Open the Bible

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I'm Steve Hiller. Glad you've joined us today. And we're going to do something a little bit different today, Colin. We've got a special program with a special guest that we're going to introduce everyone to in just a moment.

But before we do, I'd love for you to talk just a little bit about the mission of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: Well, the mission of Open the Bible is to raise up a movement of people who love to open the Bible themselves and are equipped to open the Bible with others. And the word love is really important here. I think a lot of people have the idea that reading the Bible is a good thing to do, we ought to do it, it'll do us good, and so forth.

But the Bible is so wonderfully rich. It's life-giving and it's life-sustaining. And I think when people discover that, there's a love for opening God's word. There's an experience of actually meeting God in his word and of coming to know him in a rich and real and personal way. And that's what we want to encourage people in. When people discover that for themselves, they want to share it with others as well.

Steve Hiller: Oh, absolutely. And that's exactly what our guest today has discovered and is doing. So, why don't you introduce us to today's special guest?

Colin Smith: Well, it's a joy to have with me here in the studio Mike Forbis, a dear personal friend. We've been friends for some years now, and we've had the opportunity of serving together. You're not from Scotland, Mike, and people are going to love your accent as soon as you begin to speak. Tell us where you're from and a little bit about your background.

Mike Forbis: Well, I'm from Memphis, Tennessee, and I don't think I have an accent at all! And neither do I have one. But I grew up in a small town in Arkansas, northeast Arkansas called Harrisburg, out in the country. Country boy, grew up, was raised in church all my life. Married now, have a lovely wife, Sandy. We've been married for 33 years. I have four children and nine grandchildren.

Colin Smith: That's marvelous. Now, the reason that I wanted people to meet you through this program, Mike, is that God has done a wonderful work through the Scriptures in your life. You were helped by the ministry of Open the Bible, and now you are helping other people to open the Bible as well.

And so, I want people to hear that story because it really goes to the heart of the mission statement that we were speaking about a moment ago: that people would love to open the Bible for themselves and that they'd be equipped to open the Bible for others. You're doing this, and I think you have a marvelous story in that regard. Tell us a little bit more about your life and your business. You've been a business guy for many years, and God has blessed your business. Tell us about what you've been doing over these years.

Mike Forbis: I have a construction company called F&F Construction. It's based in Memphis. We have an office in Panama City and an office outside of Dallas. So, we're a national company, work for national businesses all over the United States. My three sons work with me, and that is a great blessing to be able to work together with them. I tell folks now, I finally like them.

Colin Smith: It's not everyone that can work with family, but if you can do that, it is a marvelous gift, and I'm so glad you have that opportunity.

Mike Forbis: It's a time of my life now to be able to work with my boys and watch them mature and take on the reins and grow the business.

Colin Smith: Now, you've been a Christian, Mike, for a lot of years, but it's only really in recent years that, as you've put it to me, you've kind of come alive. Tell us about how that happened.

Mike Forbis: Actually, I became sick with COVID, and I was in the hospital, and the doctor had given me some pretty tough news. He said that my COVID was so serious. It was the beginning days of COVID; we didn't really know how to treat it and where it was going to go. But I remember him telling me that night, "You could die."

So, it was at that time in my life I began to get really, really serious. There were things in my life—I'd been a Christian for 35 years—but I had drifted.

Colin Smith: And he says you could die tonight, the doctor says?

Mike Forbis: He did. And so, when you're on your back in a hospital room, you have no way to look but up. And so, I did business with God that night. I said, "I want to renew, get back into being serious about my faith." But after I'd gotten out of the hospital, I turned on the radio one morning, and I heard Open the Bible.

I tell everybody the accent drew me in when I heard you speak, but the depth of the teaching is what kept me there. What you were saying earlier, sir, about the word is food for our soul. We feed our natural body three times a day, more sometimes, but we forget that we need to feed our soul, our spirit. God's word did that, and I began to get excited about the word.

What you guys at Open the Bible did for me is what Paul was telling Timothy, to stir that flame back up. And so, it got me excited, and so I started reading the Bible. I would tell other guys in the office, and we'd listen to the program. It comes on at 6 a.m., by the way, in Memphis. So, you've got to be almost a construction worker to be listening!

But we would listen to it on the way to work and get to work and discuss it. And we said, "Well, why don't we just start reading the Bible that way?" And we began reading short blocks of Scripture and coming to the office and discussing it.

What I found out was that God wanted a personal relationship with me, and that relationship is built on conversation. And conversation is God speaking to me through his word and me speaking to him through prayer. My faith exploded. It became alive. And I'm excited about those times with him every day now.

