I’m going to South Africa this summer for three weeks. 94% of the pastors in South Africa have no Biblical training whatsoever. Christ’s Church in Federal Way, WA (my home church) is sending a mission team to South Africa that will help with a conference intending to train local pastors.
To learn more, please download my support letter.
A few months back I got a group together to read through a script I created of the Gospel of Luke. The script uses the NET translation so others can copy it as long as it is not done for profit. The beginning of each chapter has characters listed in script order. The end of the script includes a full list of characters and a few maps to show all the locations in Luke.
Back in March, twenty-five people crammed into my apartment to read this script. People still comment about that night. Aside from the main characters such as Jesus and the Narrators, each reader got assigned several characters. Some characters read as a group. The script designates this with a bold font.
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions, particularly from those who attempt their own Bible reading night. It would help me as I venture into making scripts for other books.
In the late 80s and early 90s Zondervan produced the Dramatized Bible in the NIV translation. Printing of that Bible has ceased. Although I don’t know the reason, I speculate that it is hard to get enough copies for every member in the reading group. By using the NET translation, I hope to avoid this problem.
Click here to download the pdf.
A psalm I composed for class today…
Yours is the hand that passes with us through the chaos
Your arm stretches out to keep us safe.
The enemy uses tornadoes to spin life out of control
He throws down hailstones of doubt
and targets us with lightning bolts of discouragement
But your ark encompassed us;
You picked us up and carried us with the wind.
When the enemy attempted to dash our existence to the ground,
You prepared the gentle landing–
Setting us down below the will of the storm.
You thwarted the enemy’s plan;
You preserved our souls.
A great psalm to learn about what it means to cherish the Word of God. In reading Psalm 119, two verses stood out to me.
v.72 – “The law of Your mouth is better to me / Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.”
v.92 – “If Your law had not been my delight, / Then I would have perished in my affliction.”
http://www.believers-chapel.org/temp/online.htm
The above link is an audio resource of old sermons from old profs such as Dr. S. Lewis Johnson and Dr. Bruce K. Waltke. The sermons are sorted by Bible books, so it’s easy to find something on a passage you’re looking for.
“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
In Matthew 23:8-12, Jesus redirects his address from the Pharisees to the crowds standing by. He contrasts the Pharisees’ self exaltation with what God wants. We are not called to pursue titles and positions that glorify ourselves. Rather, our attitude should be that of a servant.
What is a servant?
Later in the book, Matthew gives one example of a servant in 26:6-13…the woman who annointed Jesus’ feet. The disciples did not want to acknowledge her action, but Jesus responded in v.10, “”Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”
It takes humility, submission, sacrifice, and action to be a servant.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” — Matthew 5:11-12
Today’s sermon was on the persecuted church. A guest speaker came whose family had suffered persecution. He gave a first hand account of how his father fled from the home for over six years and how his family stood firm; risking their lives for the sake of the gospel. The service today reminded to pray of some specific things:
1) Pray that the believers being persecuted would stand firm in their faith, and that the believers who are being persecuted would remain united in their efforts for the kingdom of God.
2) Pray that God would open doors in for Christian literature to be printed so that the believers would be able to grow and develop their understanding of God, Scripture and theology.
3) Pray that the persecution of the believers would continue to make the truth of the Gospel evident to those who do not know Jesus Christ.
There are more things to be praying for, but these are the specifics that stood out to me this morning.
One of the Ph.D. students in my Matthew class has this website where he has developed a Bible Map program that allows you to edit the map just about any way that you would like. Today in class the student showed some of the maps where he marked them according to the story of Matthew 21:1-11.
Once you get the map situated the way you like, you can use the image in a Powerpoint slide with a screenshot. On a PC, screenshots can be created by simultaneously pressing the ALT+Print Screen buttons; then paste the image into your document and/or slide. If you scroll the map far enough, you can even get a screen shot of the UK.
Last weekend at Northwest Bible Church’s singles retreat I was challenged by the speaker, Matt Klingler, to take another look at what it means to be filled by the Spirit. In his example he used an empty cup, filled it with liquid until the liquid reached the top of the cup. That’s what we normally think of when we think full. Then he poured some more, the liquid spilled over, and he set this as an example of being “Spirit-filled.”
Spirit-filled, is when we overflow for others. If the Spirit’s filling stopped before it spilled over, then his work would only be benefitial for us.
Yet the Spirit’s filling is more like 1 John 3:16 where it says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
It makes sense then that Spiritual fruit is for other people. Remember Galatians 5:22-23b. It says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Now within that list, which are a benefit for the “self?”
When the Spirit fills us, it benefits other people.
