Two of John Wesley’s six practices pertain to the scriptures. One is hearing “the Word” preached or read, which indicates doing so in the presence, and at times with the guidance, of others. More on that next week. This week is the practice of “searching the scriptures”—which is more of an individual, private practice. We search the scriptures so we can better understand God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit—and for guidance on how to live our lives. But since the Bible is not (as I have often said) like the owner’s manual for your car, where you can look up in the index what page to look on to know which replacement windshield wiper to get—that means that we do need to actually SEARCH. And it helps to know the whole story—that way we don’t read what Job’s friend Bildad the Shuhite says to Job and say “The Bible says I should do such and such” because if you read the whole story of Job pretty much everything Bildad said was the wrong advice. Searching the scriptures is more of a commitment than a Google search; and it is for purposes beyond just learning stuff so you can win on Jeopardy.
Kevin M. Watson wrote in “A Blueprint for Discipleship, “For Wesley, searching the scriptures meant reading the Bible not just to gain information, but also to be transformed.” These “ordinances of God”, these practices to help our living as followers of Jesus, are about a lifestyle which is in some ways a life change. The process of searching the scriptures is a key piece of this.
Wesley gave six suggestions for reading the scriptures (taken from Charles Yrigoyan’s summary in “John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life”). 1. If possible, set aside a little time both in the morning and the evening to read the Bible. 2. Read a chapter both from the Old Testament and the New Testament. 3. Read with a single purpose—to know the will of God. 4. Look for the connections between what you read and the basics of the Christian faith. 5. Pray for the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you as you read. 6. Resolve to put into practice what God teaches you through your reading and studying.
As our United Methodist Book of Discipline affirms (in its section on theology): “As we open our minds and hearts to the Word of God through the words of human beings inspired by the Holy Spirit, faith is born and nourished, our understanding is deepened, and the possibilities for transforming the world become apparent to us.” We grow in our own faith by searching the scriptures; we are guided to understand better and to live out more fully what God would have us do and how God would have us love, and we discover and are equipped to live out those convictions and commitments in ways that make a difference beyond our own lives. As our McKnight UMC mission statement says, we are to “Love God, Love All People, Impact the World”—and searching the scriptures for insight into how to do that is crucial.
NEW TESTAMENT 2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
GOSPEL John 5:39
39 ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.