Why is it important for you to read the Scriptures with others?

I love to read my Bible in my comfy chair with a cup of coffee all by myself. It is great and necessary to have that alone time with the Lord.

But this isn’t always the best way to read my Bible. Sometimes, I read really tough passages and I wonder, “What message is God conveying here and why can’t I make sense of it?” It is in those moments when I am reminded of the importance of studying my Bible in the community of other believers.

In this passage of Acts 8, Philip was called by God to go down a desert road. He comes across an Ethiopian eunuch who was in charge of the treasury for the Queen of the Ethiopians. This Ethiopian man must have been a convert to Judaism because he had traveled a long way to Jerusalem to worship and was reading the prophet Isaiah out loud while he was riding home in his chariot. Philip overhears him reading the prophet Isaiah and seizes the opportunity to share the Gospel with him.

I love the dedication and the humility of the Ethiopian in this passage. When Philip asks him if he understands what he is reading, he says “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” (NIV) He was humble enough to admit that he could use a little help. But dedicated enough to keep reading even if he didn’t completely understand. He was teachable and took the opportunity to learn from someone more experienced in the faith. “He invited Philip to come and sit with him.”

Friends, sometimes it’s best to sit together when we read our Bibles. There is so much we can learn from each other. I know that it has been an isolating season of life for many of us. I want to encourage you to find a way to sit with someone to read the Bible this week. We are created to be a community of believers. We aren’t meant to go it alone.


Pray