Following Instructions

I don’t know about you, but one of the most maddening things I find about people is that they don’t listen or follow instructions. We all know that happens so often in everyday life. We know that people are told things and don’t listen. It could be to do with our health or money, but we often ignore the advice we are given. Sometimes, people are given guidelines but ignore them and just do it their way.

I am writing to point people to what God says in the Bible. But God wants them to listen and to follow His instructions for life. For instance, Jesus said one day, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14.6 – the Bible). If you follow that instruction, you will become a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Running away from God

Photo courtesy of Unsplash - Nicolas Picard

Photo courtesy of Unsplash - Simone Nespolo

Photo courtesy of Unsplash - Richard Loader

Have you ever felt that somehow God is speaking to you?

Maybe you have look around at the at the wonder of His creation. Maybe you were looking out over a panoramic view over mountains and lakes, saw the way a spider spins its web, a caterpillar moves or even the intricate insides of a delicate flower. Different things impress different people. For David the psalmist it was the magnificence of looking up into the heavens and gazing at the stars, it caused him to declare in Psalm 19, ‘The heavens declare the glory of God!’

God’s creation tells us of His very existence, God shouts out to us through His ‘handiwork’. In fact, Romans chapter one tells us that we can’t just remain undecided as to whether there is a God. We lie to ourselves if we say there is no God and God Himself says that this would be foolish.  It states that, ‘since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.’ So, God speaks to us through what He has made, He tells us that He is there. He speaks to us in different ways too. The Bible is often called God’s word. It is the very words of God, His messages, His instructions for us. Stop and think for a minute, if the Bible is what it says it is, God speaks to us every time we read the Bible.

How to change your life in a moment

My attention recently was caught by a Scottish Widows advertising campaign slogan, it said...

‘Change your life today’! 

That seems a bit dramatic - Is it really possibly to have a personal revolution in a day?

Being honest there are not many things that cause a transformation in a day; but it could happen. Let me give you one example  there are others. For instance, you could meet an individual who changes your life for ever. The love of your life! You have just been introduced or your paths have only crossed but immediately your heart is captured and things are never quite the same again. 

For some people their first encounter with Jesus of Nazareth changed them from that day forward. His grace and love captured their hearts. The voice of God stirred their spirit and they became aware of their failings and sin. The feeling of guilt was crushing as they discovered how rebellious they were by nature and why life hurt so much. The outcomes and consequences of sins were devastating but what blew them away was that 'Christ died for our sins'. He, the holy Son of God paid in person the full price God required to clear the guilty and forgive the fallen.

The words of the Bible, despite being shocking in their starkness and truthfulness, ring true to reality and are in tune with the human conscience. 

Let me remind you of the blunt, basic but honest truths of the Bible:

In respect of wrong that is found in every human being: 

‘All have sinned’

‘The soul that sins shall die’

‘The wages of sin is death’ 

Sinful people 'will be cast into hell’

In supporting the claim that Jesus is the only means of rescue (salvation) 

Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life no one comes to the Father (God) but by me’

'Neither is there salvation in any other' (only Jesus)

'Through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins'

In explaining what you need to do to take advantage of God’s rescue plan

'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved'

'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved'

'Repent and believe the gospel'

The truth is there!

The choice is will you believe!

Your life could be changed, in a moment!

Who am I?

There are many answers and very likely lots of them are true. You are the son or daughter of ‘so and so’. You are a man, woman, married, single, have children, no children, arty, musical, clever, practical - so the list goes on.

There are so many things that are different about each of us but we also have some common traits. We are all human. This covers a lot of ground. Our birth, our frailty, our fears, our flaws and mistakes, our hurt, our death.

Have you ever stopped to think why there are so many things we have in common? 

