Master the Bible: How to Get and Keep the Big Picture of the Bible's Story

F O U N D A T I O N S

M I N I S T R Y S E R I E S f o r

Biblical Studies

M ASTER THE B IBLE :

H OW TO G ET AND K EEP

THE B IG P ICTURE OF THE B IBLE ’ S S TORY

D r. Don L . Da v i s

B2-630

T h e U r b a n M i n i s t r y I n s t i t u t e , a m i n i s t r y o f W o r l d I m p a c t , I n c .

© 2008, 2012. The Urban Ministry Institute. All Rights Reserved. Copying, redistribution and/or sale of these materials, or any unauthorized transmission, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher is prohibited. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to:

The Urban Ministry Institute 3701 E. 13th Street Wichita, KS 67208

The Urban Ministry Institute is a ministry of World Impact, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bible, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All Rights Reserved.

Contents

About the Author

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Preface

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Chapter 1 The Way of the Rabbi

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1

Chapter 2 Hidden Treasure

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2

49

Chapter 3 New Beginnings in Christ, Series 1

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Chapter 4 From Before to Beyond Time, Series 2

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Chapter 5 Living the Christ Life, Series 3

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Chapter 6 Growing to Maturity, Series 4

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Appendix

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Bibliography

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About Us

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About the Author

Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis is the Director of The Urban Ministry Institute. He received a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Wheaton College, an M.A. in Systematic Theology from the Wheaton Graduate School, and holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics from the University of Iowa School of Religion. Dr. Davis has taught as professor of religion and theology at a number of colleges and seminaries, including Wheaton College, St. Ambrose University, and the Houston Graduate School of Theology. Since 1975, he has served with World Impact, an interdenominational missions agency dedicated to evangelism, discipleship, and urban church planting among the inner cities of America. A frequent speaker at national conventions and conferences, Don also serves as World Impact’s Vice President of Leadership Development. He is a Staley Lecturer and a member of the American Academy of Religion. Over the years Dr. Davis has authored numerous curricula, courses, and materials designed to equip pastors, church planters, and Christian workers for effective ministry in urban settings, including the Capstone Curriculum, The Urban Ministry Institute’s comprehensive sixteen-module seminary-level curriculum designed specifically for developing urban church leaders.

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Preface

The Urban Ministry Institute is a research and leadership development center for World Impact, an interdenominational Christian missions organization dedicated to evangelism and church planting in the inner cities of America. Founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1995, the Institute (TUMI) has sponsored courses, workshops, and leadership training events locally for urban leaders since 1996. We have recorded and reformatted many of these resources over the years, and are now making them available to others who are equipping leaders for the urban church. Our Foundations for Ministry Series represents a significant portion of our on-site training offered to students locally here in Wichita. We are thankful and excited that these materials can now be made available to you. We are confident that you can grow tremendously as you study God’s Word and relate its message of justice and grace to your life and ministry. For your personal benefit, we have included our traditional classroom materials with their corresponding audio recordings of each class session, placing them into a self-study format. We have included extra space in the actual printed materials in order that you may add notes and comments as you listen to the recordings. This will prove helpful as you explore these ideas and topics further. Remember, the teaching in these sessions was actually given in class and workshop settings at our Hope School of Ministry. This means that, although the workbooks were created for students to follow along and interact with the recordings, some differences may be present. As you engage the material, therefore, please keep in mind that the page numbers on the recordings do not correspond to those in the workbook. Our earnest prayer is that this Foundations for Ministry Series course will prove to be both a blessing and an encouragement to you in your walk with and ministry for Christ. May the Lord so use this course to deepen your knowledge of his Word, in order that you may be outfitted and equipped to complete the task he has for you in kingdom ministry!

Without question, the most important resource in the development of Christian discipleship and pastoral leadership is a mastery of the

