sermonindex
Dec 18, 2011
Does anyone believe scripture memory to be important? Is it better to memorize individual verses or books of the Bible? Is there any blessing to memorizing scripture
Blaine Scogin.
Does anyone believe scripture memory to be important? Is it better to memorize individual verses or books of the Bible? Is there any blessing to memorizing scripture
Blaine Scogin.
Dear brother,
Tremendous topic. I believe it is essential. The best way the Spirit has ministered the word of God to me over the years has been in very slowly reading and meditating on the word and this happens much when you are memorizing scripture. We need to have a love for the Scriptures that those in South Korea are who are memorizing entire books believing persecution is coming.
I believe we are in the same need in North America.
Here's a thread you might find interesting:
The topic is memorizing entire chapters from the Bible.
I remember reading of a brother in Eretria imprisoned for his faith. He wrote scripture on any scrap of paper he could get a hold of. He had them for himself and to share with others imprisoned with him both as encouragement and for sharing the gospel.
I have a friend who was a missionary to India for many years. Storying is an important way of sharing the Word with those with a mostly oral culture. For that you must know the scripture to accurately share and question.
Our Lord had it memorized and used it not only to testify but also to rebuke satan. The apostles quoted it. It is the "sword of the Spirit."
So I guess my question would be ~ Why on earth would you not memorize it?
Be blessed brother.
REJOICE! =)
Mary
SHMILY wrote: "So I guess my question would be ~ Why on earth would you not memorize it?"
I believe it is of great value to memorize the Bible (provided one also understands each verse in the context that God intended).
My problem that inhibits my ability to memorize the scriptures is the stroke I had in September 2005. It affected my ability to remember or recall, causes me to get sleepy at varying times of the day, and my mind breaks down when trying to coordinate several memories or lines of thought at the same time, particularly if they be complicated.
I depend on Biblical software that allows me to look up and search for Bible verses that I'm trying to recall and organize into a cohesive train of thought or doctrine. I depend heavily on the Holy Spirit's guidance and on prayer.
Blaine, I doubt that I can add anything to the wisdom you already possess in this matter. Still, I offer some reflections – which I know is nothing new to you.
Does anyone believe scripture memory to be important?
We would not wish to overlook the religious leaders in Jesus day who had vast amounts of scripture memorized. It was important to them – but that was no guarantee of faith and comprehension. Conversely, Jesus encountered those with very little memorized, who nevertheless were enabled to grasp the deepest essence of the gospel. As you have noted elsewhere, the Holy Spirit is quite capable of revealing truth.
In my early adulthood I memorized the verses in the Navigators Scripture memory packets. I highlighted all those verses in my bible. Since those years I have been reflecting on them as they are in their context. That has enhanced, and even changed my understanding of them. I’m grateful I did all that memory work, because now my capacity to memorize is dismal. But surely that doesn’t mean that my ability to integrate those truths has deteriorated. (Hopefully that has been improving!)
Is it better to memorize individual verses or books of the Bible?
Is there any blessing to memorizing scripture?
Of course, it is possible that in the future we will be imprisoned for our faith, and then we may be grateful for our memory work. Still, TODAY we need scripture to be working in us – at every moment. In the end it’s not the quantity of our memorized verses that will sustain us: It’s our our dear Lord who has promised to provide all we need to lead a godly life. We cling to him ultimately, and seek him to embed his truths in our hearts.
Having said that, I admit, I am a strong advocate of scripture memory. As long as God gives us the capacity and opportunity – it behooves us to act on that gift.
May God indeed bless you (and many others) through your diligent attention to scripture memory!
Diane
Yes, I believe scripture memorization is important and does have many blessings. Have you ever seen Jack Van Impe?
www.jvim.org
They call him the walking bible.
I personally do not do much scripture memorization as much as I read and study the word of God. I try to read a book of the bible every three days when I read the new testament. The old testament maybe a book a every 7 days.
Brother thank you for sharing the link on memorizing entire chapters of the Bible. The thread was a blessing and a treasure packed with good ideas. It has encouraged ne to get back into scripture memory.
Blaine Scogin
Last night one of our intercessors shared a posting from Open Doors. The post shared a story of a young woman from N. Korea who escaped to China to find food. She found Christ in China and was discipled in the word. She began to have a desire to return to N. Korea and share Jesus. Knowing her Bible would be taken from her she memorized the entire book of Romans so she could share Jesus.
This has touched my spirit. I have been challenged to take up the book of Colossians and memorize it. This precious book speaks of Jesus.
Is anyobe memorizing scripture? What works for you? Does anyone think we should not memorize scripture? I have heard some say believers should not memorize. I am courious as to why?
Dear God, I pray for your word to dwell richly in me in 2012.
Blaine Scogin
Is anyobe memorizing scripture? What works for you?
Whether I memorize or not, I lay out the content according to grammatical structure – so I could see each thought more clearly.(You'll see me doing that here sometimes.) I also use a color code. I see spiritual concepts in various colors.
Does anyone think we should not memorize scripture? I have heard some say believers should not memorize. I am courious as to why?
Still… as I keep finding myself repeating, I believe there is no need to put one view over and against the other!
PS: Blaine, Do you think my earlier post addresses this reservation regarding scripture memory?
