Interacting With the Word

Hebrews chapter 4 speaks to the active nature of the Word of God; it says:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

The Word. Alive in us. Not only is the Bible an "instruction manual" for living the life that God intends for us, but there is power contained within those words - to illuminate our minds and to enable us to walk in His ways, if we dedicate ourselves to following Christ.  We can view the Scriptures as merely words on a page, but if we allow our minds and hearts to be opened to God's truth, we can find that those words will actually produce fruit to the glory of God; we can become more conformed to His image.

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In 2nd Timothy 2, Paul is charging Timothy to teach people to embrace God's Word, and choose to
expose themselves to the words that count, that bring life. We see these words:
14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

You've heard it said in a church service, "get out your Bibles and turn" to whatever passage the preacher will be reading from.  Nowadays, you might hear an addendum: "get out your phone and scroll."  Just because Bible apps have become popular.

John Dyer is a researcher who has studied the Bible software industry.  Not surprisingly, almost half - 45% of respondents to his survey, reported that they used a Bible app for devotionals; that's according to a Christianity Today article.  Almost 39% used such an app for Bible searches.  However, for reading for what's called "long reading" or study, just about two-thirds prefer the old-fashioned way: the book form.

The article relates:

Dyer noted a pragmatism to Bible reading for most participants. For example, many don’t bring a print Bible to work or school, but when they read in those settings 42.7 percent use their smartphone, 20.7 percent use their computer. While in church, many felt more comfortable opening their print Bibles rather than an app.

And, just over 4-in-10 will use a print Bible rather than a phone when reading to children.

The study was published in the Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture.   The summary on the Christianity Today website related that, "Men are more likely than women to finish Bible reading plans on an app, but they don’t glean as much as when using a good, old-fashioned paper book...," and that:

Women retained about the same amount of information and completed a similar amount of reading on either medium, though men finished more daily readings than women. Those who used the app completed, on average, almost two more days of reading than print users.

There was an interesting element of the study by Dyer.  According to the article:

...Dyer enlisted participants from two non-denominational megachurches and one Southern Baptist church in the Dallas area. He asked participants to read the book of Jude in print or digitally and answer some questions. Then he asked them to participate in a 10-day reading plan of the book of John using same the medium as they did in the church class.

Dyer conducted an assessment of their comprehension and asked how they felt after reading. The three most common answers were “encouraged,” “discouraged,” and “confused.”

“Digital users were nearly twice as likely to report feeling ‘confused’ with many indicating that they would like to ‘read it again’ or ‘study Jude more,’” he reported.

Dyer offers this overview: "Print and digital Bibles are usually framed in opposition to one another… but the data suggests the relationship is much more complex,” adding, “Bible reading today is more of a multimedia experience, with readers using a combination of print, screen, and audio depending on form [sic] of Bible engagement they are doing.”

As we continue with what you might call "tech week" here in the Front Room, let's consider a few points here.  First, there is the element of interaction with the Bible in many ways.  We just have to make sure that we are interacting with God's Word - reading (in whatever way we choose), personalizing the Scriptures, considering how we can apply it, and perhaps even using supplemental materials so that we can better understand the Bible.  That's where Faith Radio can be a tool for you to use, as we offer sound Bible teaching that can help you grow in your knowledge of the Lord and His Word.

In addition to this important interaction, we can consider the integration of technology as a tool and perhaps a gateway.  There are apps, there are websites, there are other Scriptural materials that can be accessed on our phones, tablets, and computers.  You Version is the gold standard of Bible apps, but there are more.  A few months ago, I spoke with the developer of the Bible Memory app, which is an example of a tool that can be used to memorize Scripture.  There are numerous ways in which we can get God's Word in our hearts.

And, finally, we understand the importance of studying God's Word.  The answers to living the abundant life and experiencing a relationship with Christ lie before us; we have to take hold of the Word, read and study it, and allow it to govern our lives.  We can live for Christ as we embrace the living Word of God.