How to come to the Bible

Originally posted by sonship
This thread is about [b]HOW to come to the Bible.
That is how TO come to the Bible.
Or how to COME to the Bible.
Also meaning how to come TO the Bible.

Basically I am interested in discussion how to come to THE Bible. By which I also mean how to come to the BIBLE.

You get the idea, I'm sure.[/b]

Well, it seems to be a matter of whether or not you own one. If you do, it's simple, just walk over to the bookshelf. If you don't, there are several options other than walking you may wish to consider, depending on how far from the library you live. One option would be to get on a bus, but if communications are bad where you live, I suggest buying a car, or maybe a bicycle if you don't have a driver's license. I hope this helps. 🙂

THE ATTITUDE IN READING THE BIBLE

We need a proper attitude in reading the Bible. This attitude is based on our knowledge of the Bible. We know that the Bible is the word of God, containing life that surpasses knowledge and containing light that surpasses doctrine. Therefore, we should have a serious attitude when we read the Bible.

Contacting God Himself

When we read the Bible, we should have an attitude of contacting God Himself. The Bible is the word of God, and the word of God is the embodiment of God. It is God Himself, the breath of God, that is, the breathing out of God. Hence, each time we come to read the Bible, we should be inwardly prepared to meet God, to contact God Himself.

We should not read the Bible merely with our mind. We must seek God with our spirit and our heart. We must have a sincere heart to draw near to God and a quiet and open spirit to fellowship with Him. This attitude is completely different from the attitude we have when reading newspapers and magazines or secular books. When we read secular publications, we need only a focused mind. However, when we read the Bible, we are contacting God, who is Spirit. Thus, we must have a heart that is true and sincere toward God and a spirit that is quiet and open to Him. In this way, we may be reading the Bible, but inwardly we are actually contacting God Himself. This is the attitude we should have when reading the Bible.

Receiving the Life Supply

We should also have an attitude of coming to receive the life supply. We should never come to the Bible to seek knowledge or study facts. This can be compared to studying the rice, meat, and vegetables on the table instead of eating them so that we can be nourished and supplied. The Bible is a treasure store of the spiritual bread of life. Thus, we should always have the attitude of taking the bread of life from this treasure store for our supply. This is not merely a matter of understanding or comprehending with our mind; it is a matter of receiving the life supply from the Bible with our spirit. This point must be emphasized. We must change our concept. We should not say in our heart, “I come to the Bible in order to study it.” The proper attitude is to regard the Bible as a treasure store of the bread of life from which we draw the bread of life and are supplied. We read the Bible in order to obtain the life supply.

Receiving Enlightenment

We should also have an attitude of coming to receive enlightenment and not to study the truth. To study the truth is one attitude, and to receive enlightenment is another. In studying the truth we need only our mind, but to receive enlightenment, we need our heart and our spirit. We need to come before God and say, “I want to touch the light in Your Word. My heart and my spirit are open to You. Lord, enlighten me through Your Word. As I read, grant me not only the understanding, but even more, shine Your light through Your Spirit on the letters. Enlighten me concerning Your heart’s desire and expose my true condition. I do not want merely to comprehend, but even more I want to see. I want enlightenment and revelation.”

We should also learn to pray when we read the Bible. We should spontaneously have a prayer deep within us, saying, “Lord, I come to Your Word to contact You, not merely to read. Cause my heart to incline toward You and my spirit to open to You. Cause me to love You more than knowledge and doctrine. May my inner being be nourished and enlightened by Your Word.” We should have this kind of prayer, intention, and attitude.

Those who read the Bible must realize what the Word of God is and have a proper attitude toward the Word of God. Many do not read the Bible properly because they lack this preparation. If we are well prepared with regard to these two points, it will be much easier for us to read the Bible in a proper way. We will immediately be on the proper path to touch life, to come to the light, and to fellowship with God in life and light. In other words, we will contact God, and in Him and through His Word, receive the life supply and the revelation in light. Only then can we gain the real benefit from the Bible. This is not a matter of knowledge or a matter of truth.

A person who obtains nourishment and receives revelation will spontaneously have understanding. However, the nourishment and revelation he receives is above and beyond understanding. We must have such an attitude in reading the Bible.

