The second way to come to the Bible is the way of reading. This way is to find at least twenty minutes to read several chapters during our lunch break, after leaving work in the afternoon, after dinner in the evening, or before going to bed. It is best to read three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament every day. If we do this, we will read the entire Bible once a year. The way of reading enables us to pick up a general sketch of the Bible and accumulate something of the Bible within us for further nourishment.
The way of being nourished and the way of reading are the common ways in which all the believers should come to the Word. These ways are good for the older ones, the young ones, and the new ones. We can all spend at least fifteen minutes to read and pray-read a few verses early every morning. Then we can find time to read a few chapters later in the day. If we make a decision to practice this, we will be able to do it. We need to choose life by making a decision to practice this. We even need to make a deal with the Lord to spend time in the Word every morning so that we will be accountable to Him concerning this matter.
When we come to the Bible in the reading way, we should not read in a random order or according to our preference. We should not skip over Matthew 1:1-17 because we think that genealogies are uninteresting. Regardless of whether we understand or can even pronounce every word, we simply need to read the Bible consecutively—in the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation and in the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi.
When we read the Bible, we do not need to understand everything. It is all right if we understand what we read, and it is all right if we do not understand it. We do not need to strain our mentality to try to understand the Bible. If we contact the Lord as we read, He will surely give us the needed understanding. Our Father knows our need. If we try to understand the Bible in a natural way, our effort will be a great frustration and a great disappointment. We should never expect to understand or try to understand. We simply need to continue reading. By reading, we will surely understand something, and we should be content to understand just that much.
We sometimes do not understand a verse the first time we read it, but when we read the same verse again later, we understand it. If we do not understand it the second time we read it, we may understand it the third or the fourth time. Sooner or later, we will understand it. We have a long time to understand the Bible—a lifetime. No one can fully understand the Bible. Although I have been reading the Bible for more than fifty-four years, I still do not fully understand the Bible. It is too profound for anyone to fully understand. Although I have been ministering from the Bible for more than forty years, every time I come back to a verse, such as John 1:1, I always see something new. The Bible is inexhaustible. Therefore, rather than trying to understand everything, we simply need to be faithful to continue reading and understand spontaneously.
Besides the ways of coming to the Bible to be nourished and to read, ways that should be practiced by all believers, there is a special way, the way of studying. Some saints should spend time to study the Bible. This is mainly for some who could be teachers in the churches. According to the Bible, teaching is shepherding (Eph. 4:11). If we do not know how to teach, we cannot shepherd properly. Shepherding is the main function of the elders. First Timothy 3:2 says that the elders should be apt to teach (cf. 5:17). Because the Lord’s recovery is spreading and the number of churches is increasing, there is a need for more elders. All the elders must be qualified by having the proper knowledge of the Bible. In order to be prepared, qualified, and edified for future leadership, many brothers need to study the Bible.
Before we begin to study the Bible, we first need to pray to seek the Lord’s leading concerning which book we should study. To come to the Bible in the way of studying is not mainly for us to receive nourishment or simply to read, but to study in a thorough way. We need to study every word of every verse. For this, we need the Greek text. Even if we do not know Greek, we can use reference books, such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible, Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NewTestament Words, Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament, an interlinear Greek and English New Testament, and a Greek dictionary. We can also compare different versions, such as the American Standard Version, Darby’s New Translation, the Amplified Bible, and Wuest’s Expanded Translation. These references will render much help to us.
As we study the Word, we should expound each verse to find the meaning. We need to interpret a little to enter into the depths of each verse. This requires time. After we have studied an entire book in this way, we can go through it again to study certain topics. For instance, in Romans we can study the subject of sin or the subject of justification. Other subjects in Romans are being in Christ, being in the spirit, being in the flesh, as well as the subjects of sanctification, transformation, and conformation. We can study many subjects in one book. Furthermore, we can use the Life-study messages on each book. Our study of each book will help us to realize the riches in the Life-study messages, and the Life-study messages will help us to have a thorough, clear, and rich view of each book. Any book that we study in this way will become transparent to us. Then we will surely have something with which to teach others. If we can teach others, we will be able to shepherd and will be qualified and constituted to be a proper leader in the church life. This is the way of studying the Word. I hope that some young saints will make a decision before the Lord to study the Bible in this way.
In matters related to life there are no shortcuts. Life is altogether a legal matter. Everything in the physical realm has legalities. The legalities never change; the regulations are always there. The planets are very legal in the sense that they move in a regular way. If the sun, the moon, or the earth were free like the birds, the solar system would immediately collapse. Each planet is on its proper track; each has its legality. Life is the same. Science tells us that the physical life is altogether legal. A plant will not grow if certain regulations of the plant life, such as a supply of light and water, are not fulfilled. Neither will a child grow up if certain life regulations are not fulfilled. In order to have life, we must keep regulations; there are no shortcuts.
For life, we should not depend on revivals or on being stirred up. I have been a faithful and good Christian for over fifty-four years, and I have never depended on revivals or on being stirred up. Life does not need revival or stirring up; rather, it needs proper growth. We need to grow properly. The best and most proper way for us to grow in the spiritual life is to spend time in the Word. Every morning we need to spend at least ten to fifteen minutes in the Word to receive the nourishment. We also need to read a few chapters of the Bible every day. If we practice this, we will grow. If all the saints in a locality do this, the church in that locality will have a great revival after only half a year. The saints will be stirred up, not in a superficial way but in a way full of life, weight, and depth.