is that the Old Testament (aside from the Psalms we like and the Christmas passages in Isaiah) is treated as irrelevant, confusing, alien, or even dangerous. We must teach it with the same dignity, honor, and salvific power that Jesus did (Luke 24:27).
2. Preach and teach expositionally and topically
Let me be frank: the debate about whether to preach expositionally (walking through books of the Bible) or topically (focusing on themes or aspects of life) is stupid. People need both, and the Bible equips us to preach both ways well. If Jesus could preach about money, hell, lust, and many more topics, then we can follow his lead. Just remember, he wrote the Bible, so following his lead means forming all our positions on any given topic according to what he said rather than using the Bible to back an opinion we already have. And, of course, we must teach and preach through books of the Bible so that people learn the whole counsel of God and see how it fits together. This will bring up specific topics to be addressed from the Bible. (eg. You can’t preach Ephesians faithfully without addressing ethnic disunity, marriage, parenting, work, sexual immorality, etc.) Sometimes people need to have the Bible aimed at specific topics like a spotlight, and sometimes they need to have it unpacked like a suitcase. In each case, what they hear is the mind and heart of God.
3. Be clear where the Bible is clear and cautious where it isn’t
If we want our people to rightly respect the Word of God, then we need to model that respect. One way we can do this is to be explicit about where the Bible is. “Do not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14). “You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24). “Love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44). “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) If God has made no exceptions, then we have no right to do so either. On the other hand – and this is a greater temptation for many of us – we must be extremely cautious about being explicit where the Bible is not. When we are clear about things the Bible leaves opaque, we tend toward legalism or very weird doctrines. Often the Bible leaves things mysterious because they are not for us to know (e.g., the specifics of the end times). Often the Bible leaves blank spaces to fill with wisdom, which we learn from Scripture elsewhere (e.g., “Fathers, do not provoke your children”-Ephesians 6:4) rather than giving specific applications. If we approach scripture this way, it will help us prioritize things “of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3) and “avoid foolish controversies” (Titus 3:9). It will guide our people in wisdom, obedience, and a willingness to recognize and respect the mystery of God’s infinity and holiness.
4. Don’t create barriers to understanding
After our deep study of the Bible, it is easy for us to present it to our congregations in a manner unattainable to them. We can reference the original languages too often, describe what “this word really means,” mention many scholars and commentators, and otherwise make studying the Bible sound like something reserved for experts. The real aim is to study deeply so that we can preach and teach simply. We want to make the deep things of God accessible to our people so that they are drawn to the Bible instead of scared away from it.
5. Reflect on scripture in every meeting
Whether it is a staff meeting, elders meeting, prayer meeting, small group leader’s meeting, or any other kind of meeting, spend time reflecting on a passage of scripture. This can be 5 minutes of reflection, 30 minutes of rigorous discussion, or a time of teaching. The point is that God’s Word must underpin and guide all your gatherings. This will shape the culture of the church and whet people’s appetite for Scripture.
6. Create small contexts to study the Word
Up to this point, everything I have written depends on the pastor/leader bringing the Word to the people. But they cannot rightly be Berean until they begin exploring it themselves. And they cannot rightly be Berean until they start exploring it together. So whether you call them small groups, discipleship groups, Bible Studies, equip gatherings, or whatever other clever name you can come up with, give your people opportunities to study the Word together. Give frameworks, study questions, resources, and guides –just set them on a course to get into the Word alongside other men and women who want to know God’s Word.
This was originally posted at The Focused Pastor
