Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 110, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1917 — How to Encourage Bible Reading [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

How to Encourage Bible Reading

By REV. HOWARD W.

POPE

Moody Bible Institute, Chicago

TEXT—Preach the preaching that I bid thee.—Jonah «:12. Early in his ministry the writer was led to begin preaching on the books of

the Bible. It came about in this way: Our Sunday school for many years had been giving a concert each month, consisting of the usual readings, recitations and ; singing by the school, and closing with a short address by the pastor. I decided | to substitute for the pastor’s address a brief study of the bopks

of the Bible, beginning with Genesis. 4 tried to give each book a characteristic name, for instance, Genesis is the book of beginning, because it describes the beginning of the universe, the beginning of this world, the beginning of man, the beginning of language, the beginning of the Sabbath, the beginning of sin and the beginning of grace. Without going into the subject in an exhaustive way, I tried to tell the story of creation in a popular style and at the same time to show how the picture accounts compared with the facts of modern science. The temptation and fall of man opened up the subject of origin of sin, and the story shows the effect of sin, not only upon our first parents, but upon the race as a whole, and therefore it has a practical application to everyone. Genesis. As the first two chapters of-Genesis deal with generation, the third chapter takes up the subject of degeneration, and the remainder of the Bible, as someone has said, is devoted to the subject of regeneration. _ _ The story of the flood opens up a new theme of exceeding interest, and Noah’s deliverance is a splendid type of salvation. Babel with its confusion of tongues, suggests Pentecost, where people of all tongues understood God’s message, and the coming day when all God’s peOple shall use the universal language. Thus 4 went on touching the points which had the greatest practical value. Then briefly reviewing the book I called attention to the three principal characters —Adam, Noah and Abraham. From them we can learn three practical lessons. From Adam we can learn to obey God; from Noah to talk to God; from Abraham to trust God. At the close of the service I gave to each persop in the audience a fourpage folder, containing a brief outline of my address, including the principal facts, dates-and outline, together with the Sunday school lessons drawn from the study of the book. 4 asked the people to read the book of Genesis through, and at our next meeting to come prepared to pass an examination upon the outline 4 had given. At the next service I would spend ten or fifteen minutes in questioning the congregation upon the book of Genesis, briefly reviewing what we had gone over before. Then 4 took up the book of Exodus and gase an address on that. r ■

The Results. At once there was a perceptible Increase in the size of the congregation, and in a short time the attendance on the night of the book study was the largest during the whole month. People began to read their Bible more, and to talk about it more, not only during my social calls, but in the midweek service, and young people’s meeting. The young folks especially were eager to get the monthly folder containing the outline Bible study, and if obliged to be absent they were sure to send by someone else to secure a copy. These they stitched together as the months went on, making them into a little book. Fruit of Bible Reading Habit The habit of reading the Bible constantly, however, proved of great value. It kept me full of texts and themes and Scriptural illustrations. I had no trouble; in "finding topics for sermons. My greatest difficulty was to find opportunity to use-the wealth of material which was constantly..accumulating. Moreover in a few months God gave us a season of spiritual refreshing which Increased the church membership about 50 per cent. Gloving to another church later, I began the same method of giving a book study once a month, asking the congregation to read it in advance.. I, began this time with the New Testament, and found the results to be practically the same as before. And again In a few months therefollowed a revival which transformed the church, and added greatly to its usefulness and power. Doubtless I have made as many mistakes and blunders as the average pastor, but as I look back over a long, and happy ministry j can Be ® that “F highest enjoyment and what little service I have been able to render to the cause of Christ, is largsly due to the book studies which I began in nJ] early ministry. j .■ -y