"Would You Like to Read the Bible?"

      “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16-17).

      In the past year, I have come face to face with this verse. Do I really believe it? Too often I act like I am the power of God for salvation. I have to come up with the method by which people will learn the truth. I have to answer the questions in a fool-proof way so everyone will submit to the Lord. If you teach, you need to do it my way, with my lessons.

      But God reminds me I am not the power. God may use me as a connecting point (I Corinthians 3:5-6), but God and His gospel together encapsulate the power to save. I don’t.

      What does that mean for us in spreading the gospel? Many shy away from teaching the gospel because we think we are not able to teach it. But what if we used a method that didn’t focus on us and our know-how, but on God and His gospel?

      How about focusing on reading the Bible with people? Pick a book you believe shares the gospel message and ask if people would like to read it with you. I suggest picking a gospel account. I like Mark. It has 16 chapters. If you cover two chapters a session, it will take eight sessions. Additionally, it ends with an invitation to obey the gospel.

      This approach relies on God and His work, not on us and our ability. It focuses others on the text and not our styles or approaches. It relaxes the intimidation factor. We are not inviting the prospect to study “my five lessons designed to make you just like me.” Instead, they are being invited to just look at what God says.

      Here is the approach, whether you are door-knocking, talking to your bank teller, striking up a conversation with the person in line at Wal-Mart or breaking the ice with a friend, neighbor or co-worker, just ask, “Do you read the Bible very much?” If the person says, “No,” you can respond, “You know, the best way to learn about Jesus is to get into His book. Would you like to read one of the gospels with me and just talk about what we read? That way you can be introduced to Jesus.”

      If the person says, “Yes,” you can respond, “That’s great. I am always looking for people who like to read the Bible. How about we get together some time and read the Bible together? We could read one of the gospels and just talk about what it means for us.”

      If you are teaching the gospel and teaching it scripturally, I don’t care how you do it. However, if you are struggling, searching for a means to get that message out, why not try this one? Just imagine what could happen in Middle Tennessee if each of us were asking people if they would like to get together and read the Bible.

Edwin L. Crozier