We asked Breakthrough Academy's Josh Dobie and Jay Lewis and asked..."What is something you’ve learned from watching how Pastor Peter digs deep and studies the Bible?”

 

Josh Dobie

I have been so blessed to be a part of Breakthrough and have Pastor Peter as my pastor.

One thing that is so evident in the way Pastor Peter studies the Word and dives deep is his heart attitude. He continually postures his heart in a way that he can dive deeper and go further.

Just like we've been taught by him on the recent topic of Academy: Revelation, he's not trying to crack the code, but wants to know God more and be closer to the Father. This understanding has been continually impressed upon me, and we see it every time Pastor Peter preaches on Sunday or teaches on Friday Academy.

This often means being willing to go the distance. Sometimes revelation or answers come quickly, but a heart that truly wants to be close to God and know Him enables God to draw us deeper, to live differently and see His word with an enriched faith.

Pastor Peter postures his heart this way and we have been blessed by it time and time again with the level of understanding and revelation he has received. His hunger for the Word and his commitment to growing and knowing God is so evident. This ministers to and encourages me to keep going and to imitate my pastor in this way so my relationship with God is also active and alive and growing closer to Him.

I recall a time when we talked about this subject. Pastor Peter said he was rather tired and wanted to rest, but the Holy Spirit impressed on him that if he pushed through, he'd receive something special through revelation of His Word. How cool would it be if God was like that with everyone? Well, I believe God wants to be, but we often fall short. Revelation is preceded by relation. I want to posture my heart in the same way that Pastor Peter does and have the life God wants for me. So when I'm reading the Word, studying or meditating on it, I always make a point to position my heart not to get some special revelation, but that I would connect with my heavenly Father.

It has changed the way I'm able to dive deep and truly know His Word.

 

Jay Lewis

Joining Academy over the past few years has been an incredible honour and joy. Getting to dive deep into the Word of God every Friday with Pastor Peter and Josh is a highlight of my week.

Beyond the fun of chatting with them or the biblical foundation it has helped build in my own life, my favourite part might just be seeing the way Pastor Peter (my dad) has made a life of studying the Bible.

Watching Dad’s prep week in and week out is the definition of “live what you preach”. He has a hunger for the Word of God that inspires me, and every Academy is taught not out of head knowledge or by following some structured plan, but out of the overflow of the depths of the Bible that Dad has immersed himself in that week and the depths of the Bible that are in his own spirit.

It only takes one look at his Bible—and his paragraphs upon paragraphs of research, references, questions, quotes, study notes and prayers that line every single margin on every single page—to know this has come from a life of faith and a life of studying the Bible.

A couple of years ago, as we drove to Academy, I said to Dad, “Gosh, one day I hope I have a Bible with as many notes and references as yours.”

He responded in the strangest way. “If you have that, then I’ve trained you completely wrong.”

Dad’s answer was so surprising, it almost felt illegal. Then he explained, “Your Bible should be filled with poems and song lyrics, illustrations and artistic drawings, because that’s how God speaks to you.”

Suddenly it became so real to me that Dad has taken his God-given passions and talents for teaching, research and academics, and moulded them around his love for Christ and desire to be an all-in disciple. He wasn’t trying to turn Josh and me into clones of himself but give us the tools—like a strong biblical foundation—to mould our talents and skills around our passion for Jesus.

So I’ve learnt that Jesus gave us all the word of God to use and study, but not to use and study the same way!