Boil It Down

When trying to overcome the seemingly impossible task of reading the Bible (since I wanted to take on all 800,000+ words at once), I found myself drawn to places where people would teach or talk about the Bible.  Weekend church services, for example, were very helpful to me.  I didn't need to be a Bible expert to start getting it into my life.  Listening to a preacher/teacher was helpful in many ways.  

First of all, they selected the passage to read.  (I always struggled with where to start.)  Secondly, they would pronounce those impossible names, know the meaning of the technical words, and explain the context of the passage.  (When I was reading by myself, I would get confused but wouldn't ask for help.)  Finally, they had a way of "boiling it down" so I understood what was going on then and how it could apply to me now.  Not only that, I would remember the "boiled down" version easier than the full text.

Here's an example we use at Life Bridge.  "Church people" will often refer to terms like the "Great Commandment" and the "Great Commission."  This wouldn't mean anything to me because this seemed like code for something.  In a way it was.  The terms refer to two passages of Scripture.

The Great Commandment was taught by Jesus and goes like this:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV)

Notice what Jesus is saying here.  Scripture can function as an outline.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on two commands.  That means these two commands are much like a roman numeral "I." and a roman numeral "II." in the outline.  This becomes helpful information when reading the Bible.  So, we try to remember this command to Love God and Love our Neighbor.  It will somehow be connected to the rest.  At Life Bridge, we "boil it down" by saying "Walk together with God."  Walking together would be loving our neighbor.  Walking with God would be loving God.  See how this works?

The Great Commission was given to us by Jesus and reads this way:
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

In this one, Jesus is giving us, his followers, our marching orders.  He gives them right before ascending into heaven.  He's telling us to go and make disciples of all nations.  Loving our neighbor includes helping them love God, too.  That's because it is good to take refuge in God.  God is the giver of all good gifts.  Not only that, God loves us.  So, we share God with others. At Life Bridge we "boil this down" to say "Empower one more."

The resultant statement, combining the Great Commandment and the Great Commission, became the mission statement at Life Bridge.  "Empower one more to walk together with God."

How about you?  Is it helpful for you to listen to preachers or teachers share God's word with you?  Does it help you understand and apply it better?  Have you "boiled down" any Scriptures in a way that make it easier for you to remember?  How do you get God's Word into your life?