Study, Obey, and Teach

 Many Christians only have a very limited understanding of the Bible. Yes, they read the Bible on occasion. They may even read some every day, which is great. However, I want to say clearly that is not enough. The Bible is not just a book we go to for some comfort or encouragement. It is not to be read just to find out commands and promises, as important as those are for us. The Bible is the Word of God. He inspired each word, and we need to study all of His Word, so we know it well. That takes time and determination. As we learn the meat of the Word, we need to obey what we learn, asking God to empower us to do it. Then, we need to teach what we have learned to other people. It is not until we have taken these three steps that we really have accomplished the will of God for every believer. We see this in the life of Ezra. (Ezra 7:10) He determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, which was the Bible in his day. Then, he was determined to obey it. Finally, his goal was to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. I am sure God was pleased with his resolve, and He used Ezra in a profound way to influence His people. We need to be people of spiritual influence, too.

I know that I am in danger of being misunderstood on this point. Yes, we are not all teachers. We do not all have the spiritual gift of teaching or exhortation. I get that. God doesn't call all of us to be teachers in the formal sense of the word. However, we are called to be His witnesses and His ambassadors to this world. We will run into people who attack the Bible, and we need to know it well enough to explain what it means and why we believe it. Then, we need to live out what we have learned. People need to see us obeying the Bible, since it is God's Word. That proves to others that God's Word is a blessing to those who follow its teachings. Also, we are not being hypocritical by saying one thing and doing another. Finally, we must all be willing to teach our family, friends, and acquaintances what we have learned from God's Word in informal settings. It makes a huge impact on others when a lay person can explain the Bible and its doctrines and do it well. They expect ordained pastors to be able to do this, because we have been to school for that purpose. They don't expect that other Christians will have been determined enough to study the Bible in depth, obey it, and teach it. See what I mean? That is how God designed for the world to come to Him, and He enables every believer to do all three of these things and do them well. I pray we will all be determined in our hearts to do what Ezra did in our world today.   

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Ezra 8-10 and Nehemiah 1.