Skillfully Use the Bible
1. Why is the Bible so useful?
1 Skillful use of God’s inspired Word enables us to proclaim and teach the truth clearly and expose the false teachings and traditions of men.—2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:15.
2. What will help us locate scriptures with greater skill?
2 Increase Your Familiarity: As with using any tool, skill comes with increased familiarity. Reading the Bible from cover to cover gives you an overall picture of the Bible’s theme. This also helps you to remember scriptures and to find them more easily. As your familiarity with the Scriptures increases, you will speak with greater zeal and conviction when witnessing to others informally and in the field ministry.—1 Thess. 1:5.
3, 4. (a) What are some ways for increasing our familiarity with the Bible? (b) Have you used other ways to become more familiar with the Scriptures?
3 Make it a practice to open your Bible and follow along during congregation meetings. When engaging in personal study and in preparation for congregation meetings, look up the cited Scriptural texts and meditate on their application. Many find that reading Bible texts directly from the Bible rather than from a computer monitor or printout makes it easier to locate them later when needed in the ministry.—John 14:26.
4 Some families have arranged for a time to memorize Bible texts. This may be done by using flash cards that have the scripture citation on one side and the text itself on the other side. They take turns using these to see if they can quote the scripture or recall where it is located. Practicing field presentations and answering an objection or a question using the Bible also increases our skill.
5. Why do we want to increase our skill with the Bible?
5 No other book can measure up to the Bible. It contains the only writings that are able to make people “wise for salvation.” (2 Tim. 3:15) Since most people in our territory are not familiar with the precious treasures found in the Bible, we have good reason to increase our skill at showing them what the Bible truly has to offer.—Prov. 2:1-5.