Thursday, December 30, 2010

The BENEFIT of a CHRONOLOGICAL READING...

Certainly any reading of the Holy Scriptures will benefit your life.
WHY THIS PARTICULAR APPROACH?
This chronological study is designed for you to get into God's word every day of the year and for you to gain greater understanding of the overall history and timeline that unfolds in the biblical narrative. "Related passages are placed one after another so that you can see how they illuminate and complement one another..." for example, as you read the Psalms you will see how they related to David's faith and life events as conveyed in 1 Samuel and as you read Paul's letters in the New Testament, you will see how they fit into the missionary journeys recorded in Acts.
DISCLAIMER:
There are many different chronological arrangements of the events of Scripture. While "most of the Biblical accounts, prophecies, and psalms can be accurately dated to a year... or a specific period of time...." some are difficult to date for many and various reasons. Consequently, "scholars cannot be certain that any chronological order is 100 percent correct. The Scripture placement used in this Bible represents a consensus on chronological order among evangelical scholars."(quotes from Introduction to The One Year Chronological Bible, NIV, by Tyndale)
NONETHELESS, the many benefits to this chronological approach far outweigh any costs. This study fits squarely with our goals for the year at Trinity and our theme:
Again, I look forward with eager anticipation to our journey together in 2011. May the Spirit continue to lead us.
Pastor Karl

Monday, December 27, 2010

Look ahead to the study

Welcome to the Read your Bible blog site.  This chronological account of the Bible will allow us to read the events, songs, wisdom, prophecy, miracles, parables, letters, epistles, guidance, and revelation in historical order.

Pray for The Spirit to allow us to gain new appreciation(s) for the Bible as the truth, the inerrant, the inspired Word of God.  The Bible is God's Word and Christ is at the heart of the Bible.

The Old Testiment will show us the love story between God and His often rebellious, proud, and disobedient chosen people, Israel. In addition we will see how God's Word points us throughout the Old Testiment toward His plan of salvation by faith and belief in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus and the resurection of Easter Sunday.

The New Testiment will show us Jesus' perfect life as Son of God and Son of Man.  In addition, we will read letters and epistles on the meaning of Jesus' life to guide us, finally we will read the Revelation.

In a nutshell, we will see  "How God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son that whoever believes shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Please pray for the leaders, Pastor Fay, Scott, and myself (David) that the Spirit guides us, gives us wisdom to speak clearly, gives us the time management skills and prepares all our hearts for our studies.  Also pray for Christ's church, for Trinity, for the Pastoral staff, for the leadership teams of Trinity and for guidance in their discernment, for peace, for unity, for the ministrries, and for so many other needs.

In Christ

David P

Do you REALLY know your bible?

2011 is going to be a year in which we really get to know the bible firsthand through this chronological reading of God's Word. As we prepare to begin this journey, we recognize the challenge ahead and the need for us to take this journey. Seriously, how well do you know God's Word? How well acquainted are you with Holy Scripture? Can you rap it? Enjoy... :)
Pastor Karl

Friday, December 24, 2010

The Word Became Flesh

On this Christmas Eve 2010, I'm marveling at the fact that God took on human flesh, that He became one of us, save for sin. This is the key for seeing through the entire scriptures. In a chronological reading of the bible, we don't actually get into the life of Jesus until Sept. 28; nearly 9 months of readings before we crack the four gospels. Certainly we've got to keep in mind that the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures points forward to Jesus, and these "Old Testament" scriptures reveal a ton about God's character before Jesus even physically shows up on the scene in the flesh, not to mention what we learn about the culture and times in which these inspired scriptures were written. Below is some cut paper artwork I created five years ago as I reflected on this CHRISTmas story. It's entitled, INTIMACY. Merry Christmas!


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Welcome to Read the Bible Chronologically in a Year!

In a little over a week, we will launch our reading plan for the 2011 year, a "One Year Bible" arrangement that charts a course for us to read the bible chronologically in a year's time. Everyday in Scripture. It's ambitious, but it is definitely doable with God's strength.
I'm so excited to journey with you guys!