I just finished a paper for my Gospel of Matthew class. The purpose of the story in the narrative is to demonstrate Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. Throughout the gospel, the writer continues to emphasize Jesus’ authority. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the writer mentions Jesus teaching the people as one who had authority (7:29). The theme is also seen at the end of the book when Jesus sends out the twelve saying “All authority has been given to me…therefore go (28:18).”
There are two miracles in the pericope of Matthew 9:1-8. The first miracle is invisible to the audience, but the second miracle is visible. Jesus crossed the politically correct boundary with his first statement when he told the paralytic his sins were forgiven at that moment. The experts in the Law accuse Jesus of blasphemy because they know that only God can forgive sins (the irony of their statement is that the experts in the Law are the ones speaking blasphemy by disrespecting Jesus’ claim). Jesus follows his first miracle with a second miracle that could only be accomplished by God himself. By showing his ability (being God himself) to heal the man, Jesus makes a visible demonstration to the crowd that He must also have the ability to forgive the paralytic of his sins.
It is significant that Jesus speaks the words to the paralytic, “your sins are forgiven.” It is signicant because when God speaks, reality happens. This is also true of the creation acount in Genesis 1; when God spoke he created the heavens and the earth. All of creation is a reality of God’s word.
The meaning of this can become even more significant for you when you understand that Jesus offers to forgive all of your sins. If the Bible is God’s word, then the message is the reality. Thus, when the Bible says that salvation is found in no one else other than Jesus, then Jesus must be the only way to eternal life. So if Jesus freely offers to forgive your sins and you accept his offer, then take courage friend because the reality of eternal life in heaven is true for you.
Below is the DJT (Daniel Jensen Translation) of Matthew 9:1-8.
And then Jesus, stepping into a boat, crossed over and went into his own town.
Now it happened that some brought to him a paralytic lying on a mat. Now Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic, “Be confident, child, your sins are now forgiven.”
In response, some of the experts in the Law grumbled amongst themselves saying, “This is blasphemy.”
And Jesus, seeing their thoughts said, “For what reason do you consider this an evil in your hearts? “For what would have been easier to say, ‘your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ So in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” then he spoke to the paralytic, “…Get up, take your mat and go to your home.”
So he got up and went to his home.
Now when the crowds witnessed this they were awe-struck and glorified the God who had given such authority to men.
I was reading the end of Revelation this morning and found a thought that has stuck with me today. In 21:6, it says, “to him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost.” It caused me to look forward to the hope of heaven.
The next time you pay for something as simple as water (i.e., bottled water or your water bill), remember that God promises to provide free water. He doesn’t charge for it, and he doesn’t put it on a tab. He gives it away. When I finally get to heaven and drink from that wonderful spring, he’s not going to make me pay the bill because he already did.
Good thoughts!
One thing that impressed me yesterday in the Book of Deuteronomy was God’s command to worship him in the unique way that God commanded through Moses. In 12:4 Moses commands the people not to worship the LORD in the way that other nations worship their gods.
The people of Israel were to be set apart and different than all the other nations since they were worshipers of the one true God, Yahweh. In distinguishing how he wanted to be worshipped, the LORD detailed his law to the people in the books of Leviticus and Numbers.
What was applicable to me was that God used the wilderness as his training ground for his people. He trained his people to worship him in the wilderness so that they would know how to worship him in the land of abundance.
That has significance for us today because God still uses hard times in our lives to cause us to trust and worship him in all circumstances. One of the problems that comes with the good times in our lives is that we begin to shift our trust from God to our trust in ourselves.
One of the things that I learned this summer while taking Hebrew (my wilderness) was to keep my committment to read my Bible and to pray as a way to depend on the LORD to sustain my life.
Now this principle of God using our wilderness experiences for his worship also has an eschatological parallel. You see, God is using our time on earth (the wilderness) to train us to worship him in heaven (the time of abundance).
Where are you at in life? Is this a season in the wilderness or a season in abundance? Are you seeking God in the wilderness to worship him? Are you still worshipping him in a time of abundance?
Last week I read about the character of Joseph. One of the things that struck me was the perspective he had regarding the troubles in his life.
If you remember, his own brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him. Then, while he was a slave for Potiphar, he was wrongly accused. He spent two years in prison because he was wrongly accused.
What struck me about this was that Joseph was able to keep from harboring any sort of bitterness that we would normally expect. If someone wrongs you, isn’t your natural response to get back at them? Does an injustice toward you cause you to want to correct the situation so you can have justice.
Joseph didn’t respond this way. In fact, he responded with great love towards his brothers (of course he did play a joke on them). When they were in need, he welcomed them and demonstrated first class hospitality towards them. Would you open your home to someone who made you a slave?
