This article is an expansion of a sharing session at a Fellowship last Saturday (8/23/25). It combines the material presented with subsequent insights. This article proposes a method that everyone can follow. As long as we persevere and trust in the absolute sovereignty of the Triune God, He will, at the most opportune time, allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in Bible study. This will fundamentally transform our lives, ultimately leading us to have life and becoming fully conformed to the image of Jesus. We can be certain of this because it is the Bible’s promise.
First, we know that the purpose of Bible study is to have life. This is what the Lord Jesus Himself said: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”(John 5:39-40). Life can only come from the Triune God. Paul made this point very clear: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”(1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Therefore, today, only “Holy Spirit-led Bible study” can “have life.” Although many believe that Bible study by this way “regularly” is impossible, I know it is absolutely possible, because it is a promise in the Bible. It simply does not specify when the Holy Spirit will begin to lead our Bible study. In this and other biblical promises, He is absolutely sovereign, for He fully determines the time of initiation. (Note 1)
We know that the Holy Spirit leads us by opening our eyes. This opening can be a direct work of God, such as Paul’s seeing the great light in the New Testament (see Acts 9:1-9), or it can be through the words of others. For example, after Paul saw the great light, God sent Ananias to tell him something (see Acts 9:10-18). Thus, not all revelation have to be supernatural. In fact, we must have a hearing ear, as said to all seven churches in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 2:1-3:22). There are many such opening-eye examples in the Old Testament as well. (Note 2)
Now let us introduce a method for retaining the words of the Bible in our hearts. The method is simple and can be practiced by anyone who truly desires. Start by reading from the first page of the book of Matthew in the New Testament and continue in sequence to the last page of the book of Revelation. Then, continue to the first page of the book of Genesis in the Old Testament and continue in sequence to the last page of the book of Malachi. This is one reading. Repeat in this manner.
The purpose of this kind of Bible reading is to retain the Bible’s words in your heart. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand something; just read through it. This is better than misinterpreting the Bible, because even if a misinterpretation can be corrected, it takes a lot of time. Each time you read the Bible, you can pray to God to forget past mistakes, starting from scratch each day and building upon past correct readings. In other words, those who are less tainted by false teachings will find this approach easier, and this may be more common with new believers. Because of the repetition, you can certainly start with the Old Testament and then move on to the New Testament. However, for those who haven’t read the Bible once, the New Testament is much easier to read, so starting with the New Testament is recommended.
If you are willing to spend about an hour daily reading the Bible this way, and if you’re guided by the Holy Spirit (unconsciously) from time to time, like the pillar of cloud and fire during the Exodus, you can read the Bible about three times a year. However, remember that committing to an hour daily is not easy. You can start with fifteen minutes and gradually increase to an hour, and of course, more than an hour is also acceptable. Never, just because you know you can read the Bible three times a year, divide the number of chapters you should read in three years by three and then decide to read a fixed number of chapters every day, thus allowing you to read the Bible three times a year. This is a kind of Law-like, self-imposed reading, and it lacks the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It is crucial to retain the words of the Bible in your heart. If the Holy Spirit leads us through the words of the Bible, but we are completely unaware of such words, then all this is in vain. Don’t say the Holy Spirit won’t do this because we don’t know whether He wants to teach us the importance of retaining the words of the Bible.
It is important to emphasize that when we willingly read the Bible in this way, Satan’s servants will not let us off. The closer we draw to God, the more temptations we will face. (Note 3) In this process, you may discover that simply listening isn’t enough; reading is essential. Remember, the ultimate goal of this kind of Bible reading is to “let the Holy Spirit lead you in Bible study” and thus “have life.” If someone tells you it takes at least three years, that’s encouragement. If you see success in five years, be happy. Ten years isn’t much; it may take twenty years or more. (Note 4)
Finally, I want to thank those who sometimes ask me if I want to share. I wonder if you noticed my last answer: “I don’t want to share today.” This is obedience to God. If I said I didn’t think about sharing, I would be lying, acknowledging Satan as my father, because the Bible clearly states, “…the devil (Satan) …Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”(John 8:44). Why is it a lie? Because I hear some discussions that are inconsistent with the Bible, and especially in the translation of the Union Version which is used in the Fellowship. Because they conflict with “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” and thus there are obvious errors, so I really think about sharing. However, based on my past experience with everyone’s reactions, I know that sharing is futile, so it’s better not to say anything. (Note 5) This may be the work of Satan’s servants, or it may be due to a failure to have ears that can hear, as told to all seven churches in the book of Revelation, or both.
