Is it time to think about your Bible reading plan for 2012?

The other day i was talking with one of my youth leaders about Bible reading plans for the coming year. I gave a few suggestions but thought that it was probably time i decided on one too. I’m not sure how you’ve done this year with reading the Bible – i’ve battled – but perhaps it’s time to begin thinking about it so that the first reading can actually be on Jan 1st.

So, here is a list of plans that may suit your needs and wants. Reading the whole Bible once throughout the year should be the minimum i think for any believer. It’s a matter of discipline and commitment in sticking to it and a great sense of accomplishment if you’ve ever done it even once. There are a variety of plans out there – for those who like to meditate on passages, for those who like to just read and read, for those who want to work through slower etc. In the end you probably don’t need a plan, after all it only takes reading 4 chapters per day to get through the Bible in a year. However, a plan will help guide you where to next and give you a system for reading – there’s nothing like putting a line through what you’ve done either.

The crew at ESV have a selection of 13 different plans - They are excellent and will suit a variety of needs. I would particularly highlight the Chronological Plan, McCheyne’s Plan, and the simple Bible Reading Plan.

I’ve come across the Horner Plan – this requires a big effort but will no doubt result in massive gains. This is 10 chapters p/day that gets you through the Bible pretty much twice with a few books up to 5-6 times in the year. Challies has a good description of the plan here.

Justin Taylor has a heap of them listed from a post 12 months ago. They are mainly through the ESV site but also a few extra thoughts about Bible reading. See here.

Youversion.com has a selection of different plans too.

Hope that helps rather than confuses you…!

but he could have said more…

Recently i have begun to hear the comment that the words of Jesus and Paul that we have are not their only words and that they could have said more. I agree. The words that we have recorded in the Bible are probably not the only words they would have said throughout their life. No doubt they said a lot more. However, the point or argument being made is usually in the context of trying to balance something that Paul or Jesus said in one of their letters or parables. The reaction i get inside me when i hear such arguments is annoyance. I find that this kind of thinking is watering down the Bible as we have it. God has given us his Word and it is through this we are to find all things for life and faith. I don’t understand why we need to make a point that seems clear from the passage and then footnote that Paul or Jesus could’ve said more – about this or other things. It is important to acknowledge the context in which letters and the gospels were written, it is important to understand the purpose for which it is being written. But just because Paul and Jesus have said more doesn’t mean what we have now doesn’t apply, nor does it mean that what we do have now is not important. This argument annoys me because it diminishes the infallibility of the scriptures and makes us question what we can get out of the Bible. We have been given God’s words as they stand – no more, no less. Let’s try to understand and apply them because it’s much harder to understand and apply words that we don’t have.

the Bible, one tweet at a time

One of the things that preaching books, classes, workshops and conferences tell the upcoming preacher is: “Get the main point of the passage”.

Well, on Twitter this is happening to the extreme. And, it’s very exciting.

Chris Juby, from Durham in the UK, is summarising each chapter of the Bible, start to finish, in one tweet every day until November 2013. It is a marathon task but will be so worth it. I’d encourage you to have a look or start following him on Twitter so that you can get his posts each day. It’s one of those ideas you just wish you had thought of yourself.

Go here for the Twitter page.

Go here for the bible summary website.

Storm Warning by Billy Graham

Billy Graham, Storm Warning (revised ed., Nashville, USA: Thomas Nelson), 2010.

Billy Graham is widely known as the pre-eminient evangelist of the 20th century. Throughout his 91 years he has proclaimed the gospel of Christ on every continent and to millions and millions of people. There is probably no other person in the history of Christianity that has spoken to as many people about Christ as Billy Graham – he has had an amazing ministry. From the poor to the President’s he has preached and invited a wide variety of people to call Jesus as Lord.

It is this Billy Graham that has now revised and updated his 1993 book, “Storm Warning” for the modern day reader. Using the book of Revelation Graham takes the reader through a variety of passages linking first to the gospel and then to current day situations. As the book of Revelation moves through from John’s initial calling and vision to his letter to the seven churches through to the picture of a new heavens and new earth so too Graham uses this as the outline for his book. It is well done in this respect. There is a constant reflection on the gospel in each chapter and also some personal illustrations to explain what he is talking about. In most chapters there is a connection with issues that are affecting the world today and how particular passages of scripture either speak into this situation or how the events illuminate the scripture. Topics discussed range from natural disasters to spiritual depression to fear and anxiety to terrorism to the loss of religion. They are broad topics but also illuminated by Graham and scripture.

To be honest i was bored by the time i got to the middle of the book. I think this book is important, relevant and quite often right in it’s reading of scripture and the world. However, at times i thought texts and events were stretched to fit the argument. There is a lot of proof-texting going on which just got annoying. I think Graham has a wealth of wisdom to give us, particularly the evangelicals of this world but the more personal experience stories i heard the more “samey” the book got. In some respects i could almost pick how the next chapter would turn out.

In some ways it was a book about the end times. It tries to show that the events of today are more and more evidential of the coming return of Christ. And, while this is true it just seemed a bit of a stretch in parts. I loved the basis of the book – Revelation, the Gospel, Christ but i found it lacking in keeping my interest.

2.5/5

What is your foundation?

Good, strong and clear advice from John Piper. Listen to the video, don’t just read the transcript.

productivity & the Bible

Recently I’ve been quite enamoured with a few organisational/productivity type blogs. They are the kind of blogs which promote and give insight into being more productive and organised. I have found many of their articles and suggestions really helpful. For example there was one particular article which promotes getting your email in-box down to zero each day. Since reading that article I have been quite efficient with my emails and would say that the time spent reading the article has been rather advantageous to my life. However, sometimes it takes a while to find that gold nugget of advice or instruction. Sometimes it could mean trawling through 50-100 different posts before something really strikes you and you feel that you can apply it to your lifestyle and that it will make a positive contribution to your life.

I’m glad the Bible isn’t like that. In 1 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told that all Scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness. This is in order to make a person of God competent and equipped for every good work. Therefore, whenever I open the Scriptures and read what God says I can be confident that I am not wasting my time trawling through to find something that’s relevant – it all is! If only I spent less time reading blogs and more time in His Word!

I wonder then, is the Bible a productivity tool?

Abbott on Bible Reading

Tony Abbott has some thoughts on children and Bible reading.