After Jacob died, the brothers worried that Joseph might finally respond harshly toward them. Even still, Joseph had the response, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to acomplish what is now being done…”
God blessed Jacob’s family through the life of Joseph. What’s amazing is that Joseph accepted the blessing even though it wasn’t solely for him. The blessing was meant for all of Jacob’s family as well as those who didn’t have to hunger during the famine.
What are some injustices in your life? They can be frustrating and cause bitterness and resentment. Maybe your injustices are a means for God to bring his blessing to others. If that’s the case, then we should remember to be thankful in all circumstances and to rejoice always.
I turned in my last Hebrew paper today; it was on Psalm 11.
David states the main point of the psalm in the first verse, “In the LORD I take refuge.” He could have said it more plainly, “I trust in the LORD.” However, by claiming refuge in the LORD he is claiming more than just trust. He is also claiming dependence on the LORD’s ability to rescue him from the attack of the wicked (cf. vv.2-3). By taking refuge in the LORD, David was relinquishing his own ability to save himself, and acknowledging that the only way he could avoid destruction, was to allow the LORD to be his shield and defender.
The rest of the psalm explains David’s reason for taking refuge in the LORD.
Something to think about…What are your reasons for taking refuge in the LORD? What gives you confidence that the LORD will defend you and judge your enemies? If you don’t like your answer, maybe the better question is what keeps you from having the confidence to put your trust in the LORD?
In Ezekiel 8, the prophet was allowed to witness blatent rebellion in the form of idolatry at the center of Jewish worship. God responded at the end of the chapter with this statement, “Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.”
What struck me is that God made the deliberate decision to not listen to his people. As a believer in the new covenant, it is hard to imagine a God who chooses not to listen.
God demonstrates his love for his believers is by listening.
It’s pretty amazing to think of how he chooses to listen to believers. He chooses to always be available. He is not a doctor who is always running late for appointments. Although he is always working, he is not too busy to give us his full attention.
It’s not just that he listens, but he also responds. Our community group has been intentionally spending more time in pray for the last month. Not surprisingly, there are new updates each week of how God responds. Last night was no different, and it seemed everyone had an update that related to our prayers.
That led me to wonder if our prayers effected the outcome. In other words, did our prayers change God’s plan? This is an impossible question to answer because only God could know the “what ifs.” What I do know is that we would not have been ready to recognize the activity of God if we had not prayed. By taking the time to pray, it allowed us to fellowship with God and find joy because we know that he heard us.
Many people in this world worship a god who is not the God of the Bible. They offer prayers, but are never heard. They have no hope of a response. Remember to pray for them.
Since I finished my first Bible read thru on Friday, I am now starting over. During my last read thru, God brought me Aaron, Brian, and David to stay accountable with. I keep praying that God will use this new discipline of mine to encourage others to read thru the Bible as well.
This time I am going to read it thru in a different order. The last 4 months I have read 10 chapters a day; starting with 5 in Genesis, 3 in Psalms and 2 in Matthew. This time I will be reading the Old Testament in the TaNaK order and then the New Testament; starting with 4 chapters in Genesis (the Torah); 3 in Joshua (the Nevi’im); and 3 in the Psalms (the Ketuvim). Once I finish the Torah, I will begin reading in Matthew.
Will you consider reading thru the Bible with me?
Tonight at Community Group, we watched an hour of The Gospel of John (it came out in 2003, so it is not old and cheesy). In college we did an assignment for our Gospels class where we watched several different movies about the gospels. Then after college, The Passion came out and I went to see that along with everybody else. However, after the first hour of The Gospel of John, I have to say that it is the best movie about Jesus that I have ever seen. We could actually sit with the book of John open and follow the lines word for word. I am looking forward to watching the rest of the movie.
The scene where Jesus fed the five thousand got me thinking about Re:Hope’s situation in Scotland. Their church has found themselves in a similar situation that Jesus and the disciples were in. Re:Hope is praying for God to do a miracle and provide them a place to worship God on a regular basis. They do not have enough money to meet the asking price of the seller, just like Jesus and the disciples did not have enough food to feed the five thousand people. I was struck in the story about how Jesus responded to his Father with the food he had…
…He gave thanks. The story does not say he asked God to provide enough to feed everybody. Instead it only says that he gave thanks for what was provided, and then his Father provided for more than what he needed. This is not to say that God does not want us to bring our requests to him in the manner that Re:Hope is doing (that principle is found in the story of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8). The point of this blog is simply this: to bring our requests to the Father while giving thanks for what God has already provided.