I will from now on not share during Bible study for a few years. Please do not ask me if I want to share during these years. This will prevent Satan’s servants from telling me, “Look, God wants you to speak again,” and increase my exposure to temptation. Previously, due to incorrect teaching in another Fellowship, I didn’t speak a word during Bible study for several years. I only spoke during group prayer and the period of afterward snacks. By not sharing during Bible study this time, I am obeying God. I hope I can learn to control my tongue. I won’t share something in vain just because Satan’s servants tell me it will benefit the Fellowship, thereby offering myself up and giving Satan’s servants an opportunity to attack me. You may be happy that you won’t have to hear obvious errors that conflict with your teachings during Bible study for a few years, or you may think that although God is patient, He has issued a warning of “let it be.” (Note 6) I just hope you will make the right decision.
Some might ask, since I don’t talk during Bible study, what’s the point of attending Fellowship? Isn’t it just observing the Law, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”(Hebrews 10:25). This is completely wrong, because I am very busy in Bible study even without sharing. It is due to the fact that I never know when the Holy Spirit will speak through the Scripture or through the mouths of others. “Others” doesn’t just refer to brothers and sisters, but also includes non-believing gospel friends. For example, when a gospel friend asks a question, I think about what the Bible teaches on that issue. Isn’t sharing in group prayer and afterwards refreshments also about encouraging one another? Therefore, I’ll happily attend the weekly meetings as much as possible.
Notes
Note 1: We discussed this promise in detail in the topicwise Bible study “1152 A Practical Method to Have Life,” and shared the link with the Fellowship on August 19, 2025: https://a-christian-voice.com/2025/07/30/1152-a-practical-method-to-have-life-by-whirlwind/. Other promises, such as a prayer with importunity (G335) allows for one time filling with the Holy Spirit, but also do not specify a timeframe. (See Luke 11:5-13)
Note 2: For example, “Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”(2 Kings 6:17). For a partial description of the entire incident, please refer to 2 Kings 6:8-17. Another example, “Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.”(Numbers 22:31). For a partial description of the entire incident, please refer to Numbers 22:1-35.
Note 3: Christians are servants of the Lord Jesus. Let us first look at how Satan treated the Lord. When Jesus was tempted by the devil (Satan) forty days after His baptism, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”(Luke 4:13). At that time, he only left Him temporarily. Later, He “…has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”(Hebrews 4:15). The Bible clearly states, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.”(Matthew 10:24). How can we not face more temptations as we get closer to God? But God will protect us in the midst of temptation. The Bible clearly states, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”(1 Corinthians 10:13)
Note 4: After Paul saw great light, he spent some time to receive revelations. Someone says that he spent about three years in the wilderness although Bible does not clearly say so. We definitely are not better than Paul and from my experience three years are not enough. Moses lived for 120 years, the first 40 years of which he spent in the royal palace in Egypt, and the middle 40 years as a shepherd. By the time he was called, he was already slow of speech and slow of tongue(see Exodus 4:10). After 40 years of shepherding, he would have long forgotten what he had learned in Egypt. It was only during the last 40 years that God called him out to do God’s work. Therefore, the Bible mentions that the person who was the longest in God’s training school was Moses, who was in it for 40 years. We also see that slow work produces fine results, but we won’t be in that situation for that long. It takes us shorter time since we don’t have that much time, thus there’s no need to worry. By the way, God will restore forgotten but necessary knowledge when needed. Didn’t Moses later wrote the Pentateuch?
Note 5: I wouldn’t have reached this conclusion if I hadn’t conducted numerous tests. For example, you’ve seen me mention the original texts used in Strong’s Concordance during Bible studies. People don’t seem to care what the Bible says; they just accept what they believe it says. It’s not that asking questions is wrong; it’s a matter of mindset. Human free will can lead to disregard for facts. Let me give you an example where many people fail to see the errors in the Union Version translation. The Union Version translates John 4:23 this way: “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and honesty (G225); …” This word G225 appears 110 times, 25 of which are in the book of John. Its meaning can be seen in this typical verse: “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth (G225) were realized through Jesus Christ.(John 1:17). How could anyone insist on translating this word as “honesty”? In fact, considering that “what God tells us through the Bible is consistent,” it’s abundantly clear. If someone honestly tells you they worship other gods than Jehovah, would God want such an honest person to worship Him? This is exactly what happened when Peter and John said to them, “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge.”(Acts 4:19). Of course there is no problem in English translation this time since it is clearly translated as “…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; …”(John 4:23) I merely use this example to show that people have free will and can decide whatever they want even by discarding facts.
Note 6: It seems some people are unclear about the concept of “let it be,” so let’s use a real-life example to illustrate. Churches with a prosperity philosophy teach that as long as you believe in the Lord, everything will be prosperous. This teaching is accepted by many, but it is clearly inconsistent with the Bible. The Bible says, “…In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33) God “allows” such a tare-like church to grow. It is clearly stated in this verse, “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”(Matthew 13:29-30) For a description of the entire incident, please see Matthew 13:24-30.
(Verses refer to those in NASB95 unless otherwise specified.)
(You can get all articles in “https://a-christian-voice.com/” under “On spiritual understanding about life.”)
aChristianVoice 一個基督徒的聲音 