Please don’t study the Bible

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Pastor Foley

It seems almost unbiblical to ask Christians not to study the Bible, and yet a careful reading of the text supports the request.

As a teacher of the Bible, one of my first instructions to students is to find the best study Bible they can…and then cut all of the study notes out of it so that only the biblical text remains. In reading that text, one will find (in, for example, the NIV), that the word “study” only occurs four times, three of which are in used pejoratively.

One of those four references, Ecclesiastes 12:12, advises, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” In few categories of literature are more books made than in the study of the Bible. The effect is hardly to make the Bible more accessible but rather to convince potential readers of the Bible, either implicitly or explicitly, that it would be inadvisable to read the Bible without first (or simultaneously) acquiring a good grasp of theology, geography, culture, church history, and–today’s obsession–the “Story” (usually capitalized) that is alleged to run so obviously through it, though apparently not obviously enough to be discovered without reading a book about it first.

Making “study” the word most commonly paired with “Bible” is costly to discipleship. I know many Christians who have studied the Bible but who have never really read it. If one studies the Bible, one tends to interpret it rather than straightforwardly doing what it commands, no matter one’s doctrines about biblical literalism or inerrancy. Rev. Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of Voice of the Martyrs, called interpretation of the Bible a “bad habit and a source of strife.” In a letter to VOM supporters in July 1980, he wrote:

When Jesus said to the disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod,” (Mark 8:15) He was warning them specifically against becoming like the Pharisees who were concerned with debating and interpreting God’s word rather than living a Godly life. The parable of the good Samaritan illustrates the Lord’s disappointment with this false attitude.

“.. They (the disciples) reasoned among themselves saying it is because we have no bread.” (Mark 8:16) The apostles clearly misinterpreted Christ’s statement. If they failed, despite being by the Lord’s side, what chance have we to interpret correctly?

Rev. Wurmbrand then shared a series of headline news items from the day–Afghanistan invaded by the Soviets; President Carter boycotting the Moscow Olympics; and an especially poignant note about school girls paying for their protest in the streets of Kabul: “Fifty-one of the girls were shot; hundreds of innocents were jailed. Others were drowned in pits full of feces; many were buried alive.” He continued:

You can interpret such events in the light of prophecies or speculate about the sense of innocent suffering as mentioned in different Bible verses. But, to interpret is a sin because Christians are called upon to act according to His command, not to interpret. You have acted [through your participation in VOM]; you have helped, and we thank you for this.

Be ye doers of the Word, not merely interpreters, one could say. Our contemporary thinking, shaped by the Christian publishing and seminary industries, is that it is necessary for us to study our way to right interpretation and then act. But much of Jesus’ teaching method involves trying to get his disciples to act their way to right interpretation by the power of the Holy Spirit; hearing the Word, in other words, for the sake of doing the Word so that we might hear the Word more clearly as a result of what we have experienced, by the grace of God.

I was speaking at a conference in the United States several years ago, doing a Q&A session about North Korean underground Christians. An earnest man had his hand raised to ask a question, so I called on him. He said, “How do North Korean Christians interpret the passages in Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 12:7 about ‘time, times and a half,’ and of Revelation 11:2’s ’42 months’ and Revelation 11:3’s ‘1260 days’?” I thought about it for a few moments and then replied, “You know, I can honestly say that I don’t think they’ve ever thought about it.”

This is not to say that North Korean underground Christians don’t read Daniel or Revelation. They read it passionately when it is available to them, as do most of the underground Christians I’ve encountered. But they don’t read it in order to study it or interpret it. They read it for guidance about what to do in the very real, life-or-death situations of persecution they face, often daily.

We would do well to imitate them. Today, let me encourage you to pick up a Bible and simply read it and do what it says. Make sure to read several pages, rather than reading a single verse. That’s the best way to understand it–simply reading it, and reading more of it, and reading it again and again. Ignore the verse and chapter markings. Set aside your concerns bout misunderstanding and misinterpretation; the Lord will correct those as you seek to do the Word by the power of his Holy Spirit.

Tolle legge. It beats studying the Bible any day.

 

Posted in Bible, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Belarus Pastor: Why A Hostile World May Be The Best Place For Christians

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Joy Jeon

Pastor Dmitry Lazuta from Belarus visited Voice of the Martyrs Korea as a part of the 2016 Martyr’s Spirit Speakers Series to share about church growth in the midst of oppression and the meaning of suffering for Christians.

From his experience of being a Christian under both communist oppression and religious freedom, he concluded that the best time for church growth is “something between freedom and persecution, the time of oppression.” Currently in Belarus, it is difficult not only to officially register a church but even to rent a place for worship. These difficulties, however, have helped the Christians to not become complacent but be spiritually alert.

