____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ January 14, 2001 ____________________________________________________ Are You Illiterate? by Steve Klein That's a funny question, isn't it? If you are reading this it's hardly possible that you could be illiterate, is it? Illiterate generally means ``unable to read or write.'' However there is a sense in which you could be illiterate, even though you are able to read these words. According to Webster's Dictionary, illiterate can also mean ``showing a lack of familiarity or acquaintance with the fundamentals of a particular field of knowledge.'' I guess, by that definition, most of us are illiterate to some degree about some things. There are several fields of knowledge about which I know virtually nothing. And that's ok. For most of us it does not matter that we cannot do calculus, or scientifically classify the bugs in our yard, or explain the social customs of Timbuktu. However it does matter if we cannot do God's will because we are Biblically illiterate. And the sad truth is that many are exactly that. Mind you, the problem is not that people cannot read or do not have access to the Bible. According to a recent Religious News Service article written by David Gibson, the average household in America has three Bibles, and 92% of Americans own at least one copy of the Scriptures. The problem is that people do not know even basic things about the Bible's content. Surveys by Gallup, Barna, and others have shown that fewer than half of Americans can name the first book of the Bible and only one-third (one person out of three) can tell you who delivered the Sermon on the Mount (many named Billy Graham, instead of Jesus). Sixty percent of Americans cannot name half of the Ten Commandments, and 12 percent think Noah's wife was Joan of Arc! Eighty percent of those claiming to be ``born again Christians'' believe that the Bible says, ``God helps them that help themselves.'' At a time when more people can read and write than ever before, what accounts for this extreme degree of Biblical illiteracy? (1) WE DON'T READ. Last month, a Gallup Poll revealed that the number of people who claim to read their Bible ``at least occasionally'' has dropped to 59%, down from 73% in the 1980's. Pollster George Gallup observed, ``We revere the Bible but we don't read it.'' Another survey showed that one reason many people give for not reading the Bible is that they are ``too busy'' or don't have the time. Maybe that's your reason too. Did you ever stop and ask yourself, ``What is so important that it keeps me too busy to read the Bible?'' ``What better use have I found for my time than Bible reading?'' Ephesians 5:16-17 instructs to be ``redeeming the time, because the days are evil. {17} Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.'' (2) WE DON'T SEEK TO UNDERSTAND. It's easy to read without really understanding what you've read. When that happens, you remain ``illiterate.'' Jesus warned that when a person doesn't understand the word, the Devil snatches the word from their hearts (Matthew 13:19). It's like it was never there to begin with. Obviously, every effort must be made to understand what we read. The Ethiopian treasurer gladly accepted Philip's help in understanding the Scripture he was reading (Acts 8:30-31). Let's not be too proud to ask those with knowledge to help us understand the Scriptures, and let's not be too lazy to consult dictionaries or other study helps when we run across words we do not understand. (3) WE DON'T TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT WE READ. Reading just to pass the time or to hurriedly complete a Bible Class lesson will not make a person truly Biblically literate. Someone who reads a work of Shakespeare, but can remember little or nothing of what it was about, is just as ignorant as a person who never read Shakespeare at all. God's word needs to be hidden in our hearts (Psalms 119:11). It should be something we can think about as we lie in bed at night, and talk to others about day by day (Psalm 119:148, 172). (4) WE DON'T LIVE IT BEFORE OTHERS. Most people in the world are not Biblically literate and are not making an effort to become so. All that some will ever know about the Bible is what they see lived out in the lives of those who claim to be following it. As the song says, ``We are the only Bible the careless world will read. We are the sinner's gospel. We are the scoffers' creed; we are the Lord's last message, given in deed and word. What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?'' We are thankful that we live in a time when so many can read and write, and when the Scriptures are so readily available. Our prayer is that more will take advantage of these blessings to become spiritually literate -- acquainted with God's word! ___________________________________________ ``Bible Answers'' by Tom Edwards As we are thinking this day about our need to study God's word to become more literate with it, consider the following that Bob Waldron ran across, which emphasizes even more the need for better familiarizing ourselves with the Scriptures. These are actual answers given by people of various age groups--but especially children. Though you'll probably find most of these humorous, they also cause us to realize the need that many of us have for acquiring a more thorough knowledge of the word of God: ``A deacon is the lowest kind of Christian.'' ``The greatest miracle in the Bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.'' ``Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.'' ``Who was sorry when the prodigal son returned?'' ``The fatted calf.'' ``The tower of Babel was a place where Solomon kept his wives.'' ``Abraham was the father of Lot and had ten wives. One was called Hismale, and the other Hagar. He kept one at home and the other he sent into the desert where she became a pillar of salt in the day-time and a pillow of fire by night.'' ``The Mosaic law was a law compelling people to have their floors laid with colored stones.'' ``Moses died before he reached Canada, but he saw it from a mountain.'' ``Jacob, son of Isaac, stole his brother's birthmark.'' ``Naaman was healed when Jesus told him to