It was 45 years ago, at the age of 16, when the Lord tugged my heart to surrender my life to full-time ministry as a pastor. I deeply loved the Lord, had committed my life to following Jesus, and read my Bible daily. During my freshman year of college, a guest lecturer in Discipleship class shared four sentences about the Bible that impacted my life dramatically.
- Read it through.
- Pray it in.
- Live it out.
- Pass it on.
These four phrases course through my mind nearly every day. For pastors, Bible teachers, and students of the Bible, the continual temptation is to read and study the Bible just so we can share it with others. It takes intention, time and energy to include the middle two steps: pray it in and live it out. Preparing sermons or Bible study every week is demanding. And the temptation to jump from step one to step four not only affects pastors and Bible study leaders. Every Christian is enticed by the excitement of hearing from God and immediately sharing with others. A newfound understanding of a Scripture wants to burst out. We want to share with others and teach how they should live it out. The challenging issue is to internally digest and personally apply to our own life the things the Holy Spirit reveals. We cannot take shortcuts in this matter. We cannot just read it and then pass it on.
Without steps two and three, it is easy to become prideful and judgmental. Instead of spending time focusing on what Jesus wants to do in us, we sometimes entertain ourselves with the comparison game. Lies of satan invade our mind:
I heard from the Lord like no other person.
I understand this scripture more than others.
I have insights from God that nobody else has.
I can see what others need to do when they do not.
God speaks to me because I am more spiritual than other.
What the Lord whispers to us is FOR US! We do not have the right to pass it on until we have first prayed it into our lives and started living it out. The Lord has not commanded us to pass on biblical information and insight, but to pass on a lifestyle. This is why the Apostle Paul boldly speaks, “Therefore I urge you, imitate me.” He hammers the point by saying, “Timothy…will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. (1 Corinthians 4:16-17)
Lifestyle Challenge
- Read 1 chapter of the Bible every day.
- Ask the Lord, “How does this scripture apply to my life?”
- Throughout the day, look for opportunities to live it out.
- THEN, keep your eyes open for someone with whom you can share.
Be a disciple! Make a disciple!