On Christian Books

Friends, every one of us strives to grow spiritually. Reading Christian books is one of the tools that helps us in this. Through books we can learn more about God, learn to be a mother, look at the lives of missionaries to imitate them, learn how to overcome temptation, and many other things.

There was a pastor in Alexander Stroke’s church who was sick with cancer at the end of his life. When the elders came to visit him, they saw a book in his hands, which ended up being about missions. He had just a few days left to live and here he is reading about the mission of a friend instead of funerals or about which gravestone to buy!

Another example is Apostle Paul, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments” (2 Tim. 4:13). No one has written a more insightful pastoral reflection on this short verse than Charles Spurgeon:

“How rebuked are they by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books! He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, ‘Give thyself unto reading.’”

• Mothers, read about how to do your everyday, routine work for the Lord rather than for your husband.
• Husbands, read about how to be a good shepherd in your family.
• If you’re a teenager, read about how to keep yourself pure and holy.
• If you’re a pastor, read about how to know, defend, feed, and lead your sheep.

Books are our pastors on the shelves. If you wish, they can answer your questions. They won’t get tired of you. You can put them on pause and return to them later. There are plenty of good authors in our day who have written works that can be beneficial for our souls. Humility will show itself in the one who reads a lot, not in the one who talks about reading a lot.

Don’t be fooled by those who say that reading books is not necessary. Oftentimes they say that we should only read the Bible, but it turns out that they themselves don’t read it often enough and carefully enough. There are people who study the Old Testament for over 20 years and have a desire to share their findings with others—only a foolish person would refuse.

Books are an opportunity to look into the life of another person and see how the Holy Spirit worked in his life. We often see this in the many biographies that we can read today.

How should we read books? There was once a Frenchman by the name of Michel Lotito who decided that he wanted to eat a whole airplane (Cessna-150). Every day he would break off a piece and add it to his food, and over time he ended up eating a whole airplane (true story). What can we learn from this? Read little by little. I read about 10-15 pages a day. This principle has helped me to read simple and difficult books that at first seemed impossible.

We oftentimes want things quickly and immediately, and the reading of books in a slow and thoughtful manner is incongruent with today’s pace of life. But if we want to see results, we need to apply some effort. You may pick up a book and be put off by the number of pages or its large size, and your first thought may be that you’ll never get through this. This is normal; be ready for resistance. Try to find even 15 minutes!

How should books not be read? Completely in one sitting. This can tempt you to never read again.

Friends, I will be honest with you. I do not like to read books. My eyes get tired and I often want to sleep, but I do like to see the results. I like it when some truth changes my mind and reveals my weaknesses. This is why I grab a book and labor over it.

How should we read books? It’s very helpful to read with a pencil in hand. Better to read one book with a pencil than ten without. We cannot remember all the examples and good thoughts in a book. We often need to return and reread. If we will mark up our books while reading and leave our thoughts in there, over time we will be able to more quickly look up an idea or quote.

• Always carry books with you. You may be in line somewhere; that’s 10 minutes when you can read.
• Choose good Christian books.
• Ask your pastors what books they recommend.
• Don’t be bogged down by the number of unfinished books. If you are not currently reading, you always have the opportunity to start back up.

Friends, if you fear becoming arrogant because of the knowledge you will obtain from books, know that that is not the case. The more you will read and learn, the more you will begin to recognize how little you know. Reading humbles. This is why I encourage you to use books for your spiritual growth, apply effort to finish them, and visit our church bookstore where you will be able to find good authors and useful books.

• Thursday (7:00 PM) Bible Study (Proverbs) and prayer in the cafeteria
• Sunday services:
  • Worship Service in Russian at 9:00 AM
  • Worship Service in English at 11:15 AM