HoHum:
One of Crystal’s students, an African American, is into Spoken Word. Here is a sample called The Last Laugh by Sabrina Nicole: I’m not an ego maniac you know the type that gives others a heart attack I get my vital nutrition From a dietitian Who only asks for my Submission And he gives me the ambition To fight back On track Promises me that I will never lack. There’s a battle every time I wake There’s a battle in every move I make I am Jehovah's daughter That’s why I can walk on water I don’t need a psychic to read my palm I have the prophecies, of his words, on my arm I don’t need soothsayers to give me a premonition I have fire from heaven that is my ammunition Everywhere I turn their speaking death It rains down until I have nothing left Everyone is believing a lie How can I sit back and watch as time goes by The devil has sung many too sleep Wake up, men of God; you’re being slaughtered like sheep Resist the temptation And have a deeper appreciation For the lives placed in your hand Or they’ll sink like quicksand Into the abyss of despair God’s presence isn’t there This is a warning in these last days To surrender your rebellious ways Judgment is coming whether you believe it or not Children of Nirvana repent on the spot And the God of "Mercy" will change his mind, He calls out, “ Is there anyone I can find That will abandon their ways and come into the light Put on righteousness and fight this good fight?” Spiritual anorexia Emaciated the rest of you Spiritual abortion Has led many to extortion Who will bow? Who will plead? Save this generation which bleeds Fathers gone estrange Birthing violence that’s deranged Suicide… the anti-Christ Don’t you know Jesus paid the price?
WBTU:
Most people in bible times could not read. The literacy rate ranged from around 5% to 20%, depending on the place and the time. In most cases, therefore, one who wrote a document intended for someone on the receiving end to read the document aloud to a group of people. Authors intended their words to be heard more than read.
Ben Witherington says this, “No documents in antiquity were intended for ‘silent’ reading, and only a few were intended for private individuals to read. Ancient documents were always meant to be read out loud, and usually read out loud to a group of people.”
Silent reading was virtually unknown in bible times. Even several centuries after the close of the NT this was the case. For example, in his Confessions (AD 398), Augustine described an instance when he discovered his mentor, Ambrose, reading Scripture without moving his lips or making a sound. Augustine found this quite peculiar- people did not read silently to themselves and that is why he took note of this.
Even for those who could read, few could afford scrolls, books, manuscripts of their own. Papyrus, ink, and scribes proved more expensive than most could afford. Almost no one owned personal copies of Scripture. People received exposure to the Bible by hearing it read at public gatherings. Until recent times, had to go to church building to read the Scriptures. Even today we have a pulpit Bible under the communion table.
We would more accurately view many biblical passages like sermons (written to be spoken) than books (written to be read). Hebrews provides an example of this. The author identifies Hebrews as “my word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13:22). He refers to what he has said, not what he has written 6 times in the book. He speaks of a lack of time for the message, not a lack of space “And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon...” Hebrews 11:32, NIV. He uses rhetorical devices commonly found in spoken messages, such as alliteration (“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,” Hebrews 1:1, NIV, this contains 5 words that begin with the Greek letter p) and repetition (such as chapter 11, which uses “by faith” 18 times)
More evidence for the spoken nature of the Bible rises from Paul’s letters, in which he repeatedly includes instructions to read Scripture- his letters and other Scriptures- aloud: “I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.” 1 Thessalonians 5:27, NIV. “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans...” Colossians 4:16, NIV.
Contemporary culture- especially in recent decades- has transitioned from oral to visual means of learning. In the field of education, for example, learning used to involve little more than students listening to a lecture from the teacher. Now, education relies heavily on PowerPoints, videos, and websites. Online education gains more prominence every year, through which students learn by themselves in front of a computer, interacting with other students only occasionally, and through the virtual world. People used to gather information by listening, today they gather information by reading and watching, often by themselves.
Now this is not wrong. Tools such as PowerPoint and video segments can enhance learning and, in the case of online education, offer opportunities to people who could not have furthered their education otherwise.