Colin Smith: That's wonderful. And I love the way that you describe this dual conversation. God speaks to us through the word, and we speak to him through prayer. I think some people have the idea that we hear the voice of God independently of Scripture.

One of the things that I've appreciated so much about the emphasis that you've had in your ministry as God is using you is that you want people to hear the voice of God through Scripture and then to respond to the voice of God through prayer. I just love that communication that goes in two directions.

Mike Forbis: As a contractor, I receive a set of blueprints from an architect, and he's put his mind on paper for me to build a building per his instructions. God gave us the Bible, which is his mind. For me to just take those blueprints and throw them to the side and go build a building for my customer, and then when I got done, I say, "Well, I built you what I thought you wanted." And they're going, "No, no, no, that's not my building. You've built another building. You built your building."

I realized that same with my faith. I had been doing a lot of religious things, but I hadn't been building God's building. His mind is that Bible. And as I get it in mine, I'm now doing and following him the way he would have me to. And that's exciting.

Colin Smith: How else would you describe the change that this has brought in your life? I mean, how has it changed you? You've got enthusiasm, you've got joy, you've got so much life about you that comes from the word of God. How has it changed things in your family, in your own life, in relationships? What have you seen and what are you seeing, because it doesn't happen all at once, does it?

Mike Forbis: No, sir, it does not. One thing, I have peace. Peace with God, peace of God, and peace with God. And that is something that I didn't have when I was in the hospital. I didn't have that peace because thinking about meeting him. I'm watching it go with my friends, meeting friends, and sharing this method of how we read the Bible and study the Bible, and watching them grow individually.

Just watching when they realize that they can have this personal relationship with God, that's something they'd kind of set aside even though they were in church. They'd kind of set it aside to realize that conversation and that discipleship method. So, I watch them get excited about it.

I've got my friend Andy Price. He came with me today, and he follows me all over the world. We go around teaching this. My oldest son, Chris, just went through an interesting situation where he had a bad diagnosis. And when he came out of it—and he didn't go to church—but when he came out of that health situation, he said, "Can I come to the Bible study with you?"

Well, my goodness, can you come to the Bible study with me? Absolutely. It's a wonderful question for your son to ask you. And now he's involved in it. And I just trust God to deal with him through his word. I don't have to go to my son and say, "Now you need to do this, this, and this." I'm just trusting God with him and saying, "Son, just read the word and let God speak to you."

Colin Smith: Love it. So, we've talked a little bit about the effect of the word of God in your own life. It's brought new life to you in a very wonderful way. Let's think a little bit about how you're trying to encourage others to get into the word of God.

You've spoken already about gathering a group of people and reading the Bible together, and you've kind of developed that into a simple approach that has been helpful to you and is helpful to others. Tell us a little bit more about your approach, how the small group works, and what the method is.

Mike Forbis: Sure. What we do, we originally started with the book of John. And we said we're going to read chapter one this week. So, every day we read chapter one of John every day for a week. And then we gather together on Wednesday mornings and we discuss.

We read it prayerfully. We read it asking God to teach us and show us because the Bible says that if we're saved, we have the Holy Spirit in us. God's the greatest teacher, right? So, God said he would teach us, he would lead us, he would guide us, he would remind us of things Jesus said.

We jot down any notes, anything that we see for the first time. What I've found about the Bible is you'll never plumb the depths. I've read John chapter one because we always start off new groups saying let's go with John chapter one. I've read John chapter one I can't tell you how many times in the last two years. And every time I read it for a week, I get new truth out of it, new revelation.

We come together. A group of 12 is a perfect size because five minutes for each person is an hour. And so, we go around the room and we ask everybody to share what God revealed to them through the Spirit and through his word that week. It's just beautiful because everybody's at different places in their lives.

Some may be grieving the loss of a child, some may be celebrating the birth of a child. But there's one truth. We don't have multiple truths; there's one truth. But it's multiple application, how it applies, how it reaches people in their lives. And so, we go around, we discuss it, and we learn off of each other. Nobody's teaching, everybody's sharing.

Colin Smith: I love that because you're encouraging people to slow down in their reading of the Bible. This idea of read the same chapter every day for a week and you'll see new things in it the second time, the third time, the fifth time, the sixth time, and the seventh time, because Scripture is so wonderfully rich.

My pastor taught me early in life: slow down in reading the Bible. Read a few verses and try and find one thing that you will take into your mind and into your heart and carry it with you. And what you're doing is you're actually encouraging people to capture six or seven things over the course of a week just by going to the same passage and letting it drip feed into the mind and into the heart so that more and more is being drawn out of it. I think it's a marvelous thing.

Mike Forbis: And you understand the depth of the word. Now the word becomes so alive to you that you realize this word was given to us from someone who's holier than my words can explain or our minds can comprehend. He's communicating to us through this. And it just goes layer after layer after layer.

