One on One Bible Reading: Simple, Relational, and Powerful
I registered for the 2011 TGC national conference for two reasons: first, because it was in Chicago, IL where I was living at the time, and, second, because I knew I’d return with a lot of free books. I wasn’t disappointed. Of all the books I brought home that week, one stands out among the rest. It was a short book that carefully toed the line between a book and a pamphlet called One-to-One Bible Reading by David Helm. In it, Helm unpacks a tool for one-to-one discipleship in which two people, armed with nothing but their Bibles and a fistful of questions, dive headlong into God’s word together, and come out on the other side closer to Christ and one another.
I was skeptical. The idea of reading the Bible with someone sounded simplistic. Even if someone agreed to read with me, wouldn’t it feel awkward and forced? Could something like this do any good, or would it be completely ineffective? Though I had my suspicions, time has shown that not only is one-to-one Bible reading not simplistic, awkward, and ineffective, but simple, relational, and powerful.
Not simplistic but simple
A “disciple” is a follower of Jesus Christ and “discipleship” is helping someone follow Jesus Christ. There’s a lot more that can (and has) been said about discipleship, but we cannot say less. Gallons of ink are spilled each year laying out new discipleship methods and models, and while many of these resources are helpful, they can cause believers to imagine discipleship to be more complex than it needs to be.
One-to-one Bible reading isn’t simplistic, yet it is simple. It’s a way for a believer to put their arm around a brother or sister to help them take a few steps forward in their walk with Christ. It’s a way that a believer can introduce a seeker to Christ, by letting Jesus’ actual words speak for themselves. One-to-one Bible reading doesn’t involve any special training or materials, only God’s Word and the willingness to discuss, dissect, digest, and delight in it together. One-to-one Bible reading isn’t simplistic, yet it is simple.
Not awkward but deeply relational
I confess one-to-one Bible reading sounded awkward to me. Asking someone to read the Bible sounded like asking someone on a date to the grocery store. Even if one was to accept my invitation, what would we talk about? How would we fill the time? Would it lead to fruitful conversation or long stretches of silence punctuated by throat clearing?
I’ve found that one-to-one Bible reading isn’t awkward, but deeply relational. How could it be any other way? The Bible is God’s living and active word. It “[pierces] to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and [discerns] the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12).” When two people come under the scalpel of scripture together and allow the content of their hearts to be laid bare, it establishes a context of deep vulnerability where relationship flourishes. As a pastor, I often use one-to-one Bible reading to help form deeper relationships with the men in my church. One-to-one Bible reading is not awkward nor boring, but deeply relational.
Not ineffective but powerful
For many, the primary barrier to one-to-one discipleship is the belief that they’re not yet spiritually mature enough to disciple someone else. However, the power of one-to-one Bible reading isn’t in the person who’s leading but in the book that you're reading. With One-to-one Bible reading, one’s ability to disciple another isn’t based upon their personal maturity, but their willingness to dive into God’s word with another person and let His Word do its work. With this mindset, the discipler is relieved from the responsibility to be the source of transformative wisdom, and God’s living Words are put in their place.
We might think of one-to-one Bible reading as “expositional conversation.” Like expositional preaching, one-to-one Bible reading allows God’s Word to set the agenda for your time together and trusts that it will work its transformative effect on the life of those we lead. The discipler’s job is simply to facilitate a context where God’s Word gives shape and power to the conversation. With God’s living and active word at the center, one-to-one Bible reading isn’t ineffective, but powerful.
Just an appetizer
This article is just the appetizer. Meant to stir your appetite for one-to-one Bible reading discipleship. Over the next few months, I will produce a series of articles unpacking a larger vision for how this simple, relational, and powerful tool mobilizes individual believers to engage others one-on-one in discipling relationships and helps create a culture in our churches where people are empowered and released to take responsibility for the spiritual good of their brothers and sisters in Christ. With God’s Spirit inside us, and God’s Word before us, how might he use us for the flourishing of his people? One-to-one Bible reading isn’t simplistic, awkward, and ineffective, but simple, relational, and powerful.
BEN RUHL - ONE ON ONE DISCIPLESHIP, PASTORAL MINISTRY, AND PREACHING
Ben grew up in Houston, TX and started following Christ at a young age. After graduating from high school, Ben studied the Bible at Torchbearers Bible Schools in England and Austria, Moody Bible Institute (BA) in Chicago, IL, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div) in South Hamilton, MA. Ben met his wife Olivia while studying at Moody. They married in 2015 and have two kids: 5-year-old Davie Henrietta and 1-year-old Cal McCheyne.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell in 2017, Ben and Olivia moved to Alton, NH where Ben pastors BeFree Community Church Alton (EFCA) and is the Executive Director of Small Town Summits, a ministry that seeks to provide encouragement, connection, and equipping for small-town pastors, laypeople, and churches. When not parenting, pastoring, or spending time with Olivia, Ben likes to carve wood.