Are Bible classes a waste of time? Some people think Bible classes are not important and may consider them to be just “a waste of time.” What should our attitude be toward Bible classes? Why do we have Bible classes? Do we have them just because others do? Do we have them just so we can say we are doing something? Until we come to understand the significance of Bible classes, we will not appreciate them. If we appreciate them, attitudes and attendance will change for the better.
Bible classes are significant because (1) they help promote the work of the church, (2) they help provide a way “to feed” the flock, (3) they help produce tomorrow’s elders, deacons, preachers and teachers, (4) they help prevent unfaithfulness in the church and (5) they help prepare one for eternity (Jerry Joseph). I appreciate brother Joseph’s comments on Bible classes, and the article brought other things to mind. Often Bible class attendance is faltering, and I encourage each one to make every effort to be present for those classes. Bible classes not only help us to grow spiritually, but they also encourage us in our daily living and the way we deal with life and its problems. Mid-week Bible class is like “a shot in the arm” to help one get through the rest of the week. When we have Bible classes, we are with others who want to know God’s will so they can more capably do His will.
Bible classes help us stay focused on what is important in our lives. We all get bogged down with daily living and, sometimes, it just seems to overwhelm us to the point that there’s not much time and energy left for things other than what overwhelms us. It’s my finding that there’s nothing more important than studying, knowing and doing God’s will. Remember the words of the Psalmist: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). Like it says, when one knows God’s Word and His promises and relies on them for strength and guidance, he can handle everything else. The darkness disappears, and you can see the goal clearly.
Annually, I encourage all members of the congregation to participate in reading through the Bible in the course of the year. This can become a reality, and study guides help reach that goal through suggested daily readings. If you didn’t get started at the beginning of the year, you can start now. Just alter the dates to make the reading complete by this same time next year. It doesn’t matter whether you read the Bible as an individual, as a couple or as a family—just read the Word! Further, not only read it, but study to know what it means, and then, apply it to your life. Remember Paul’s exhortation to young Timothy. “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). To rightly divide, one must study.
There is nothing one can do in this life that is more important than studying God’s Word. Knowing and doing His Word is what gives one hope of eternal life after this earthly life is over. Just reading and turning the pages won’t accomplish that. One must read with the desire to understand what the message is and then make application in one’s daily life. One can only do that when he knows what the will of God is. That’s what Paul told the Ephesian brethren in Ephesians 5:17 when he wrote, “Don’t be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is.” How can one know God’s will without opening the pages of the Bible, whether in Bible classes or in private?