We just did John chapter one in Guatemala last week. And so, I was reading and it's John the Baptist says, "I'm just a voice of one." Well, I'd never seen it that way. "I'm the voice of one in the wilderness." He said, "I'm just the voice of one in the wilderness." For us, that's what we are. We're the voice of one and we live in a wilderness and we're saying, "Behold, the word of God now."

Colin Smith: See, another thing that I love about what you're doing is not only do you have the highest confidence in the word of God as God actually speaking to us, but you have real confidence in the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer to enable us to understand and benefit from the word of God. Talk a little bit about that because it seems to me that that's something very important and valuable.

Mike Forbis: Absolutely, because he's our teacher. He's the one. And the Bible says he will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He will lead you, he will guide you, he will remind you of everything that Jesus said. So, we believe that the word of God has to be revealed. Truth has to be revealed. You can preach truth, but the Holy Spirit reveals truth.

We believe every saved person, the Bible makes it clear that every saved person has God himself as the Holy Spirit living in them. He is the revealer of truth. And so, we have that capacity in us if we will apply ourselves to get into the word and let him teach us and guide us. And we gather together to discuss.

When we gather together as groups, think about the 12 disciples. They were with Jesus every day, walking around, hearing truth. You know they had to get together and discuss it to talk about, "Did you understand this? Did you understand that?" We never come at our meeting saying we have all the answers. We don't. We understand we're talking about a God beyond our imagination. So, we come together to discuss the revelation that we've been given that week. But it's always revelation from the word by the Spirit.

Colin Smith: And that the Bible is a book that a believer can actually understand. I love the way that Peter puts this in 2 Peter 1. He's talking about how we were eyewitnesses of his—that's Christ's—majesty. He's speaking about the word that is now in the Gospels that are given to us.

He says, "We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place." I've heard people talk about the Bible as being such an obscure and difficult book that nobody could ever possibly understand it. It sounds like it's a sort of murky well that you could never get into. This says it's a lamp shining in a dark place. And when a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we don't understand everything, but we really can open the Bible and we can hear the voice of God and we can discern and understand and grasp his word.

Mike Forbis: Whenever I was saved, it happened because God opened my eyes to see his holiness, my depravity, and the only hope I had was Jesus Christ. He opened my eyes to see that. Prior to, I was religious but lost. Now, when I read the Bible, God through the Holy Spirit reveals light. Just like he revealed my condition, he's revealing himself to me. You read at first you're reading words, but after a couple of three days, you begin to see God's ways.

And how he works. And then you're reminded, "Wait a minute, he did this in Genesis. He did this in Revelation." You can just see this beautiful thread through the Bible. One message: God restoring man back into fellowship from him, which was lost in the garden, restored by way of Jesus until we're back into the city, which looks like to me it's going to be similar to the garden.

Colin Smith: Well, you're talking my language when you talk about the whole Bible being one story and begins in a garden, ends in a city, and all the way through it's about the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't it beautiful where you're able to see these things tying together?

Mike Forbis: It's the most exciting time I've ever had in my faith walk. It is so exciting. Every day is exciting, knowing that we get to meet and talk with, have communication with, conversation with this God.

Colin Smith: You know, another thing that I'm finding to be really helpful these days is just to notice how often in the Scripture, where there's a command, there's also a promise. Love one another, as I have loved you. There's a command there on the one hand and there's a promise there on the other.

Forgive one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Be content with what you have, for God has said, "I will never leave you, I'll never forsake you." I've got in the habit, Mike, of every time I see a command in the Bible, I'm saying, "Is there a promise somewhere around here that's going to enable me to fulfill it?" because it seems to me that something wonderful that God has given to us in the gospel is that he gives in his promises what we need in order to live a life in obedience to his commands. And that connection seems to me to be absolutely vital.

Mike Forbis: And there's one more thing I would think about, I wanted to mention, and the fact in how Moses when he was in Deuteronomy and he's about to leave. He's talking about the words that he had written, the commandments, and he said, "And these words you'll have in your heart. You'll teach them to your children, and you'll talk about them when you rise up, when you lie down, when you're going out, and when you're coming in. And you'll have them on your doorpost, on your gate. You'll have them on your hand, you'll have them on your head."

If you really chew on that and think about what Moses was talking about, he's saying, "I want you to saturate your mind with these scriptures. I want you to get together and discuss them." But it's because you've read it repetitively. Just like hearing a song over and over and over, it sticks in your mind.

Using this Bible study method, the way we're doing, when I wake up in the morning, I'm thinking about the Scripture. The last thoughts in my at the end of my day, I'm thinking about Scripture. Sir, I have never, ever been able to do that. The other benefit: I have victory over sin that I did not have before.