The Bible explains the reason. God created us in the first place ‘in his image’. This among other things gives us the capacity to be creative, think and make choices. The first man, Adam, made a choice to disobey one of the simple commands of God and as a result ‘sin came into the world’. This brings us to another common feature of humanity, we are mortal. We are naturally wayward, the Bible calls it sin. Let’s be honest, we all know that we disobey the law to varying degrees. That’s mans law, but we also disobey God’s law as well. The effect of sin on a day to day basis is the hurt, pain, aging and mistakes mentioned earlier. The ultimate common effect of sin in all of our lives is death. Death is an awful thing. It separates us from our loved ones, it causes pain and brings dark days into our lives. BUT, death also is the defining moment which seals our eternal fate. What we have believed in this life cannot be changed after death. Death is the gateway to the next world which the Bible describes as being one of two places, heaven or hell. Heaven being a place of conscious enjoyment and bliss, hell of conscious regret and suffering.

Here today - where tomorrow?

HERE TODAY - WHERE TOMORROW?

With the speed and facility of modern travel it is possible to have breakfast in the UK and tea in the USA. In travel terms the world has shrunk and this has opened up a whole new vista on holiday destinations with many companies specialising in long haul flights to exotic and distant locations. Travellers are less restricted in their choice and even the most remote places have become accessible, so you can be here today and almost anywhere on earth tomorrow. Maybe, even now as you read this article, you have read the brochures and planned your summer holiday.

However the apostle James in his epistle warns against presuming that we can do this or that tomorrow. In Chapter 4.14,15 we read; " Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." Solomon in his wisdom, wrote in Proverbs 27.1;"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

Life is uncertain, I can call only the present moment mine and I cannot state definitely what I shall do or where I will be tomorrow. You may expect to be in the office, or work on the farm as usual, or attend school as you have so often done but can you be sure? Perhaps life has become rather monotonous and drab and every day seems to be the same but tomorrow could be different. You may feel that you are in a secure routine and there appears to be nothing on the horizon to threaten that but things can change suddenly and unexpectedly. You may on the other hand have planned something out of the ordinary for tomorrow, but will your ambitions ever be realised?

So, where will you be tomorrow? At home, at work, in hospital, in heaven, in hell? What will you be doing tomorrow? Working, travelling, weeping, rejoicing, resting? How will you be tomorrow? Healthy, happy, excited, disappointed, tired, sick, dead? You say, "I have no idea, no one can be sure."

But there are those of us who know that if things don't work out as planned, if calamities should suddenly overtake us, if life should unexpectedly be brought to an end, that all is well for eternity.

There is not the slightest doubt in our minds because the Word of God has assured us. Note the confidence of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8.38,39; "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." John writes in his first epistle, chapter 5.13; "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Paul's last letter was 2 Timothy and in chapter 1.12 he wrote;"...for I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."

Dear reader, do you have such confidence or do you have nagging doubts and apprehension regarding the future? Are you persuaded or perplexed? Before the end of today you could be able to sing, "It is well, it is well with my soul."

The facts regarding Christ's death on your behalf are absolutely beyond dispute. In 1Corinthians 15.3 we read; "...Christ died for our sins..." In 1Peter 2.24 it is stated; " Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" In Romans 5.8 we read; " Christ died for us."

All has been done that you might be in heaven - are you prepared to trust Christ and depend exclusively on Him and what He has done at Calvary to save you from hell and take you to heaven? If so, then tomorrow will hold no dread for you and peace will be yours amid all the uncertainties of life.

Used by kind permission of Assembly Testimony

What does the Bible tell us about the future? - Essay for Christians

Photos courtesy of Unsplash

A very high percentage of the Bible is about the future. Some people reckon that over a quarter of the Bible deals with future events. When studying this topic We need to bear in mind that the truth of the church was hidden in the Old Testament and not revealed until New Testament days. Therefore, we should not expect to find predictions about the conditions in the world during the last days of the church on earth in the Old Testament. On this basis this post will be based on New Testament references.

 

Before I continue, I need to clarify two things:

 

1.  What I mean by the word ‘church’, and

2. That I believe that the church will not always remain on earth as there will be a day when it is taken from earth to heaven.

 

These two issues will provide a framework for us to work within when considering our question - What does the Bible tell us about the future - the last days of the church on earth!

 

What the word ‘church’ means?

 

In some ways, the word ‘church’ is an unfortunate translation of the Greek word ‘ekklesia’. Most dictionaries explain the word as meaning ‘the called people’. William Tyndale is famous for translating the word as ‘congregation’, reminding us that the word describes people who meet together for a specific reason. It has been used mainly in a religious context, but it is also used for civic/public meetings as in Acts chapter 19 verse 39 & 41.  

 

The first two references to the church in the New Testament are found in Matthew chapters 16 and 18. These passages explain the two aspects of the church that are taught in the New Testament. That is the church made up of all Christians (the dispensational church or the church which is the body of Christ) and the local church.

 

The church described in Matthew chapter 16 is made up of every believer from the commencement of the church on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2, to its completion at the coming of Christ, 1 Thess. 4. It is called the ‘the body of Christ’ in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 23. In the same chapter, verse 22, we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ is 'head over all things to the church’.

 

In summary, based on Matthew 16. 18,19, the Dispensational Church (and therefore all local churches):

 

1. Is built on Christ who is the foundation,

2. Is owned by the Lord Jesus – ‘my church’,

3. Is growing and will grow until the Lord Jesus returns,

4. Is the focus of the devil’s destructive activity,

5. Will never be destroyed by Satan’s power,

6. Represents the authority of Christ on earth.

 

When used in Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 – 20, the word clearly refers to a situation where a person, while trying to sort out a personal dispute, comes to the ‘church’ to request a decision. In this section, there is a reference made to decisions made on earth being corroborated in heaven. This is similar to what is said in Matthew 16, but the point seems to be that of the authority vested in a local church instead of the authority that was vested in Peter as is seen fulfilled in the Book of Acts, Acts 2, 8, 10, 11.    

 

One day, the church will be taken from earth to heaven.

 

The Church will one day be taken from earth to heaven. Not all of the church is on earth as many of the saints have already died, Eph. 3. 15, 1 Thess. 4. 15, 17. The Lord Jesus promised that He would come again for His own in John chapter 14 verse 3, and many other passages either hint at or teach this truth. For example, John chapter 17, verse 24 and 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. 

 

So, what will the world look like in the last days of the church on earth?

 

The key passages to look at for this are 2^nd Thessalonians 2, 2^nd Timothy 3, 2^nd Peter 2 and Revelation chapter 2 and 3. 

 

The expression ‘last days’ is a significant one when we are looking at this subject. While we cannot be dogmatic when the last days are, we can see from these passages the characteristics and moral features of ‘last days’.

 

2^nd Thessalonians 2

 

In this passage, the Apostle Paul explains the conditions that will be in place when the ‘man of sin’ will be revealed. By comparing numerous passages, we conclude that this will not happen until the church has been translated to heaven. However, the characteristics of this period are clearly seen in this passage.

 

Verse 3 – there will be a major rebellion against God; the KJV calls it ‘a falling away’.

 

Verse 10 – there will have been a refusal to love the truth, that is, the truth of God as revealed in scripture. This refusal reflects the aggressive denial of the need for salvation by human beings.

 

Verse 12 – the refusal to believe the truth is a result of and also how that generation will delight and have pleasure in unrighteousness. Like Noah’s generation and Lot’s generation, the people get their thrills from wicked pursuits. 

 

2^nd Timothy 3

 

This passage specifically claims to be describing the last days.

 

In verse 1, Paul says that these are terrible days of difficulty. Unpleasant, evil days. The following list makes for very unpleasant reading. The people of that day (which sounds very like ours) are selfish, egotistical, materialistic, super assertive, arrogant and proud, abusive, ungrateful, unforgiving and focused on pleasure. 

 

I have not gone down the list and quoted each description, you can do that on your own, but you can see for yourself that the conditions described as ‘last days’ are indeed ‘terrible times’, verse 1.

 

We must be careful in case we see this list as just describing the lower end of a selfish and violent society. This is a list that covers all of society. The rich and the poor, the powerful and the downtrodden; every strata of society is included. The key is found in verse 5 – ‘having a form of godliness but denying its power’. In a society where ‘evil is called good, and good is called evil’, morals are severely messed up, and what might appear moral is actually done in denial of all that pleases God.

 

2^nd Peter 2

 

Peter adds his voice to the description of conditions in the last days. 

 

In verse 1, we learn that there will be those who teach error. The false teaching is so bad that it is described as ‘destructive heresies’. It is off the wall error that destroys the truth of God and destroys those who fall under its evil spell. The main error relates to the person of Christ and the work of salvation, verse 2. These false teachers will attract a great following, verse 3. This is similar to the warning that Paul gave to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20. 

 

The false teachers of last days will exploit the people of God, verse 3, with ‘made-up stories’. In other words, they are fully aware that they are deceiving people and doing it for personal profit. The judgement that is pronounced reflects the severity of the sin of false teaching and false teachers.

 

Revelation 2 & 3

 

These chapters can be used as a template to describe conditions in the church and the world before the Lord Jesus returns to the air. The seven churches of Asia Minor can be looked at prophetically - as a timeline from Pentecost to the Rapture or morally - conditions that could exist at any one point in church history.

 

Prophetically – from this standpoint, the church in Laodicea describes the church in the period of time just before the Lord comes. Look at the low moral and spiritual of this local church. Sadly, the moral/spiritual state of the world is often reflected in the state of the church.

This is a church that is lukewarm. There is little reality or conviction. The Lord finds it spurious and distasteful. This church sees itself as rich and in need of nothing, but the Lord describes their real condition as ‘wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind and naked’. It would appear that recovery in these days will be on an individual basis as the Lord appeals for individuals to ‘open the door’ for Him to come in. 

 

Morally – this view of the seven churches reminds us to be aware of the low spiritual condition that could exist in any local church. Every generation, potentially, faces the same problems and can demonstrate last day characteristics in their behaviour. 

Here are some key examples: the increase of satanic activity in some locations, Rev. 2. 13, will have a devastating effect on church testimony. The changing role of women, Rev. 2. 20, and the seduction of false religion will bring divine judgement. 

 

The constant theme of overcoming, Rev. 2. 7 – Rev. 3. 21, and the rewards that relate to the future reign of Christ on earth, Rev. 2. 26, 27, 3. 12, 3. 21, would remind us that these conditions will exist right up until the coming of the Lord.

 

As I conclude, this post may I add this comment. Many passages of scripture describe conditions that will exist in the world after the church has been taken to be with the Lord. While I cannot be dogmatic about this suggestion, I do not think that these evil conditions will suddenly commence when the church goes. From 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, we know that lawlessness is already working in the world but that there will come the point when it’s progress will no longer be impeded. I judge that in verse 7, the Spirit of God is hindering the full advancement of evil while the church is still in the world. On the point of the church’s removal, the Spirit of God will also go. Just as the Spirit came at the commencement of the church in Acts 2 so the removal of the Spirit will coincide with its removal. At that point, the actors and the actions of unrestricted evil will be revealed.

 

This being the case, the descriptions of society post the rapture, which are given in Matthew 24, Luke 21, Revelation 13, 17, 18, are relevant for us to consider. They describe a world where there will be:

 

1.     Increased levels of evil activity

2.     Aggression and persecution

3.     False prophets and teachers

4.     Claims to Political unity

5.     A united form of world                       religion

6.     Streamlined Economic and Financial world systems

7.     Increased wars producing apparent peace

 

Last day conditions may be upon us, or at least we can see signs that the world is fast moving towards the way things are described in scripture.

Are you saved and are you ready for the coming of Christ? Are you living in disobedience to God’s word? It is time to repent and live a life of obedience to the Lord. 

Do you know where you are going?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Do you know where you are going?

I’m not asking you do you know where you’re going in terms of what bus you getting on or what is your travel destination? My question is - do you know where you will end up when your life on earth is over?

Your reply could be - I didn’t realise that there were any options, or, I thought that death was the end of the line (I am back to my travel analogies again).

Jesus Christ was known for talking a lot about where He had come from and where He was going when he had finished life on earth. That is a really strange way of talking for the average person. Birth was our starting point and to many, death is the final destination. 

But is it?

I am not talking about reincarnation. The Bible teaches that for all of us (except the Lord Jesus) birth was our starting point. However, the Lord Jesus claimed to have ‘come down out of heaven’ and that he had come from His Father, God. I, for one, believe His claims for a number of reasons. This post is not the place to go into detail to prove this. I created a series of videos one Christmas on this topic. If you want to watch them then click here - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL83f44mqnfq45Vo-nZSr6qzgxM3Hl0lFP.

