A candidate for church membership was asked, "What part of the Bible do you like best?" He said: "I like the New Testament best. Then he was asked, "What Book in the New Testament is your favorite?" He answered, "the Book of the Parables, Sir."

They then asked him to relate one of the parables to the membership committee. And a bit uncertain, he began. "Once upon a time a man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves; and the thorns grew up and choked the man. And he went on and met the Queen of Sheba, and she gave that man, Sir, a thousand talents of silver, and a hundred changes of raiment. And he got in his chariot and drove furiously, and as he was driving along under a big tree, his hair got caught in a limb and left him hanging here! And he hung there many days and many nights. The ravens brought him food to eat and water to drink. And one night while he was hanging there asleep, his wife Delilah came along and cut off his hair, and he fell on stony ground. And it begin to rain, and rained forty days and forty nights. And he hid himself in a cave. Later he went on and met a man who said, "Come in and take supper with me." But he said, "I can’t come in, for I have married a wife." And the man went out into the highways and hedges and compelled him to come in! He then came to Jerusalem, and saw Queen Jezebel sitting high and lifted up in a window of the wall. When she saw him she laughed, and he said, "Throw her down out of there," and they threw her down. And he said "Throw her down again," and they threw her down seventy-times-seven. And the fragments which they picked up filled twelve baskets full! NOW, whose wife will she be in the day of the Judgment?

The membership committee agreed that this was indeed a knowledgeable candidate!

The Bible is the best-selling book of all of human history but it is read by few people. People often make pronouncements about the bible when they have never read it. The world thinks it knows what the Bible says and rejects it often out of ignorance. According to the pollster George Barna, the percentage of Christians who read the Bible daily is 13%. Those who read it three times a week are 32%, and 43% will not read it at all. In another survey, Seven out of ten adults did not know that the expression, "God helps those that help themselves," is not contained within the Bible.

This is one reason that today’s Church is so weak and why Christians fail so miserably in their walk with God. The Bible is our operation manual, our instruction book and we have neglected it. Most Christians do not read the Bible and they do not go to Sunday School to learn more about it. If we have a problem, we are more likely to go read another book or seek the counsel of a friend rather than turn to the Bible. I can understand a non Christian not reading the Bible, but how can Christians disregard God’s Word?

Paul had warned Timothy that in the last days difficult times will arise when men will be lovers of self and lovers of money rather than lovers of God. He describes a time not unlike our day when people are arrogant, unloving, boastful, reckless and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. I am not sure who Paul had in mind when he wrote it, but it could very well be today’s Church.

Paul reminded Timothy that he had a different background. He had been raised on Scripture. His mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois saw to it that he knew the Bible. In his case, it would have been the Old Testament. Paul’s admonition to him was to conduct himself according to the things he had learned from childhood. Paul made it clear that from Scripture we learn wisdom that leads to salvation that is by faith in Christ Jesus.

What is the Bible? To answer that, we need to understand the word "revelation." Revelation is God making himself known to us. We cannot discover God. Our sinful rebellion has blinded us to God. Our relationship to him is so marred that we cannot be reconciled to him by our own efforts. Our hearts are so dark with sin that we can never think straight when it comes to God. However, God did not leave us like that. God has made himself known to us. He has come personally into the world of humanity and made himself known.

God has acted in history. At the burning bush, God told Moses his name, I am that I am. On the Mount Sinai, the People heard the sound of thunder as God made his Law known to them. God clarified his wisdom in the words of the Psalms and the Proverbs. He declared his judgment and plans for hope in the Prophets. Then he came to us. God became flesh. God has made himself personally known to us as acts of history.

But, it did not stop there. The Prophets and the Apostles wrote down those acts and preserved them. From Genesis to Revelation, they recorded the things that God wants us to know.

You may say, well those are just words in an old dusty book, stories from a far away culture. Why should I pay attention to them? Because "All Scripture is inspired," God breathed. These are not just stories, they are God’s inspired word to us. God has insured that what is written there is exactly what he wanted us to have. Word for word, it is God’s perfect instructions to us. The Baptist Faith and Message said:

Though men were the instruments by which Scripture was written, God inspired them in such a way that the exact words he wanted were preserved for our benefit and enlightenment.

Paul had already noted that the God-breathed Scripture contains the knowledge we need to gain salvation through Jesus. Now he reminds us that Scripture is beneficial for teaching, for reproof and correction and for training in righteousness. Everything you need to live the Christian life is in the Bible. Sometimes we fail to grasp this. There are no hidden secrets. In fact, everything you need to live the Christian life you can learn in Sunday School.

Paul notes that the one who studies the Bible, who has submitted to it teaching, its reproval and correction, and its training, will be adequate and equipped for every good work. It is through the study of Scripture that we become mature Christians who are able to live faithfully before God. Those who study Scripture will be ready in season and out of season to share with others the hope we have in Christ. How can we so easily neglect the Word of God? If you want the power to live a Christian life, we ought to be thirsting after Bible Study. Our Sunday School classes ought to be full and all of us should be systemically reading through Scripture. One person said that if you read at the normal pulpit rate, a person can read though the Bible in one year by reading only twelve minutes a day. And I will tell you that after three degrees, and over 30 years in the ministry, the Bible still surprises me, even shocks me when I read it.

An unknown writer said, This Book is the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding; its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s character. Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. Follow its precepts and it will lead you to Calvary, to the empty tomb, to a resurrected life in Christ; yes, to glory itself, for eternity. (Bible.org)