Speak the Word

Psalm 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

Most Christians realize that they ought to know Scripture. Many have even memorized certain passages—perhaps the Roman Road, or the Sermon on the Mount. Some, however, are unsure what to do with this knowledge once they have gained it. Is it enough to only use scripture to inform our own lives? This is like filling a hose with water, but keeping your thumb on the end, so that no water escapes—very nice for the hose, but not much practical help! If we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, it ought to spill out of us, onto those around us. Sometimes our lives speak to others, true, but sometimes we need to use our mouths! Part of our love for the Bible should involve speaking it, not just learning it.

Ezekiel 3:10-11:
"Son of man, receive into your heart all my words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people and speak to them, and tell them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'" (Emphasis added)

Are Old Testament prophets then the only ones who can speak of the word? The apostles, who received divine revelation? Or is this the responsibility of our pastors? It is their job, after all. Pastors certainly ought to be speaking God's word, especially when they are preaching, but it is by no means confined to them!
"He who has my word, let him speak my word faithfully." Jeremiah 23:28
All christians have access to God's word, in the Bible, and therefore all of us ought to be speaking it.

We speak of God's word because it is righteousness, just as God is righteousness. By doing this, we bring glory to God, which is always our aim in every circumstance.

When is it a good time to discuss the words of the Lord? The Bible has a few suggestions:

• when you sit in your house
• when you walk by the way
• when you lie down
• when you rise up

That sounds like anytime is a good time, doesn't it?

We should talk about the word of God with believers. I can tell you from personal experience it is a great encouragement. Fellow believers who just naturally slide into discussing the scriptures anytime I have a conversation with them are some of the most wonderful people I know of to be around.

On the other hand, there are times we will need to speak the word when it is NOT welcome. Paul tells Timothy to "be ready in season and out of season", and we must also be willing to speak the truth to unbelievers, or to straying believers, even though they may be offended, or cut us off. Always, of course, this must be in love. (Ephesians 4:15)

The Bible is eternal. Therefore, it will still be around even after this world has perished, and we are all in heaven. Just as we speak of it here on earth, so we will do in the kingdom, through endless ages. Can you imagine discussing Romans with Paul? Or maybe with Peter: "Yeah, Paul is sometimes hard to understand!" To me, this is a fascinating and exciting thought. Though we will know many things then that we do not know now, the topic of scripture will still be profitable and delightful to discuss.

Knowing that we ought to be talking about the Bible, it is still sometimes frustrating to consider the how. Where do we start? We can't just start every conversation by asking "What did you read in the Bible this morning?" (although that is one way to start talking about the Bible!) I have a few ideas for you, based on my own experience. (Here I'm not talking about rebuking or convicting, just adding the Bible to your general conversation.)

• Use verses, phrases, and stories from the Bible as examples to illustrate your point. The conversation doesn't have to just be about the Bible. We could be talking about the afternoon traffic: "There was this one guy who drove like Jehu!" At which point the guy referred to might remark, "Take the plank out of your own eye!" If you're with people who know the Bible well, this can add a layer of fun, and even make the conversation rather like a game.
• Talk about the sermon. If you're at church, it is natural to talk about the service. You've all just gone through a common experience, there is plenty of subject for conversation! Different people will get different things out of any sermon, so if you comment on something you especially appreciated, or that added a new perspective, chances are you will add to the other person's understanding as well.
• Talk about what you read. We already mentioned the tactic of asking someone what they read in the Bible recently. Better, though, is to start by volunteering something you learned: "I was writing a blog post this week, about Psalm 119, and as I was thinking about when and where we should discuss the Bible, I suddenly realized we're still going to be talking about it in heaven! Isn't that cool? I'd never really thought about it before."
• Ask what it means and share what it means. Rather than just saying, "Hey, I was reading James this morning", it will be easier to get a conversation going if you have something specific. "What do you think this means?" or "I think this means ______. What do you think?"

"The subject gives us plenty of sea-room; we may speak on for ever: the tale is for ever telling, yet untold." — Charles Haddon Spurgeon