“Does this mean that God will provide for our needs if we are thankful for what he has provided?” No, that is not the right deduction. God is the one who ultimately makes the decision to provide or not. The thing to remember is that God is also ultimately good. Thus whether he chooses to provide or not, his decision will always remain within the pattern of his character to be good. He makes decisions, according to his will, for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28).
It is my prayer that God would provide for Re:Hope, and give them a place to worship God together. However, whether he provides or not, it is remains my prayer that the people of Re:Hope would also give thanks for what God has already provided (I think they are doing this, but I am writing this just as a reminder). Although Re:Hope is the example I use in this blog, this is also the prayer I have for myself: that I would be thankful for what God has provided, and when I bring my requests to God I want to remember to be thankful for what I already have…even if it’s not much.
“Learning is lots of fun for me.” I generally find myself saying that when my attempts to learn have been successful; not so much though when those learning attempts result in failure.
For the last few days, just about the only thing I have done with my free time is study Hebrew. I studied almost four hours for my Hebrew exam Sunday; last night I studied for almost six; then this morning I woke up three hours before work to be prepared for my exam this evening. I passed the last exam in this class by the grace of the professor, so there was more pressure to this exam then I have felt in awhile. With the prep time I was able to put in, I figured I would have a fighting chance to survive this semester of Hebrew.
Well, the exam did not go very well at all. Most likely a passing grade will only happen if the professor gives me grace again. What does this mean? I am not sure, I will have to wait in see (there’s still six more weeks in the semester). It may mean that I step back in my degree program and take this class again in the summer…not what I had planned.
Needless to say, I left class feeling more frustrated then I had in awhile. I began to wonder with prayers such as, “God, will I ever make it through this degree? Will I end up having to drop out because I do not have the mind to be competent in Hebrew? Am I going to have to stay in Dallas longer?” By the time I sat down to read my Bible tonight, I was almost to the point of defeat thinking that I have come to the limit of my studies.
Before I began with my daily reading, I called to help from God, asking him to not let my frustrations overtake me and asking him to help me overcome my frustration with his wisdom. It just so happened that in my Bible read thru God gave me just the passage I needed, Hebrews 12. The author of Hebrews exhorts the reader to fix our focus on Jesus and follow his example of perseverance. The part that God used to correct my thinking was in v.5 when it says,
“My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline
or give up when he corrects you.”
God used my daily reading to remind me to keep persevering even though it seems like I am going to fail. Jesus endured suffering, knowing he would have to die for our sins, yet he did it anyway.
It reminds me also of the stories I have heard over the years of missionaries who left everything to follow God’s calling on their life only to experience hardship and defeat for several years, but God then gives them fruit in their ministry because of their perseverance.
That’s also what the author of Hebrews gets to in v.11 when he says,
“Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it.”
So I’m encouraged to keep plugging away at Hebrew, even if I fail this time and the next because it seems this is what God has given me to do until he leads me to the next thing. Who knows, maybe God will use this small lesson on perseverance for something bigger later on.
So I will continue to believe:
“To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.”
–- Fanny Crosby
I got a little more than I bargained for yesterday when an older gentleman, who I did not know prior to today, collapsed in the hall outside my office. We did our best to resuscitate him, but to no avail. The situation was grim when the EMTs carted him out because he was still unconscious and had not given us any sign of recovery. Later, word came back that he died.
It is my first experience with a heart defibrillator, and my first experience being with someone in the last moments of their earthly life. Rolling him over, I thought I could feel his heart, but it was hard to tell if it was my heart or his. It could have been his heart trying to pump without success. I am glad he has gone on to be with the Lord.
Later this evening I remembered that I had read Ecclesiastes 7:1-4 earlier this month. It says,
“A good reputation is better than precious perfume; likewise, the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.”
I stopped this evening and reflected on this verse, wondering why death and sober reflection are good for the heart.
First, death today helped me understand my helplessness. Even though I did my best, there was nothing I could do to save this man. God is the only one who could have restored his life. Even if I did everything right; whether I did something wrong; God is the one who would have worked through my strengths and weaknesses. To top it all off, God did save this man today because he went home to be with the Jesus.
Second, and related to the first reflection, death helps us realize we’re not God. It shows us our limitations, and that each of our days have been numbered. Thus, death causes us to ask ourselves, “Am I ready to die?” My answer, “Yes, I am ready to die because Jesus died for my sins and rose from the dead. I have put my faith in him; he is my LORD and God.” Death causes us to realize that we need God, since he is the only one who can give us victory over the death of our earthly bodies.
I guess, death and sober reflection does help us to be wise because it humbles us before the one and only God.
