The Word of God is Dynamite
REV CHARLIE (MAY 2021)
It may seem trite, for me, a pastor, to be writing an article about the value of reading the Bible. You might be thinking ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before’, perhaps you’re not remotely interested. Please hear me out. The Bible is dynamite!
We think of the Bible as a book, but really it’s a small library of sixty-six books, written over a period of at least one-thousand years by no less than forty different authors. Moreover, it includes a myriad of genres, from love poetry and historical writings to letters and ancient biographies. There is no other work of literature like it. The message of the Bible has had an inestimable impact on the world and millions of people can attest to it transforming their lives. Unsurprisingly, it is the number one best seller of all time, with over 100 million copies sold or given away every year.
In some counties, like North Korea, the Bible is completely illegal, or tightly controlled by the government, yet people risk their lives to smuggle Bibles in.
Such a ubiquitous, prodigious, potent, controversial and influential book is surely a must read for anyone who claims to have received a good education. However, the Bible is far more than just a ‘good read’ or an interesting project for an inquisitive mind, it is the principal means by which God speaks to humanity.
The Bible contains what God wants us to know about Himself and ourselves and we can fully expect God to speak to us through it. The author of 2 Timothy (one of the New Testament letters), tells us that the whole of the Bible is God-breathed, or God inspired:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)
The Bible is a huge book and parts of it make for quite heavy reading, so where should one start? Surprisingly, not necessarily at the beginning. I don’t recommend reading the Bible from cover to cover! If you’re new to the Bible, perhaps start with one of the Gospels at the beginning of the New Testament
(Matthew, Mark, Luke or John). It is usually best to read a book at a time (remember, there are sixty-six to choose from), and I suggest watching a video summary of the book before you begin (these can be found at bibleproject.com).
At St. Andrew’s, we usually work through a book of the Bible as part of our sermon series on a Sunday morning. If you are a member of our church, or if you’re following our sermons online, why not commit to reading the book that we’re studying at any given time.
There are many ways to read the Bible, but always read it prayerfully and with the expectation that God will speak to you through it. It might just turn your world upside down, after all, the word of God is dynamite!
