If you were offered a tool that would equip you with a deeper understanding of Scripture, give you greater expressiveness in sermon delivery, and enlarge your capacity to be used by the Holy Spirit, would you be interested?
I am glad to tell you that such a tool does exist, and that it is yours for the taking. The tool is Scripture memorization, and it can add new and exciting possibilities to your ministry.
I was first challenged to memorize Scripture by an evangelist who had memorized the entire New Testament. When I was 14 years old I attended meetings he held. His eyes seemed to focus directly on me as he smilingly challenged the congregation, "Go ahead! Look up these verses in your own Bible! See if I misquote anything!" I gazed in awe at his unopened Bible lying on the pulpit, and I accepted his challenge. Scrambling to look up the texts, I waited breathlessly, only to hear him quote each one from memory with amazing accuracy. Need less to say, this made a profound impression on me.
I have not committed the entire New Testament to memory in the 15 years since those meetings. But after memorizing many chapters, I can testify to the new dimensions memorization has added to my ministry.
I know of at least six ways Scripture memorization can enhance your ministry:
1. Increased understanding of Scripture. Repeating a text over and over while you memorize it gives you the opportunity to view its various facets and better understand it.
2. Increased confidence in exposition. As a result of committing Scripture to memory you can enjoy a greater degree of confidence as you wield the "Sword of the Lord" in the pulpit, in Bible studies, and in discussion of biblical topics.
3. More natural expression in reading. Memorized passages allow you the opportunity to use natural expression when you read Scripture aloud.
4. Increased freedom. Reciting texts from memory allows you the freedom to maintain eye contact with your audience while sharing the Word with them. It helps eliminate the feeling of being tied to your notes or Bible.
5. Increased usefulness. Each passage committed to memory provides you greater opportunity to be a more effective tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit in His work to "bring all things to your remembrance" (John 14:26). Often, during a sermon presentation or a Bible study, a memorized passage will flash into your mind and add just the right emphasis to the point you are making.
6. Increased satisfaction. Scripture memorization gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you are fortifying your mind with an arsenal of texts that will be a permanent part of your thought process. Memorized Scripture is a personal possession that can never be taken from you.
How to memorize
Many techniques for speeding up the process of memorization have been set forth in books and magazines. Some of these short cuts include drawing complicated pictures and other gimmicks. I have found these techniques to be of little help in memorizing Scripture.
The most practical way to memorize is simply to read a portion of Scripture several times, one phrase at a time. Then look away and try to repeat it from memory. It would be wise to begin with a chapter or set of verses that interest you. It is always easier to concentrate on something that holds your interest.
I am often tempted to try to digest and memorize too many verses at one time. Keep in mind that memorization is a slow process at best.
Variety is an important key to help you keep working at memorization. By being creative in your approaches to memorization, you won't get as discouraged. If you are the kind of person who likes to get maximum use out of your time, try memorizing as you walk, jog, or do other activities. I memorized the entire Sermon on the Mount while hauling hay bales one summer. A pocket-sized Bible, or a typed 3x5 note card is just the right size to carry in your hand or in a jogging suit pocket.
An important part of the memorization process is reviewing what you've already memorized. You can repeat a memorized verse and then check your Bible to see if you've said it correctly, or you may wish to listen to Scripture cassettes as a review. Probably the most effective way to review is to find someone who will sit down with you and follow along in a Bible while you repeat what you have memorized. This gives you the benefit of immediately being alerted to any mistakes. It also gives you excellent practice for reciting your memorized verses before an audience. And it can benefit your listener as well.
A most important element that you should include in your process of memorization is prayer. A simple prayer for wisdom and guidance each time you memorize allows the Holy Spirit the opportunity to fill the avenues of your mind with understanding and appreciation of what you are learning.
The tool of memorization is hanging in your own workshop. Why not take it down, dust it off, and use it? If you do, you will be entering a most challenging and rewarding phase of your ministry. Your experience will best be described by the words of Jeremiah 15:16, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart."