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sacred Scriptures. The Apostle Paul asserted that not only were the Scriptures “breathed out” by God (making them utterly unique to all other literature), but that they were “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3.16b-17, ESV). A mastery of the Bible and its message is critical to every phase of effective urban ministry, and the ability to help others master the Bible is essential to preparing the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4.12). It is sad to say, but most of our exposure to the Bible is in little bits and pieces, a story here, a proverb there, a lesson here, a sermon there. Many in our churches can participate for years in our weekly worship, Bible studies, Sunday School classes, and discipleship relationships and still not really have a clear understanding of the overall scope of the biblical Story. This resource is deliberately designed to help new and growing believers to master the outline and contents of the Bible. Truly, to get and keep the big picture of Scripture is to be set on a strong foothold, for personal worship, for biblical theology, for spiritual formation, and for witnessing to others. Once you become familiar with the overall storyline, you can then understand the various sections and parts, the issues and concepts, the flow and structure of God’s Word. Such a knowledge will ensure that you never waste your intake of the Bible; you will be able to strengthen your walk with God, understand the context of sermons and studies you encounter, and be better able to train and equip others so they, too, can grasp and appreciate the broad horizon of God’s saving action in Jesus – from creation, to the Incarnation, to the re-creation of all things at his coming. Convinced that Scripture memorization is one of the most efficient and effective means of Bible mastery, this workshop will focus on developing this discipline in the lives of believers from new converts to Christian leaders. This workshop is specifically designed to help the developing urban disciple and Christian leader to master the Bible through Scripture memorization, with the goal of training others to grow to maturity in Christ through daily meditation and understanding of the Bible’s history, key doctrines, and promises.

The course highlights TUMI’s Master the Bible System , a four-series Scripture memorization regimen which includes both audio and

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video resources. Based on selected texts from the English Standard Version (ESV), the program titles include:

• New Beginnings in Christ: Foundations of the Faith • From Before to Beyond Time: Understanding the Story of God • Living the Christ Life: Participating in Jesus’ Story • Growing to Maturity: The Measure of Christ’s Fullness This workshop will concentrate on how to use the system effectively to master the outline and contents of Scripture. It will highlight all the essential skills needed to memorize and retain a thorough knowl edge of Scripture through disciplined, programmed memorization of biblical verses according to themes and topics. We will also include issues of translation, hermeneutics, Bible history, and the story of God culminating in Christ. This thorough program will enable each student to know and meditate on the foundational truths of the Faith, the Bible’s fundamental content and theology in Christ, providing a simple, effective method to gain mastery of the Bible’s contents in outline format, section by section, and book by book. As a result of taking this course, each student should be able to: • Begin a comprehensive, efficient, and effective program of Scripture memorization designed to help you to master the key themes of the Bible. • Understand and recall the elements of Jesus’ ministry as our Rabbi and Teacher, and respond obediently to his call to discipleship. • Describe the role of the Holy Spirit in helping us understand the Word of God. word-perfectly, in association with particular themes and ideas, noting the various pitfalls that undermine our ability to memorize the Word effectively. • Recite the ways to memorize the Scriptures effectively and efficiently, with a focus on learning how to continue to memorize and review to keep all Scriptures that have been hidden in the heart. • Learn the rationale behind the Master the Bible System, including a knowledge of each series’ key rationale and major elements in the Scripture memorization program. • Understand both the value of memorizing Scripture

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• Become able to defend the truth that Christ is both the foundation and centrality of a growing Christian’s life, and demonstrate from the Bible how that occurs. • Understand the various elements of God’s Story as outlined in Scripture, i.e., the biblical time line of God’s salvation history in the work of Jesus Christ. • Show how the New Testament outlines the life and ministry of Christ, and how the Church practices and celebrates that life and work through the Church Year. • Understand and embrace God’s commitment to his children, that they mature in Jesus Christ, grow to full maturity, and make disciples of others as the Spirit leads. One of the greatest gifts of the Lord to his Church is his excellent Word. It is inspired and breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3.15-17), forever settled in heaven (Ps. 119.89), and its testimony cannot be broken (John 10.35). It is sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4.12-13), and is more to be desired than much fine gold, and is sweeter than the honeycomb (Ps. 19.10). Beyond question, the Scriptures supply strength, illumination, and insight into the person of God in Christ, and provides strength and wisdom as we flesh out what it means to live as disciples of the Kingdom. Our sincere desire is that as you gain greater skill and depth into the Word of God that the Spirit will both enrich and empower your life in such as way as to please our Lord. Hearing and keeping Christ’s Word is the key to being set free (John 8.31-32), and so may the Lord grant you his freedom and power as you master the written Word of God.

Convinced of the power of God’s living Word, Don Davis

Assignments and Grading For our TUMI satellites, all course-relevant materials are located at www.tumi.org/foundations . Each course or workshop has assigned textbooks which are read and discussed throughout the class. We maintain our official Foundations for Ministry Series required textbook list at www.tumi.org/foundationsbooks .

For more information, please contact us at foundations@tumi.org .

