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Shout Out to Bible Quizzing
I had a rather inspiring conversation with one of my friends yesterday about reading the Bible versus studying the Bible. I realized that many times when I read my daily devotion that often I just skimmed over it or, quite honestly, zoned out. (Now, I know that none of you have ever done that, so you can’t relate at all.) Anyway, I decided that I was going to take the time to actually try to retain the information that I was reading. Last night, I went to the book of Galatians because I love the New Testament and the epistles of Paul. As I read, I was flooded with the following memories of my conversion and first year of Bible Quizzing.
I received the Holy Ghost on October 8, 1994 when I was 14 years old. I had been raised Mormon for most of my life. My family was fifth generation Mormon on my dad’s side and second generation Mormon on my mom’s. Our actual breaking away from the Mormon Church in and of itself is amazing, but having four out of five of my family members find God and receive the Holy Ghost is a true miracle! After having received the Holy Ghost and been baptized in Jesus name, I started attending my now-home church, Landmark Tabernacle (www.landmarktabernacle.org), on a regular basis.
One Sunday in December of that year, my brother-in-law asked me a simple question that has helped form my current walk with God. All he said was, “Hey! Wanna join Bible Quizzing?” My reply was, “Sure! What’s that?” And that, my friends, is how it began.
Blushing Honesty
Now I’ll be honest with you. My motives for joining and staying in quizzing were
not as innocent as one might think. I, being the typical 14-year-old girl that I
was, had slightly ulterior motives. Boys. I know you’re shocked and the mind
reels that someone would be in Bible Quizzing for anything but spiritual
reasons. But whatever my motives were, it was one of the best decisions that
I’ve ever made.
The books we studied my first year were Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Now that I look back at it—that is pretty big bite of the Bible to pull off and chew on as a new convert. God had His reasons. Little did I know that the Lord was providing me with essential spiritual weapons that I would need during my first year with Him. One particular situation comes to mind.
I was at school on my off-hour, sitting in the hallway when a friend of mine from the Mormon Church came and sat down beside me. He started asking me about how I was doing and about church. What started out as a calm conversation ended in somewhat of a theological debate. He asked me to prove with just one scripture that the Mormon faith was wrong. Little did he know that I actually knew two! I had in my hand the Bible quizzing cards for the book of Galatians; Galatians 1:8-9 to be exact:
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
Which is Interesting Because . . .
The foundation of the Mormon religion comes from the “revelation” Joseph Smith
supposedly received from the angel Moroni. So I proved with two scriptures that
if the angel Moroni did indeed appear to Joseph Smith that it was an accursed
angel because the doctrine that it brought was against that which is in the
Bible. Needless to say, he did not like that. I also had to throw Revelation
22:18-19 in for good measure:
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”
My argument was that the Mormon faith added to the doctrines of the Bible by creating the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. He got mad. I thought it was funny. (I know the Bible says to “speak the truth in love” [Ephesians 4:15], but I don’t think I had read that verse yet.) Perhaps I didn’t exactly handle that situation the best way, but I was able to combat the devil with the Word as my sword and I left that poor boy speechless and quite confused.
There were many other strong biblical foundations that I learned that year from Galatians:
Going back to old sin is not a good idea—“For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor” (Galatians 1:18).
A little something bad can spoil everything—“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9).
Love everyone—“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14).
There is an internal struggle between your flesh and spirit—“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” (Galatians 5:17).
These things are bad and if you do them you won’t go to heaven—“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-2).
These things are good and if you have them in your life, you know you’re doing what’s right—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-25).
We need to help our brothers and sisters in the Lord—“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2).
Don’t think you’re all that because we are nothing without Christ—“For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Galatians 6:3).
Hold on because we will see our rewards eventually—“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
Really, I said all that to say that Bible quizzing has meant a lot to me over the years. I only made it through two-and-a-half years, but those scriptures have stayed with me throughout my walk with God. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in situations and those verses have come to mind. I’ve been encouraged and was able to start my walk with God on the Rock, the Word of the Lord.
So, anyone out there with kids in quizzing or who is a coach and you’re tired of those 10 a.m. Saturday practices, carting them all over the state for tournaments, driving for thousands of miles without A/C to compete, and begging them on your knees to study, think of me and how 12 years later, I’m still in the race.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2006, Jennifer Holdaway
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(The picture includes Coaches Tim Ekstrom and Jeni Holdaway with quizzers: Brandon Drake, Lauren Correa, Lauren Sadler at the 2006 Colorado District Bible Quiz Finals in Denver.)