bathe in the river Rhine.'' ___________________________________________ Time for the Bible by Tom Edwards Up until a few days ago, I always thought that the phrase ``Bible Trivia'' was an oxymoron--for how can anything in the Bible be considered trivial or very unimportant, when it is a book from God Himself? But now I can use this phrase as a good heading for the following category, in which we will consider man-made additions to the Bible (the verse-numbering and chapter divisions) and calculate estimated times it would take one to read all the Bible. My purpose for this is to show how relatively little time is required to read through all the 66 books of the Scriptures (39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Incidentally, a good mnemonic for remembering the number of books in the Bible is that 3 times 9 equals 27, or that 27 is made up of the factors of 3 and 9. So, if you can remember the number of books for either testament, you should be able to then easily figure out the number of books for the other.) So here's a look at some Bible Trivia: I. There are 31,173 verses in the Bible (23,214 in the OT and 7,959 in the NT). II. There are 1,189 chapters in the Bible (929 in the OT and 260 in the NT). III. The average number of verses per chapter in the Bible is 26.22. IV. Time it takes to read the entire Bible: Reading Speed Required Time 200 wpm 64 hours and 34 minutes 225 wpm 57 hours and 23 minutes 250 wpm 51 hours and 39 minutes 275 wpm 46 hours and 57 minutes 300 wpm 43 hours and 2 minutes 325 wpm 39 hours and 44 minutes 350 wpm 36 hours and 53 minutes Incidentally, 200 to 250 wpm is considered the normal reading rate of 8th grade elementary students. 295 to 325 wpm is high school level, and 325 to 350 wpm is college level. Often, at the start of a new year, Bible readers like to begin a reading through the entire Bible, which will be stretched out for that year. Using the above statistics, we see that the daily average of verses needed to be read would be just 85.35; or the average number of chapters would be only 3.25, which surely isn't many at all. If, however, you would prefer reading 10 chapters a day, you could cover all the Bible in about 119 days--or slightly under 4 months. At that rate, you could read through the entire Bible three times a year! Of course, the Bible is not a book that we should want to merely race through; but, rather one to study thoroughly and meditate upon. 2 Timothy 2:15 exhorts to ``Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth'' (KJV). The NASB begins this verse with ``Be diligent to present yourself approved to God....''; but how could one do that, and rightly divide His word, without studying the Scriptures? Taking time to read the Bible is surely not time lost, out of our life; but, rather, quality time that has been added to it. So let us each strive to be like those noble Bereans whom Paul commended as having ``received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so'' (Acts 17:11). Though an old bumper sticker used to say, ``God said it; I believe it. That settles it,'' we need to realize that the Lord's word is already settled--regardless of whether we believe it or not. Psalm 119:89 reads, ``Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.'' We can, therefore, change the wording in the above mentioned bumper sticker to, ``God said it. That settles it. We'd better believe and obey it.'' Jesus refers to His word as being ``spirit'' and ``life'' (Jn. 6:63); and Peter declares that it is by the word of God, which is described as being ``living and abiding,'' that one is born again (1 Pet. 1:23). God's love is truly perfected in the one who will keep His word (1 Jn. 2:5), and the one who does so shall never die spiritually (Jn. 8:51). The Lord's word is ''...living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart'' (Heb. 4:12). It is ``the power of God for salvation'' (Rom. 1:16) and that which instills faith in the hearers (Rom. 10:17). These are just a few of the numerous Bible verses that speak of God's glorious word. One of the ways we respond to the Lord is by giving our attention to His word. We do this in Bible classes; we do this when hearing gospel preaching in the worship services; and we do this in our own reading of God's message. As Paul exhorted Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:13, ``Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.'' Surely none of us would even doubt that Timothy would not be at every service in order to participate in these things. Paul also points out the importance of it in verse 16: ``Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.'' God's word is the only way to eternal life. And as the apostle gave his farewell to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:32, he said, ``And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.'' No other book can do more for you than the Bible. It can change your life from a sinner to a saint, from a hell-bound soul to one that is heading in the opposite direction to heaven. Yes, there is power in the gospel (Rom. 1:16)--soul-saving and soul-transforming power. Therefore, be sure to take the time to read God's message for you! ___________________________________________ News & Notes A former member where I used to preach in Ashland, Kentucky, Greg Frazier, passed away January 11. He was just 50 years old, had served as a fireman (captain) until his health would no longer permit. He leaves behind a wife, 2 daughters, and a grandchild that will be 3 years old this month. Let us be praying for all the family and friends. John Pitman, also a former member in Ashland, has been having some health problems--much arthritic pain and osteoporosis--the last couple months that have been hindering him from being able to get about. I'm sure he would appreciate our prayers. Welcome visitors! Please come again. ________________________________________ Avondale CHURCH OF CHRIST P.O.Box 421 1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311 (610) 268-2088 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 11:00 A.M. Worship 6:00 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/avondale ________________________________________