Use of Bible Encouraged

OUR desire is to direct the attention of everyone to God’s Word, the Bible. That sacred book is the basis for the message that we preach, and we want people to realize that what we say is, not of our own originality, but from God. People need to develop confidence in the Bible.

At Congregation Meetings. All should be encouraged to use their Bibles at congregation meetings. This accomplishes good in a number of ways. It helps to keep the attention of the audience on what is being discussed. It adds visual impact to the oral instruction given by the speaker. And it impresses on the minds of newly interested ones that the Bible is, indeed, the source of our beliefs.

Whether those in your audience actually follow your reading of Scripture texts in their own Bibles will depend to a great extent on the encouragement that you give. Direct invitation is one of the best methods.

It is up to you, the speaker, to decide which texts you want to emphasize by having the audience look them up. It is best to read scriptures that will help you develop your main points. Then, as time permits, add a few others that support your argument.

Of course, merely citing the text or inviting the audience to look up a scripture is not usually sufficient. If you read one text and then go on to another before your audience has even had time to find the first one, they will soon become discouraged and will stop trying to follow along in the Bible. Be observant. When the majority have located the text, read it.

Think ahead. Cite your scripture sufficiently in advance of reading it. This will minimize the loss of time that results from waiting for the audience to find the text. While less material will be covered if you allow time for the audience to look up scriptures, the benefits will make it worthwhile.