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Explanation of the Symbols Used in This Book In order to make your journey through the memorized Word as helpful as possible, we have adopted a sailing theme. Navigating through the waters of the Word is a task that demands wisdom and patience. You will encounter amazing truths and heart-stirring prophecies, majestic poetry and life-changing stories as you walk through the Story of God. All who commit themselves to an in depth study and meditation of the Word of God are in for one fantastic voyage! Adopting some of the navigational and nautical tools used in actual sailing, we have provided you with symbols designed to help you understand what each chapter section seeks to convey. Each chapter is a stage of the overall journey, and these symbols will help you chart a course through them. Objectives Before radar and other technologies existed, sea captains kept a crew member stationed in the crow’s nest atop their ship’s mainmast. This high lookout point offered the best position for spotting approaching hazards, other ships, and of course, land. Our lookout announces the main goals of each chapter, providing a clear listing of what the chapter seeks to help you know, feel, and do. Overview A compass allows the navigator to get their bearings and find out which direction they need to take for their journey. The compass, therefore, indicates in a few sentences what direction you will be taking in a particular chapter of the MTB system. Contact When someone uses a sextant, they focus on a certain object at a particular time in order to establish their position. Our contacts are points of intersection, stories or situations which serve as reference points, real-life circumstances that introduce the teaching content of the chapter. Content The helm, or steering wheel, of a ship allows a captain to navigate his ship safely from one point to another. The content of each chap ter will provide you with the overall definitions, concepts, truths, and implications of that chapter’s key ideas and biblical teaching.

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Summary Every captain keeps a logbook for the duration of the voyage. This daily record may include distance traveled, weather conditions, crew morale, or stops at any ports. This information is essential to have in the event of a disaster. The summary is designed to in a few, brief statements provide you with the meaning of the main points of the chapter’s content. Case Studies Case Studies give students a chance to look out, as though through a porthole, on a new situation and decide what to do in light of what they have learned in the chapter. Case studies will challenge you to probe the implications of the chapter in real-life contexts. Insights Each chapter will list a few guiding principles: main ideas you should hold on to. These truths are akin to the life-buoys that can keep you afloat during times of troubled seas! Connection The connection section encourages students to examine the implications of what they have just learned and begin to apply these things in their lives. Link the truths of the Word of God to the specific situations you face, connecting them to the challenges and opportunities you face. Conclusion At the end of a chapter, as in a voyage, we drop anchor and bring everything to a close. This represents the “last word” of the chapter – the message we should take away from our discussion, meditation, and study. Looking Ahead Every sailor who loves the sea looks forward to the next leg of the voyage. This section provides a brief look ahead to the next phase of our learning.

Chapter 1 The Way of the Rabbi

Objectives Welcome to Chapter 1, The Way of the Rabbi ! This study will focus on understanding Jesus as our Rabbi and Teacher, and how we ought to learn from and follow him as our Master today. After your reading, study, discussion, and application of the materials in this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand Jesus as our Rabbi and Teacher, and respond obediently to his call to discipleship.

• Recall the elements of Jesus’ ministry as our Teacher, and the role of the Holy Spirit in helping us understand the Word of God. • Affirm the importance of knowing God and walking with him in order to comprehend and master the message of the Scripture.

• Accept the power of Scripture memorization as the central means of continuing and abiding in the Word of Christ.

• Commit to a consistent program of Scripture memorization as a sign of your own discipleship in Christ.

Overview This lesson concentrates on our need to understand the ancient practice of the rabbi and his disciples. This is the method of that period which Jesus used to equip and establish his own disciples during his earthly ministry. We will also see that this is the method the apostles employed to raise up a generation of leaders who contended for the faith and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world. This way of the rabbi is the school of dis cipleship that Jesus calls his followers today to enter into and to walk.

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Contact

“How can we be disciples of Jesus today?” In a small group Bible study on discipleship, one of the group members asks, “Doesn’t all of this talk on discipleship belong to the first century Christians only? After all, we don’t walk the dusty streets of Palestine with Jesus, and since his death and resurrection, he has founded his Church. As members of his Church, how can we be disciples of Jesus, too?” How would you answer the question of the group member? Are we still to strive to live as disciples of Jesus, or was that call limited to the apostles and disciples of Jesus’ own time? In discussing their pastor’s sermon last week, two friends from church debated the idea of Jesus as our “Rabbi.” The first friend had this to say about Jesus as our Teacher: “Sure, the Bible says that Jesus is our Teacher and Lord, and during his earthly ministry he was called a rabbi. But, today, Jesus is the exalted Lord of all. No longer does he walk the roads of Judea calling men and women to follow him. Now, he calls us to believe in him, and join his people – that is what we’re called to do.” The friend disagreed. “I disagree. Jesus continues to be the Rabbi for his people. He is our Teacher, and he personally calls each person to repent from their sins, and to follow him. While we should commit ourselves to the body of Christ, we cannot miss the importance of each Christian living as a follower of Christ, called by him, and obeying his teachings, just like the first disciples did long ago.” What do you think about the positions of the two friends? Are they both correct, and if so, how so? In what way does Jesus still call us to obey him as his disciples and followers today? If differences exist between our call and the first disciples, what are they, and how ought we to view our role today as his disciples? “Is the Bible an impossible book to understand?” In a conversation about studying the Scripture, one believer laments that in spite of being a Christian for more than ten years, and in spite of all their effort, they still don’t understand the Bible. “I’ve tried through-the-Bible programs, attended a number of seminars and classes on the Bible, and even have taken in a course at the local Bible school. But, after all my effort, I still feel that the “What is the relationship between discipleship and church membership?”