It is important to keep in mind that these kinds of oppression and persecution are not confined to certain geographical regions. Pastor Dmitry’s conclusion mentioned above does not apply only to Christians in Belarus. Persecution is and should be normal for all Christians, as we live in a world that has always been hostile to Christ.

In fact, in 1 Peter 4:12-13 the Apostle Peter encourages us by writing, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

Therefore, count it as joy if you are being persecuted for your faith, because persecution is normal and Christ has suffered for us. What an honor it is to follow his path.

To watch other Voice of the Martyrs videos, visit the Voice of the Martyrs Video Page!

Posted in Proclaiming The Gospel, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

An Eritrean Pastor And A North Korean Defector Walk Into The VOM Korea Office . . .

Posted on July 12, 2016 by tdillmuth

Berhane Prayer. SanitizedHave you wondered why we bring guest speakers from persecuted settings to share with our North Korean students? Our newest VOM Korea intern penned her thoughts after sitting among our UU and UT students one Saturday morning.

This Saturday morning was different than other Saturday mornings. Our UU students had gathered together to listen to Doctor Berhane Asmelash, a pastor from Eritrea, a country better known as the “North Korea of Africa.”

When Doctor Berhane first approached the podium, it seemed that he had little in common with his audience. He was from Africa. They were from North Korea. He was the speaker. They were the audience. However, as Doctor Berhane began to share the stories of his heart—stories about how he had been imprisoned, beaten, and slandered—the UU students began to nudge one another and point at him. They began to speak to one another. Then they began to speak to him. Of all things, suffering had brought Doctor Berhane and our UU students together.

Any North Korean defector can tell you stories of suffering. We have known defectors who have lost family. We have known defectors who have lost friends. We have known defectors who have lost themselves. One student had her arm chopped off while in North Korea.

North Koreans are no strangers to suffering. But neither was Doctor Berhane.

One student, KSS, was shocked to hear about the persecution Christians face in Eritrea. Often, North Korean people think that North Korea is the worst country in the world. They often think that people from outside North Korea will not truly understand the suffering that North Koreans face. But Doctor Berhane had completely understood their suffering. KSS actually admitted that in some ways, Eritrea was worse than North Korea.

Doctor Berhane had taught her empathy through a shared suffering. “In Eritrea, we say, ‘if you want to learn how to hate, you need to go to prison,’” Doctor Berhane told the UU students, “But prison was the place where I learned how to love.”

Doctor Berhane told the UU students that when he was sent to prison, he was forced to live with the very man who had sent him to prison. Everyone told Doctor Berhane that this man was his enemy and that he should hate him. When the man became sick, everyone told Doctor Berhane that God was wreaking vengeance for Doctor Berhane. But Doctor Berhane didn’t gloat over the man’s misfortune—Doctor Berhane cared for the man and tried to bring him back to health. “It isn’t enough to not hate your enemy,” Doctor Berhane told the UU students, “God tells us we must actively love them.”

Several UU students were challenged by his message. Doctor Berhane had experienced the same pain they had, but he taught that this pain was normal. God speaks through pain and suffering. Because Doctor Berhane had gone out of his way to heal the man who everyone said was his enemy, the man returned back to Doctor Berhane and asked to be discipled. Because Berhane had suffered, this man had seen the face of God.

People are often confused as to why we have a UU class. Why would anyone train North Koreans to go wherever North Koreans are found in order to minister to them? The North Korean defectors have already suffered enough in North Korea! The South Koreans and Americans should step in and do ministry for them. After all, the South Koreans and Americans have the money, the technology, and the degrees to do much better than the North Koreans.

But South Koreans and Americans do not know what it is like to suffer. South Koreans and Americans do not know how fiercely a foot burns when it carries a body tens of thousands of miles in the hopes of finding an embassy that will help you flee from hell. South Koreans and Americans do not know the blood curdling fear of being sold into sexual slavery. South Koreans and Americans do not know the desperation of a mother who starves herself but still does not have enough food to feed her son.
But North Koreans do.

In UU, North Koreans learn to embrace their suffering. They learn from the Christians who have suffered before them what suffering means and how God uses “the furnace of affliction” to bring them closer to Him (Isaiah 48:10) They learn from one another that pain is not meant to be hidden, but is meant to be shared. In Doctor Berhane’s words, the UU students learn what it truly means to “love their neighbor.”

This is why we have been inviting many Guest Speakers to speak with our UU classes. These speakers have also suffered greatly and have risen above this suffering through God’s grace. By hearing the challenges that these other speakers have overcome, our students can begin to understand that North Koreans are not the only people who suffer.

All of God’s church suffers.

Posted in eritrea, North Korea | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment