Life + Faith

Tag: Bible

  • Reading The Bible In Community

    Years and years ago, back when I was working as a personal trainer, I’d often train people in groups. That is, me as the trainer and then 2-5 others all working out together under my guidance. They may have been friends who wanted to workout together. They may have been mum’s who trained together after school drop-off. They may have been colleagues who would train together on the way to work. Whatever the case, it was common to have a group of people to train together rather than just a one-on-one session. 

    Now, economics was often part of that decision. It was cheaper for those who were being trained to split the cost across a group than for an individual session. But  even greater reasoning was the aspects of motivation, accountability, and having fun together. There was something about training together that made the experience of fitness work more enjoyable. There was something about training together that provided better results because clients were spurred on by one-another to do the work.  

    As I continue to write about Bible reading in 2023 this got me thinking about what it means to read the Bible in community. 

    Reading the Bible on our own over and over and over again is not an easy thing to do. We may wish to have it be a delight rather than a duty but there can come a point, perhaps even 3 days into some new Bible reading plan whereby we get a little lost in what we’re doing. We get a little deflated because reading the Bible can be a hard exercise and discipline to do on our own. We get confused by what we’re reading and can’t understand what’s going on. We can quickly become unmotivated to do what we set out to do because we don’t have anyone around to encourage us. 

    Like group fitness sessions we gain motivation and encouragement from reading the Bible with others. In fact, throughout the course of Christian history the Bible has been read in community, whether it has been spoken to a group, shared with others in public, or remembered through story around the table. The Bible is a book to read communally.

    Even if we think about Paul’s letters for a moment, they are all written with the view of being read to all in a public setting. Before the printing press the Bible would be read aloud in churches by the clergy. And it really is a modern phenomenon that the Bible has been able to be read privately on the comfort of our couch. 

    But there are key advantages to reading the Bible in community, reading the Bible with someone else or in a small group. Below I’ve outlined five of these and I’m sure you’d be able to come up with more.. 

    First, reading the Bible in community means more people need to listen.

    When we read the Bible alone and for ourselves then we really have to concentrate on what is being read. Of course, this needs to be the case with another person too, but when we read in community we have more people around to help us listen to the Word. Each person hearing the Word will listen differently and listen to the reading in different ways. The more people listening to the Bible being read can only be a good thing. As the Word is read or heard the Spirit works within, and the more ears to hear provides greater opportunity for depth in conversation. 

    Second, reading the Bible in community means there can be conversation.

    When you read alone you can only have a conversation with yourself. Of course, the Lord is there with you and you can be in prayer about the passage with him. But in reality there are more times than not whereby we read the passage and then move onto the next task, rather than dwelling on it and thinking through what is being said. When reading with another there is opportunity to have a conversation about what is being heard. There is the chance to actually talk about issues of life and faith with another. There is a mutual encouragement and growth that comes from this kind of conversation, hearing perspective, ideas, and thoughts about a passage of scripture. 

    Third, reading the Bible in community means there are different perspectives given.

    Linked to the conversation aspect of this is the hearing of different perspectives. More often than not these are helpful. If you’ve ever been in a small group where there are one or two who think they have the answers for everyone else then I will admit this can get awfully tiresome awfully quickly. Some perspectives are not worth sharing. But in my experience there is more benefit than not in hearing how others are reading the scriptures and listening to what is being said through them. 

    And as a quick sidenote, if this group is intergenerational then I think this provides even more perspective due to life experiences and maturity in the faith. 

    Fourth, reading the Bible in community means there is mutual encouragement for one another.

    Christians love to use the word accountability and I’m deliberately avoiding that in this post. It’s such a Christianise word. I prefer to think reading the Bible together, particularly when it is with someone else or only 3-4 people as being mutually encouraging. I still remember going through university reading Romans with two other people and gaining such encouragement from the wisdom, insight, and teaching from the people I was with. Reading the Bible in a community like this can be so formative and encouraging, even years later. 

    Fifth, reading the Bible in community means we recognise its power and authority.

