The Nugget:
Isa 34:16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
My Comment:
This verse (Isaiah 34:16) was printed on the front cover of the dust jacket of my first copy I bought as a teenager of the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. It included just these words from the verse: “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read.”
That is a key factor necessary to spiritual growth. Bible reading and Bible study are a must.
In the Great Commission, Jesus commanded “Go ye therefore and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In the King James Version, a marginal reading is given for the word “teach” which reads “make disciples of.”
To make disciples, every Christian, every believer, is tasked with the privilege and responsibility of disciple making. This is not a task reserved for the paid professional clergy.
I believe that God is eager for all believers to be successful disciple makers.
Each individual believer has a unique placement in this world with unique contacts, whether friends, neighbors, acquaintances, children, Internet contacts, church contacts, school contacts, business contacts, and much more.
If we are obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ, we will not hide our light under a bushel basket, but let it shine so others will see it. Jesus said that a city that is on a hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14, 15, 16).
The point is, if you live for Christ and belong to Him, others will take notice without you ever saying a word. Sometimes others will come to you with questions about faith matters and the Bible. As you respond to them carefully (1 Peter 3:15) that results in a seed being planted. They may desire to discuss the Bible and spiritual things even more. Encourage them to read the Bible for themselves.
Perhaps suggest to them that they read the Gospel of John repeatedly until they come to know it so well that they can think it through, chapter by chapter. Perhaps suggest that they go further and read the New Testament through repeatedly.
It is not possible to “make disciples” apart from grounding them thoroughly in the Bible (Colossians 1:23).
All of us who are Bible believing Christians need to become and remain Bible studying Christians who know how to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) and who know by practice and increasing experience how to communicate Bible doctrine to others so that they, in turn, become able to teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2).
It is not our purpose to teach others our “church doctrine.” What God honors is His written Word, accurately taught.
You will likely have no concept of how much you need to know when you begin, but you will learn quickly when you talk with others about the Bible that people are more interested than you might think. You may have the opportunity to speak with and share your faith with individuals who come to your door seeking to win you to their particular faith! That is your opportunity to learn more as you seek to answer the challenges such conversations bring. Do not close the door to such conversations but encourage them to continue discussing the Bible with you.
You soon learn that not everyone sees and understands the Bible alike! I have learned much when that has happened to me. Sometimes I am asked a Bible question for which I do not have an immediate answer.
That has happened to me often when teaching Sunday school. I respect such questions and promise to do my best to study the issue and search to find the answer.
That happened to me when I was the sponsor of the Comparative Religions Club at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. I am still studying that large subject even today.
That happened to me when I was asked to sponsor the Bible Discussion Club at Cass. I was most impressed when the Bible Discussion Club members were challenged by the atheists who were editors of the school newspaper to a debate. I said not a word during the debate. The students of the Bible Discussion Club were amazingly well-prepared, and even the atheists confessed in a subsequent article in the school paper that they had lost the debate but hoped to be better prepared the next time.
This happens now when I engage others on the Internet in discussions about the Bible.
When I am stumped by a Bible question, I have to do some research to find the answer. That means I get to learn something new in the process and the person who asked the question is sometimes highly motivated to learn more about the subject when I bring them the answer to the question.
I believe that it is often the case that the more prepared we are over time, the more opportunities we will experience to helpfully share with others what we know. We all need to be sharing the message of the Bible so others can come to personal faith in Christ and adopt values in line with what the Bible teaches. If enough of us do that, God can change the trajectory of our society for the better.
Isaiah 26:9
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
King James Version