Once we contact and touch God, we should turn to read the Lord’s Word, the Bible. We should be careful not to exercise our mind merely to analyze while reading the Scriptures. This can be done at another time. This time is for eating. Studying about nutrition is one thing, whereas eating is another. Reading the Word in fellowship is not for studying God’s Word but for eating it. When we come before the Lord and open His Word, we should spontaneously exercise our spirit to absorb His Word and thus eat spiritual food. It is good when we understand, but we do not need to strive to understand. The less we use the mind, the better. We will easily receive inspiration by reading in this way.

Reading and Praying

As soon as we receive inspiration, while reading the Bible, we should turn the inspiration into prayer. Then our reading of the Bible will be turned into prayer. As long as time allows, we can continue reading and praying, praying and reading, thereby turning the inspiration we receive into prayer. This is the central and primary section of fellowshipping with the Lord.

Originally posted by kevinlee123

Reading and Praying

As soon as we receive inspiration, while reading the Bible, we should turn the inspiration into prayer. Then our reading of the Bible will be turned into prayer. As long as time allows, we can continue reading and praying, praying and reading, thereby turning the inspiration we receive into prayer. This is the central and primary section of fellowshipping with the Lord.[/quote][/b]

This was is a big help. The word of God is not merely letters in black and white. It is the breath of God. Or we could say mysteriously it is like God breathing out. Only when we have intimate and personal touching of God in the spirit of prayer does the Scripture spiritually nourish us and empower us to live out the Christ He conveys into us.

Our physical life depends upon breathing. For the Christian her spiritual life depends upon this breathing as well of God's Spirit in His word. If you stop breathing physically you die. If we stop receiving the impartation of the Holy Spirit from God's word, spiritually we become weaker and weaker and "die" in our Christian life as well.

Praying with and over the words of the Bible is a way to live as if God is imparting His life into your innermost being.

Come to the word of God for light and life

"My soul clings to the dust; Enliven me according to Your word" (Psalm 119:25)

After talking to some argumentative oppossers to the Gospel you may feel suppressed, depressed and even oppressed. We can be made alive, quickened and enlivened by the living Word of God.

"This is my comfort in my affliction, For Your word has enlivened me." (Psalm 119:50)

We should come to the Bible not just to get information or lifeless "correct" doctrines but to be "enlivened" which comforts us in any kind of affliction. While we are being comforted God's element is also being added to us.

That is really what it means to be "enlivened" . It is to receive God Himself as divine life dispensed into our being.

So Jesus said that the words that He speaks are Spirit and life.

" I have been greatly afflicted; O Jehovah, enliven me according to Your word." (Psalm 119:107)

We can come the the words of the Bible for comfort in affliction and to receive God flowing into us enlivening us.

We should "muse" on the word of God.

The word is used in Psalm 119:15,23,48,78,99,148.
The KJV uses the word meditate in all these places.
However in King James it is translated "pray" in Psalm 5:17.

The Hebrew word is also used in Genesis 143:5 when Isaac went out into the field to meditate or as the margin says "pray".

In Psalm 143:5 it says "I will remember the days of old; I ponder all they works; I muse on the work of thy hands."

This word is rich in meaning. We can think of muse as to meditate or and converse with oneself. Yet it also implies to pray and even to bow down and utter. So we should come the the Bible to meditate, to muse in the way of both praying over it and conversing with ourselves as well.

This musing should be an enjoyment of the word of God. It is like a cow chewing the cud when eating grass (Leviticus 11:3).

We should not take the word of God too quickly. But we should "chew" upon it meditatively and prayerfully in an enjoyable way. This kind of "chewing the cud" increases our enjoyment of taking in the words of the Bible. As we read we can spontaneously pray to God and simultaneously converse with ourselves.

Read the Bible not too quickly but muse, meditate, and mix with your reading prayer and praise. This slower and finer way of enjoying the Bible brings much spiritual nourishment.

Other blessings

We should come to God's word to have our wounded and damaged soul restored. We are all wounded in life,

The law of Jehovah is perfect, Restoring the soul. (Psa. 19:7)

God's word is perfect. We are fallen, damaged and wounded. God's word can heal and restore us.

We should come to the Bible also for deliverance. We can be set free from inward bondage and enslaving habits, fears, oppressions, depression, darkness.

May Your lovingkindness also come to me, O Jehovah, Your salvation according to Your word. (Psalm 119:41)

Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word. (v.170)

The reader should mix her reading with petitions and supplications to God with thanksgivings. We can find deliverance as a blessing from the word of the Bible.

We can receive strength from coming to the Bible. I do not mean doctrinal strength. I mean strength of spiritual life.

