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

Chapter 2: Hi dden Treasure

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3. In witness and evangelism, Acts 1.8.

a. The example of Stephen, Acts 7

b. The example of Peter, Acts 2

4. In preaching and teaching, 2 Tim. 4.1-2 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: [2] preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Summary The Word of God is to be treasured above fine gold, and the memorized Word of God has the power to transform our lives and equip us for the work of the ministry. Using the outline of the MTB system and the SQ5R method, we can strive to master the Bible by memorizing the Scriptures word-perfectly. In all our efforts, we must strive to honor the Scriptures as God’s Word, keeping them on our hearts, meditating with a mind to obey, and looking for opportunities to teach others. Finally, we must be on the lookout against those tendencies which undermine our Scripture memoriza tion: worldliness, laziness, and selfishness. Only by constantly reminding ourselves of its benefits (i.e., victory over sin, spiritual depth, and readiness for ministry) can we persevere in our worthy attempts to hide God’s Word in our hearts.

Case Studies

“Word perfectly or not at all? That seems extreme!” During the time of Christ, the rabbis and their disciples saw themselves as defenders and protectors of a tradition. As such, they concentrated on memorizing the tradition and its teachings word perfectly, without any error or misstatement. For this purpose, the rabbis repeated their sermons and teachings over and over again, and the disciples would rehearse and review constantly, seeking to