During Thursday morning’s LEAD Conference on October 9, 2025, three Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders shared practical tips on how they study the Bible.
Barna Magyarosi, Inter-European Division president, shared with delegates four words to remember that guide his personal Bible study: anchor, courage, compass, and blueprint.
“In leadership, there are strong winds and powerful waves, and studying the Bible always reminds me who is holding me fast,” he said.
When sharing how Bible study is a compass, he said, “In leadership, you have to take very difficult decisions. You cannot rely on your own experience, even when you think you know, you can get it wrong. Go to the Bible as a compass or guideline for discerning what is good or between right and wrong.”
He added that the Bible is a blueprint to “contemplate the character of Jesus and ask to be transformed into that character”.
General Conference Vice President Audrey Anderson emphasized the importance of spending time with a friend.
“As we move, we make new friends, and the key to how friendly you are with someone is how much you talk about them,” she said.
She went on to describe how Bible study helps her friendship with Jesus to grow. “When I spend time with Jesus, I find that there are depths I cannot imagine. The deeper it goes the more hints I get of deeper depths to discover.”
“Every morning if I don’t spend time with my friend Jesus, what have I got to give to others as I go out in my day?” she asked. “I can only give what I have received. I can only share what I know. As I study and share, I understand His part in the great controversy. His mission was to save others and as I look at Him, I understand His mission and how to share Him.”
The final presenter was Harrington Simui Akombwa, president of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. He shared the story of how he became an Adventist 46 years ago at his father’s funeral, where he was led to read an Adventist book.
“I am a first-generation Seventh-day Adventist,” he said.
He thanked God that his wife, five children, and 10 grandchildren are still in the church.
He described how, in reading Luke, he came across the statement that Jesus made, weeping over Jerusalem. He said he found that statement in the Bible 15 times and noticed that sometimes God was protecting and other times He was moving away. He realized God won’t always be there, so “Let’s do what we can today.”
Follow #GCAC25 on X for live news updates. Visit the official Seventh-day Adventist Church Executive Committee website to learn more.
