A reporter interviewing me by phone said, “I’ve read some of your blog. You’re something of a provocateur.”

Not sure if he coined a new word there, but I confess to liking it.

Provoking people is a lot better than lulling them to sleep.

We’re commanded in the Word to “Provoke one another to love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

So, we could say I have a biblical mandate for this!

Incidentally, the NIV translates that word “provoke” as “spur one another on.” Whether this brings to mind the spurs on the heels of the barnyard rooster–a frightening weapon, believe me–or those decorative silver things on the cowboy’s boots which he digs into the flank of the horse to get that extra effort–either way, it communicates the same point.

Therefore, today, instead of solving any problems or answering any questions or blessing any souls (like I’m ever able to do any of those!), I’d like to try to provoke readers into some Bible study.

Here are 10 provocations to get you to open the Word of God. They are being tossed in your direction in the hope that at least one or two will stir you (spur you?)to get your Bible down and dig a little deeper than the superficial, random stuff some of us engage in and call “studying the Word”.

10. In church, we talk about salvation as a matter of “believing in the Lord Jesus.” But what if He doesn’t believe in us? Does that matter? John 2:24-25 speaks of people who believed in Jesus, but He did not return the favor.

9. We speak of salvation as a matter of “knowing Jesus.” But when our Lord referred to salvation by turning that around. He made it a question of whether He knows us. In Matthew 7:23, He says to some, “Depart from me…I never knew you.”

8. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has two commands which on the surface appear contradictory. He tells us to let our light shine before men so they will see our good works and glorify the Father (Matthew 5:16), and yet Christians should “beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed of them” (6:1). What do you do with that?

7. In the hundreds of books on prayer, many deal with fasting. Have you ever noticed that nowhere in the New Testament (that I can find) are we commanded to fast. It appears to be up to the individual believer. Matthew 6:16 would seem to indicate that Jesus assumes we will fast. Agree? Disagree? Have you ever? Why or why not?

6. Can a Christian lose his salvation? The fascinating thing about the discussions this provokes is that almost everyone is completely on one side or the other. Each feels the other is blindly turning away from the most obvious teachings of Scripture. So, what do you believe? (Note that we’re not asking what your denomination teaches or your pastor preaches. What do you personally believe Scripture teaches?) Start with John 3:16. Did Jesus mean it when He called salvation “eternal life” or was He using hyperbole?

5. In 5 minutes, give us the Old Testament history of Israel. Hit only the high points, making sure you touch on: the call of Abraham, how Israel got into Egypt and became slaves, Moses and the Exodus, the period of the judges, how Israel came to have kings, the three kings of the united nation, how the country divided into Israel and Judah, when both nations were defeated and their people carried into exile, and how only Judah came back. (This is basic 9th grade stuff here, Christian. If you have been in the church 5 years or more, you ought to be able to do this without a moment’s advance notice.)

4. What are the main differences in the four gospels? For instance, at what point in the story of Jesus did each of the gospel writers–that would be Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John–begin their accounts? Which three gospels resemble each other so much they are called “synoptic” (meaning “look-alikes”)? From what you can tell just by reading the four gospels, who were the target audiences of each? (Note: they may seem to be similar, but there are vast differences. The more you study them, the more the dissimilarities will bless you.)

3. You’ll probably need a concordance for this. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” (John 3:14) What Old Testament event was He referring to and where is it found? After that miracle event in the Old Testament, what misuse did God’s people make of that bronze-serpent-on-a-stick? (Here’s a hint: King Hezekiah must have had very little appreciation for historical relics!)

2. In the Upper Room discourse–the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of John’s gospel–what three or four themes does Jesus keep coming back to? That is, in one chapter, He will say something significant about something the disciples will be facing, then move on to another subject, but return to it again and again before the night is ended. Teachers call this technique “spaced repetition.” Identify the three or four themes He keeps emphasizing.

1. Why do you think the Word of God is called a two-edged sword? Start with Hebrews 4:12, then move on to Revelation 1:16. Be sure to look at Ephesians 6:17.

Today, as I write, my grandson Grant was required to take a four hour test (called the LEAP test in Louisiana) in order to qualify for admittance into the local public high school. Over the weekend, when I asked whether he was studying for it, he said there was nothing to study. You knew it or you didn’t.

That troubled me a little. I recall three decades ago taking the GRE before being admitted into the seminary doctoral program, and buying a thick book at a local university book shop to help prepare. Most of us need all the help we can get.

Since Grant’s mom and dad both work and I’m retired, I drove him to the school where the test was administered and waited around through the morning. Over lunch, he confirmed that he had been correct in his expectation. “It was basic stuff–punctuation, math, things we all should have learned years ago.”

Think of that phrase–“things we all should have learned years ago.”

That alone should provoke serious disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to become more devoted students of the Word.

By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics of God again, starting from square one–baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

I didn’t say that. The writer of Hebrews said it. Chapter 5, verses 12-14.

I just removed the quotation marks so you’d see how on-target it is.

Provoke you to anything?