Why take my Bible to church? I never need it." "My pastor doesn't use the Bible; he just tells stories." Adventists speak of being "a people of the Book." But is that only in name?
In a growing number of churches, the Word of God is not heard or referred to as it used to be. In some churches hearing the Bible in any significant way is rare. Even the best of churches would benefit from Scripture being heard more.
In too many of our churches there is a famine for the Word of God, as well-meaning pastors attempt to substitute non-nutritive sermonettes and stories for dynamic biblical preaching. The result is a growing hunger for the Bible.
How can this hunger be satisfied? One way is to stand up and read the Bible! There are ways of preparing for this reading that will make it clearer and more compelling. These techniques are not difficult to learn or to teach.
One does not have to read the Bible as a Shakespearean actor might, with dramatic emphasis and spectacular diction. The truth is, such a reading draws attention to the reader rather than freeing the Holy Spirit to draw the heart to God. We should avoid what I call a "high church" voice or style of reading, usually identifiable through its formality, affectedness, and lack of emotion.
It doesn't really matter if someone has a drawl or a twang to their accent. Bass or soprano doesn't matter! What is ideal is that we disappear so that God's Word is heard as directly as possible. It matters that we believe and feel deeply what we are reading.
Which version?
One of the problems with our present multiplicity of Bible versions is the difficulty of following along when someone reads from Scripture. This was not a problem in Jesus' day, of course, because then one person read and the others listened. Because not everyone could read, it was a treat to listen to a reader.
I find that despite the benefits of the audience or congregation reading along in their own Bible, such reading can distract as one underlines or notices differences between versions. Reading along may keep the mind so busy that the Holy Spirit will be prevented from breaking through to a submissive heart. So, it might not be a bad idea to suggest that people close their Bibles and listen.
I like to read from the New American Standard Bible. I like its accuracy, even though the sentences are often long and complex and thus challenging to communicate. I also like its closeness to the King James Version.
The KJV is beautiful, but the language is not the today's language; it is deliberately stately, much more so, it would seem, than the origi nal Greek or Hebrew. The result is that it is difficult not to read it with a "liturgical" voice. Again, this can detract from the effective communication of the meaning and the Spirit.
The New King James Version is a little better. The Revised Standard Version is accurate, but less graceful than most. The New International Version is perhaps a little less literal than those above, but it reads well in public and its language is both contemporary and dignified. If your primary language is not English, the principles implied in this discussion of versions may be helpful in selecting a version best for your congregation.
Preparation
Preparing to communicate the message of the Bible through reading it aloud is not much different from preparing an expository sermon. One needs to know the text just as thoroughly and may share insights and meaning through pause and emphasis, especially that which grows out of the effect the passage has had or is having upon you as the reader.
Here are five steps to follow when preparing to read the Bible in public:
1. Pray that the Holy Spirit will illuminate the Word, guiding your own soul into truth, helping you to understand the meaning and message of the passage.
2. Read the biblical passages repeatedly until you understand them as completely as possible. Be sure you understand the context and the basic background of the text.
3. Identify difficulties in the pas sage. Note what may be confusing or difficult for you to read in the passage and give extra preparation time to the text with this in mind. Prayer and repetition clarifies what at first seems cloudy or mystifying.
4. Compare your understanding of the biblical chapters you read with what you find in one or two good Bible commentaries or other textual studies.
5. Oral Interpretation. Return to the text and study ways to communicate the meaning simply by the way you read. While reading, a brief explanation of a text may be accept able, but most of the explaining can be done simply by the way one reads.
Reading with meaning
There are two fundamental elements to reading with meaning: (a) Emphasis; that is, accentuating important words or phrases. Sometimes words may be key terms, nouns, or verbs. Sometimes, they may be pronouns or conjunctions such as "and" or "but." The words one accentuates can reveal truths which may other wise elude listeners, (b) Pause. There are almost always words and phrases in the Bible of such importance that listeners need extra time to process them. It is up to the reader to discover where these pauses are needed. Commas, colons, and periods all indicate pauses of different lengths. These punctuations often give a hint as to where pauses may be effective.
It may be useful to photocopy the chapters you plan to read, then mark the accents and pauses. You might highlight in yellow the words you want to accent and place a red slash where a significant pause is needed.
Slow down!
Even if we are called upon to read the Bible publicly without time for preparation, there is one important thing one should remember that by itself can help God's Word live in the minds of the listeners: Slow down.
We tend to read the Bible far too quickly. I tried timing myself while reading aloud from John 18, Isaiah 53, and 1 Corinthians 7. First I tried reading them at the speed they are generally read aloud. I found that my speed varied from 160 to 184 words per minute. Then I read them again, this time at a speed calculated to increase understanding, pausing at appropriate places. This time I read from 102 to 125 words per minute, with the slowest speed coming when I read the poetry in Isaiah.
All this may seem like work, but it certainly is no harder than preparing a good sermon. In it there is genuine blessing and the true work of the Holy Spirit. In it there is power, conviction, and encouragement for the congregation.