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Bible is a closed book to me. How can I get a grasp of the basic outline and content of the Bible in such a way that it doesn’t continue to be so hard for me to understand?” What would you say to this inquirer? How can we best understand what the Scriptures are about, and what is the approach to use to understand them?

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Content

I. Jesus of Nazareth Is Our Rabbi and Teacher.

A. He was called the Teacher by his followers.

1. Nicodemus, John 3.2

2. Nathanael, John 1.49

3. Mary Magdalene, John 20.16

4. Martha, John 11.28

5. He referred to himself as the Teacher , or Rabbi , John 13.13.

6. He is our Rabbi and Teacher exclusively, Matt. 23.8-10.

B. He taught the Word of God.

1. He taught his disciples privately, Matt. 5.1-2.

2. He taught the multitudes, Mark 6.34.

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3. He taught daily in the Temple, Luke 19.47.

4. He taught the Word of God, and himself as its subject and theme, Luke 24.27.

5. He claimed that his teaching was from the Father himself and not merely his own.

a. John 7.16 – So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.”

b. John 8.28 – So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.”

c. John 12.49-50 – For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment – what to say and what to speak. [50] And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.

C. He preached God’s kingdom plan.

1. He claimed that he had come for the purpose of preaching the Good News, Luke 4.43.

2. He preached the Gospel of God’s Kingdom throughout Galilee, Matt. 4.23.

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3. He preached in the synagogues of the people, and confirmed his word with exorcisms of demons, Mark 1.38-39.

4. He preached God’s message of hope to the poor, Luke 7.22.

5. He both taught and preached in public, and often in the Temple, Luke 20.1.

D. He spoke as God’s prophet on the way of salvation.

1. He is the prophet that Moses foretold who would lead the people into Yahweh’s will, Deut. 18.18-19.

2. He was recognized as a prophet “mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,” Luke 24.19.

3. Christ’s miracles confirmed his identity as the Prophet God would bring into the world, John 6.14.

II. Jesus of Nazareth, Their Rabbi and Ours

Like the rabbis of his day, Jesus drew to himself disciples, whom he personally taught and commissioned to teach others.

During the Golden Age of Greece the young Plato could be seen strolling through the streets of Athens in pursuit of his master: the shabby, barefoot and brilliant Socrates. Here, probably, was the beginning of discipleship. Socrates wrote no books. His students listened intently to every word he spoke and watched everything he did in preparation to teach others. Apparently the system worked; Plato later founded the Academy, where philosophy and science continued to be taught for 900 years. Jesus used a similar relationship with the men He trained in order to spread the kingdom of God. His disciples were with Him day and night for three years. They listened to His sermons and memorized

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His teachings. They saw Him live the life He taught. Then, after His ascension, the disciples entrusted the words of Christ to others and encouraged them to adopt His life-style and obey His teaching. A disciple is a student who memorizes the words, actions and lifestyle of his teacher in preparation to teach others.

~ Dr. Keith Phillips. The Making of a Disciple . Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981. p. 15.

A. He represented the will of God, and kept and taught the Law among the people of God.

1. Leadership for Rabbi Jesus meant representing his Father; it was speaking on behalf of and in sync with the wishes and will of his Father, Luke 10.16.

2. Christ the Rabbi simply taught God’s plan through the Scriptures, and represented the Father’s will and interests in all he said and did.

a. To believe in him is to believe in the Father who sent him, John 12.44.

b. To reject Christ is to reject the Father, John 12.48.

c. To receive the one he sent is to receive Christ himself, and to receive Christ is to receive the Father, John 13.20.

