August 14, 2024 -- Joshua MacClaren
We’ve all been there, whether it was a church service, a wedding, or a funeral. We’ve all been somewhere that the Word of God was read out loud and it was dreadful. Perhaps you were even the culprit! I know I have been.
The reading was flat and monotone. It didn’t rightly reflect the tone of the original author.
Apart from just being boring, why is this such a problem?
When we read, we communicate something to ourselves and our hearers. Do we actually believe what we’re reading? Do we understand what we’re reading? Does our reading elevate or detract from the congregation’s understanding and engagement of the text?
When we read Scripture poorly we misrepresent the God who inspired it.
If we believe that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17), then we should not settle for the mediocre reading of God’s Word.
If we believe that the Bible “...is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thought and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12), then we should not settle for the mediocre reading of God’s Word.
If we believe that “[God’s] word that goes out from [God’s] mouth shall not return to [Him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [God] purposes” (Isaiah 55:11), then we should not settle for the mediocre reading of God’s Word.
Instead, we should strive for excellence as we read God’s Word. Reading the Word is a form of exposition. As we read with excellence according to the original author’s intent, we will aid the congregation’s understanding of the text to the glory of God.
Consider how the vast majority of Scripture came to God’s people. Prophets and Apostles alike wrote their message down, and then it was read to the people.
Imagine sitting in Judah during the tyranny of Nineveh hearing Nahum’s prophecy concerning the destruction of your oppressor. How might that instill hope in God?
Imagine sitting in the Corinthian church as you heard Paul’s rebuke for entertaining sin that wasn’t even tolerable amongst Gentiles. How might the Spirit use the read Word to bring you back to right worship?
Imagine being a suffering Christian listening to the revelation of John concerning the victorious Christ. How would that sustain you as you faced fiery trials of many kinds?
Many people in rural places don’t like to read, especially reading out loud. Many boast about not being “book people.” You can encourage in them a hunger for God’s Word in the way you read it. Make them thirst for the living water that flows from Christ through excellent Scripture reading.
One practical step to grow in excellent Scripture reading is hearing the Word for yourself read as it was intended. There are multiple dramatized audio Bibles on YouTube for example. Before you read the Word corporately, listen to how the voice actors read it.
One video that has impacted the way I read Scripture appeared on Todd Friel’s YouTube channel “Wretched Radio.” Follow this link to witness excellent Scripture reading that amplifies our understanding of the passage: https://youtu.be/9M1AL3IhKa4?si=EJg4BdqTzOc4QV7v.
Brothers, may you read the Word like you mean it for the glory of God in rural places.
Joshua MacClaren has been working at Christ Church Wellsboro since 2018 after he graduated from Bloomsburg University and married the love of his life, Lydia. He joined the ranks as an intern, became a pastoral assistant, and currently serves as an elder, wearing many hats! You can often find Josh fishing with his daughter, Willow, studying Greek, wood working, or dabbling in nerd interests such as Star Wars.
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