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DUSTY BIBLE

Does your Bible live with yourforgotten treasures gathering dustunder your bed? Is it sitting in acardboard box at the bottom ofyour wardrobe with your micromachines, barbies, old video gamesand digital calculator watch?

Your Bible deserves far more than that.That ancient black (or pink or red or

brown) book with really small font isGods message to you.

FROM HIM TO YOU.This little book (with average sized font) willhelp you understand why its importantto read the Bible and how to go about it.

So get down on your hands and knees,reach under the bed past your oldcassette tapes and grab that book. Pullit out and dust it off. From here on in,it will change your life.

MOST CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS

THE WRITTEN

WORD OF GOD AND A SET OFGUIDELINES TO

LIVE BY * But research has shown that most Kiwi Christians dont read it very much *. Why? * From Bible Society research, 2008.


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IM TOO BUSYTO READ IT

I GET DISTRACTED BY OTHER THINGS

I DONT

UNDERSTAND IT If this is you, dont worry, youre not alone. These are the three mostcommon reasons why people nd it hard to read the Bible.


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Because Gods written words have life.They have power. When you spend timereading the Bible and praying, youreputting yourself before God and askinghim to change you and make you intothe person he wants you to be.

WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?

Bible reading and prayer is a crucial partof your journey with God. So, if youwant the Bible to be an important partof your journey, heres some help ondealing with busyness, distractions andnding the Bible hard to understand.

ITS ALL ABOUTTRANSFORMATION

So then, about those three reasons...


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I GET DISTRACTED BY OTHER THINGS

EARLY THE NEXT MORNING,WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK, JESUS WOKE AND LEFT THEHOUSE. HE WENT TO A LONELYPLACE, WHERE HE PRAYED.- Mark 1:35

Jesus separated himself from the busynessof life. If that meant climbing a mountainto be alone with God, he did it.

You will always nd it dif cult to spendtime with God while someone iswatching TV in the same room. Or ifyoure sitting on your bed with your Biblein front of you and your cell phone nextto it. Make your time with God free ofdistractions by going to a quiet place.

Spending time alone with God, in silence,is radical considering we are constantlysurrounded by noise, images, ickeringlights and televisions, ringing phones,music and people.

Regularly reading your Bible and prayingis a spiritual discipline. You need towork at it. The more you do it, theeasier it becomes.

DONT GIVE UP TOO EASILY.


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I DONTUNDERSTAND IT

THEN STARTING WITHWHAT MOSES AND ALL THEPROPHETS HAD SAID ABOUTHIM, JESUS BEGAN TO EXPLAINEVERYTHING THAT HAD BEENWRITTEN ABOUT HIMSELF INTHE SCRIPTURES.- Luke 24:27

The Bible is one story. Its the story of

Jesus Christ. Even the Old Testamentis about Jesus. Everything in the Bibleis from God and it is all useful. So itsimportant to read it all - both the Oldand New Testaments.

Knowing the Bible story will help youunderstand it. It helps you work out

when and why each of the differentbooks in the Bible was written.

This is something youll need to work at.Heres what to do:

1. Make sure the translation youre using is a goodone for you. If you dont understand it, nd adifferent translation that you do understand.Try the Contemporary English Version (CEV)or the New Living Translation (NLT).

2. Learn the Bible story. Check out the back

of this book for a very brief summary, or visitwww.biblesociety.org.nz and click on theBible resources link for more help.

3. Read the Bible systematically. Rather thanreading a random verse each day, read througha chunk of verses over the course of a few days.For example, read Deuteronomy chapters 1 to5 over the course of a week. This will help youunderstand the Bible story better.


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HOW TO READYOUR BIBLE

HELPFUL TOOLS

Need help applying the Bible to yourlife? Use a Bible reading guide. These arebooklets that have a daily reading alongwith a short commentary that helpsyou understand the passage and applyit to your life. Get one from your localChristian bookstore.

Dont like reading? Try an audio Bible. Listening to the Bible can be a great wayof encountering God. Bible Society hasmany to choose from, so contact us.

Want something a little more digital?There are many great digital toolsavailable on the web that can help you inyour Bible reading. These includepodcasts, online Bible search tools,audio Bibles, discussion forums, blogsand interactive Bible reading websites. Visit www.biblesociety.org.nz and clickon the Bible resources link to help you

nd some.Need a plan of readings? Bible societyoffers a free bible reading plan thatcontains 365 readings, one for each dayof the year.

Contact us and well send one to you ororder online at www.biblesociety.org.nzand click on the free outreach materials link.

1. TALK TO GODThank God for the Bible and ask himto help you understand what youreabout to read.

2. READ AND LISTENRead the passage slowly and thoughtfully.Listen to what God might be saying toyou. Re-read any bits that really stick outto you.

3. THINKThink about what youve read. Ask your-self some questions: What is the main point? What does the reading say about

God? His character? His plans? What insight is there for me to apply

to my life situation? Is there anexample or warning? Is God givingme a promise?

