The Bible Is One Big Story
The Bible is one big Story. The Bible is one big Story of redemption, restoration and renewal through Christ Jesus. Yet regrettably, people don’t always read, hear, share, teach, or engage with the Bible as one big Story. Many people limit the Bible to lessons in good behaviour, an arrangement of doctrines, a sourcebook for […]
Communal Bible Engagement
Most Christians in the Western world engage with the Bible mainly by themselves. We read it privately during a “quiet time,” interpret it alone, and experience it personally in the sanctity of our home. Which is good and fine. Or is it? The biblical view. Private engagement with the Bible isn’t the biblical norm. In […]
You Can’t Worship Jesus If You Don’t Read the Bible!
You can’t worship Jesus if you don’t read the Bible! Now, hear me out … If you don’t read (i.e., hear, connect, engage, study, contemplate, reflect, act on) the Bible, you don’t know who Jesus is. If you don’t know who Jesus is, you can’t worship Him. And if you can’t worship Jesus, then how […]
Why We Should Read The Bible
Why we should read the Bible … There’s a story about a youngster who found a Bible on the bookshelf. “What’s this dusty book, Mom?” he asked. “That’s God’s book,” said his Mom. “Well, why don’t we send it back to God? We don’t use it here, do we?” asked the boy. The story raises […]
Opening the Scriptures to Open Eyes
Opening the Scriptures to open eyes. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. Luke 24:45 (NIV). They were trudging down the road, shoulders slumped and faces drawn, their distress evident for all to see. From their animated and heated discussion, it was clear that they were trying to make sense of […]
Bible Engagement Renewal
Bible engagement renewal … On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a German professor of moral theology at the University of Wittenberg, started a schism in the Catholic Church when he sent a thesis (also nailed to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg) enclosed with a letter to Albert of Brandenburg, the Archbishop of […]
A Bible Engagement Church
While many church congregations believe the Bible informs our faith and practice, few Bible engagement churches exist. That’s not to say that the Bible isn’t read or preached in most churches; it usually is. But it is to say that Bible engagement hasn’t permeated every facet of local church ministry. Attributes of a Bible engagement […]
Bible Engagement in Small Groups
Bible engagement in small groups … Ways to strengthen Bible engagement in small groups: Getting together with a micro-community of believers to read/hear God’s Word is an effective way to get to know God and understand how to live in a vibrant relationship with Him. Here are ten ways to strengthen Bible engagement in small […]
Bible Teaching Principles
Bible teaching principles … The way we learn varies from person to person. There are 7 styles of learning: visual (spatial, using pictures and colour), aural (auditory, musical), verbal (linguistic, word-based techniques), physical (kinesthetic, using sensations or role-playing), logical (mathematical, using reasoning), social (interpersonal, in groups), and solitary (intrapersonal, working alone, self-study). Most of us […]
The Death of Reading
The death of reading … How the death of reading harms Bible engagement. I recently read Philip Yancey’s article in The Washington Post titled “The Death of Reading is Threatening the Soul.” While Yancey’s article isn’t specifically focused on reading the Bible, it got me thinking about how the death of reading harms Bible engagement. […]