Meeting: Bible Study
Date: 15th May 2026
Message: The Essence of Guidance into Scriptures
Minister: Pastor David Kilanko
God wants us to develop the culture of meditation of the word. One basic way we can start or the core way we can begin study is to study from the place of having been taught, because scripture is highly spiritual and divine. There is a difference between reading and studying. Reading is a responsibility we must do, and it gives us the capacity to study. Reading is building capacity for studying. Studying is goal oriented; there is a goal in mind for why we want to study, but we must have exercised ourselves from reading a large chunk of the Bible.
(2 Tim. 2:15) – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(1Tim. 4:13) – “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
The Lord ordained servants of God to be able to unlock mysteries that are in scriptures, and we can’t take away their place; they are gifts to the body. In 1Tim. 4:13, we saw how Paul wrote to Timothy to give attendance to reading, doctrine and exhortation till he comes. This means there is a difference between the stature of Paul and Timothy, and what they are to do individually. Paul asked Timothy to give attendance to reading, till he comes. So, there is that which our parents and pastors are helped by heaven to labour to do in the opening up of scriptures. We can’t read our way into Eternal life, we must be guided.
The Holy Ghost is the ultimate guide, the one ordained to guide us into all truth, but He set overseers to feed the flock of God (Eph. 4:8-10) – “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)” The fivefold is a gift of ascension to perfect us towards a goal. Jesus’ descension is to fulfil the requirement that He fulfilled all things; He went to hell so that we won’t need to go there. But when He was ascending, He gave gifts; He didn’t just ascend to heaven, He ascended far above all heavens. For us to also partake of what He did, He gave gifts unto men (Eph. 4:11-12). Even though our Lord Jesus gave us the Bible and gave us the fivefold, we cannot read our way into perfection.
The Pharisees are an example that we can’t read our way into Eternal life (John 5:37-39) -“And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Everything from Genesis to Revelation testifies of someone, and that person gave a route for Him to be accessed. If you don’t follow that route, even though you have the manual, you may not be able to access it; this is why we need to be guided. The place of the shepherd is to go in and out to find pasture. But the bishop stays in the house to establish the saints. Believers ought to read but we can’t by reading, understand or access the person that scriptures are testifying of if we are not guided.
If we are not careful, we will only birth foolish questions from scriptures. What unlearned questions do is to gender strife (2 Tim. 2:23). Questions should be generated from a place of being taught and many questions we will have would be answered in the place of teachings. (Acts 8:26-27) – “And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.” The Ethiopian eunuch must have experienced some level of teaching when he worshipped at Jerusalem.
(Isaiah 45:14) – “Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.” The Ethiopian eunuch going to Jerusalem to worship is a fulfilment of prophecy in the scriptures. For the Holy Ghost to instruct Philip to join his chariot, he must have been placing a demand on something from the place of reading the word. This made the Holy Ghost to become interested in him.
It is good to go back to read after worship/teaching has been done. Also, one exercise we must do is to read the word aloud to ourselves because if we are not disciplined enough, we can be distracted with many thoughts.
It is possible to come for meetings without desire. The labour of Satan is that we should not have desire for the word (Act 8:30-31). Even though the Holy Ghost led Philip to the eunuch, he also desired to be taught and allowed Philip into his chariot. (Acts 8:34-35). Philip was sent to the Ethiopian Eunuch and his sight was changed by teaching. He was able to see water and think of baptism (Acts 8:36).
We can open the Bible and the Bible is still closed; there is what the Bible responds to. Scriptures try our motives and our heart. The access we will get out of the Bible is primarily dependent on the heart posture we are using to approach scriptures.
Many times, the life we live is dependent on the questions in our heart and for our hearts to come to the place of asking the right questions, we must have been taught.
(Joshua 1:7- 8) – “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Moses laboured over Joshua. There was an observing to do that came from all that Moses had commanded him. If we remove Moses from the equation, the commandment to read and meditate will not come, and he will not have good success. We cannot take away the place of those God has set over us to unlock mysteries. We have plenty of resources to study from and it must be a spring board for all the other types of study we intend to take.
If we are not following the teachings in the house, it is a primary indicator that we are rebellious. Acts 17:1-12, emphasis on verse 11-12). Going back to study is to come into personal understanding. What we hear while being taught is not our light. What we are looking for is an active pursuit of truth, not just listening passively to preachings or messages. God wants us to be grounded in what heaven is saying in the house. When we eat what is being served in the house, we will look like the same people in the house. There must be like-mindedness among us. If we don’t give commitments to what heaven is supplying, we can be shortchanged.
There are some things God will not do for us. He won’t read our Bible for us. He has supplied gifts to us to ensure that we are well-fed.
(I Kings 10:1-9) — It was hearing that generated the questions Queen Sheba asked. We see that to an extent, she believed. There was a first hearing that brought her to Solomon. But she journeyed from coming to hear, to going back to study. We can’t get more personal encounters if we don’t go back to reading. Our parents unlock, but we are to go back to study. Listening to messages is not a total replacement of reading scriptures; it is the starting point.
Manuals are usually boring to read. This is the same heart state we take to scripture.
(Luke 24:26-27) — “ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” The reason for listening and studying is so that we can actually encounter a person. The reason for scriptures is for a people to conform to the image of Christ. We are young people and we have many motivations that push us to read the Bible but it is meant to lead us to behold a person.
There are many things that excite us in this generation. Satan has different areas of interest for every age grade, but there is something that should excite us out of earth; it threatens Satan. Having heard and we understand that we are in a warzone, there should be an incense of prayer that we raise to the Lord. Satan is ensuring that the Bible is boring to us. If we are not careful, we will excuse ourselves out of what God has ordained to be prosperity for us (Josh 1:8). It is the soul that needs to walk in the way. It is the soul that is being taught. Prosperity of the soul is tied to fulfilling the requirements of reading and meditating on the word.
The proper order is for those God has ordained to excavate the mysteries in scriptures and for us to go back to read and meditate so we can encounter the person they are talking about. Every time we hear messages, the essence is so that we can see a person. We can’t participate in the fellowship if we don’t see the person of Jesus.
Listening to messages also requires prayer while at it. Some of the questions we have in our hearts might not be answered now or immediately we must keep pressing for understanding.
We are surrounded by abundant provisions to study with and meditate on. (Prov 6:6-8) – “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, Overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.” Unlike the ants, we have food, guides, overseers and rulers. One hindrance also is that we can settle for less. Every message we have heard has an expectation of God over them, and they are also a witness against us. When the demands on the words we have heard come, we are inexcusable. We should not be hungry for pasture as there is an abundance of provision in the house. We should not lack (Psalm 23:1-2, 1 Jhn 1:1).
We should desire the life and labour of our parents. It is the reality of a person that is making them continue. The essence of their lives being spelt before us is so that we can enjoy the fellowship of that person they are enjoying.
THE END