A Barna Research Report reveals that just 19% of adult Americans are “Bible engaged – who read the Bible at least four times a week and believe it is the actual or inspired Word of God.” (From: The State of the Bible: 6 Trends for 2014) We’ve already looked at how Bible teachers can have a role in raising that percentage for their classes by creating a thirst within their students for the Author of the Bible and by emphasizing the usefulness of God’s Word for everyday living. There is at least one more thing we can do — equip them.
Many adults would hide behind excuses for not engaging with the Bible like: “I don’t know how to study it.” “I can’t understand it.” “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Let’s strip people of these excuses by showing them how. Then, if they still don’t read or study the Bible on their own, we know it is a deeper issue.
What Can Bible Teachers Do to Better Equip Adults to Study the Bible on Their Own?
1) Start by gaining a proper view of being a Bible teacher.
Bible teaching is about more than spoon-feeding people once a week. Rather, it is about discipling and equipping them to nurture their relationship with the Lord at all times, on their own, not just when they are at church or in a small group Bible study. Ephesians 4:11-13 provides the teacher’s job description, “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
2) Help students identify the lies they might be believing.
Adults can get stuck in their ways. They can be resistant to change. They have learned the art of making excuses. If they don’t begin the journey of getting to know God better through His Word, they will miss out on so much of the good God has for them. So, teach them to identify and “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God …” (2 Cor. 10:5).
3) Be realistic in your expectations so you can be encouraging rather than hindering in the process.
Not everyone is a scholar. Not everyone learns the same way. Guard against a “one size fits all” approach in discipling your students toward personal engagement with God’s Word. Meet people where they are and help them begin in small ways that work for them. Always keep the real purpose before them of using Scripture as a tool to better know God and grow in their relationship with Him. It would be better if people meditate on just one verse in which they find connection with God and usefulness to their everyday lives than to read chapters with little to no impact in these ways.
Let’s guard against promoting personal Bible study in a legalistic way. Getting to know God should not be seen as a burden. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:29-30). As their passion for the Lord grows, they will be more willing to be stretched in their study of the Word in ways that take them further and deeper.
Discipleship Tool: New to Bible Reading
Teacher Training Tool: Discipling Students in the Word of God Worksheet