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Same Page Summer: A Bible Reading Invitation

There are many Christians who read the Scriptures sporadically. In other words, they read their Bibles “now and then” and “here and there.” They gravitate to their favorite chapters. If asked the last time they had read the New Testament all the way through, they might not be sure they ever had. Consequently, there is an appalling ignorance of God’s Word in the body of Christ, and a consequent lack of obedience. Listening to the best Bible teachers in the world will not make up for not reading the Bible yourself.

Are you hesitant to try reading through the New Testament or the Bible? Is it difficult to understand? Do you get stuck on the genealogies? When you don’t understand a verse, do you stay with it, trying to understand it, and then you don’t progress? Is it just too long?

Here are a few suggestions to overcome these complaints.

First, get a Bible, or download an audio Bible. If the King James is too hard for you to understand, go with something simpler like the NIV or the ESV.

The genealogies in the New Testament take up less than two chapters total in Matthew and Luke. It will take only five minutes. They are important, or they would not be there. However, they are not intended to stop you from reading the rest of the New Testament.

When you read, do not stop for hard-to-understand passages; keep reading. They will make more sense because you kept reading. They will make even more sense the second time through.

If you are a slow reader (150 words a minute), the entire Bible will take only 80 hours of reading. The reason it takes you so long to get through is the days, weeks, or months you do not read from it at all.

Lastly, a schedule may help some of you. That is where the #samepagesummer comes in. Thousands of Christian men and women will be reading through the New Testament together this summer, beginning on June 3, and I encourage you to join them here. You can download or print a reading plan, and there are also Facebook groups to connect with other members, share your experiences, and get encouragement.

The object is to know God and obey Him more and more. The object is not to finish so you can say, “I finished.” You cannot say that you know what God wants from you without knowing all His revelation and knowing His revelation well.

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