How does God want me to respond?

4. RESPONDTurn things youve read into prayers. AskGod for his help in applying what youvelearned to your life. Pray for others.

WHEN YOU READ THE BIBLE, DO THESE FOUR THINGS: THERE ARE MANY TOOLS AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU IN YOUR BIBLE READ


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When you dont know the fullstory the Bible can feel like a jumbled puzzle. The entire Bibleis one story: the story of JesusChrist. Knowing the story willhelp you understand and applythe Bible to your life. Here is avery brief summary.

In the beginning, God created

the heavens and the earth. Insix days he created everythingincluding his masterpiece,

humans. On the seventh day he rested.

One day, the serpent convinced Eveand Adam to eat from the tree of theknowledge of good and evil. In doing so,

they disobeyed Gods command and sinentered the world. God kicked them outof the garden as he didnt want them toeat from the tree of life and live forever.

Adam and Eve had children and as thepopulation grew, God saw that humanhearts and thoughts were constantlylled with evil. God was sorry he hadmade humans. To deal with the problemof sin, he chose Noah and told him to

build an ark. Noah lled the ark withevery kind of animal and God oodedthe world, destroying all living thingsexcept those in the ark.

After the ood, the populationgrew again, but sinful desiresled people to build a tower

THE BIBLE STORY


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had built. Many citizens of Judah wereexiled to Babylon.

After Persia defeated Babylon, the exiledIsraelites (now called Jews), were allowedto go back to their homeland andrebuild the temple. This is the end ofthe Old Testament.

During the time between the OldTestament and the New Testament, theregion where the Jews lived was controlledrst by the Greeks and then the Romans.The Romans appointed King Herod torule over the province of Judea wherethe Jews were living.

Jesus Christ was born underHerods rule to a poor couplenamed Mary and Joseph. Atabout the age of 30 he was

baptized by John and began his ministryby announcing that he was the Savioursent by God to be a sacri ce for thesins of the world. He chose 12 men tobe his apostles and taught people abouthow to have a right relationship with God.However, religious leaders arrested him,

tried him before Pilate and Herod andcruci ed him.

Three days later he rose fromthe dead. Jesus Christ was Godssacri ce, once and for all, for thesins of all humans.After he rose from the dead, Jesus

appeared to more than 500 peoplebefore ascending to heaven. Ten dayslater, the Holy Spirit was given by Godto the apostles and the church began togrow rapidly. One of the churchs mainpersecutors, Saul, encountered Jesus andwas converted. After this, Saul becameknown as Paul and began preachingthe Gospel of Jesus Christ all over theregion. One of Jesus apostles, Peter, wassent by God to preach the message of

Jesus to non-Jewish people.

The church grew rapidly throughoutthe Middle East. The Bible ends with aprophecy about events that will lead tothe return of Jesus and the establish-ment of a new heaven and a new earth.Bible verses quoted (except where stated) are from The Holy Bible, New CenturyVersion (NCV), copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

to the heavens at Babel. After destroyingthe tower, God decided to deal withthe problem of sin once and for all. Hechose one couple, Abraham and Sarah, tostart an entire nation of special peoplefrom whom a Saviour of the world wouldcome. God promised them a special landto live in. One of their sons, Jacob, hadtwelve sons who became the fathers ofthe 12 tribes of Israel. One of the 12 sons,

Joseph, was sold into slavery in Egypt byhis brothers.

Joseph served Pharaoh well and was putin charge over all of Egypt. At Josephsadvice, Pharaoh stored up food for acoming famine. When the famine came,

Jacobs sons had to go to Egypt to buyfood. Joseph forgave his brothers andthey moved to Egypt to live with Joseph.

The Israelites grew in numberin Egypt and were forced intoslavery. After 430 years ofexile in Egypt, God chose one

man, Moses, to lead them to freedom.After Pharaoh let them go, the Israelitestravelled to Mount Sinai where God gave

Moses the Ten Commandments. Aftera year at Mount Sinai and a bad reportfrom some Israelite spies sent out into thePromised Land, God sentenced his peopleto wandering in the desert until an entiregeneration of unbelieving adults had died.

After 40 years in the desert, Moses diedand Joshua led the Israelites into the

Promised Land. The land was dividedamong the 12 tribes. They had no formalleadership except for Judges that Godcalled on as the need arose. The Judgeswere generally ineffective and the Israel-ites eventually asked God for a king. Godgranted them their wish and Saul becamethe rst king of Israel. After Saul, Davidbecame king followed by his son Solomon.

After Solomon died, the

kingdom of Israel eruptedinto civil war and dividedinto two parts: Judah in the

south and Israel in the north. Israel lasted200 years before being destroyed foreverby the Assyrians. Judah lasted 350 yearsbefore the Babylonians destroyed

Jerusalem and Gods temple that Solomon


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For more help with your Bible reading contact Bible Society.

Email: [email protected]: 0800 42 42 53

www.biblesociety.org.nz

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