Bible Marking During Evangelistic Preaching

How to mark your bible effectively.

C.L. White, Conference Evangelist, Missouri Conference

The Lord instructed the prophet Habakkuk to "write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an ap­pointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie" (Hab. 2:2-3). Surely, if we as a people upon whom God has laid the responsibility of preaching this last call to this dying world are ever to make our message plain, the "appointed time" is now!

I have long been impressed that it is not more gadgets nor larger budgets that we need, but rather some simple method of reaching the hearts of the people with our wonderful message. A way that will leave a tremendous impact upon them. Certainly we cannot detract from the work of the Holy Spirit in conviction and conversion. However, we have been instructed that we are to be faithful in the use of every talent and agency at our command in the procla­mation of the everlasting gospel to the whole world.

Having geared my entire ministry to­ward evangelism, even when still pastoring, I have used various methods of Bible marking. Normally these have been used as a class after an evangelistic crusade. How­ever, in the past two or three years I have worked out a plan that has revolutionized my preaching and my thinking to some ex­tent. I now use the Bible Marking Plan during every evangelistic sermon.

Using the World Bible, friendship edi­tion, with zipper enclosure, we widely advertise this feature as a gift to those at­tending the crusade. As the people come on the opening night, a hostess greets them inside the auditorium and hands them a Bible. All who are over 11 or in the fifth grade receive one. Even if the budget is small, this can be done, for this method reduces the need for large, expensive advertising. It also tends to build the attendance from the start, and the offerings will almost always more than compensate for the expense of the Bibles.

The first night we explain to them what we are going to do and urge them to pass the word around to their friends. We ex­plain to them that when they have attended ten nights of the crusade the Bibles will be theirs to keep, but if they attend all or most of the nights of the crusade they will have their Bibles so marked that they will be able to find key texts to any major subject they wish.

We then instruct them to turn to the back of the Bible and to mark one of the white sheets in the back as an index page. We tell them each night we will place the subject and the first text of each subject on this page. Care is used to see that the material presented is summarized by from one to three words that will clearly identify it at all times. Let us take a typical sermon and follow it through with our plan.

We will assume that our title for a par­ticular night is "Christ's Covenant With Christians." However, the actual subject is "Law of God." Thus the audience is in­structed to place the words, "Law of God" on the index page, followed by the code letters for that subject which are al­ways the first letters of the key words in the subject; in this case "LG" for "Law of God." Following the subject and the code letters to be used, we then place the loca­tion of the first text of the subject, using page number only. This must be identified as to whether the page is from the Old Testament or the New Testament. The in­dex page then would read as follows: "Law of God—LG-N 20." The individual now knows that the first text in the subject "Law of God" will be found in the New Testament on page 20. We then ask them to turn to page 20 and find the verse or verses we will be using to begin the seimon in just a few minutes. The verses we will use in this case will be found in the second column on page 20 and will begin with verse 16. The audience is asked to place a small LG beside verse 16 so that this text will be identified with this study. Then the number of each verse we will use will be circled. Since our opening text is Matthew 19:16-22, the numbers 16 through 22 are circled. They are then asked to keep their Bible open during the presentation of the special musical number that immediately precedes the sermon. In this way they will be ready to stay with the speaker from the very beginning of his sermon.

I have not found that I need to alter my preaching style, nor do I find the chain reference and the marking a drag on me or the audience. Normally after the opening-night explanations, I find that I need take from three to five minutes of the announce­ment period each night to get the index page marked and the opening text ready for use. I attempt to keep the number of texts actually marked down to around eight for any subject. I may refer to many more, but experience has proved that normally eight texts can be marked and chain refer­enced in any one night without difficulty. Even with audiences of several hundred, we have found almost 100 per cent partici­pation with no problem at all. The chain reference has the distinct advantage that the people are hearing the sermon, mark­ing it in their Bible as it is being preached, and they are easily able to follow the texts through logically later on.

In some crusades I used large cards with the various markings printed on the card. These were shown to the audience as they were to be put in the Bible. However, I have completely discarded this method, for I find that verbal instructions are easily followed and the people are not called to look from the stage to the Bible when marking the Bible.

As the speaker begins his sermon, every Bible is open to the opening text. When it is time to move to the second text, the mem­bers of the audience are instructed to take their pencils and immediately following verse 22 on page 20, they are to put "LG­N 6.- This means that the next text in the study "Law of God" will be found in the New Testament on page 6. Turning to page 6, they are asked to mark verses 17 and 18 near the top of the first column on page 6. Thus we move through the ser­mon logically and smoothly, marking the key texts and leaving the speaker free to refer to other texts not marked as he pre­sents his subject.