The Lord Jesus also spoke often about going back to heaven where He had come from.There are a number of references in the Gospel of John where this is recorded. I’ll leave you to read John’s Gospel to see if you can spot the verses where He claims to be going back to heaven after life on earth. To read the gospel online click here https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=CSB

The Bible teaches that there is life after death. Our life on earth is the place that we prepare for the next life and God is concerned that we discover the truth and get to know Him.

If you want more information please text me (07747 101352) or email me (stepcar61@gmail.com) and I will get back to you

Who would you like to spend a day with?

Think about the things we do everyday—go to work, spend time with our family, eat, or maybe watch TV. Whether it’s helping others or getting rest, we find value in all of these things. But do we see value in spending time with our Creator? God created us to spend time with Him. By doing so, we are honouring Him, helping others, and getting spiritual rest and peace.

A scientist decides that there really is a God

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

I was looking at the books on the shelves of a shop in Weston-super-Mare when my eyes alighted upon a specific title.  It said in bold red letters, ‘THERE IS NO GOD”.  On closer inspection the word ‘No’ was crossed out and the letter ‘A’ had replaced it  and so it actually read, ‘THERE IS A GOD’. I could not resist purchasing the book especially as the sub-title said, ‘How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind’.  The book was written by Professor Antony Flew who had been a writer and defender of the philosophy of atheism for many years.

An Invitation - To read the Bible

This is a short series of talks inviting people to do things that God encourages them to do. All of the ideas are taken from the Bible.

In this video, I would like to invite you to do something. It is a call to action. It is possible to know the God of the Bible and to discover what He is saying to you as an individual. Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel if you want to discover what God is saying to people in the world today. Thanks for watching.

Do you make the same mistakes more than once?

 

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

One of the common problems we all have is our weakness to resist temptation. It is the same for every one of us. We often explain it away by saying ‘we are only human’ or ‘it’s my weakness’ or similar phrases. The simple fact is that we are flawed by nature and there are things in life that we find very hard to resist. Having said all that when a person gets saved or becomes a Christian, they are a new creation, 2 Cor. 5. 17. They will still feel the struggle that is caused by temptation, but they now have new life and the Spirit of God to strengthen them and keep them from falling.

Scripture Reading

Let no one say when he is tempted,

‘I am tempted by God’;

for God cannot be tempted by evil,

nor does He Himself tempt anyone

James 1:13

Today’s verse is saying that God does not have a problem with evil. He is not attracted to it. This is best illustrated in the life of the Lord Jesus. When the Devil came to tempt Him, it is stated that there was nothing in Him that responded to his advances, John 14. 30. So simply put God does not struggle with evil not did the Lord Jesus. If only we could say that; but things are so different for us.

We all have a daily battle, see Romans 7, with right and wrong. Some days are worse than others and some things are more of a temptation than others. Resisting thinking wrong things is a problem but once a person is saved it can get more intense as their conscience is keener than before. Thankfully, they have the Holy Spirit to appeal to for help. 

In closing do not lose sight of this. God never tempts us to do evil. He may test us at times, but it is never His purpose for us to sin. In fact, he wants us to learn to resist temptation and to be aware of our weaknesses. Submit to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you, James writes in chapter 4 verse 7.   

Would you rather fly Economy Class or Business Class?

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Some years ago I was speaking at a conference in Delhi, India and thankfully there were other speakers who were utterly riveting to listen to and absorb what they were saying. One such was a Canadian and he related a time when he was going to travel by plane when the check-in staff wondered whether he wanted to be upgraded. One of his joys in travelling is speaking with fellow passengers and he wondered whether that would be possible if he were upgraded. However, he was persuaded and duly went into Business Class rather than Economy Class and so could look forward to a much more comfortable journey.

As he went to sit down in the plane he introduced himself to a business women nearby with the words,  “I have been upgraded and it is only for one reason.” She politely enquired what that reason was and he said, “To talk to you about the Lord.”  I am sure she had never encountered such a direct approach before and it made her somewhat irritable and even angry. Her anger was directed firstly at the fact that he had been upgraded whereas she had paid the full amount for the privilege of travelling Business Class and secondly that he now wanted to engage her in a conversation about the Lord!