LORD, please bring comfort and healing to this man’s family — Amen
One of the Seminary’s alum, Jim Beerley, is serving in the wealthy nation of Monaco. He grew up in Haiti, so the article focused on that contrast in his life. I saw and was struck by his quote in the Spring 2007 issue of the Kindred Spirit, Dallas Seminary’s seasonal publication.
“People fear going deep. When it comes to spiritual issues, people are reticent to discuss their faith. ‘Perhaps that’s because if they admit there is a God, it means they aren’t Him. And the consequences of the existence of a Higher Being–especially if He’s a moral being and has been paying attention–is almost too much for them to deal with.’”
This year I’ve started going downtown to serve the homeless here in Dallas. I learn something new everytime I go down. It’s also impacted me daily as I read my Bible. Yesterday I read Isaiah 58. I was particularly struck by verses 4-8 that lead to verse 9 when it says, “and [then] the LORD will respond.”
1 “Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob’s family with their sin!
2 They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God.
3 They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers.
4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fist fights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven.
5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people just humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the LORD?
6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke.
7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood!
8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.
10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.
11 The LORD will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.
12 Your perpetual ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish the ancient foundations. You will be called, ‘The one who repairs broken walls, the one who makes the streets livable again.’
13 You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you want on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the LORD’s holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.
14 Then you will find joy in your relationship to the LORD, and I will give you great prosperity, and cause crops to grow on the land I gave to your ancestor Jacob.” Know for certain that the LORD has spoken.
Today I saw my first yellow-bellied sapsucker. He was in the tree outside my window.
Amazing Grace is a film that tells the story of how the British Government banned slave trading. It follows the story from the perspective of the famous abolitionist William Wilberforce who steered the anti-slave trade legislation through the British parliament. The title of the film is in reference to the great hymn written by John Newton who was himself a slave trader that later spoke out against slavery.
There is another abolitionist named Granville Sharp . His fame in politics rests in his contribution to the abolition of slave trading in Britain and her colonies. In a sense, he’s the “Abraham Lincoln” of Britain. I learned about him today in Greek Grammar where he is also famous for the Granville Sharp rule.
It was Granville Sharp who noticed the article-substantive-kai-substantive construction involving personal pronouns which were singular and not proper names. When this construction is observed, the interpreter should always note that the grammatical construction is indicating that the two substantives express unity with regard to equality or identity.
This rule becomes quite significant to texts that support the deity of Christ such as Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1. The rule is specifically seen in the phrase “our God and Savior.” In both of these examples “God” and “Savior” should be taken as equivalent, and then “Jesus Christ,” which follows, stands in apposition to the phrase “our God and Savior.” The text then is telling the reader that Jesus Christ is the one identified as “God” but also “Savior.”
…What a contribution to the doctrine of the Trinity
Thank you Granville Sharp. 
About twelve people from our church gathered on Friday night to read the Book of Acts out loud. We all were not completely sure what to expect. As the facilitator, even I wasn’t sure how it would come off since it was the first time I had led a Bible read through. By the end of the night, people would say things like, “Let’s do this more often.”
The people who came learned more in that three hours by simply reading the Bible together then I could ever have taught them in three hours. As we read, we were all continually impressed that the story of Acts is true, and the God we believe in authored and willed the events to happen.
I have heard from my professors that “the Bible is meant to be read.” After Friday, I would add that the Bible is meant to be heard. It struck me as I realized that in ancient times the high cost of producing a Bible generally meant that there was only one Bible in a congregration, and I realized that the the authors of Scripture wrote to an audience where they expected the Bible to be read out loud. It’s no wonder that Scripture is written so concisely and that it repeats its message over and over again. The authors of Scripture repeated themselves so their message would be memorable for those who listened.
I’m grateful that twelve people sacrificed their Friday night to spend quality time reading the Bible with a group of people. I’m grateful that God harvested an idea in my head that became such a huge blessing for other people. I pray there will be more opportunities to read the Bible out loud in a community.
Last Sunday, Pastor Neil Tomba challenged the congregation to read the book of Acts this week individually. When I first heard that, I figured most people would not attempt the challenge.
That night I remembered seeing a description on Dr. Garry Friesen’s page (http://www.gfriesen.net/) of a Bible Marathon. The idea is to read through a large chunk of scripture orally with a group of people.
When I suggested this idea to my fellow community group leaders, they jumped on board and were interested in making this happen. So, this Friday night, a group of people from the church is going to read through the book of Acts together in a tiny little apartment. I am hoping and praying that lives will be changed as a result of this experience of reading the Bible.
