Elim Leaders' Summit speaker Andrew Ollerton says Christians need to "actively position" themselves in the Word of God.,,,
Why do we need to read and understand the Bible? Andrew Ollerton, author of the Bible Society’s The Bible Course and speaker at this year’s Elim Leaders’ Summit, explains.
Western Christians need to recover their confidence in the Bible and prioritise it like never before, says Andrew Ollerton.
The author of the Bible Society’s The Bible Course is discussing why it is so important to read and understand the Scriptures at a time when society is fast rejecting them.
“We need the Bible practically to understand how we should serve God in the world today and personally for our own strength and encouragement,” he says.
It’s crucial to imagine the Bible in the right way, Andrew explains. Too often, we get caught in the trap of seeing it as a historical text or a doctrinal backstop that shows what God thinks about certain issues. But actually, it is God’s story of the world – something we have a part in. Reading the Bible can help us understand what God has done in history and encourage us to be part of that mission.
“We need to feel inspired and challenged because we’re saturated by a culture that says ‘me first’,” says Andrew. “The Bible says no, we’re servants of Christ, sons and daughters of the living God, and we are to pursue his call on our lives.
“Every time I open the Scriptures I enter a world where God is king and I am his son and servant. It sets me up for living his way in the world.”
The Bible can also equip us personally, he adds.
“Romans 15:4 says the Scriptures were written for our instruction and that through the encouragement in them we might have hope. I don’t know about anyone else, but I need these things on a daily basis.”
VITAL
So reading and understanding the Bible is vital and beneficial, but if that is the case, why does it sometimes seem so difficult? Andrew outlines several challenges facing Christians today.
“The Western culture we live in is strongly pulling us away from confident engagement with the Bible,” he says. “Education and secular media naturally undermine our confidence in it. They suggest that we used to need things like the Bible before we understood the world but now we have science, technology and Wikipedia, so we don’t any more.
“If you’re a Western Christian today you have to actively and intentionally seek to position yourself in the Word of God or it won’t happen.”
Another challenge, he says, is many Christians’ lack of confidence or regular routine when approaching the Bible.
“Too often we are prone to a mindset that says as long as ordained ministers understand the Scriptures we can live in the slipstream of their sermons, books and podcasts.
“The risk is that we only consume the Bible through haphazard or second-hand means. Instead of feeling confident that we can personally hear God’s voice in the Bible, many of us assume we can’t; that that is for pastors and scholars.
“We need to mobilise and encourage all of God’s people to be confident in reading the Scriptures and hearing his voice for themselves – to be sustained personally and to play their part in God’s mission.”
From Direction Magazine issue 235