3. “Since all knowledge of the law was strictly traditional, a pupil had only two duties: one was to commit everything faithfully to memory, and the other was never to teach anything otherwise than that which had been delivered to him. The rabbis had a saying that the ideal pupil was like a limed (that is, a concrete) cistern, which never loses a drop of water that is put into it. The obligation of the pupil to reproduce to the next generation exactly

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what his master had taught him extended not only to ideas but even to the manner of expression and the choice of words. In fact, among the more strict groups, such as the Essenes, the pupil took an oath ‘to impart to no one a knowledge of the doctrines in a different manner from which he received them himself’” (Bruce Manning Metzger, The New Testament . Abingdon: Nashville, 1965, pp. 50-51). 4. Unlike the scribes who debated and enforced the “tradition of the elders,” (cf. Matt. 15.2; Mark 7.3, 5), Jesus represented his Father, teaching as one who had authority himself, and not as the scribes, Matt. 7.28-29 – And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, [29] for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

5. He was faithful to the covenant, as both son of Abraham and son of David, Matt. 1.1.

6. He taught the Shema, and summarized God’s Law in the love God/love neighbor commandment, Matt. 22.35-40.

7. In the same way that Jesus represented God’s will and interpreted the Law for the people of God, so today he through the Spirit and the Word interprets God’s will for us in light of his mission and work.

a. On five occasions Jesus claimed that he himself was the theme of the entire OT Scriptures (cf. Matt. 5.17; Luke 24.27, 44; John 5.39-40; Heb. 10.7).

b. To misread God’s message in Christ is to miss God’s entire offer of salvation, 1 John 5.11-13 – And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have

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life. [13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life (cf. 1 John 2.23-24; 2 John 1.9).

B. He called disciples to himself, who identified with and followed him as Master and Teacher.

1. He selected his followers; they did not choose him, John 15.16.

2. He called them from their vocations, lifestyles, and backgrounds, i.e., Peter, James, and John, Matt. 4.18-22.

3. He called people to follow him at great cost and sacrifice, Matt. 8.22.

4. His call involved counting the cost of following him, Luke 14.26-27.

5. He claimed that nothing on earth can be compared to his call, Matt. 16.24-26.

6. Jesus promised that his disciples would be treated in the same way as he himself was treated, Matt. 10.24-25.

7. His call was at times ignored or refused (i.e., the rich young ruler), Matt. 19.21.

8. He promised God’s favor on the one who so followed him, John 12.26.

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9. As Jesus called his first disciples to himself who followed him as Master and Teacher, so today he calls us to follow him as Lord.

a. He calls for an allegiance above family and kin, Matt. 10.34-39 – “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. [35] For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. [36] And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. [37] Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. b. He calls for self-death, a voluntary emptying of oneself, even as he himself did for us, Matt. 10.38-39 – And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. [39] Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

C. He focused on the Scriptures as the content of his teaching.

1. From memory our Lord quoted the Scriptures during times of temptation and spiritual warfare, Matt. 4.4, 7, 10.

2. He answered his detractors with quotes from the Scriptures, e.g., Matt. 21.42.

3. Despite the claims of the Pharisees and the scribes to the contrary, Jesus did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it, Matt. 5.17-19.

4. He confirmed the Bible’s inspiration and truthfulness, affirming the reality of many OT characters.

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a. Adam and Eve (Matt. 19.4)

b. Abel’s murder (Matt. 23.35)

c. Noah and the flood (Luke 17.27)

d. Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17.29)

e. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Luke 13.28)

f. Moses and the burning bush (Luke 20.37)

g. Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Matt. 12.3-4)

h. David and the Tabernacle (Matt. 12.42)

i. Daniel the prophet (Matt. 24.15)

5. He attested to the Bible’s historical accuracy, verifying the miraculous nature of OT events.

a. The flood (Luke 17.27)

b. Lot’s wife being crystallized (Luke 17.32)

c. The burning bush before Moses (Luke 20.37)

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d. The healing of the Israelites from the fiery serpents (John 3.14)

e. Manna from heaven (John 6.49)

f. Naaman the leper’s healing (Luke 4.26)

g. God’s provision for Elijah and the widow (Luke 4.25)

h. Jonah’s preservation in the great fish (Matt. 12.41)

6. For Rabbi Jesus, the Word of God (i.e., the Scriptures) was inspired; it could not be broken or fall.

a. It cannot be broken, John 10.35 – If he called them gods to whom the word of God came – and Scripture cannot be broken.

b. All things prophesied concerning him were fulfilled in the Scriptures, Luke 24.44 – Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

7. As Jesus concentrated on teaching and preaching God’s Word, so today he calls us to rightly divide the Scriptures as our primary means of growing in the knowledge of him.

a. The Scriptures are inspired by God and profitable to equip and empower the Christian for every good deed, 2 Tim. 3.16-17.

