Habits of Effective Disciples
Disciples read, study, memorize, and live out God's Word. One of the necessary ingredients in the recipe for spiritual growth is the knowledge and direction gained through the disciplined study of the Bible.
To be disciples of Jesus Christ, we will need to cultivate the habit of staying in the Scriptures. Our study this week features three different texts to inform our journey of walking in God's Word. First, we consider a section of the great Psalm 119 which speaks of a disciple's devotion to Scripture. Second, we look at the example of one group of new disciples in the city of Berea who took Scripture to heart. Third, we will look at Paul's teaching about Scripture to his young helper, Timothy.
LISTENING TO THE LESSONS OF SCRIPTURE AND TAKING IT TO HEART.
Psalm 119:9-16
Psalm 119 consists of twenty two sets of eight verses, with each new section beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Our passage begins with "beth", the second letter of the alphabet and each verse has something to say about God's Word to His people.
This Psalm answers an important question which is: what are we to do with God's words recorded for us in the Bible? The writer answers by showing us that attention to the Scriptures guards our hearts against sin. We store up Scripture in our hearts, learn them, declare them to others in witness, meditate on them, and delight in them.
The Bible has always been, and still is, the meeting place with God. D.L. Moody once said about the Bible, "This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book".
The Psalmist wanted to remain pure before God. How was this possible? Verse 9 gives us the answer, "By living according to God's Word"
So it is not enough to just know the Bible. We must put it into practice. James 1 teaches us we must not only be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also.
The writer was not content just to have a scroll of the Scriptures in his hand, he was determined to hide God's Word in his heart so that he might not sin.
No matter how well we know the Bible, we still have much to learn. Who will be our teacher? It turns out that the author of the book still speaks to those who will listen. So the psalmist praises God and asks Him to teach the degrees of Scripture to him. We can only use Scripture if we know it. God speaks His Word to us and we speak them to others. The original plan remains the most effective plan.
For this psalmist, meditation led to delight. Might we find delight ourselves if we do the same?
As we meditate, we can consider God's ways (verse 15). It is important for the Bible never to become drudgery to us as in just another chore to finish. Like this psalmist, we can take great delight in the thought that God speaks to us. In this way we learn not to neglect the Bible. A wise preacher, Billy Graham, once said that he had observed that those whose Bibles are falling apart through much use are likely not falling apart themselves.
RECEIVING AND EXAMINING SCRIPTURE
Acts 17:10-12
In Phillip and Thessalonica Paul and his companions faced the unbelief of many and these people caused near riots which forced Paul to leave both cities and after escaping at night, Paul stopped in a nearby village named Berea. Just as in the previous stops, Paul began his ministry there by preaching and teaching in the synagogue, but here he met a strongly different response.
Luke, the author of Acts, says the Berean Jews were of a more noble character. First, they received Paul's message with great eagerness. Since these more noble Jews were earnestly awaiting the arrival of their Messiah, this news of His arrival and work was the best news they had ever received.
Second, and even better, these Bereans did not simply take Paul's word for this news. Instead they themselves examined Scripture every day to verify Paul's words. When the Bereans verified the message through their own prophecy message of what we now call the Old Testament, they decided to accept and believe in Christ. Not only did many of the Jews believe, but as at Antioch, (Acts 11:19-26), Greeks also believed. In fact, Paul and Silas made spiritual inroads into the leadership of the entire city.
The teaching was received by both men and women who were prominent in the city. The violent unbelievers who had caused problems at Phillip and Thessalonica followed Paul to Berea, causing him to have to leave the village, but Silas and Timothy stayed and taught the new believers to continue the work of disciple making in Berea.
DIVINE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURES AS REFERENCE POINTS FOR LIFE
2nd Timothv 3:10-17
Near the end of Paul's ministry and life, he saw much of society in decline. He urged Timothy to keep himself apart from the ills of social problems and to remain in the things he had learned in Scripture, remembering who had taught him and realizing the powerful purpose of Scripture for the Kingdom of God.
Timothy had learned in the Christian community from both his mother and grandmother, and of course, from Paul as well.
In the disciple's "toolbox" Scripture is one of the best tools available to aid our growth as followers of Jesus. The key to our own discipleship is to be found in Scripture. The teachings there possess the power to make us wise. They profit us by teaching, reproving, correcting, and training us in righteousness.
God invested Scripture with power to make us wise for salvation through faith (verses 10-15). Paul taught Timothy that he had confidence in Scripture and that these verses given to all who believe are able, dynamic, powerful, and grant wisdom so that those who seek the Lord through them will find Him.
God inspired Scripture to profit Christians by all manner of lessons which are brought to each believer showing him or her that God's Word is both inspired and useful. Scripture is God breathed so it is life giving to those who receive it. The same God who breathed life into the nostrils of Adam, breathes life into Scripture and thereby breathes eternal life into us.
Scripture is profitable. The Bible is useful in teaching what is right, rebuking what is not right, correcting us as we study to turn to the right, and training us to stay there on the right path once we have found it within these sacred verses.
The Bible is useful for reproof (evidence of proof either positively or negatively). When Jesus was tempted to sin, he could answer every temptation with truth from Scripture. By knowing Scripture ourselves we are much less likely to be deceived and then to yield to temptation.
The Bible corrects us along our walk of life and is useful to train us as to God's teaching of righteousness so that we can seek it in our own lives. Scripture is useful in our spiritual formation.
God provides Scripture to prepare us for whatever he has planned for our lives after we have been led and convicted by His Holy Spirit. The result of our dedication to Scripture is that we are more ready, more fit, and more furnished with the tools needed to be strong disciples.
God is present and speaks to us as we read His Word each day. His presence through His Spirit leads and guides us toward the goal He has set for each believer.
After the Lord ended His ministry in flesh and ascended, He gifted the Holy Spirit to guide our walk with Him. Our access to Him and knowledge of Him as the Living Word is through divine Scripture. We come to Christ through the words taught for all time by His Apostles (John 17:20).
Light is arranged for the message of Scripture by the softening of the heart by His Holy Spirit, the bending of our stubborn will to His will, and the opening of spiritually blind eyes as we read and absorb its message.
The Spirit causes our hearts to burn when we finally understand that Scripture is the will of God revealed to us and that the message is as new and fresh today as it was when it was given. Our scriptural proof of this fact is given in Hebrews 12:5 when the writer teaches us that “...the exhortation which speaketh unto you..." reveals that the Holy Scripture message remains for all in present tense, not resting in the past.
