By Staff
JEFFERSON CITY—The completion of another Children’s Bible Drill season brings into focus the collective satisfaction of knowing that many Bible verses are now stored in the minds of young Missouri Baptists who may one day turn out to be leaders in the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).
Mike Cooper, who oversees the MBC’s Church Health Team that is charged with the responsibility of servicing the local Bible Drill leaders, said the annual, fundamental truth that Bible Drill promotes Scripture memory is always a positive and never grows old.
“Anytime you spend time reading God’s Word, studying and meditating, it’s a plus,” he said. “It’s going to help you grow spiritually. It’s going to help you mature. It affects your mind, and obviously when your mind is affected, as spiritual beings your spirit is affected. We’re impacted.
“Adults would benefit from many of the things that children do in Children’s Bible Drill. We know Scripture memory is a huge benefit to people spiritually, to help them grow in their development, to help them understand who they are in Christ.”
For the segment of Missouri Baptist churches that is preserving the vitality and value of Children’s Bible Drill, Cooper said it is important to press on.
“It will develop a person academically,” he said. “It will develop a person leadership-wise, because they have to go through that experience of memorizing not just Scriptures but locations of Scriptures and books of the Bible, the order and the types of books they are. It’s just a great discipleship tool to teach people about the Word of God.”
Cooper sees the primacy of Psalm 119:11 as key to the future of Children’s Bible Drill. This is being applied year after year by the young Bible Drillers, and God’s Word in this instance – and in every instance – will not return void.
Psalm 119:11 reads, “Your Word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.”
Cooper said treasuring those Bible Drill verses in that way will go on long after the competition ends. It is an excellent way to learn about the battle against sin that all believers, young or old, face.
“This verse reminds us of the paramount importance of allowing the Word of God to permeate every aspect of our lives,” Cooper said. “As we spend time studying, meditating and memorizing God’s Word, we are transformed by it. This concept is at the core of the Children’s Bible Drill ministry. Churches from across the state and our country spend time helping children to not only read the Bible, but to learn how to meditate, memorize and internalize it into their lives.
“Various associations throughout our state host associational Bible Drills where children are given the opportunity to share what they have learned. After weeks of intense study and memorization these children are able to memorize portions of Scripture, identify and categorize the books of the Bible, and begin to develop a clearer understanding of God’s Word. Once these verses are internalized in the mind and spirit of a child they can truly begin to help that boy or girl become more like Christ.”
Next year’s State Bible Drill events will be held April 30 and May 7 in five different locations around Missouri – Blue Springs, St. Charles, Jefferson City, Springfield, and East Prairie.