Diane
If you find memorizing larger passages hard, try the sermon on the mount, Mt 5-7. In Jesus' days a rabbi's disciple memorized his teaching and therefore the rabbis taught accordingly. If you dive into this sermon you will find that it is easier than many other passages to memorize because it has rhythm and repetition.
hi, one of the first books len ravenhill ever gave me was ...john sung.it is a story of a chineses student who came to the u.s. and in three years earned an m.d. degree , learned german and english, and toward the end of this three years got saved.he was so happy in his salvation he would sing and dance on the street as he went home. the univ. he was attending had him put in a cell for a year where he memorized the bible.when he went back to china during the time of all the bible burning in china hebecame the bible of watchman nee and others in that circle .great little booklet of about 60 pages.jimp
Brother Blaine - I have found Scripture Memory to be an enormous blessing, and a very helpful spiritual discipline, for all the reasons others have mentioned in this thread. About 10 years ago, I began memorizing longer portions of Scripture, and I would commend it highly to any disciple of the Lord Jesus, whether it be individual verses, longer portions, or both. It helps us think the thoughts of God, and allows us to meditate on His truth througout the day. As a pastor and teacher, it has helped me immeasurably in sharing and teaching God's Word, and is truly a life-transforming endeavor.
I would like to thank all who have responded to this thread and your thoughts on scripture memory. Your post have encouraged me to take up again this discipline again after the first of the year. By the way I would commend the excellent link that Brother Paul shared earlier in this thread. This was a thread he initiated a few years ago dealing with this very topic. Even if you have read it it is worth a reread. It has a beautiful spirit to it.
Blaine
On a prayer call last Monday I heard the story of a blind pastor in Mexico. He had lost his sight due to an accident. This pastor listened to the Bible on cassette tape. In doing so he memorized large sections of the Bible, practicalky the whole thing. I am not sure of his methodology. But God blessed him.
This resonates in my spirit. I am 2200 legally blind. I listen to a digital Go- Bible. Great little blessing. This morning as I listened to John the question occurred to me. What woukd happen if one listened to say the New Testament from one to three or more hours a day. Could it be that one might be more full of Jesus whose words are spirit and life? Could it be that one might be more encouraged and built up in the word of grace? Could it be one might be more loving, patient, kind, merciful? Could it be that the quality of our threads and posts would improve in this forum?
What woukd happen.......
Blaine
It is estimated the average person spends anywhere from 3 to 6 hours a day in front of the TV. What would happen if we spent 3 to 6 hours a day in the word?
The persecuted believers voraciously devour the word. They spend hours a day reading it and memorizing and meditating on it. Yes I kniw. There is work, family, ministry, Sermon Index, oops think I stepped on some toes. But we do seem to find time for the things we value.
By God's grace I am going to make an attempt to listen to and read his wotd. I have spent a blessed 4 hours this day in listening to and reading his word. Guess what. I can't get enough of it. It is true. The more time you spend in the word the more you want. There is that craving for the pure spiritual milk. There is that thirsting for Jesus.
Some of you may be thinking J can't do this. You can. I am legally blind. I have cataracts in my eyes. I am 60 years old and command no seminary degree. Look if I a blind man who is theologically illeterate can get into the word so can you.
Try it. You might like it and be blessed.
From a blind man.
Blaine Scogin
This thread motivated me to find the bible in .mp3 format. I looked on iTunes for about an hour and then searched for a free version.
Here you go, NIV in mp3 format for free:
http://jcsm.org/1on1/NTBibleonMP3.htm
This is actually better than you can buy because it's arranged by book and the reading is more like a story.
Be blessed!
Brother thanks for sharing the link. I am going to check it out. For a little over a year J have listened to the NIV New Testament on a Travellers Go-Bible. More and more it is a blessing. I know there are some marvelous phone apps that can be downloaded to enable one to listen to the scriptures in any major translation.
Because I am legally blind I qualified for the talking book program in Louisiana. I remember as a kid listening to books recorded on records. I was furnished a bulky record player to play the recorded books. Later the books went to tapes and now mp3.
I find it interesing that was limited to blind people is now being promoted to all people as a whole. I saw an advertisement for a sight one can go to and download any type of audio book. The sight was offered as an option for people who did not have time they could listen to books on the go.
Ok. No excuse saint. How many times have we said I don't have time to read the Bible. Well how about listen to it? I have been delighting in listening to my digital Bible more anf mire. Love to listen to it early in the morning when it is still dark. Walk around the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and the word of Jesus going into my mind and I hope my heart.
Hey you King James folks, a blessing for you. You like Keith Daniels? Have you heard of Alexander Scorsby? Know who I am tking about? Several years ago he did a dramatic reading of the KJV which stands as the classic in Biblical recordings. I believe those recordings have been digitally remastered and a blessing to anyone who listens to them.
Come on saint. You love to listen to sermons. You find time for that. Why not listen to the Bible and be richly blessed. I koiw I an finding much encouragement listening to the New Testanent. And frankly we need all the encouragement in this gloomy day.
Blaine Scogin
hi martyr, if you contact the lions club and tell them of your blindness and maybe the inability to pay, they will pay for cataract surgery to completely restore your sight. i did this for one eye and was wonderfully satisfied.jimp
These are great posts regarding all of our relationships with the Word. For some, memorization is critical for discipline, some for thwarting persecutors in political oppression, and other reasons. But I would suggest that the first important thing is knowing the Word to the point that as you encounter the colorful crap the world throws at you each day you will know where God is at all times.
You will know when someone says "Money is the root of all evil! It's in the Bible!" that the Word actually speaks of the love of money, not the money itself.
By reading and rereading the gospels you will come to know how Jesus would respond to the things that come before you, whether you memorize or not. Feeling compelled to memorize the bible could become just another legalistic burden. Cramming the Word in your head is not quite the same as the Psalmist's "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee!"
Hmmm. I must have memorized that somewhere along the way.
The more that's in your heart, the less you will need to memorize in your head.
For whatever that's worth...
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