My soul melts because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. (Psalm 119:28)

Notice how many times David said in Psalm 119 "according to Your word.". He was a very effective imbiber of the word of God. He turned it around and placed it before God praying "according to Your word.". He placed the promises of God back in the face of God and prayed that blessing would come to him "according to Your word." .

He received strengthening when grieved.

From The Life Study of Exodus Message #62, by Witness Lee

To Moses and possibly to Joshua as well, the decree of the law was a wonderful experience. But to those at the bottom of the mountain, it was very frightening. This was the reason they trembled with fear. The vital point here is that whether the giving of the law is positive or negative, “day” or “night,” to us is determined by our condition, not by the law. If our condition is positive, the giving of the law will also be positive. But if our condition is negative, the decree of the law will be negative.

The same principle applies in reading the Bible. In our experience, the Bible may be either a book of “day” or of “night.” Many hold to the superstition that the Bible affords only good things for those who read it. According to this superstitious belief, whenever a person comes to the Scriptures, he will receive something positive. However, many come to the Bible and do not receive any benefit whatever. Furthermore, both believers and unbelievers alike have actually been slain spiritually by the Bible. Those who take the Bible as a book of dead letters will be killed by it. This has been the experience of many Christians, including a good number of pastors and Bible students. People are slain by the Word not because there is anything wrong with the Bible, but because there is something wrong with those who read it. Like the law, the Bible is good and also spiritual. As a gift from God, the Bible cannot be wrong in any way. However, to those whose spiritual condition is a “night” the Bible becomes a book of “night.” Once again we see that whether the Bible is a book of “day” or “night” to us in our experience is not determined by the Bible itself: it is determined by our spiritual condition.

http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?cid=0AA9

From the very beginning, it was not God’s intention to give man commandments to keep or to have man do things for Him. God’s eternal intention is to work Himself into us. When He comes to us and speaks with us, He does not do so with the intention of giving us a certain number of commandments for us to learn and keep. On the contrary, His desire is simply to be with us in order to infuse Himself into us. The longer we stay in God’s presence, the more we are infused with Him.

From Life Study of Exodus by Witness Lee

Originally posted by sonship
This thread is about [b]HOW to come to the Bible.
That is how TO come to the Bible.
Or how to COME to the Bible.
Also meaning how to come TO the Bible.

Basically I am interested in discussion how to come to THE Bible. By which I also mean how to come to the BIBLE.

You get the idea, I'm sure.[/b]

1. CTRL-T opens a new tab on most browsers
2. copy this address: https://net.bible.org
3. go to deuteronomy 22.13
4. read how a man falsely accusing his wife for not being a virgin must only pay a fine if discovered. read how a man accusing his wife of not being a virgin puts the burden of proof on the girl's parents. read how she is to be stoned to death if no evidence is to be found.
5. learn about the justice of the OT god

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
1. CTRL-T opens a new tab on most browsers
2. copy this address: https://net.bible.org
3. go to deuteronomy 22.13
4. read how a man falsely accusing his wife for not being a virgin must only pay a fine if discovered. read how a man accusing his wife of not being a virgin puts the burden of proof on the girl's parents. read how she is to be stoned to death if no evidence is to be found.
5. learn about the justice of the OT god

On a technical matter - How do you insert a link to a thread # in your post ?

The next few posts will be on some problems with getting anything from the Bible.

1.) Some get nothing from the Bible because their heart is not exercised TOWARDS God. The heart is too passive. There is not turning or opening of the heart in case God is a real Person.

This reader has no heart for the Word of God.
He may just be looking at black and white letters.
There is no opening of himself to the Author.

This is like a youngster being forced to go to school. He is made to go get an education but he has no heart for it. He comes only as it is his "duty". Likewise we may come to the Bible perhaps with a sense of lifeless duty with no heart for the God behind the words.

Next I will say something about a heart that is too divided.

2.) Then some people get nothing from the Bible because their heart is divided into too many compartments. They have too many goals.

Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8)

How can we combat this problem of having too many aims and goals clouding our ability to see God? I suggest that you have specific TIME with reading the Bible when you have the thought -

" For these moments, for right now, I set aside all other goals. I dedicate this time for one goal and one only, to get to know God."

To be pure in heart is to be single in heart. It is to at least for a specific time dedicate your heart to one matter, coming the Bible to learn of God.

