This has been a wonderful series of posts about the place of reading the Bible aloud in our gatherings.
Over eight posts at the Sola Panel blog Scott Newling has sought to unpack the implications of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: ‘Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching’ (1 Tim 4:13) along with the broader biblical pattern of the Bible being read in corporate meetings of God’s people.
The posts are not a retreat from contemporary developments of personal Bible ownership and literacy, but celebrate these as something that is additional and supplemental to the biblical pattern, not a cause to cease reading during worship services and in other situations.
His case is winsome and practical, while seeking to confront the anomaly by which churches that maintain they are Bible based and Bible believing have far less actual Scripture read during their services than those which are inclined to a liberal view of Scripture, but follow the pattern of weekly readings set out in the lectionary.
The urgency of considering the matter flows from the fact that biblically we have more reason to think that the Spirit of God can and will work in the latter group of churches described above than the former.
Scott’s series on the public reading of Scripture are available at the Sola Panel blog. Here are links for the first part, the second part, the third part, the fourth part, the fifth part, the sixth part, the seventh part and the eighth and final part by following the links.
mgpcpastor's blog 