    Whenever we come to the Bible as God’s revealed truth to us then we are recognising its authority and power over us. Through the Word of God the Holy Spirit reveals more of God to us. It is an exercise in humility to submit to the Lord through listening and obeying his Word. In community this becomes even more powerful as the group discerns what is being said together and reflects on its meaning and application in their own lives. Through the conversation that flows there is often encouragement in faith and encouragement in life–to keep on in the scriptures and in obedience to God. 

    Well, it seems I’ve begun the year and a return to writing regularly by focussing on Bible reading. There could be worse topics to write about, couldn’t there? In any case, if you like to catch up on some of the posts that focus on reading the Bible then feel free to browse along:

  • The Best Bible To Read

    There is plenty of debate in the Christian world as to what version of the Bible is best to read. I have often found myself in discussions, which inevitably turn into debates, about what version or translation of the Bible is best to preach from, best to do devotions from, or best to read with others in Bible study. 

    For some it’s a serious issue, for others it’s weird, and for others it’s just amusing. I probably sit in that camp. Amused.

    As we’ve begun the year thinking about Bible reading the question of what translation of the Bible to read is a genuine one. Like all secondary issue discussions they can get more heated than they need to be, but we do have preferences. I have preferences, I’m sure you do too.

    What we do need to be careful about though is whether the expression of our opinion and preferences in regard to Bible reading is helping or hindering the spiritual life of a person. For the reading of the scriptures is to be a delight, yet a cautionary tale of discussions turn debates are that what is said can become another burden placed on a person seeking to grow, relate, and be with God through his Word. 

    Since writing last week I have been thinking about how much harder we can make Bible reading for our brothers and sisters when we slap various preferences and rules onto them. In our firm suggestion of how others should read the Word we need to be clear about the different ways and different types of reading that can take place for spiritual nourishment. 

    This isn’t just about what version of the Bible you are reading. It also speaks into how you read the Bible, where you read the Bible, when you read the Bible, and how much you read the Bible. 

    I know different people who love to read the KJV for an hour each morning, in the same chair they have done so for years. But then I know others who simply try to read a few verses as they try to follow a plan on their phone while waiting for their coffee to be made at the cafe. Each person is doing what they can to engage with God, bringing themselves under the authority of the scriptures in different ways and at different times. And I’m sure that in reading those different scenarios we may even begin to judge whether one is better than the other. 

    But I suppose this is getting to the point I’m making this week. 

    The best Bible you are reading is the one that is in front of you. 

    I want to encourage you, whether you are reading a little or a lot of the Bible, that you continue to do it. Don’t read it out of duty and guilt, but read it out of delight and gratitude. Like the Psalmist in Psalm 1 writes, “Blessed is the one…whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” And who can forget the whole of Psalm 119, which highlights just how much of the delight the Word of God is for us of faith. An example of which can be found in v92, “If your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.”

    The best Bible you’re reading is the one that’s in front of you. It’s the one you’re reading now. May the reading of God’s Word be a delight for you as you embrace your freedom in Christ to be with him.

  • Bible Reading In The New Year

    For many years I had the goal of reading the Bible from cover-to-cover in a calendar year. I reckon I’ve completed that goal once in the last 15 years. My routine from January first was to start at Genesis 1:1 and make my way through at least 4 chapters per day. Yet, by late January I’d be stuck in Exodus reading about the plagues, the Red Sea, and the journey into the wilderness and already finding myself too far behind to catch up. 

    Perhaps this is a familiar experience for you as well.

    As one who comes from a tradition where the regular reading of the Bible is engrained from a young age, being unable to do this can trigger some sort of guilt trip. Thankfully, this need not be the case and my legalistic view of Bible reading has changed somewhat. This is not to say that my view of God’s Word has changed, only the perceived necessity to read through the entire Bible each year. 

    As I seek to worship God in the everyday I seek to engage with God’s Word in various ways and at various times throughout the day. This may involve reading a select passage of scripture, listening to worship music focussing on the words of scripture, or reading a portion of a Christian book that leads me to contemplate the ways of God more deeply. 

    The sidebar to this that I can’t help but make is that God’s Word is not on even par with a worship song or a Christian book. No other book or words written in human history is “…God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It’s got to be said. 

    But still, perhaps you are like me and require some structure, some idea of what you’d like to do. In growing as a disciple, in our experience, knowledge, and follow-ship of Jesus it’s still good to have a plan or approach to scripture reading. As a regular practice of our faith, and as the year is now underway, I wonder whether a way to approach this might be to think small, think regular, and think expectantly. 