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b. We are to engage the Scriptures as a workman does his work, handling the Scriptures accurately and appropriately, 2 Tim. 2.15.

D. He reflected in dialogue with his disciples on its meaning.

1. Jesus’ disciples were not necessarily educated, but they were endowed – given the opportunity to witness firsthand the life and acts of the Lord.

2. “After studying oral Torah, a student might choose to study advanced scriptural interpretation and juridical learning, along with subjects like astronomy, math ematics, and mystical speculation. At this level it was common for students to become disciples of some great scholar. The NT represents Jesus as such a scholar teacher surrounded by disciples, although it is doubtful whether Jesus’ disciples had the academic qualifications that other great teachers would have expected” (D. N. Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary [2:316]. New York: Doubleday, [1996, c1992], p. 316).

3. Jesus selected his disciples to be his witnesses, and he equipped them in the meaning and implication of the things they witnessed.

a. The standard of apostleship was presence from John the Baptist to the ascension, Acts 1.21-22.

b. They actually ate and drank with the risen Messiah after his resurrection, Acts 10.40-41.

c. They wrote of their personal experiences after the Lord had ascended, e.g., the Transfiguration, 2 Pet. 1.17-18.

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4. He intentionally taught his disciples specifically his most intimate thoughts and teachings.

a. Luke 8.10 – he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”

b. Matt. 13.16-17 – But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. [17] Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

5. Conversely, Jesus taught the crowds in the form of parables, Matt. 13.10-13.

6. He interpreted the parables privately to his disciples, Matt. 13.10ff.

7. “Among the more mature students the scribe would introduce several legal questions for discussion. At the close of the discussion, during which previous decisions by earlier scribes were cited, the teacher would sum up his doctrine in a crisp aphorism [proverb]. This material in turn became part of the oral tradition that was trans mitted to succeeding generations of students” (Metzger, The New Testament , p. 50).

8. Although Jesus taught with authority (i.e., not simply quoting past scribes or rabbis), he followed the custom by discussing with his disciples the implications of his teaching.

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a. He questioned them on what others thought of him, and who they thought he was, Matt. 16.13-17.

b. He dialogued with them about the circumstances surrounding the end of days, cf. Matt. 24.3ff.; Mark 13.14-14; Luke 21.5-7.

9. As Jesus reflected in dialogue with his disciples, so God has given us pastors and teachers to make the meaning of the Word of God plain to us.

a. He has given gifted people to the Church to aid us in our growth, Eph. 4.11-13.

b. We are to honor those who labor among us in the Word in their preaching and teaching ministries, 1 Tim. 5.17.

E. He challenged his disciples to continue in and abide in his Word.

1. He claimed that discipleship depended on continuing in his Word, John 8.31-32.

2. He commanded his disciples to hide his Word in their hearts, i.e., to let his Word abide in them, John 15.7-8.

3. The method of teaching for the rabbis, including Rabbi Jesus, was Scripture memorization: “The method [of training] was by the indefatigable exercise of the memory. The object was that the pupil should learn with accuracy the entire matter, with its thousands upon thousands of minutiae. To accomplish this end the teacher was obliged to repeat the material again and again to his pupils. Hence in rabbinic terminology

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“to repeat” ( shanah ) meant also “to teach” (Metzger, The New Testament , p. 50).

4. Jesus differed in his teaching methods from his contemporaries in that he did not merely quote earlier scribes for proof, he taught “as one who had authority” himself, Matt. 7.28.

5. To love him is to obey his Word and to keep his commandments, John 14.21.

6. As Jesus’ first disciples were challenged to continue in and abide in his Word, so we today are commanded to let his Word dwell richly in us.

a. Like newborn babies we are to desire the pure milk of the Word that we might grow through it, 1 Pet. 2.2.

b. The Word of Christ should dwell richly in our hearts, Col. 3.16.

F. He commissioned them to reproduce his Word to the ends of the earth.

1. “Christian discipleship is a teacher-student relationship, based on the model of Christ and his disciples, in which the teacher reproduces the fullness of life he has in Christ in the student so well, that the student is able to train others to teach others” (Dr. Keith Phillips, The Making of a Disciple , Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1981, p. 15).

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2. Jesus promised to the disciples the Holy Spirit who would bring all the teachings and events to their remembrance as they journeyed as Christ’s witnesses.

a. The promised Spirit would dwell in them, John 14.16-18.

b. The Spirit would bring all things to their remembrance, John 14.26.

c. The Holy Spirit would bear witness about Christ, John 15.26.

d. The Spirit would guide his disciples into all truth, John 16.13.

