THE DISCIPLESHIP NUGGET

​                                                MONTHLY DISCIPLESHIP NUGGET              
                                                                                                         No. 6
                               FIVE WAYS TO INTAKE THE WORD

​by Pastor Ron Ballard
 

It is important that your disciple learn to spiritually intake the Word of God. Here are five ways to intake God’s Word.
 
HEAR THE WORD

• Your disciple may hear the Word from godly pastors and teachers who provide insight into other studies of

scripture as well as stimulating our own appetites for the Word.
 
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.”  (Luke 11:28)
 
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”  (Rom. 10:17)
 
READ THE WORD

• A daily reading program, which will take your disciple systematically through the Bible. If you don’t have a reading program ask him/her to read through the gospel of John, a chapter a day.

 
“He shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful
to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.” (Deut. 17:19)
 
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear this prophecy, and keep those things which are
written in it.” (Rev. 1:3)
 
STUDY THE WORD

• Studying the Word will help your disciple to personally discover God’s truths.  Writing down these

discoveries will help him/her organize and remember them better.
 
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that thy receive the Word with all readiness
of mind and searched the scriptures daily whether these things were so.”
 
“If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” (Prov. 2:4-5)
 
We will later give nuggets on how to study the Word of God.
 
 
MEMORIZE THE WORD

• Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators says, “I Know of no form of intake of the Word which pays

greater dividends for the time invested than scripture memory.”

• In a 24 hour period we remember 5% of what we hear, 15% of what we read, 35% of what we study and

100% of what we memorize.
 
“How can a young man cleanse his way? Your Word I have hidden in my heart that I might not
sin against you.” (Psa. 119:9,11)
 
 
MEDITATE ON THE WORD

• Meditation is defined as prolonged thoughts directed to God’s Word thinking on what it means and how to apply it to your life.
• Meditation is like digestion:

• You can chew food but if it is not digested, it won’t do you any good. You can Hear, Read, Study and Memorize scriptures but it won’t do you any good unless you meditate on it.

• Meditation analyzes scripture by taking a verse apart word by word and phrase by phrase. Reflect on the scripture by calling up personal thoughts and applications in light of the passage under consideration; also by taking the verse apart by asking the following questions: Who? What? Where? Why? and How?

 
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that
you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. Then you will have good success.” (Josh. 1:8)
 
“The scriptures were not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” Dwight L. Moody
 
 
In conclusion, remember this season we celebrate a birthday not a holiday, we celebrate the birth of the incarnated Word! Jesus the Living Word.
 
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”(John 1:14)
 
 
                                                                            Have a blessed Christmas!
                                                               Pastor Ron Ballard
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