Why Is Bible Work Important?

It was the beginning of January, I attended the Friday night Bible study at my pastor’s house, as I had been doing for the past few years. There really wasn’t anything special about this night, however I noticed two new faces. One of the other churches on the Island of Hawaii had two new Bible workers. Having new Bible workers really wasn’t a big deal. I had seen so many come and go throughout my 20 years of life that it really didn’t intrigue me at all. However, there was something different about these two. They were more personable and caring then I had ever seen in past Bible workers.

My first impression of these new Bible workers, Greg and Karen Wilson, was when I saw Karen comforting one of my friends outside of the pastor’s house that night. My friend recently found out that her parents were going through the process of divorce and Karen was right there to comfort her. All Karen did was hold my friend as she cried on her shoulder, and then she prayed for her. “Who in the world is this Bible worker,” I thought to myself, “she doesn’t even know us, yet she’s so compassionate.” There was something different about Greg and Karen. I just didn’t understand what yet. 

A few months prior to these Bible workers coming to Hawaii, I studied abroad while traveling to 15 countries. It was during my journey around the world that God gave me a burden for ministry. The only problem was I had no idea what God actually wanted me to do. Taking things into my own hands, as if I really needed to plan my entire life, I started looking for Christian internships that would teach me to help others. The interesting part is I didn’t realize that I myself was the one that really needed help.

As we shared prayer requests before going into our Bible study, I briefly mentioned my ideas about doing internships and asked for prayer. There was a huge application process, which included essays and a resume (both of which, I had no idea how to do). After the Bible study, Karen approached me and simply asked me if I wanted help with applying for the internships. From that point on, Karen and I embarked on a beautiful pathway to friendship. I would go to the church they were working with after work or school and we’d hang out for hours working on the application and socializing as well. Little did I know while Karen was befriending me, she was also showing me Christ’s love and was leading me to the precious Savior. She led me in several impromptu Bible studies, and taught me how to pray. Prior, I always felt like prayer needed to be extravagant and flamboyant, but Karen taught me that prayer is simply talking to God as I would talk to a friend. I may have agreed to do all these things because I cared about her as a friend, but what she was showing me was how I really needed Jesus in my life. 

Janelle Andres (left) and Karen Wilson (right)

I thought my personal walk with God was absolutely fine, but I really didn’t know Him or have a personal relationship with Him. In fact, before studying the Bible with Karen, I never felt anything while reading the Bible. However, when I studied with Karen, God’s Word pricked my heart to the point where my eyes burst into tears. For the first time, I got a glimpse that Jesus loves me. Even though I was born and raised Adventist, I never understood that simple truth.

This may be a long explanation to answer the question “why is Bible work important,” but I wanted to give this background information to truly understand my answer. Bible work is important because God used it to save me. I wouldn’t have gone canvassing, attended SOULS West, and fallen in love with God if it wasn’t for Bible workers giving their time and energy to seek a lost soul like myself. Many people have a misunderstanding of God just like I did, and they have no idea what they are missing. Bible work saved me, and I know that it can save many others as well.