How to Read the Bible with a Non-Christian
We worked in completely different departments on different floors of the same building. Our roles meant we hade little to do with each other. So I still find it strange that she approached me. Somehow she knew I was a Christian and, somehow, that compelled her to talk to me.
She was having family problems. I guess she thought that I might help because I was the same age as her daughters. I suggested we have lunch together. During the course of our conversation, she realised she had no foundation on which to base the morals she felt she and her family should have. I soon learned she had been to church before but she felt she could never put her trust in a God she knew nothing about. She said she wanted to make the choice for the right reasons, not because she felt obliged to.
It must have been the Spirit who dwells within me that prompted me to speak; I know I never could have done it on my own. I asked her if she wanted to read the Bible with me on a weekly basis. Reluctantly, she said yes.
The following week, while I nervously awaited the hour when I'd have to go down and meet her, my Bible Study leader called. He knew about my situation. He had done this sort of thing before. So he gave me some useful advice:
1. Reading Material
Choose an appropriate book to read together. A gospel is good if your friend doesn't know much about Jesus. I was recommended Mark because it's the one written closest to the period of Jesus' ministry. But if, for example, your friend is Jewish, Matthew might be better.
Use the same translation and, if possible, the same edition so that your page numbers match. For people whose English isn't good, the New International Version is easier to read. It's up to you which one you're comfortable with.
2. Discussion Material
Try to get your friend to talk more than you. You're not there to give them a sermon and they probably won't appreciate it if you do. Have some standard questions ready to stimulate discussion, eg. Is there anything you don't understand about the passage? What does it tell you about who God/Jesus is? What do you think of what God/Jesus is doing here? Does what this says have any bearing on your life? When Rico Tice was reading through Mark with his teammates on a rugby tour, he asked them three short questions: 1. Who was Jesus? 2. Why did Jesus come? 3. What does Jesus require of his followers?1 The idea is to get your friend thinking about what they are reading. If they voice opinions contrary to yours, don't be quick to judge; say something like, “That's interesting. Why do you think that?” Opinions might change over time. Let the Word of God do its work. How much do you believe 2 Timothy 3:16?
3. Training Material
Train your friend to have good Bible-reading habits. Ask them: What is the passage saying? What type of literature is it written in? Why was it written in the first place? What is its historical context? What is its cultural context? Where does it fit into the structure of the unfolding revelation of God? How does it compare with other passages of the Bible which talk about the same sort of thing?2 Show them that the Bible speaks for itself; it doesn't need interpreting. Show them that anyone can read it.
4. Growing Material
If you feel inadequate, remember that you are. God uses your weaknesses to his advantage. If you don't know something, own up to it. Your friend will appreciate your honesty. You're not the fount of all wisdom. Try to work it out together. If you don't get anywhere, ask someone else who might know. Or keep a list of unresolved questions that might eventually be solved later.
Don't expect change to happen overnight. I had this strange idea that, once I shared Two Ways to Live, my friend would immediately want to become a Christian. It doesn't work that way. Phillip Jensen told me his wife had been meeting up with a non-Christian friend for eighteen months and it was only now that she was starting to respond to Jesus. People may have heaps of other stuff to work through before they can even consider Christ. That's normal.
You may never see the fruits of your labours. If God is gracious, you might. Remember that, even if you planted or watered, it is God who gives the growth, not you (1 Corinthians 3:6). Put your trust in him and pray regularly.
I met up with my friend for eight months. During that time, I invited her to main meetings, Bible studies and even an evangelistic debate. I never saw her turn to Christ. Eventually I quit my job to start MTS and linked her up with someone else who is continuing to read the Bible with her. We keep in touch sporadically but life has moved us on. I keep praying she will come to know Jesus.
Notes
1 Jeremy Halcrow, “Fit for the game they play in heaven”, Southern Cross, April 2003.
2 I took this from Michael Hill, The How and Why of Love: An Introduction to Evangelical Ethics, Matthias Media, 2002, pp. 49-54.
Karen Beilharz
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