March 25, 2012 | Leave a comment Today, Sunday March 25, 2012, is the thirtieth day of preparing our hearts, souls and minds for the most high of all Christian holy days, Easter Sunday. Today I need to “put off”neglect of Bible study and “put on” Bible study. We each have a flesh nature and a spiritual nature. As born again Christians our spiritual nature has been made alive by God’s Spirit. For a Christian reading and studying God’s word along with prayer is how we feed our Spirits. Each Christian is supposed to spend time reading and studying God’s word; failure to do so results in malnourished and spiritually twisted Christians. Bible study is not a modern invention. Moses taught the concept to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter the promised land. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:6–9 (NASB) What scriptures am I to read? The New Testament only? The Old Testament only? Both, all scripture. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 What about the Apocrypha? In the year 367 an influential bishop named Athanasius published a list of books to be read in the churches under his care. This list included precisely the books we have in our Bibles (with one exception in the O.T. he included Baruch but omitted Esther). Similar lists had been published by others, as early as 170, although they did not all agree. How did the men who published these lists decide which books should be called Scripture? The lists of accepted books are merely ratifications of the decisions of the majority of churches from the earliest days. This is understood by examining the surviving works of Irenaeus (born 130), who lived in days before anyone felt it was necessary to list the approved books. He quotes as Scripture all of the books and only the books that appear in the list published on another continent and sixty years later by Origen. The approved books were then called the “canon” of Scripture, “canon” being a Greek word meaning “rod” or “ruler.” These books constituted the standard rule of faith for all the churches. Basically these early church fathers included books in which they could 1) establish apostolic authorship 2) hear the witness of the Holy Spirit and 3) enjoy universal acceptance in the churches. So read the Apocrypha for history or personal profit but not as Scripture. Trust the early church fathers whose opinion was formed by being closer in time and proximity to the historical Jesus and his followers than we and most important the Holy Spirit who moved them to write and worship. Why make this distinction? Because it is only through hearing the voice of God contained in the words of holy scripture that the gift of faith is given to us. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 Today we can hear God’s word from various audio sources. The problem with listening to God’s word instead of reading it is that we forget most of what we hear after 72 hours. So how often should I read God’s word? Daily! (The Scriptures) It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, Deuteronomy 17:19 Here are some practical suggestions for establishing the habit of reading God’s word daily. Read it systematically. Read it in a Bible without notes. Read it in different translations, one you can understand. Read it aloud quietly to yourself. Underline or color code key verses. Choose a reading plan and stick with it. Consistency is the key! If you read approximately 20 minutes a day, everyday, you can read through the Bible once in a year. Remember this is not magic, it is obedience. By reading the bible you are placing yourself in posture where God will bless you. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it. . . Revelation 1:3 Being the recipient of God’s blessing is a wonderful promise and is reason enough for you and I to “put off” neglect of Bible study and “put on” Bible study.