Why and how do I read my Bible?

This material is used with permission on www.mygospelweb.net

‘I happened to have a rather dusty copy of the Bible on my shelves, so that night I picked it up and started reading. I read all the way through Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and half-way through John’s Gospel. Then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I finished John’s Gospel and carried on through Acts, Romans, and 1 and 2 Corinthians.… I had read it before and it had meant virtually nothing to me. This time it came alive and I could not put it down.’

Nicky Gumbel

‘Blessed are those who do not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But their delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in season, and whose leaves do not wither. Whatever they do prospers’

Psalm: 1:1-3

uniquely popular

uniquely powerful

uniquely precious

The Bible is:

‘When he realised that he had received a whole Bible he was elated. He didnot speak any English and I didn’t speak any Russian. We hugged each other and he started to run down the street jumping for joy, because he knew that the Bible was the most precious thing in the world.’

Nicky Gumbel

Why is it so popular?

‘People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’

Matthew 4:4

A manual for Life- God has spoken

‘All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that God’s servant may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’

2 Timothy 3:16-17

‘His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort.’

2 Peter 3:16

‘So I went back and I got my Bible, and I went out in the moonlight. And I got to a stump and put the Bible on the stump, and I knelt down, and I said, ‘Oh, God; I cannot prove certain things. I cannot answer some of the questions Chuck is raising and some of the other people are raising, but I accept this Book by faith as the Word of God.’ I stayed by the stump praying wordlessly, my eyes moist… I had a tremendous sense of God’s presence. I had a great peace that the decision I had made was right.’

From John Pollock: Billy Graham: the Authorised Biography

A love letter from God -God speaks

‘The Bible is the portrait of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospels are the figure itself in the portrait. The Old Testament is the background leading up to the divine figure, pointing towards it and absolutely necessary to the composition as a whole. The Epistles serve as the dress and accoutrements of the figure, explaining and describing it. Then, while by our Bible reading we study the portrait as a great whole, the miracle happens, the figure comes to life and stepping down from the canvas of the written word, the everlasting Christ of the Emmaus story becomes himself our Bible teacher, to interpret to us in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.’

Christopher Chavasse

‘Scripture is the manger or cradle in which the infant Jesus lies. Don’t let us inspect the cradle and forget to worship the baby.’

Martin Luther

What happens when God speaks?

1. He brings faith to those who are not yet Christians

‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ’

Romans: 10:17

‘From somewhere I got this desire to read the Bible again. That’s the most important part of my conversion. I started with the Acts of the Apostles and then moved to Paul’s Letters- Romans and Corinthians. And it was only after that I came to the gospels. In the New Testament I suddenly discovered the way that life should be followed.’

David Suchet (Poirot)

2. He speaks to Christians

‘We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’

2 Corinthians 3:18

How in practice do we hear God speak through the Bible?

As you read ask yourself three questions:

1. What does it say

2. What does it mean

3. How does it apply to me

[1] When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had

done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.

[2] But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He

began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had

need of healing. [3] Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to

Him, "Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and

countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a

desolate place." [4] But He said to them, "You give them something to eat!" And

they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go

and buy food for all these people." [5] (For there were about five thousand men.)

And He said to His disciples, "Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty

each.”[6] They did so, and had them all sit down. [7] Then He took the five loaves

and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them,

and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. [8] And they all ate

and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked

up, twelve baskets full.