For a span of time, you have to unite your heart. For a span of time you have to have a single eye to want to see one thing. During this time of reading the Bible, other aims are put aside. You want to see God.

Concerning other frustrations from receiving benefit from the Bible.
Copied from Life Study of Exodus Msg. #59, by Witness Lee

http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.cfm?n

Coverings, Hindrances, and Frustrations

Another problem with the heart is related to things that cover you, separate you from the Lord, or frustrate your contact with the Lord. In reading the Word of God, you may cry out to the Lord and be desperate to receive something from the Lord. However, there may be hindrances or frustrations within you. There may be a certain sin that besets, captures, and possesses you. On the one hand, you love the Word of God. On the other hand, a certain sin may lie hidden in your heart, and you may not be willing for the Lord to deal with it. Such a hidden sin will prevent you from receiving blessing from the Word. Suppose, for example, someone has offended you, and you are not willing to forgive this offense. You may not consider that your unwillingness to forgive is a sin, but it is in fact a sin. You may hide this sin, or other kinds of sins, from man, and you may even attempt to conceal it from the Lord. If you come to the Bible with such a sin hidden within you, you will not be able to receive anything from the Word, even though you have a heart for the Word. If you have a tendency toward something which does not please the Lord and at the same time desire to come to the Word, you will not be blessed by reading the Word of God.

We know from our experience that at times we struggle with the Lord, perhaps over the issue of consecration. We may not be willing to consecrate ourselves, to be subdued by the Lord, or to be convinced by Him. We may insist on holding to our opinion regarding a particular matter. Even though the Lord speaks to us again and again, we still are not willing to be convinced, because His speaking is contrary to our opinion. We cling to our concept and insist on it. Such an insistence is a veil that covers our heart. Do you think that you can receive help from the Word if your heart is covered in this way? To be sure, reading the Word when you are in such a condition will not be a help to you.

If we want to receive blessing from the Word of God, we must first deal with our heart and turn to the Lord absolutely and with our whole heart. We also need to deal with anything in our heart that is negative or that causes separation between us and the Lord. If we deal with our heart and with the negative things between us and the Lord, our condition is likely to be normal. Then it is very possible that we shall receive help from the Word.

Even if we deal with our heart and with the negative things in our heart, we may still have some complications. All of us, young and old alike, are complicated. Within us there are a number of factors which cause complications. These complications also make it difficult for us to receive blessing from the Word.

As we read Psalm 119, we see that the psalmist was right with the Lord. There was nothing between him and the Lord. I appreciate the line in the hymn, “Nothing between, Lord, nothing between.” However, it is one thing to sing this hymn, but it is another thing to practice having nothing between us and the Lord. How much we shall receive from the living Word if there is nothing between the Lord and us!

If a person studies diligently for a number of years, he may receive a Ph.D. in a certain field, perhaps in nuclear physics. Although I have known a number of young people who have earned a Ph.D., I do not know many who have attained a comparable measure of understanding in spiritual matters. Some have had the Bible, a book of heavenly, divine, and spiritual science, in their hands for decades, but still they have only an elementary understanding of it. This indicates that although they have acquired a certain amount of knowledge, they have not been blessed through their reading of the Word. Earning a Ph.D. degree requires much study, but it does not require that you deal with your heart. For example, does refusing to forgive someone hinder you from earning a doctoral degree? Of course not! But such a thing can keep you from receiving blessing from the Word of God. A sister, Margaret E. Barber, used to say that even a small leaf can hide a bright star. Likewise, even a small matter can keep us from receiving blessing from the Bible.

I would like to add something to this thread which is well done so far. I would like to add what God thinks of His word.

Ps 138:2
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
NKJV

A bank note or a check is only as good as the signature at the bottom. Without the signature it is no good.
God has not only signed His word, He states that He has magnified His word above His name! This is something to ponder for the critics out there.
God thinks very highly of His Word.

Originally posted by checkbaiter
I would like to add something to this thread which is well done so far. I would like to add what God thinks of His word.

[b]Ps 138:2
I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name
For Your lovingkindness and Your truth;
For You have magnified Your word above all Your name.
NKJV

A bank note or a check is only as ...[text shortened]... ame! This is something to ponder for the critics out there.
God thinks very highly of His Word.[/b]

Yes, He thinks highly of His word and the Psalmist said he would even praise God's word in God.

"In God, whose word I praise ... " (Psa. 56:4)

" In God, whose word I praise, In Jehovah, whose word I praise ..." (v.10)