    Think Small

    Everyone has different capacities as to what they can achieve in a day or a week or a year. Often we might be surprised at how much we can accomplish when we are consistent in doing little things throughout the year. 

    I’d encourage you not to think about reading the whole Bible as one complete project for the year. Radical, I know. But instead, think about it in little chunks. Think about reading one Proverb a day and repeat it every month. Think about working through a gospel one chapter at a time and digesting it properly. Or think even smaller, contemplate 1-2 verses of Paul’s letters. Or perhaps limit yourself to 5 minutes a day for January with the goal of increasing it a minute each month. 

     It is the little done over time that produces a significant amount. You’ll be surprised at how much of God’s Word you will end up reading if you think small. 

    Think Regular

    Thinking small leads to thinking regularly. Doing the small means approaching the reading of the Bible as a consistent discipline. 

    Perhaps reading everyday is not a possibility for you, that’s OK. How do weekdays suit? How does committing to a Saturday and Sunday schedule sound? I’m not sure what’s best for you, but it is in your hands as to when and how regularly your Bible reading might be. 

    At the moment I’m probably hitting 4-5 days per week of significant reading whereby I’m seeking to connect with God and grow in him. Outside of this I am in the unique situation where I’m given the opportunity to dip into God’s Word in various ways – sharing with others, preparation for sermons, and in faith conversations with church and community members. Nevertheless, what I’ve found helpful is to have a committed time of reading that’s in the calendar or on the to-do list (and prayer is always helpful alongside this). 

    Think Expectantly

    The final idea in approaching Bible reading for this year is to read expectantly. 

    How often Bible reading can become a duty rather than a delight because we come to God’s Word not expecting to hear from him! Not expecting him to change our hearts and minds, not to conform and have our mind renewed (Romans 12:2-3). 

    Often we will find connections, greater knowledge of God and his ways, and be willing to hear from God when we come to his Word expectantly. Sure, sometimes Bible reading is hard and difficult and doesn’t make sense to where we find ourselves, yet God has revealed himself through his Word and continues to make himself known by it. It’s why part of our discipleship is to go to God’s Word and hear what he has to say to us. 

    I’d encourage you to have a go, to think small, to think regularly, and think expectantly as you approach the reading of God’s Word this year. 

  • By Faith – A Future Hope

    Hebrews 11 is one of those chapters in the Bible that is packed with so much that it takes numerous readings to grasp its various teachings. It’s the chapter where the writer outlines all those significant biblical characters of the past, and describes briefly how they lived by faith, trusting and obeying God throughout their lifetime.

    For me, stepping into Hebrews 11 is like walking into a museum. A museum with a long dimly lit corridor, with dark floorboards, and square-paned windows letting the light in. And as you walk down this corridor there are old paintings hanging on the walls. And along each side of the corridor there are white marble busts of significant leaders of history and important dignitaries sitting on top of pillars.

    This is what I think of when I read Hebrews 11.

    All these people from the Old Testament in painting or statue form, highlighting their status among the saints of the past. And with each of these saints we get a small glimpse into what they are commended for; what they have done to earn such a reputation to be written about hundreds of years after they have died.

    To extend this museum illustration further, I can imagine that next to each painting or statue there sits a little plaque and as you wander down the corridor you can walk up to each of those plaque’s and read how they lived by faith. Next to each item there is a little inscription starting with “By faith…” and flowing into their individual commendation of how they lived by faith.

    By faith Abel…
    By faith Enoch…
    By faith Noah…
    By faith Abraham…
    By faith Sarah…

    And as we work our way through this chapter we come to an editor’s sidebar. Like one of those big signs at a museum that gives you a broader explanation of what’s going on, there in the middle of this corridor stands as sign with v13-16 on it.

    “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

    These words describe how all these people we read of in Hebrews 11 died knowing there was something better for them. They lived on earth as exiles, as people who were in the world but not of it. While the land was plentiful and the descendants numerous God had promised something better. This earth and life was a prototype of something greater. They knew there was something more to come.