3. The Great Commission is to go and make disciples, baptizing them in God’s name, and teaching them to obey all that God commanded them to do, Matt. 28.18-20.

4. After their training, they were commissioned to go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the nations, Mark 16.15-16.

5. Christ asked them to remain in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes to them in power, Acts 1.8.

6. As witnesses of Christ’s teaching, life, death, and resurrection, they would be the ones through whom God would make known the Gospel of the Kingdom, Luke 24.46-48.

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7. As he commissioned his first disciples to reproduce his Word to the ends of the earth, so we today are challenged to share his Word with our families, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances.

a. Be ready always to give to others a reason of the hope you have, 1 Pet. 3.15.

b. The things we have heard are to be treasured, and then passed on to other faithful disciples who can teach others also, 2 Tim. 2.2.

Summary In order to master the Bible, we must be taught by Rabbi Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit. As he was with his first disciples, so our risen Lord can equip us today in a deep, rich understanding of the Scriptures. As the Teacher, he represented the will of God, and kept and taught the Law among the people of God. He called disciples to himself, who identified with and followed him as Master and Teacher, and he taught them the Scriptures, which served as his content. He dialogued with his disciples on the meaning of the Scriptures, and challenged his disciples to continue in and abide in his Word. Fully trained by him, he then commissioned his disciples to share his Word with the nations, to the ends of the earth. This same process he is reproducing today–calling disciples, equipping them in the Scriptures, and commissioning them to share the Good News where they live and work.

Case Studies

“I don’t think we are called to discipleship like them!” In a youth rally where one speaker talked about the need for us to respond to Jesus as Lord, even as the first disciples did, one student in the youth group suggested, “I heard what the speaker said and everything, but honestly, I just don’t see that kind of language in the epistles that the apostles wrote. As a matter of fact, much of the language of discipleship seems limited to when our Lord was alive

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on earth. Once he rose and ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit, and the language of spiritual formation changed to “growth,” “maturity,” and “completion.” That doesn’t sound like the Gospels! I’m kinda confused now. Do we have to be disciples like them, or not? And where does the Church fit in, too?” How would you answer the youth’s questions and confusion? “It’s a good idea, but I just can’t seem to get Scripture to stick!” In an adult Sunday School class, a warm-hearted, growing senior responded to a challenge to memorize Scripture with the following statement: “I like what I heard today about Jesus being our Teacher, and I see how he trained his disciples through experience and memorization of the Word. But, to tell you the truth, I just don’t think I can memorize Scripture. I’m getting up in years, and I’ve lost some capacity to recall things. I’ve tried for years to memorize, but I just can’t seem to make them stay put – they don’t seem to stick. I’d hate to say that somebody can’t memorize Scripture, but I just might be somebody who can’t. What should I do?” How would you respond to their ideas and questions? “I’ve got the Spirit, and I don’t want or need any rabbi!” On discussing the need for the ongoing teaching ministry of Christ today through the Holy Spirit, one eager Bible student made a big claim. “I read in 1 John 2.27 that as a believer I have received an anointing (which I believe is the Holy Spirit), and its says, quote: ‘But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anoint ing teaches you about everything–and is true and is no lie, just as it has taught you – abide in him.’ Maybe I’m not reading this right, but this says that the anointing I’ve received is sufficient. I don’t need any human teachers of any kind. The anointing will teach me, and all I need to do is abide in him. That’s Scripture, and that’s enough for me!” Do you agree with this student’s interpretation of the text? What role ought others play in our reading and understanding of the Bible?

Insights Christian discipleship today is based on the model of Christ and his apostles; Jesus continues to call people to follow him, remain in his Word, and obey his commands as Lord.

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• To master the Bible, we must walk in the way of the Rabbi Jesus, and be tutored in the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit in the context of the Church. Jesus alone verifies, interprets, and fulfills the true meaning of the Scriptures. • We can learn and master the Scriptures if we are committed to a disciplined, prayerful memorization of God’s Word coupled with a commitment to believe its promises, obey its commands, and hold on to its truths. Connection Jesus of Nazareth continues to be our Rabbi and Teacher. Knowing that he continues to call men and women to be his disciples, it is important to make certain that we indeed belong to him, and have determined by faith and obedience to follow him as he leads (John 12.24-26). Meditate on the following questions, and pray to God for ways to connect the truths you’ve learned to your own life and spiritual journey. • Have I repented of my sin and asked God to forgive me because of Jesus’ death for me on the Cross? Have I person ally asked Jesus to save me from the penalty of my sin as one who has broken God’s law, and deserves his righteous punishment? (Rom. 3.23, 5.8) • Have I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead? (Rom. 10.9-10) • Have I taken up my Cross and made a commitment to follow Jesus as my Teacher and Lord? Have I made myself unconditionally available to him to do what he asks, no matter what? (Luke 14.26-33) • Have I believed in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and am I trusting him to do in and through me whatever he must? Am I relying on the Holy Spirit to help me live the Christian life day by day? (John 20.30-31; Rom. 8.1-4) • Am I committed to continuing in and abiding in his Word, to being taught by his Spirit, so I can bear much fruit and bring glory to God? (John 8.31-32, 15.7)

