How to be a Capable Bible Student
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By Dr. Richard J. Krejcir
There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord!
The capable Bible student is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith, whose drive is their passionate love relationship to the Lordship of Christ. And what flows out of it is the desire to love God's people, to herd them with love into the pastures of maturity.
There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord!
The capable Bible student is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith, whose drive is their passionate love relationship to the Lordship of Christ. And what flows out of it is the desire to love God's people, to herd them with love into the pastures of maturity. To lead where the leader has been before, and the people have not been. The mature Christian or leader must exhibit the maturity of the Christian life as the result of their growth and experience in the faith. An effective leader cannot be new to the faith. Even the Apostle Paul spent three years being discipled by Barnabas, and he received his call and was empowered directly from Christ Himself. I have seen too many immature Christians who lead by who they are in society, and not who they are in Christ.
A few years ago while on staff at a church, we received a family who came to faith at a crusade, and the father was the founder of a major fast food franchise. So in less than a year he was my boss, and the president and ruling Elder of the congregation. Now he was a great guy and very successful in business, but he did not know how to run a church. So he instinctually ran it like a business and his policies failed. He did not know how to lead in a church, which is different than in a corporation, even though a lot of the principles are transferable. After several years he did become a good leader as he matured in the faith. But the church suffered during his learning curve needlessly.
There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord, with a surrendered heart and a learning will. We must be willing to be humble no matter who we are and our experience. I had to learn this lesson a few years back when I went from being on staff at a large and influential church to a small church in a small town. My first thought before accepting the call was that I was too good for it. But God wanted me there to teach me to walk closer to him, and not walk in the position that I held. So I did, and I experienced humbleness. Nobody knew me as the conference speaker or author or big position in a big church, but just a youth pastor in a small church. But this is where Christ wanted me, and I learned a lot. It prepared me for the road He had for me. And I'm glad I went there because I learned things in a broader context, that I could not have in a large "mega" church.
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."(II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24)
This passage is a testimony to the importance of holiness, and to keep ourselves growing in our spiritual lives so that our emotional selves are impacted and grow too.
Spiritual maturity will lead into emotional maturity most of the time, unless there is some physiological or psychological problem, or deep stress that has never been resolved. It is imperative for the leader to be in control of their emotional health. If not, they need to step down and seek help both spiritually and psychologically. If the leader is given to fits of rage or is just overly emotional, they cannot set the example that Christ has. We are not to be Vulcan's exhibiting pure logic and no emotions, absolutely not. God created us as emotional beings, but as with anything we must have control of the excess and the potential for rampage.
© 1984, 2000 R.J. Krejcir www.intothyword.com
http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=3801&url=10&view=post&articleid=31564&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Seventh Step of Inductive Bible Study is Asking the Big Question, "How does this apply to me?"
We are called to be the person who gets in His Word, who sees, knows, and applies it, will be growing and useful for Christ. He or she will be exhibiting good character and godliness as he or she moves into actually applying Christianity, to be Doers of His Mighty Word! Remember the Word of God's purpose is to transform us into His image and character!
http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=3801&url=10&view=post&articleid=31563&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Sixth Step of Inductive Bible Study is Asking the Big Question, "How is this Passage going to fit into my life?"
This is the step that helps us internalize what we are learning. This is the process of further interpretation, which is determining the meaning of the text. Not just what it says, but what we do with it: to determine how it's going to effect and fit into our life. It is not enough to just know it. It must be rooted in our very hearts, minds and soul!
http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=3801&url=10&view=post&articleid=31562&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Fifth Step of Inductive Bible Study is, "Asking Questions," Is what I have found all that all this passage has to say and mean?
Now the key principle that the great exegetes and pastors do to get more out of the Bible is they do not stop at the first observations or interpretation. They go back and mine out additional precepts, and that is why they get more so they can teach more. They seek out what they missed by interviewing the text and they look for what can additionally be learned. And you can do this too! This step is designed for you to do just that, get more out of the Bible.
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