    This is why the writer can say in v16, “…they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

    And this resonates with the words of Revelation 21:1-5,

    “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

    He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

    We know we live in a world that is broken. People are broken, governments are broken, organisations are broken. This results in a world where bad stuff happens, stuff that is not fair for the individual and the collective.

    But here in v13-16 we are told of the future hope we can have as believers.

    As followers of Jesus we recognise the reality of a broken world. A world broken by sin but a world being prepared for restoration and renewal through the coming again of Jesus Christ. For through Christ there is the promise of forgiveness for our own sin and shame. Through Christ there is the promise of being able to live by faith in relationship with God. Through Christ there is the promise of the restoration of the world. Through Christ is the promise of life-everlasting in the renewed creation of God.

    In the same way as the Old Testament saints live by faith for what is to come, so too we live in the world as people who know there is greater to come (despite how bad it may look at times) as God prepares us for the restoration of all things.

    I’m a big fan of CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. I really enjoy reading the whole collection every so often, and at the end of the final book, The Last Battle, there is a depiction of heaven as the various characters and animals make their way to a renewed land. Lewis writes,

    It is as hard to explain how this sunlit land was different from the old Narnia as it would be to tell you how the fruits of that country taste. Perhaps you will get some idea of it if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out on a lovely bay of the sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite to the window there may have been a looking-glass. And as you turned away from the window you suddenly caught sight of that sea or that valley, all over again, in the looking glass. And the sea in the mirror, or the valley in the mirror, were in one sense just the same as the real ones: yet at the same time there were somehow different — deeper, more wonderful, more like places in a story: in a story you have never heard but very much want to know.

    The difference between the old Narnia and the new Narnia was like that. The new one was a deeper country: every rock and flower and blade of grass looked as if it meant more. I can’t describe it any better than that: if ever you get there you will know what I mean.

    It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling. He stamped his right fore-hoof on the ground and neighed, and then he cried:

    “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!” (p154-155)

    A vivid piece of writing, but also a great reminder that we do indeed live, by faith, looking forward to the Holy City, a better country, a heavenly one.

  • Psalm 103: Praise The Lord

    It is certainly difficult to go through this Psalm without recognising the call to praise. The beginning and the ending couch this Psalm in words to encourage praise.

    Note how personal the writer King David is as he expresses himself.

    “Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits” in v1-2.

    And in v20-22,

    “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the Lord, my soul.”

    This is something deeply personal, something coming deep from within here. It is like David is willing himself to praise.

    There are times, aren’t there, when we have to will ourselves to do something. Whether it is chores around the house to trying to work through our emotions in a lockdown due to a global pandemic. Here David sounds like he is willing himself to praise. Like the marathon runner willing herself to get to the finish line so too David is willing himself to praise.

    Often praise, encouragement and thanks don’t come easy. Often we can be so consumed with our own self and all the problems we have to deal with that we soon forget or fall out of habit of praise, of thankfulness, of gratitude. Here we get the sense of David, writing in reflection from years of experience, willing himself to praise God for who he is and what he has done.

    For David realises all of what God has done. Not only for him personally, but also for the whole of humanity. He remembers God and all his deeds and dwells on the action of his compassionate God, which in turn draws him to praise.

    As we close this three-part series on Psalm 103 I encourage you to remember, dwell, and praise God this week.

    It has been a tough 12 months.

    You may have taken the opportunity to sit with God and spend more time with him this year. But, in the conversations I’m having with people I suspect the majority have not. And so I wonder whether this might be a good time to spend some time with the Lord.

    If you’re one who is in a habit of doing so, I encourage you to keep going.

    But, if you’re one who hasn’t sat with God, opened his scriptures, read and thought of the things of God in a while then I encourage you to do so this week.

    Take 30-60 minutes. Open a Psalm, maybe even this one. Write down a few things that strike you as you read it. Pray about what is on your heart. Express those fears and worries and anxieties to God. And dwell for a period of time, something we’re not used to, on your compassionate God who is slow to anger and abounding in love.

    Because when you do, experience tells me that the Lord will meet you where you are at and will draw you toward praise just as David is here.

    It will do your soul and your life much benefit.

    This is the third of a three-part series on Psalm 103. The first post, ‘Remember The Lord’, can be found here. And the second, ‘Dwell on The Lord’, is here.