Becoming a Bible Detective

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s Truth for us one drive at a time!

You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

In this season our host is Dannah Gresh, author of Lies Girls Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. She’s joined by True Girl lead teacher Staci Rudolph. They are about to become . . . detectives! 

They’re inviting you and your mom to join the investigation. But we won’t be solving mysteries like the kind you read about in your favorite fiction books. We’ll be investigating some of the questions people have about the Bible . . . and there are a lot of those! The big one is this: Can we really trust this book that tells us about Jesus? 

Well, when you learn more about the Bible, you’ll understand it better. And when you understand something or someone, you develop trust. We believe you can trust the Bible, and we want to help you with that. So, we’re devoting a whole season to investigating the Bible.

So, True Girl, grab your Bible, a notebook, a magnifying glass, and maybe your mom’s trench coat, because it’s time for Season 6: The Great Bible Investigation!

Today, we’ll start with an important question: Is it okay to question the Bible? 

We’ll follow the trail of evidence as we dive into the first episode of season 6, titled, “Becoming a Bible Detective.” Here’s Dannah!

Dannah Gresh: Hey, Staci! Thanks for coming a little early to get us a table. That line to order was crazy. 

Staci Rudolph: No problem. I love this place! I ordered a Banana Berry Blast donut, and I had to get a little crazy. I got the Madagascar coconut white tea with vanilla. 

Dannah: With vanilla.

Staci: With vanilla.

Dannah: I guess we were both in a vanilla mood today, because I ordered the Vanilla Oat Milk Latte. And I’m gonna try one of those Maple Bacon donuts! 

Staci: Bacon? On a donut? 

Dannah: Oh yeah. For me it’s bacon on EVERYTHING!

Staci: Oh no, that doesn’t sound great. 

Hey, True Girl, what’s your favorite kind of donut? I bet, like me and Dannah, you love dessert for breakfast once in a while, right?

Dannah: Who doesn’t. Well, Staci, I don’t want to be rude or make you feel weird, but, well, your outfit is definitely not your normal “Staci style.” 

Staci: You think?

Dannah: I mean, your hat for sure is unique.

Staci: Well, it is a deerstalker cap.

Dannah: The bow . . . the bow is interesting. And why on earth are you wearing a trench coat?

Staci: Everybody loves a good trench coat. 

Dannah: Wait, wait, wait. Is that a magnifying glass sticking out of your pocket?

Staci: Uh huh. 

Dannah: Okay, so . . . that’s a mini-voice recorder on the table. 

While we wait for our barista to bring our order, why don’t you tell me what’s up. Why are you dressed like . . .I don’t know, you kind of look like a detective. 

Staci: Boom! You guessed it! That’s exactly what I’m dressed as! I’m going to one of those parties where everyone plays a role to solve some kind of mystery. And well, I’m the detective. 

Dannah: Oh yeah. Like there’s a script and everyone reads their lines, and they act things out as they try to solve the mystery. I’ve been to those before. They’re a lot of fun! But is the party here today, later at the donut shop?

Staci: No, I just wanted to get into character before the party.

Dannah: Okay, that is commitment. You’re taking this role seriously! You look just like a detective from an old movie. 

Staci: Thank you. Excuse me while I record a voice memo:

Note to self: Canvassing the crowd at Hole-in-One Donut Shop. While surveilling the crowd, I noted that the barista is looking around the room. He’s holding two drinks and two donuts. I surmise he’s going to bring those very drinks and donuts to our table momentarily. End note.

Dannah: Ha ha. You’re kicking it old-school with that mini-cassette recorder. Can I ask you a question?

Staci: Yes, go for it.

Dannah: Why don’t you use the voice memo app on your phone?

Staci: I don’t know. This just feels more . . . authentic, ya know what I mean?

Barista: Hi, ladies! I’ve got a Madagascar coconut white tea with vanilla and a Banana Berry Blast donut for Staci.

Staci: Thanks! Mmmmmm. Smells good!

Barista: And a Vanilla Oat Milk Latte with a Maple Bacon Donut for “Day-na.”

Dannah: Thank you!

Staci: Note to self: The Barista dude did not pronounce Dannah’s name correctly. End note.

