Listening on the Hillside

“I hear, and I forget; I see, and I remember; I do, and I understand.”
— something I learned in Teachers’ College.

This quote served me well as a young teacher and as a young Mom — desiring my children and students to retain and apply the lessons they learned. But when I was introduced to Precept Bible studies, it became the road “I” walked daily.  I began to dig into the Scriptures, marking keywords, making lists, determining titles for chapters and themes for books, all in a concerted effort to know God, His Words, and His ways for myself.

I was saved in 1982. I eagerly accepted when a friend invited me to meet in another friend’s home to study the Bible. I was, as they say, “hungry” and “thirsty” to know truth. Besides knowing that Daniel was once in a lion’s den, that Jonah was once in a big fish, and that Jesus loved me because “the Bible told me so,” I had very little actual Bible knowledge. I was a clean slate for God to write on. And write He did! The first study was on Spiritual Gifts, and much to my delight, I discovered I had a few! In Philippians, I learned the mindset of a servant, one which would show me how to rejoice in the Lord always and learn contentment in every circumstance. Next up was the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus’ teachings were radical — calling His disciples to live on a higher plane, going beyond the letter of the Law, to letting His love flow through us in our relationships with others, keeping eternity in sight. Studying Covenant was also a life-changer. Covenant, “a solemn binding agreement”, from Noah to Abraham to Moses, to Jesus. Our promise-keeping God displaying His faithfulness, His desire to redeem us, the price He would pay that we would be one with Him, a cord tying the Old “covenant/testament” to the New. I began to “understand” that when I receive the elements of bread and juice in communion, I remember anew the solemn covenant made at Calvary.

There were more studies; as each one ended, I signed up for the next. Then came the day when I felt God tapping me on the shoulder and asking me to “leave the nest”.  “Step out, in faith”, I believed I heard Him say. “There are others who need to experience the blessing found in studying the Bible for themselves. Begin a new group. Reach out and invite them in the same way you were once invited.”

That was over thirty years ago. I have had the privilege of leading many Precept Bible studies since and continue to lead one to this day. I have used all the various formats — Precept Upon Precept, In & Out, the New Inductive Study Series, as well as the “40-Minute” No-Homework studies. We have met in various church buildings and multiple homes, and we even met outside in a backyard last Spring because of the public health restrictions. The students have come from different church backgrounds, different denominations, and different age groups. What we share is a desire to know God intimately through knowing His Word and a willingness to discipline ourselves to study and dig deep. Two of the younger women who studied with me for several years went on to become leaders themselves. Several of the women from former groups have gone home to be with our Lord. I think about them from time to time, how they now know by sight, what we came to know by faith. As I am now one of the older women that Titus referred to in Titus 2:3, I look ahead to the day when I will finish the race set before me, and my faith will become sight. I know that I will be eternally thankful that I studied God’s Word. Although I do not live out His Word perfectly, God knows my heart; He knows that I honestly desire to live in the light of all that He has taught me.

When I discovered that I had spiritual gifts, I purposed to use them to serve the body of believers. When circumstances threaten to “steal my joy,” I remember what I learned in Philippians about where to find true and lasting joy. I often picture myself seated on a hillside, listening to the words of the “Teacher from Nazareth” and how He said a wise person would not only hear but do what He says. The truth that I have become a covenant partner with Jesus, who will never leave me or forsake me, brings me endless comfort, courage, and peace.

These Biblical lessons that I have shared are simply a sampling of many more lessons God has taught me personally by studying the Bible inductively. The Bible has become my daily bread. My life verse, if I had to choose one, is Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  And I have witnessed His Spirit at work teaching others. Not many weeks go by without my asserting enthusiastically, “I LOVE group study!” Someone will share an insight from their study during the week; someone will ask a question that prompts lively discussion; someone will share a testimony which then ministers to someone else going through a similar situation; someone will pray, and someone else will share a Scripture. Each week’s meeting becomes a beautiful illustration of the body of Christ “building one another up in faith, till we all come, in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man” (Eph. 4:13).

Another aspect of my journey as a leader that I would like to share is that I frequently feel “inadequate.” When I call out to God, telling Him this, He quickly reminds me that my adequacy comes from Him alone (2 Cor. 3:5). I believe He is pleased that I carry on, with childlike trust, that He will use me as a vessel, as a master would his servant, and that the Holy Spirit will accomplish His will through me if I am faithful to do my part. God has made us ministers of the new covenant, but it is His Spirit who gives life.

And lastly, in this past year and a half, in days which have been difficult, unsettling, and uncertain, how great has been the assurance of knowing that God Most High is in control. Having studied the books of Daniel, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation, I know what the future holds. Not because I have heard various podcasts, and not because I have read multiple commentaries, but because I have “mined” truth/treasure for myself. I understand that God’s ultimate plan for redeeming the earth He created is moving forward, and I can rest in that knowledge. In His time, Christ will return for His bride. And oh, how I want to be ready for His return! And how I want my sisters and brothers, who study with me, to be prepared! And while we wait, we need to be about our Father’s business. For me, that means continuing to be in the Word, studying, learning, and helping others to be “established in God’s Word, as that which produces reverence for Him” (Ps. 119:38). In our group, we talk about it every week. Let’s hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm until the end. Let’s encourage one another, and even more so as we see “the day” approaching. Let’s consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

How thankful I am for Precept Bible studies! They are the tool God used in my life to draw me into His presence, to disciple me, to do the ongoing work of transforming me into the image of His Son. The more I grow, the humbler I become, as I recognize that all things are of Him, and through Him and to Him (Col. 1:15-20). To Him be the glory forever!