6 reasons why Christianity should never be a state religion

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash 

No 1 - Legal coercion will not produce the kingdom of God in a fallen world. 

No 2 - Because Christians agree to make room for non-Christian faiths (including naturalistic, materialistic faiths), not because commitment to God’s supremacy is unimportant, but because it must be voluntary, or it is worthless. 

No 3 - Because we have a God-centered reason for making room for atheism. The Lord Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,' John 18. 36. Christians don't have the right to alter this world or to get involved in its political system, Phil 3. 20. The fact is that God will establish His kingdom through the supernatural miracle of faith, not firearms or force. This means that Christians in this age should not endorse coercive governments, Christian or secular or get involved in Christianization of society!

No 4 - Christians resist, in principle, the coercive secularization implied in some laws that repress Christian activity in public places. 

No 5 - It is not that we want to establish Christianity as the law of our land. That is intrinsically impossible, because of the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God, Romans 14. 17. It is rather because repression of free exercise of religion and persuasion is as wrong against Christians as it is against secularists. 

No 6 - Tolerance is rooted in the very nature of the gospel of Christ. The current spiritual nature of God’s kingdom is until Christ comes to implement rights and authority that we do not currently have.

So what is required of us? 

The primary responsibility of the Christian is to go into the world with the gospel. Jesus said - 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen, Matthew 28:19,20. 

For more information go to www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 

One book you ought to read more than once!

Although it is impossible to get precise statistics it is clear that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book. A number of years ago the Bible Society did a survey and came to the conclusion that around 2.5 billion copies of the Bible were printed between 1815 and 1975. More up to date figures put the number at more than 5 billion.

The Bible has been translated into 349 languages; 2,123 languages have at least one book of the Bible in that language source - the Bible Society.

Please read the following extract from the Bible. Listen to what God says in His timeless book. It will set you up not just for a year but for the rest of your life, if you believe it.

Romans 10:8-18 (The Bible - NKJV)

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

But do people who have a bible read it regularly?

Statistics show that most people professing faith in Jesus have never completely read their Bible. Many people start reading the Bible but then become overwhelmed by the number of chapters (1,189) and verses (31,102) there are. What most people don't realize is that you can read the Bible in a year by reading fewer than four chapters a day.

If you divide the Bible into 365 daily readings, your goal of reading the Bible in a year can easily be accomplished. 

Here is a conversation I heard recently:

I asked a longtime Bible Teacher how many times he’d read the Bible in its entirety from Genesis to Revelation. “Never, but I hope to someday,” he replied. I was stunned. I thought, “Then how do you know what you believe?” 

Soon after I encountered another longtime shepherd of God’s sheep. I posed the same question, but got a very different answer: “I try to read through the Bible every year. After all, I’ve given my life to teaching and preaching God’s Word, so I had better know it to the highest degree a man can know it.”

The following quotation sums it up “When all your favorite preachers are gone, and their books are forgotten, you will have your Bible. Master it.”

Reading through it annually is one means of accomplishing that end.

Here are five benefits I’ve discovered from reading through God’s Word each year.

1. You will know the main storyline of scripture. 

2. You will be better equipped to explain and teach scripture

3. You will form the wise habit of reading the Bible

4. You will make the Bible your primary reading material 

5. You will have to look at every bit of the Bible.

Where to begin!

There are numerous excellent plans available to help you read systematically through the Bible in a year. Over the years, I have used Tabletalk magazine’s annual plan, Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s classic planwhich takes the reader through the New Testament and the Psalms twice and the OT once. Don Carson’s modified version of M’Cheyne’s calendar is available at that link as well.

Another approach I have used to great benefit is the ESV Study Bible’s plan. Here is another plan that has the reader visiting a different literary genre—epistles, law, history, Psalms, poetry, prophecy, Gospels—each day of the week.  

---

BESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswyBESbswySource of quote  

Although it is impossible to obtain exact figures, there is little doubt that the Bible is the world's best-selling and most widely distributed book.

Quote - Best-selling book of non-fiction | Guinness World Records