My personal experience has led me to find that too much underlining tends to cause an audience to drag along or become lost. Thus we have used the method of drawing a circle around the number of the verses wanted, plus placing the code letter beside the verse. Underlining is used for words or phrases of special emphasis and in­terest.

Since the last text is the closing text, as well as our appeal text, we instruct them to place "END-LG" at the close of the final text of the evening. In this way the individ­ual will know that he has come to the end of his study as he follows the subject through later on.

Two methods have been used to collect the Bibles at the close of the service. The audience is instructed to make sure that the name card is sticking out of the top of the Bible. The pencil is to be in place and the zipper closed to the card. Bibles are handed to the nearest aisle and picked up by ushers. Even with excellent efficiency, this takes an additional five minutes or so. Thus we have followed the plan in the last two crusades of asking the audience to prepare their Bibles as stated above and then have them place them on the tables at the doors as they leave. If more than one exit is available, we suggest a table and a hostess be placed at each exit. This plan works very well.

We have provided some boxes that serve as files for the Bibles. The box, made of light wood, is 30 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. The ends, made of heavier wood, are 10 inches deep. This provides a means of picking up the boxes as well as stacking them, if necessary, for moving. The Bibles are stood on end in alphabetical order, with the rows run­ning the width of the box, making it easy for the hostess to find the Bible. Each night as a person comes he steps to the Bible booth or tables and gives his name. When there are large groups, the boxes are marked with large letters so that the indi­vidual can go to the box that contains the letter under which his name is located and pick up his Bible. As new people come each night, they are given a Bible from a separate box and are instructed by the hostess concerning its marking, et cetera. What a thrill to see the boxes fill as the meetings progress and more and more be­gin to follow the interest of the meetings.

Since we follow the plan of awarding the Bible at the close of ten nights, we watch our attendance record carefully. After a person has attended nine nights, a 4-by­6-inch orange or red card is placed in his Bible in place of the white record card previously used. This also is a record card, but it shows at a glance that this person has earned his Bible by attending the ten nights. Now he is free to take his Bible home and bring it back. However, we en­courage them to leave their Bibles if they think they will forget to bring them back each night. With the red card in the Bible it is always easy to know if the person has actually earned his Bible. Our loss of Bibles with this plan has been almost nonexistent.

We follow the plan of beginning to give a few "extras" to be marked in the front flyleaf after the tenth night. Even when hundreds are attending, we do not lose 5 per cent of our attendance after the tenth night. By this time almost all want to get the entire set of messages marked in their Bible and do not want to miss the "extra" Bible helps we insert along the way.

We have also provided our visitors with one of these Bibles, already fully marked as they visit before the crusade opens and during the early days. In this way the pros­pective interests see the Bible and what they will receive when they come. This has been one of the best methods I have ever found for building and holding a crowd all the way through to the end.

We give out printed sermons at the close of each sermon presented. After a specific number of nights, each one is given a beau­tiful loose-leaf binder in which to put the sermons. Thus when the crusade is over, those who attend regularly have all the ser­mons in print. They have the Bible well marked, and then we provide a complete list of all the Bible markings in print that they may place in their Bible those marks they may have missed along the way.

Bibles that were used only one, two, or three times, we use again later on in the series, telling those who started late that these Bibles have some of the markings they have missed. In this way we use up the majority of Bibles in each crusade. Bi­bles that are left that have from six to eight markings provide an excellent op­portunity to have someone call on that home, suggesting a willingness to drop by once a week and help the interested per­son to finish the markings so that he may keep the Bible. Often laymen are eager to do this, and some good results have been seen from those who otherwise might have been dropped as good interests because they did not attend a sufficient number of meetings.

The Bible Marking Plan meets many specific needs of our day. The people who have listened and marked the messages are left with the impact that these messages are based solely on the Bible. By mark­ing along during the sermon, t7-1e mind is kept captive and not allowed to wander as is often the case when all they have to do is listen or even watch some visual aids. (This plan does not eliminate visual aids but is a great aid to them.) The chain refer­ence allows them to follow the study through again and again in its logical se­quence. Not only has it been heard, it has been read with their own eyes and it has been marked in such a way that they can read it again. The focal point of the preach­ing has not been on the personality of the speaker, but on the Bible which they each hold in their hands. It opens the door log­ically for future Bible studies and follow-up by the pastor. The vision of truth has been made plain, it is written down, and in this great day in which we live, the truth of God will speak and not lie. Yes, the prophecy of Habakkuk is being fulfilled to­day.


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C.L. White, Conference Evangelist, Missouri Conference

March 1964

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