Colin Smith: Wow, that's powerful.

Mike Forbis: Whenever the Bible says, "I've hid your word in my heart that I might not sin." To understand that there were the hidden sins: lust, pride, greed, envy, those sins. We can hide them from people, but we don't hide them from God. Pride, those type things. But having the word in your heart will keep you, give you victory over those sins. And brother, there's nothing like walking in victory. When we're walking in victory, we're excited about our faith.

Colin Smith: Let me read a couple of verses from Psalm 19. I love these verses because they remind us not only that the Bible is the word of God, but that the Bible actually does the work of God. I think they describe what you've been talking about and what all of us are really looking for.

This is Psalm 19, verses 7 and 8: "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul." That's what's happened to you. Your soul's been revived. "The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." So, here's someone who says, "I've never been to seminary," but the word of God makes wise to the person who's indwelt by the Spirit.

"The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart." There's been a whole lot of joy in our conversation right here. "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." So, actually, it's not simply learning information. This is life that comes to us, and you have experienced it and you're now seeing it happen.

The Bible study that you started is now all over the world.

Mike Forbis: We have it going all over South America, Latin America, we have it in Africa, we have it in seminaries, we have it in schools, because the method works and people are excited about it. We just got back from Guatemala City last week. We have a three-year plan with some guys that we're working with over there that our goal is to have 10,000 leaders trained in three years that will have 10,000 groups. Each group will have at least 10 people.

So, that would be 100,000 people that we're trying to disciple. And when I say trying to disciple, it's not our work. It's trusting in the word, God's word, to do his work. I like to say we're just trying to get God's people into God's word until God's word gets into God's people.

Colin Smith: It's beautifully simple, and God is blessing it. Thank you for sharing the story. This is such an encouragement, that God's word has got into your life, Mike. It's brought such a change in your life that now it's coming into the lives of many, many other people.

I think just to wrap this conversation, the challenge for all of us is: we're receiving the word of God. What can we do that will then mean that we're not only receiving, but we're becoming channels to actually share it and give it with others?

The simplicity of what you've got here: read the Bible, pray, and ask God, "What are you showing me through this?" and then share it with some other people. That's so simple. Anyone can do that. And it's going to enrich people's lives in the most wonderful way. Mike, thank you so much for being on the program today. Appreciate your friendship, your ministry, your testimony, and God bless you in all that you're doing.

Mike Forbis: Thank you so much, sir. God bless you.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to a special edition of Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I don't know about you, but I'm so encouraged listening to this conversation between Pastor Colin and Mike Forbis today as they're talking about getting into the word of God.

And a great way to do that is to read God's word, the same passage day after day for a week, and then get together and discuss that. If you want more information about what Mike has been sharing today, you can check out the website: simplediscipleship.org. There's a lot more information, tons of resources about this Bible study method. Again, you can go visit simplediscipleship.org, and I do hope you'll do that.

As you give a gift of any amount this month, you're going to receive a copy of Pastor Brad Wetherell's book called *Saved to Sin No More*. And Colin, who is this book for?

Colin Smith: Well, it's really for every Christian who wants to make progress in his or her battle against sin, and that's surely got to be everyone who knows and loves the Lord Jesus Christ. I think one of the greatest struggles that we have is just discouragement. And the doctrine of union with Christ is the most encouraging truth that I know in all of the Bible.

Faith unites us to the Lord Jesus Christ so that his presence is in us through the Holy Spirit. And when Christ is in us, there's something of the power and the peace and the joy of the Lord Jesus that's actually in us too. When that's the case, it makes what would have been impossible for us on our own possible because his power and his presence is with us.

So, getting hold of what it means to actually have Christ in us and for us to be in him—that's union with Christ—is going to be the most encouraging thing for moving forward in the battle against stubborn sins that often defeat us.

Steve Hiller: Well, we'd love to send you a copy of this book. Again, it's called *Saved to Sin No More*, and it's our thank you for your financial support this month. You can give a gift online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-673-6365. That might be easier to remember as 1-877-OPEN-365.

Again, our website is openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: This is Pastor Colin, and I want you to know about a resource that will help you in your devotional life. It's called Open the Bible Daily. My colleague Pastor Tim Augustine takes what you hear on Open the Bible and he edits it into daily bite-sized chunks that you can read in your devotional time in less than three minutes.

Every day you'll find a verse of Scripture, a short teaching from God's word, and an application that you can carry with you through the day. People who use this tell us that they read it every day, and I think that if you try it, you'll love it too.

For more information, visit openthebible.org/daily. That's openthebible.org/daily.