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Conclusion As Lord and Master, Jesus continues to call and commission disciples to continue in his Word in order that we might be and bear witness to him wherever he sends us. The condition of discipleship is the same today as it was in the days of the apostles. “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8.31-32). Looking Ahead The Scriptures hidden in the heart of Christ’s disciple are a hidden treasure – they protect us from sin, serve as a formidable weapon during times of struggle and temptation, and provide comfort and counsel for the troubled soul. In our next chapter we’ll discover the secret of disciplined memorization of the Word of God, and how that memorized Word can transform our lives – to the glory of God!

Chapter 2 Hidden Treasure

Objectives Welcome to Chapter 2, Hidden Treasure ! This study outlines the transforming power of the memorized Word in the life of growing disciples of Christ, and challenges us to rediscover new ways in which Scripture memorization can enrich every facet of our Christian lives. After your reading, study, discussion, and application of the materials in this chapter, you will be able to: • Understand both the importance and value of Scripture memorization, and its power to transform our lives when combined with the other biblical disciplines, especially meditation. • Be able to defend the need to memorize the Scriptures word-perfectly, and in association with particular themes and ideas. • Recite the ways to memorize the Scriptures effectively and efficiently, with a focus on learning how to continue to memorize and review to keep all Scriptures that have been hidden in the heart.

• Note the various pitfalls that undermine our ability to memorize the Word effectively.

• Map out the major benefits of memorizing and meditating upon the Scriptures.

• Commit to a regular regimen of disciplined Scripture memorization, making it a formative part of your spiritual life.

Overview In this chapter we explore both the importance of Scripture memorization, and its significance in the maturation and ministry of a growing disciple. We will learn some simple yet effective methods of memorizing Scripture, detail some of the major pitfalls

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of being undisciplined in our minds and spirits, and finally, we will touch on a few of the great benefits that comes from hiding the Word in our hearts.

Contact

“There’s no need to memorize. Look at the all wonderful technology today!” After being challenged in a small group on Christian growth to begin a program of Scripture memorization, one of the new Christians protested. “With all due respect, I just don’t get it. Why on earth would anybody memorize anything today? Look at all the wonderful technology available today. I can put an audio copy of the Bible on my iPod! With all the ways that the digital world has changed the way we learn, it doesn’t make sense that we would go back to old-fashioned committing-stuff-to-memory!” What is right and/or wrong with this opinion? “Too much of a good thing . . .” One of the things that discourages many people who begin Scripture memorization programs is that they are intimidated by the long lists of verses to memorize. Staring at a list or column of verses (some references with more than two verses with them!) can easily make the task seem impossible. Why would it not be possible to remember only a few verses, and let those few do all the “heavy lifting” in our Christian life? Is there such a thing as memorizing too many verses? What should be our goal in Scripture memorization: quantity or quality (or both)?

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Content

I. The Power and Importance of Scripture Memorization

A. Our Lord Jesus and his apostles memorized Scripture, and used it often in their sermons and teachings.

1. The temptation of Christ, Matt. 4.1-11

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2. The Pentecost sermon, Acts 2.14-36

3. Stephen’s defense, Acts 7.2-53

B. No other discipline provides us with 100% knowledge of the Scriptures in our hearts, allowing for easy retrieval and use in all other spiritual disciplines.

1. It is a purer discipline: To hide the Word in your heart is to have the very words of God in your consciousness, Deut. 8.3 – And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

2. It is an enriching discipline: It enriches every dimension of our spiritual formation (e.g., our prayer lives, our worship, our meditation and study, our times of solitude and fasting, etc.).

3. It is a transforming discipline: The Word of God can renew our lives and leave us transformed in the process, Rom. 12.1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

C. The memorized Word is God’s hidden treasure that provides us with a ready resource for life, counseling, and ministry.

1. The Word of God itself is compared to fine gold, and its worth more than treasure, Ps. 19.10-11 – More to be