The church should recognize the implications of this transition on Bible reading among Christians. As a culture, we have grown more visual and private in our learning. The Bible, in contrast, is primarily to be a spoken document, intended to be heard in community. To help people encounter the Word, the church must recognize and deal with this reality.
Thesis: The following suggestions can help us
For instances:
1 Timothy 4:13- “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture...” 1 Timothy 4:13, NIV.
Many churches include extended readings from various parts of Scripture in their worship. Other, unfortunately, only read more than a verse or two. If Scripture bears the authority of our God and Father, and if Scripture drives churches who passionately pursue the Lord and His purposes, why would we not devote significant portions of our services to Scripture reading?
When we read publicly, let us do it well.
Sometimes when people read Bible passages aloud, they read poorly- without emotion, without passion, and obviously without have practiced. Give the youth time to practice.
One heard a man memorize and preach the Sermon on the Mount word by word. This man spoke the words as though he believed them. The pitch of his voice rose and fell to demonstrate the emphasis of the text, his pace varied to reflect the rhythms of the text, and his gestures, movements, and facial expressions exposed the emotion of the text. The youth leaned forward, perked their ears, and engaged their imaginations. They really listened.
More suggestion for the public reading of Scriptures:
Dramatic presentation
Responsive readings
Congregational reading
Multiple readers
Multiple characters
Introduce songs with Scripture
Use Songs with lyrics from Scripture
Provide Musical background to the reading
Have Congregation Stand
(From Rediscovering Community pages 337-339)
When we read privately, let us read aloud.
Don’t misunderstand, private reading is beneficial. This enhances our learning, growth, and devotion to God. It should not replace the public reading of Scripture, but it can serve as a helpful addition. Because of the spoken nature of the Scriptures, however, we will find our private reading most impactful when we read aloud. We need to read aloud so the rhythms, images, and other rhetorical devices reveal the depth and textures the biblical writers intended. If the situation does not permit reading aloud, we can still read slowly enough that our minds can verbalize each word, so that we gain a sense of the texts’ oral rhythms.
The benefits of reading and studying in community
When Christians read and study the Word in community, we can challenge, comfort, and correct one another in a manner that is not possible when we read privately. Furthermore, such reading joins us with the community of God’s people across the ages. We journey with Abraham out of Ur, we praise with David from the Psalms, we stand with the crowds in awe of Jesus’ miracles, and we learn alongside of the Philippian Christians as we hear Paul’s letter read.
David Block says, “We must rediscover that in the reading of the Scriptures worshipers hear the voice of God. Despite our affirmations of the inerrancy, infallibility and authority of the Scriptures, the relative absence of the Scriptures is one of the marks of contemporary worship. At best the Scriptures are read piecemeal and impatiently so that we might get on with the sermon, which suggests to the congregations that our interpretation of Scripture is much more important than the sacred word of God itself. At worst we do not open the Scriptures at all. In our efforts to be contemporary and relevant, we dismiss the reading of the Scriptures as a fossil whose vitality and usefulness has died long ago. In the process we displace the voice of God with the foolish babbling of mortals, and the possibility of true worship is foreclosed. And then we wonder why there is such a famine for the word of God in the land.
God delivered His Word to mankind as an oral document- words written to be read aloud in community, Then church will experience the Bible’s full power, then, when we hear it together.
So what?
Starting a new program for Wednesday nights. If reading through the Bible in a year keep it up. Found that several are not reading through the Bible in a year, even for me more emphasized on getting it done for the day than really chewing on the Word. In addition, some have expressed that they would like to know more about the Books of the Bible than just isolated sections. Therefore, we are going to take a book of the NT each Wednesday night and focus on it. Still read sections together. Have a Bible reading program for reading through the NT in a year (reading plan at: http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/reading-plans/?plan=1&translation=niv). Start October 1, 2014 and read through until September 30, 2015. Yes, not be in connection with Wednesday night perhaps but need to read individually and then read communally. As an added bonus, I have included on this sheet a place on the intent where one can hear the Word read. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/