Dannah: Okay, well, don’t worry about that Staci. That happens all the time. Hey, Staci, you said you wanted to talk about something. You have a hard question to ask me?

Staci: Ah, yeah! Okay, so this week I was listening to a pastor online. I . . . uhm . . . well, I just wasn’t sure if it was right. I’m feeling weird about that because, well as a Christian I’m just supposed to trust my Bible teachers, right? 

Dannah: Wrong! 

Staci: Wrong?

Dannah: Haven’t you ever heard of the Bereans?

Staci: The what?

Dannah: Who?

Staci: Like the rock band?

Dannah: No! Who. The Bereans aren’t a what. They’re a who.

Staci: Are they like a family of traveling gospel musicians?

Dannah: Well, the word “gospel” is kinda right. 

They were some of the first-ever Christians and they were alive while the Bible was being written. And the Bible actually tells us something super useful about them.

Staci: Do tell.

Dannah: Well, when the apostle Paul and his friend Silas came to preach in their city they “listened eagerly.” And then, this is super important, “They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if what Paul and Silas were telling was the truth.”

Staci: You don’t say? And that was a good thing?

Dannah: Oh yeah, a very good thing!

The Bereans were curious, just like good detectives. See what I did there? They were great Bible detectives! I think it is good for us to become great Bible Detectives, too! Because in today’s world so many people think the Bible is just a big mystery. They don’t understand why you and I believe the stories in it are true. 

Staci: Yeah, I have a whole bunch of friends who love the Bible. But I also have some who don’t believe it, and they ask me really hard questions about it!

Dannah: Same. I have friends who have a lot of questions. And some of them are stumpers. 

But I have discovered that the more I ask questions and learn about my Bible, the more I trust it.

Staci: I think I see what you’re getting at! There are some things about the Bible that feel are kind of like mysteries. But we can look for clues to help us understand those things. Is that what you mean?

Dannah: Exactly, my detective friend! In fact, let’s get out our “Bible Magnifying Glass” and . . . let me find the book of Colossians. This was originally a letter the apostle Paul wrote to the people who lived in the bustling city of Colossae. They were people he’d never even met, but his friend Epaphras had started a church there. Epaphras visited Paul to tell him that the Christians in Colossae were doing great, but they were also under a lot of cultural pressure for what they believed. 

Staci: You mean it wasn’t popular to be a Christian in Colossae?

Dannah: Exactly.

Staci: Just like it’s not that popular to be a Christian today?

Dannah: Precisely, my dear Staci.

And while it is hard to be a Christian today, it was even harder then. I mean, well, Paul actually wrote this letter while he was a prisoner. And do you know what made him a criminal? 

Staci: What?

Dannah: Simply announcing publicly, “Jesus is Lord!” 

Staci: He went to jail for that!?

Dannah: Yep!

Staci: That is worse! I mean, I might be made fun of for saying I’m a follower of Jesus, but I won’t face jail time.

Dannah: Yeah. Maybe you’ve been made fun of for being a Christian, True Girl. Or maybe you’re feeling insecure about what you believe because you have a friend who believes something really different. 

We do face a lot of pressure in our culture to not believe what the Bible teaches us. So that means you and I need to be really sure that we can trust the words in the Bible. And that’s what we want to help you with in this season of the True Girl podcast.

And I want to start right here in . . . here it is—Colossians 2!

The apostle Paul was writing to tell them about his desire for the followers of Jesus who were living in an anti-Christian world. And I think this sums up my desire for you, True Girl. 

Let me read Colossians 2:2–3—our first clue in the Great Bible Investigation!

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Staci: So, Paul’s saying God’s “mysterious plan” is Jesus Christ! Jesus is the mystery! 

Dannah: Right! Isn’t that cool? And you can understand God’s mysterious plan only through Jesus. So, we know that because these verses tell us that in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Staci: Hmmm . . . mysterious plan, hidden, treasures. All of those sound like detective words to me! 

Dannah: You got it.

Staci: Hey, the banana cream filling hidden inside this donut is off the hook! 

Dannah: It’s always good to find hidden treasure. Hey, let me show you something hiding in these words in Colossians. You see how it says Jesus is the mysterious plan, right? 

Staci: Mmm hmm. 

Dannah: Well, that means we have to get to know Jesus better to understand that mystery. And what’s one way we can get to know Jesus?

