Monday Thoughts from Pastor Tim - April 7

Dear Church Family –

Thanks for another great day in church yesterday!  Reading and studying the Bible in church is one of the main purposes for the church.

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

“Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13)

But, even more significant for the spiritual life of children is Bible reading at home.

My attention was arrested this morning by reading this statement:

“The single greatest influence over spiritual health as an adult is regular Bible reading while growing up.”

That statement is based on research by Lifeway Research.  The report goes on to say,

“The fact that regularly reading God’s Word during childhood is the primary indicator of spiritual growth in adulthood shouldn’t surprise us. Writing to his protégé, Paul reminds Timothy to ‘continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus’ (2 Timothy 3:14-15, CSB).”

I was intrigued, as a read on in the Lifeway report, that they listed 14 reasons to use a physical, paper-and-ink copy of the Bible while reading the Bible to your children at home.

1.     It makes the Bible physical and tangible

2.     It minimizes distractions

3.     It prevents text from changing

4.     It doesn’t run out of battery

5.     It reinforces sanctity of the Scriptures

6.     It enhances memory

7.     It exhibits the Bible’s canonical organization

8.     It teaches basic book structure (i.e., Table of Contents, Index, Appendix, etc.)

9.     It provides context—one big story of God’s redemptive plan, not just an isolated passage on a screen

10.  It facilitates note taking

11.  It enables inductive study

12.  It leaves a legacy

13.  It mentors the next generation

14.  It facilitates finding passages faster 

I’m grateful for families at Emmaus Church who read the Bible at home.  These next two weeks are a great time to read the Triumphal Entry accounts (Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12) and the Resurrection accounts (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20).

For Christ and His Word – Pastor Tim