Dear First Pres,
As the school year gets underway, our thoughts turn scholarly, even if we don’t have a student in our homes. For FPC, that includes a new year of Sunday School programs and Bible studies!
This annual renewal of church programs got me thinking about our church-wide, through-the-Bible reading program last year. What a blessing that Pastor Jeremy chose 2021 to embark on that journey! After being starved of fellowship in 2020, it enabled so many of us to interact with each other daily through the chat feature until we could meet again more easily later in the year. It was fun to visit with the folks in our church family that I hadn’t gotten to know much until these daily encounters. God used "app fellowship" to bring us closer to the mandate of Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Through this program, we were in the word of God, which contributed to the fulfillment of the first and greatest commandment from Jesus: “... Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37). Being in fellowship with each other in the chat contributed to fulfilling the second, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (verse 38). Jesus was not dismissing previous commandments. Instead, he tied both commandments back to existing scripture: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (verse 40). When we read the whole Bible, it becomes clear that the New Testament constantly references the Old, and the Old Testament constantly foreshadows the New. Scripture is the Lord’s revelation to us and his love letter to us.
Far more than a collection of sixty-six books, it is a cohesive whole that tells us about itself. John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Jesus is the source, and II Timothy 3:16 tells us we need all of it: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” If our eyes touch on each verse once in a year, that’s not too much, and it can be done in about twenty minutes. We can even listen to it! Pass me the earbuds. Where can the average busy person carve out that twenty minutes? Despite our many commitments, an honest assessment of time spent on scrolling, surfing, casting, et cetera may help us find that the time is right there, waiting to be reallocated.
Immersion in the whole word of God is the bedrock of Biblical literacy and the way that we know our Lord, so that we can truly worship him. I love a verse of the day. It can create awareness and interest for greater investment, but if a person starts at age five and never misses a day, that approach will have them at Revelation 22:21 shortly after their 90th birthday! (31,102 verses!) Topical studies are fine, too. But starting with a topic and then using scripture to support a chosen premise runs the risk of skewing the totality of God’s message on any topic, distorting the truth, and leading to division within the body of Christ. Start with reading the whole word, then add these other things.
Over 140 of us signed up with Pastor Jeremy in 2021. I had read through the Bible a few times before but doing it this way was so encouraging that Cliff and I are reading through the Bible again this year with a small group of friends in a chronological format. Who might you want to join for daily Bible reading? A core group of besties? Far away relatives? Your kids or grandkids? Someone you would like to mentor? If they aren’t ready for three chapters a day, The Bible Project also has a year-long program for just the New Testament, which would be a good way to get started. You could start now with Fall, go for the new year again, or pick any day at all. Contact me if you have questions. I’d love to help you get started.
Happy reading!
Blessings,
Jessie Klein
FPC Elder
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