Staci: Oh! I’m thinking about John 1 where it says that Jesus came to earth as God’s Word in the flesh. So, if Jesus is God’s Word in the flesh . . .

Dannah: We can get to know Jesus better by studying the Bible!

Staci: Note to self: My mind was just blown! End note.

Dannah: So, Staci, now we know that Jesus is God’s “mysterious plan” and to get to know Jesus better, we need to read the Bible. But we need to get out our “Bible Magnifying Glass” again and go back to Colossians 2. 

Verse 4 tells us why Paul said it’s so important to be Bible Detectives. He said, “I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments.”

You don’t have to look far in our world to see a lot of well-crafted arguments against Jesus and the Bible, right? We’re supposed to study the Bible like detectives so that we get to know Jesus better and so that no one can deceive us with well-crafted arguments.

Staci: That makes sense to me. It reminds me of our True Girl motto. We like to say, “You’ve got to be so full of God’s Truth, there’s no room for lies!”

Dannah: Exactly. When we choose to become Bible Detectives, it protects us from believing those lies, wrong things about ourselves, others, and God.

Staci: Hang on. I need to get something out of my bag.Found it!

Dannah: A pack of Post-it notes?

Staci: Yep!

Dannah: What are you drawing on it?

Staci: A magnifying glass! I’m gonna take this Post-it and put it right on the Table of Contents page of my Bible as a little reminder to be a Bible Detective!

Dannah: That’s a great idea, Stac! 

Staci: Thanks.

Dannah: Hey, True Girl, if you and your mom want to be Bible detectives like Staci and me, why don’t you draw a magnifying glass on a Post-it note and stick it in your Bible, too? 

That’s your assignment for the week! Super simple, right? And that means you, too, mom. You’re in this together. I want you to grow closer to each other as you both grow closer to Jesus during this season of True Girl.

Staci: Dannah, I don’t know if I’ll always be wearing this trench coat every time, but I’m pumped to dive into this. How about you, True Girl? You in?

Dannah: Oh, I hope so! In fact, True Girl, this is going to be fun because each week I’ll have you and Staci join me at a different location as we roll up our sleeves to examine the evidence and act like Bible detectives—the way the Bereans did. We can call it The Great Bible Investigation!

Staci: Note to self: We will be meeting at different investigation destinations each week. And I do not . . . repeat . . . DO NOT . . . need to wear this weird hat in order to be a Bible detective. End note.

Dannah: I don’t know. I think that detective get-up is kind-of cute. 

Staci: Think so?

Claire Black: I’m excited to become a Bible Detective! Are you? I’m definitely going to draw that magnifying glass on a Post-it note to remind me to keep investigating God’s Word! 

Today we learned that one way to get to know Jesus is to spend time in your Bible. We have a special way for you to do that every single day! The True Girl subscription provides short daily devos to help you build the habit of spending time in God’s Word.

Right now we’re shipping our subscribers the Pajama Party Box! It will help you learn what the Bible says about positive peer pressure! (Yep, you heard me right. Peer pressure can be a good thing.) I’ve gotta tell you, the True Girl teaching team went all-out with this one! 

The box is packed full of great pajama party items like a fuzzy sleep mask, a game, and more. And, as always, it has an idea for a mom/daughter date so the two of you can use those things to explore God’s Word on the topic of peer pressure. (Just in time for the school year!)

And (I’m not finished, can you believe it) there is another super special item in this box: you’ll get a totally updated and revised copy of Dannah Gresh’s True Girl Pajama Party book! It’s full of ways to make partying in your pjs more fun . . . and full of praise to God. It’s all designed to draw you closer to Jesus while you and your mom grow closer to each other! You can subscribe today at MyTrueGirl.com/Subscription. We’ll ship the Pajama Party Positive Peer Pressure Box while supplies last!

Well, I hope you’ll join us next time, True Girl Bible Detective. We’re going to explore the question: What is the Bible, and who actually wrote it? And I bet you’re wondering where Dannah’s taking Staci next time. Well, here’s a riddle: What building has the most stories? The answer is our next investigation destination. 

Goodbye, True Girl! I’ll talk to you next time you turn carpool into a treasured time to hear Truth from God’s Word.

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

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