Hi, High Altitude – this is Troy with another blog post.
I’m in one of the small groups coordinated by High Altitude. Aimee and I and 4 other couples are the Galleria/Montrose/Med Center group (many thanks to their help with this post!). Over the past couple years Aimee and I have been in the group, we have read 3 books on Christian topics (The Fruitful Life, 12 Ordinary Men, and If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat) and we have really enjoyed the relationships that we have formed and strengthen through small groups. Recently, we have started a new book – well, actually we have started a collection of books – The Holy Bible.
Two months ago, we began a one-year plan to read the Bible chronologically. We read about 3 chapters a day and in 1 year we will have read the Bible. There are many plans to read the Bible in a year. Some options are to read passages out of the Old Testament and New Testament on the same day, read the Bible cover-to-cover, or read the Bible in the order it was written. Our method is to read the events in the order that they took place, or chronologically. We are 8 weeks into the plan, which puts us at the end of Leviticus (pray for us to persevere!).
Before beginning our task, the group had a discussion centered around if we should “read” or “study” the Bible. What’s the difference? Basically, it is seeing the forest (reading) versus inspecting the leaves on the trees (studying). More specifically, “reading” the Bible implies that you will read large chunks at a time in order to grasp large concepts and major themes. When you “study” the Bible, you pay careful attention to the detail of each verse. You may reference a concordance often, take time to find other verses with similar themes, or go back to the original language to understand the verse more fully. “Reading” the Bible can help you establish the literary context for passages you may later go back and “study” in more detail. Being more aware of the broader circumstances happening in each book of the Bible makes our study of individual passages more insightful and accurate – though sometimes it also challenges us to realize that, in context, some passages we think we know are actually just a small part of a bigger point. I think that both disciplines are crucial to growing in our faith. At the end of the discussion, the small group chose to “read” the Bible in one year, instead of “studying” a book of the Bible.
One last thing about the Bible – do you read it for information or for transformation? For many years now, I have just read it for information. I wanted to know the names of the disciples or recite some story from the Bible. Simply, I wanted to have knowledge about the Bible. That is an OK way of reading, but I believe that God would rather us be transformed when we read the Bible. Being transformed means that we read a passage and then allow the Holy Spirit to encourage, convict, and pursue us. For example, during the last small group meeting, we talked about Exodus 32 when the Israelites made the golden calf and were worshipping it as Moses was on Mount Sinai talking with God. Exodus 32:1 describes how the people lost sight of God since Moses delayed to come down from the mountain. During the group’s discussion, it hit me that we could replace “Moses” in Ex. 32:1 with “Jesus” and we would be in the world’s current situation. We are waiting for Jesus to come back, but he has not come yet. Does that mean we should be impatient and find something or someone else to worship? NO! Jesus will come and I must not lose sight of that fact.
So, now is the time for you to provide some feedback: Right now, are you “reading” or “studying” the Bible? Do you think that one way (reading or studying) is better than the other? What are you reading/studying now? Do you read the Bible for information or for transformation?
Thanks for reading the HA Blog. God Bless!
Troy
4 comments:
Leviticus is so rich! Yes, it is my favorite book of the Bible. :-) To read through it with the knowledge of Christ is unparalleled. So many laws, so many rules, so many ways to get close to God through ritual that we could never possibly do. Then you see Christ. He fulfilled all of it. ALL of it! We cannot truly understand the sufficiency of Christ (or our depravity) without Leviticus. Enjoy! :-)
Well, the small group has come a long way from the days of covering a chapter in a book over a two week period with several people still not having reach the chapter. I think that's a great challenge for the group.
Each morning I read about a chapter over a steamy bowl of oatmeal. I know, I feel like I have to multitask even during my quiet time. I'm in Luke, which is a terrific gospel. Sandy is reading John. Sometimes, I cover a half a chapter. Sometimes it's just a few verses that I'll dive deeply into. Other times, I'll get two or three chapters in. For me, it's a mixture of reading and studying, but it almost always starts from a reading perspective. If I find something that I connect with, I'll take a closer look at that portion of what I'm reading.
I think that allowing the Holy Spirit to guide your quiet time is a good call. Read and study - both are crucial.
I don't think there is anything wrong with multitasking while you are reading. I listen to sermons while riding the bus to work. Also, we are all called to pray constantly, so that would imply multitasking.
I think reading and studying is a continual process. Read and then take it apart, read and then take it apart. This week I've been rereading some scripture that I needed to be reminded of, but the way I spend my quiet time is really random. If I hear something that intrigues me in scripture, or I'm curious about what the Bible says about a particular topic, I'll make a note of it and then spend my quiet time there. So I guess I do read the Bible for information, but more for transformation. To be honest, it wasn't until I started reading for transformation that the Word became something I really desired to read.
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