Leonard Ravenhill on Bible engagement …
In the classic Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994), the central thesis is prayer, but there are some Bible engagement nuggets worth sharing. Thus, this post.
Ravenhill was a 20th-century revivalist who rebuked, reproved and exhorted Christians to live righteously. His single-minded warnings and appeals sometimes shocked and alienated people. Folk either loved or hated him. Regardless of what people thought about him, the more significant issue is whether or not he spoke the truth. You decide. Here are some of the things he had to say about Bible engagement:
One of these days some simple soul will pick up the Book of God, read it, and believe it. Then the rest of us will be embarrassed.
With a stack of books beside us and marginal notes in Bibles for props, we have almost immunized ourselves from the scorching truth of the changeless Word of God.
There are only three classes of People in the world today: those who are afraid, those who do not know enough to be afraid, and those who know their Bibles.
We have millions of Bibles, scores of thousands of churches, endless preachers – and yet what sin!
We have adopted the convenient theory that the Bible is a Book to be explained, whereas first and foremost it is a Book to be believed (and after that to be obeyed).
The Holy Book of the living God suffers more from its exponents today than from its opponents! We are loose in the use of scriptural phrases, lopsided in interpreting them, and lazy to the point of impotence in appropriating their measureless wealth.
Let any man shut himself up for a week … with no books except the Bible, with no visitor except the Holy Ghost, and I guarantee … that that man will either break up or break through and out.
Most preachers are only echoes, for if you listen hard, you will be able to tell what latest book they have read and how little of the Book they quote.
There is a world of difference between knowing the Word of God and knowing the God of the Word.
Leonard Ravenhill, Why Revival Tarries, 1991.
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Summary
In Why Revival Tarries, Leonard Ravenhill emphasizes the importance of Bible engagement, critiquing how Christians often fail to believe and obey Scripture despite its widespread availability. He argues that many are numb to the Bible’s transformative power, focusing on intellectual explanations rather than heartfelt belief and obedience. Ravenhill warns that the real issue is not the Bible’s opposition but its misuse and distortion by those who claim to teach it. He stresses that true spiritual breakthrough comes from a personal, undistracted encounter with God’s Word, not from echoing popular ideas or relying on external sources.
© Scripture Union Canada
