As stated last week, two of John Wesley’s six practices pertain to engaging with the scriptures. Last week we looked at “searching the scriptures”—which is more of an “alone” thing, where we engage with God as an individual. This week is “the ministry of the Word, either read or expounded” which is most often done along with others. Both are important and they complement each other.
The Scriptures for this week point out two ways that the “ministry of the Word” should be done. Both, interestingly, state it in a similar way.
First, the passage from Acts, where the Ethiopian eunuch is reading Isaiah (Old Testament prophet) and encounters Philip, who has been sent to this wilderness road by God’s angel. And the story says, “So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.” (Acts 8:30-31) And so Philip and the man have a Bible study.
Bible study is one the ways that we experience this “ministry of the Word”. In this case, Philip is the one who is “expounding” and guiding as they read Isaiah together. This is a Bible study, not a worship service—although praying together may happen, and singing together is not out of the question, although it isn’t indicated here. We learn and are inspired from reading the Bible together with others, and discussing and learning and being guided by the Holy Spirit in this encounter with the Word and with one another. And we are “guided” by another.
Second, the passage from Romans, where Paul indicates that there does need to be worship, where there does need to be a preacher—particularly at a time when the church is growing and the Gospel is a brand new thing to most people. He writes to the churches in Rome, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? . . . So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:14, 17) The message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the one whom the scriptures proclaim, needs to be preached, since it’s not common knowledge, and people cannot possibly come to believe unless they hear it. And they hearing because another “proclaims”.
I would submit that even if we’ve heard it our whole lives, the living document that is the scriptures can still speak to us in new ways, and hearing it continues to nurture and guide our lives as we give it the opportunity to make that transformational difference. And hearing it together, and studying it together, is an integral part of opening ourselves to that which the Holy Spirit seeks to work within us, equipping us for our life journey of faith and love.
NEW TESTAMENT Romans 10:14, 17
14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?
17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
NEW TESTAMENT Acts 8:26-31
26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ 31 He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
GOSPEL Luke 4:16-21
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’