Get on Board

A river boat cruise which follows a route of historical significance can be a most enjoyable learning experience. If, for example, you were to take the 7-night St. Louis to Nashville cruise, you would be promised to walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, listen to the tale of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, get a glimpse of pioneer living, and visit the Country Music Hall of Fame. It will probably not change your life, but it can all be very entertaining. I would like to propose another kind of cruise. This one takes you down the flow of the river of thought which has been given by the Holy Spirit which can change your life. But a certain river has to be chosen. I recommend the book of Romans river cruise. You can watch Bible truth unfold with each passing mile. Or, rather, should I say each passing biblical paragraph.

We are going to embark on a study of the book of Romans. There is a cruise down the river of Amos for the ladies. The shipboard experience through the Gospel of Matthew has already begun. It is not too late to get on board. You can catch it at Matthew 6:1-4 this Sunday evening. However, there is some preparation necessary if you are going to get the greatest possible benefit from a study of a book of the Bible. Take a few minutes and familiarize yourself with the following recommendations lest you waste the opportunity of a life time.

Going through a book of the Bible is not the only way to study the Scriptures but there is not a better way. Why is this so? The Bible tells us that it is a God-written book and most profitable for knowing how to live life God’s way (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). The Holy Spirit of God guided the writers of Scripture to say exactly what God wanted said (2 Pet. 1:21). When you read through any part of the Bible you are reading the words of God. In an exposition of Romans, Amos, Matthew, or 1 Corinthians, a detailed explanation of the text is given along with application of that truth to daily living. Going from verse to verse and paragraph to paragraph you are following the thought of the Spirit of God. There is no substitute for a consistent and disciplined way of handling Holy Writ. The mind of the Holy Spirit will confront and shape your thoughts. All this is vital to maturing in the Christian faith.

What then should be done while flowing down a river of biblical truth? Read the book you are studying and memorize portions of it. Read Romans straight through at one sitting. Read it multiple times. Drench your mind in its thoughts. Memorize Romans 1:16, 17; 3:21-31; 5:1-6; 8:1-6; 35-39; 12:9-21 and any other portions you choose.

In advance of each message read the text to be covered and pray over it (“Lord open my eyes to see wonderful things from your law.”). Take the outline and your notes on the message and pray through them the week following the message. Be consistent in hearing all sermons on Romans. If you have to miss a Sunday, listen to the sermon on the internet or get a CD from the tape room. Don’t let gaps in the flow of the book go unattended. After each message on Sunday discuss the passage preached during the ride home or during the dinner meal. Find some way of interacting with the truth that has been taught. Take notes during the message. This will help you to concentrate better and give you something to refer to when memory begins to fade (I don’t mean fading later in life. I mean the week after the message.). And, most importantly, don’t let the teaching of God’s Word go in one ear and out the other. Pray that your life will be transformed by truth. Write down ways in which you can take action; such as repenting of sin, changing wrong thinking, ways to communicate the gospel in your neighborhood, teaching the book to your family or some other small group, etc. But don’t not do anything (pardon the grammar).

The Bible is a double-edged sword and as such is active (powerful, Heb. 4:12). It is effective in fulfilling it purpose and has unlimited capability (e.g., It regenerates, opens eyes, changes lives, changes nations, brings revival). It is also discriminating (“sharper”). In this way it is penetrating in its operation as it probes and exposes. Scripture lays bear our motives and uncovers our self-deceiving tendencies. Come and hear what God has said in the book of Romans and submit to the convicting power of its message. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lift up the Lord Jesus Christ in all His majesty and glory. Revel in the glorious gospel of God. Get on board and let the river of God’s thought take you to the “life-transforming doctrines of Christianity.”

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church