Biblefresh: it could change your world

Please tell us about a time in your life when God spoke to you most vividly and personally through the Bible. Which passage was it and what did it mean to you at the time?

Although this is going back many years now, it would have to be while I was at university, when God challenged me to commit to career mission, through Romans 10:12 – 15 and in particular through  the words “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?”(v. 14). I felt a strong sense as I prayed that through that this was from God for me, and it set the whole direction of my life, first with OMF in Japan and later teaching mission studies here at ICC.

And if I’m allowed another, much more recent example, I’ve recently been struck by and encouraged by Paul’s exhortation to the Christians in Galatia. He says Christians are to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), in other words, to support each other and minster to each other, which is the goal of any Christian community, and at the same time he says that “each should carry his own load”. This seems like a contradiction, but what Paul is actually saying is “Do what God has set for you to do (but don’t try to do more than that), and as a part of a community of Christ’s followers you need to look out for each other when the burdens of life look set to grind us down”. This was hugely encouraging as I face the challenges of ministry and sharing in leadership here at ICC.

In recent years what has helped to keep the Bible fresh for you?

Reading familiar passages in a fresh translation is one thing that helps. Sometimes I will be really challenged by Eugene Peterson’s The Message, and at other times I will profoundly disagree with his translation, but I am always made to think again through it. Being in situations where I hear a number of different perspectives on Scripture helps ensure that I avoid the “Yes I know that story” mentality. Also, having opportunities to share Scripture, through teaching or preaching, but with people whose knowledge of it is limited, forces me to ask questions about Scripture along the lines of “What is it really saying? What does God want to say to me and also to these other folk through it? And how do I express it in ways that connect with them?” Having said that, in common with all those in ministry that involves regularly teaching the Bible to others, I need consciously to ask God what He wants to say to me, so that I avoid using my own Bible reading times for sermon or lecture preparation.

What does your regular practice of Bible reading look like?

Life is busy, so on week days I tend to read a shorter passage, never more than a short-ish chapter and usually less, and pray round what seems to come out of that passage. At the weekends I have time for more leisurely reading and reflection – or at least that’s the goal!

What would you say to a Christian who is struggling to read the Bible?

Firstly, pray before you read for God to open you to his Word. This is vital, because when we read we want to see it as helping us to engage with God. Secondly, be honest about why you struggle, and then bring the source of that struggle to God. It may be something outside us, such as. the challenge of finding a quiet place to read, or even some kind of reading difficulty. If so, then it might help to try to find an audio venison of the Bible, and create a quiet space in our head even in the midst of a busy place – MP3 players offer great possibilities. And if the source of the struggle is within us, a feeling that the Bible is somehow boring or unimportant, then we need to bring that honestly to God – but be ready for Him to say “Get over it and start reading, why don’t you!”. Thirdly, though, start with something that you will connect with easily, probably a Gospel. Focus on the things which you do understand, and don’t get hung up on things that you find difficult. It’s much better to develop the regular habit of reading Scripture, and once that’s established then you can get into some of the more challenging issues. Fourthly, and it’s really important I think for folk to grasp this, it doesn’t matter if you don’t have an earth-shattering sense of God’s Word leaping out at you in letters of burning fire every time you read the Bible. We read the Bible as much to get our heads round the big story of God at work in the world through Jesus and His Spirit as we do for a personal spiritual experience. These experiences will come, but they come out of a deepening relationship, and reading Scripture really helps that relationship to grow.

What is your prayer for the Biblefresh initiative?

Very simply, that it will do what it says on the tin – provide resources for and be a vehicle for Christians to engage or re-engage with the Bible so it becomes fresh food for us all. (And I know that’s mixing metaphors, because fresh food is better than tinned food, but you know what I mean!)

Comments are closed.