It was radical thinking when the brethren who met in Dublin and at Powerscourt discovered that the clergy-laity division which was taken as normative in Christendom was thoroughly unbiblical. And it is not unrelated that the standard Bible study helps—Wigram’s Lexicon, Vine’s Dictionary, Newberry’s Bible, Mackintosh’s Notes, and later commentaries written for a general readership—largely came from the pens of those called “Brethren.” It was because they believed that while not every Christian was a scholar, every Christian should be a student.
Publishing houses like John Ritchie, Pickering & Inglis, Loizeaux, and Marshall, Morgan & Scott flourished. Assembly writers dominated the evangelical market. As Harry Ironside said to Billy Graham, “Sooner or later, every Bible student must milk the Brethren cow.”
I believe Emmaus Correspondence School is still the world’s largest Bible correspondence school, though I suspect that far more of her students are behind bars in America than in assembly pews! And though William MacDonald’s Believers Bible Commentary might well be the most translated modern one-volume commentary in the world, the average assembly is doing well if it has one or two serious students of the Word. They are often women.
We have now reached a critical point. Assembly publishing in North America hangs by a thread. Public ministry often shows painful evidence of a lack of preparation or a lack of Bible study skills. Christians turn to parachurch groups for food supplements to keep from starving. How can we expect biblical churches if we are not biblical Christians? What can be done?
Believing What God Has Promised
First, we must come to the amazing realization that God has made us all Bible students. You are to be a key part of the solution! All believers are indwelt by the Spirit, the divine Inspirer of the Book. In fact John goes so far as to say, “The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but…the same anointing teacheth you of all things…” (1 Jn. 2:27).
To whom does He unfold the truth? Listen to the Lord Jesus: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Lk. 10:21). Does it also seem good in your sight, brother, sister? Yes, He meant you.
Freeing Up Time to Study
First, we must visit the altar of sacrifice. Serious Bible study requires a significant outlay of time and effort. What will we do less that we might study more? One brother in whose home I visited decried the sad state of his assembly, then took me into his bookless “study” to demonstrate his skills in video golf. I don’t wish to be hard, but it is fair to say that the “early brethren” were not remembered for their familiarity with the stars of stage and screen, their designer clothes, or their knowledge of the best gourmet restaurants. But they did know the Book and its Author.
Having freed up time, and having some basic tools at hand, we then need prayer for illumination, patience in reading the text of Scripture, and diligence in thinking through the passage. Many helps are available to us.
Using What We Learn
Then, having gleaned from the Word, we need to find effective ways to give out what we have learned (not necessarily publicly). This helps us to understand it clearly, explain it accurately, to share its bounty, and to remember it, too. Could you meet with a young believer for lunch each week to talk over a passage you both have been studying? What could be more rewarding than discovering the very thoughts of God and, having seen the miracle of truth bring fruit in our own lives, commit these truths “…to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2)!
One other roadblock. Older believers, never shown how to study, feel sheepish about revealing their inexperience. Well, that’s just what to do. Be sheepish! Confess your eagerness (in spite of your lack of ability), and invite another sheep to graze with you. You won’t regret it.