Well, I did it. I finished memorizing all 260 chapters of
the New Testament. A few years ago I wrote about my process of memorizingverses, here is an update now that I'm finished with my goal.
By memorizing the New Testament, I don't mean that I can
currently quote every verse from Matthew 1 to Revelation 22; I mean that I have
learned, memorized and quoted each chapter, one at a time. I have quoted them
all to my friend Mike, who inspired me to take on this challenge.
I have told this story many times, but I'll tell it again
here: in 2011, I was working at a church, and the pastor informed the staff
that they were not only expected to memorize Romans 12, but they would be
routinely tested on it. I panicked. I had never memorized a verse in my life. I
reached out to my friend Mike. He is a Navigator- a group that is known for
Bible memory, and asked him for his help. He agreed wholeheartedly. He also
committed to memorizing it as well. I made flash cards and worked on it for
weeks, but finally got to a place where I could kind of quote it correctly
without any help.
When we finished memorizing Romans 12, Mike said, "what
are we memorizing now?" I thought, "nothing! I have memorized an
entire chapter of the Bible, isn't that enough?" He suggested Romans 6,
and I reluctantly agreed. I made more flash cards; and this chapter was easier.
I was getting the hang of this. I was using and developing muscles that I had
never used before. After Romans 6, he said, "Now what?" and I said,
"this might sound crazy, but let's go back to the beginning and memorize
ALL of Romans!" and he agreed with excitement.
In those days, Mike and I used to meet for prayer at 5am on
Thursdays. We would pray with other youth pastors for an hour, and then we
would quote our chapter and discuss what it meant. In those days, I was not
only memorizing each chapter of Romans, but I was memorizing ALL of Romans, and
for a full year, I quoted it for 45 minutes each morning. I was lightning fast.
After Romans, we moved onto Ephesians, and mike challenged
me to memorize one chapter of the New Testament each month, and we would finish
in about 20 years. I learned a chapter a month for years. I would quote my
chapter every day of that month. After awhile I stopped working at the Romans
12 church and we stopped meeting at 5am. We moved our meeting to Tuesdays at
4pm at a local sports bar. I had a long commute and I would quote my chapter
once on the way to work and once on the way home.
Time went on, and when we got to the gospels, Mike's
schedule changed and he did not have as much time to devote to Scripture
memory. He ended up only memorizing the red letters of Jesus. Eventually Mike
told me to go at my own pace and he would slow down. I started doing 1 chapter
a week instead of one a month, Then two a week. When I got to the last book,
Revelation, the chapters were so short that I was doing 3 chapters a week. As
the end of my challenge was approaching, I was spending more and more time on
it, so that I could hurry up and finish. I can genuinely say that in the last
few months that finishing this goal was an obsession. I got up early in the
morning to work on it, I worked on it on every car drive and errand, and worked
on it every night before bed.
I try not to talk about this goal a lot because I am not
trying to elevate myself above anyone else. The reaction that I usually get is
that people are impressed, but for me, that's not what its all about. I feel
like I ought to know what the Bible says and I feel like there is no good
reason, for me, right now, not to do this. A long time ago, I was listening to
a speaker telling a story of when he was studying in the Holy Land. He met a
rabbi, and he said something to the effect of, "My rabbi is Jesus."
The rabbi didn't miss a beat. He said, "no he's not. And you're not his
disciple. Stop saying that. you're not using those words correctly." The
speaker was taken aback and the rabbi said, "Do you know his words? I'm
not talking about reading his words 5 minutes a day; have you memorized his
words? If you were his disciple, you would memorize his words. That's what a
disciple does." That was pretty convicting. And now, I see the call to
memorize the Word, or to meditate on the Word, or to remain in the Word, or to
remain faithful to the Word all over the Bible.
People often ask how- what are my methods? I have used all
kinds over the years. For a long time I used hand motions and sign language. If
a verse ended with a 2 or a 3, I would use a hand motion with 2 fingers or 3 to
jar my memory. Lately I have been using jersey numbers. If a verse is number
16, I think about Joe Montana and try to imagine him in the verse. If its a 25,
I think of Barry Bonds and how the things that he did might help me to remember
the words in my verse. I have a different name for every number from 1-60 or
so. But in the end, its all repetition. Its saying the words out loud in my car
or in the shower or on a walk. Sometimes I write out the chapter by hand. There
is no right or wrong way.
I have told this story many times, but I'll go ahead and say
it again here: there are many, many times when I'm working on cards, or quoting
from my cards, and it is purely a mental exercise. I am just trying to
associate a number with a thought or use an acronym to remember a list of
things. But there have been many, many times when I have been on a trail or in
my car, and I have quoted a verse and I was struck emotionally by the words. I
have often said, it was my voice coming out of my mouth, but it was God's voice
speaking directly to my heart through these verses. So many times, I have
quoted a verse, and it was the very things that I needed to hear in that very
moment; and those intersections have brought me to tears. Other times, I am
learning verses, and I turn over a card to see what's next, and what's on that
card hits me like a ton of bricks. I find words that I haven't read for a long
time, or a verse that has been so meaningful in my life, and I just didn't
remember that it was in this particular chapter; and again, I am overwhelmed
with emotion.
Of course, this goal has helped me in my ministry as well. I
can often call to mind a word that would help someone, and gather a series of
similar stories from different parts of the Bible and make a teaching series.
Unfortunately, I can't say that even after memorizing the New Testament that I
am a Bible expert. My friend Mike and I often say, "I can quote you what
this chapter says, but I still need someone to tell me what it means." There
are many parts of the New Testament where I can say, "I need to do some
research on what the words of these verses actually mean."
In regard to my favorite parts, I still love Romans 12. I
love anytime I can see the message of the gospel in a story. One of my
favorites is when Jesus begins a story like this: "There was a man who had
two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the
estate.' So he divided his property between them..." I remember reading
those words off of a verse card and welling up in tears. Another story that
paints a picture of the Gospel is when Luke writes, "Two other men, both
criminals, were also led out with him to be executed..." I love that
story. Philemon is a picture of the Gospel and I love to read it and quote it
and reflect on it.
After memorizing the New Testament, I thought, what now? Do
I do the Minor Prophets? The Psalms? I'm going to go back to Romans and start
all over from the beginning. I'll just do one chapter a week, and I won't ask anyone
to test me. I don't feel like I need to do that anymore. Lord willing, I can do
this for many years to come. Hopefully I'll get through the New Testament a few
more times and have more insight, more times of refreshing, and more words to
give to others.
So that's it! 27 books, 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, and so
many stack of cards bound by a ring and a rubber band. For years, these cards
have been a constant companion, in my pockets, in my car, and traveling with me
wherever I go. Thanks to everyone who has quizzed me, sat with me at 5am and
listened to me recite, and who cheered for me.
I tell kids all the time, you don't need to memorize the
whole New Testament; but I think its good to always have a verse or a chapter
that you're working on. Its good for your brain, your soul and your mentals.
Psalm 1 says, "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his
delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He
is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers."
God is love.
-rev-rob