Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Grace -
In 2024 we are offering an exciting new initiative that we are calling “Community Bible Reading.” If you’re interested, you can register to read through the entirety of the Bible in community through the year!
Our plan will be to assign interested folks to small “pods” of 4 individuals where they will read through the same chronological Bible reading plan. The group will also maintain a text communication chain where people can send brief encouragements and prayers as they read through the year together.
You can find a digital copy of the chronological reading plan by clicking this link.
Our hope is that this “Community Bible Reading” initiative will provide encouragement and motivation for engaging God’s Word in 2024. You can register to participate in the Community Bible Reading plan by visiting this site.
Here are some answers to questions we anticipate you might have:
Question: What if I miss a day or two of reading?
Answer: That’s OK! Don’t get discouraged. Give yourself a lot of grace. There will be days when completing the reading is difficult. If you miss a day or two, just pick back up with the current day’s reading. We can take Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians here very practically: “Forget what lies behind and strain toward what lies ahead!”
Question: What if I would like to jump into a group over the summer once Bible studies end?
Answer: No problem! You can register to jump in through the year. We will be able to create new groups as people register or add you to an existing group. If you can just participate for a season, that is OK. After all, a season of Bible reading in community is better than none at all!
Question: Will the Community Bible Reading text groups be co-ed?
Answer: They will not. Our text groups will be divided into groups of four women or groups of four men.
Question: What if I have questions or am confused by what I’m reading?
Answer: The Bible can be a daunting book, and oftentimes a little insight or explanation can help make sense of your reading. If you have questions about a verse or a passage, we’d recommend you consult the notes in a good study Bible like the ESV Study Bible or the Reformation Study Bible. You could also consult Matthew Henry’s commentary for free online. You can also reach out to your pastors who would love the opportunity to process what you are reading over coffee or a meal!
Question: How can I keep track of my reading?
Answer: Trinity Grace will offer a print and/or digital reading chart; whichever your preference. The digital chart is available at this link, which may be saved to your phone’s storage for you to track there. The printed hard copy will be available the last few weeks on Sundays by the book table for you to pick up.
Even if you’re not able to join a Community Bible Reading group this year, the new year provides an excellent opportunity for us to consider how we plan to engage God's Word privately through the year. Rather you've read through the Bible dozens of times or you've never attempted it before, we believe that God speaks through His Word. The new year is a great on-ramp to beginning an intentional Bible reading plan in an effort to know God more deeply.
I remember what it was like dating my wife almost 2 decades ago. We were in college and had just begun a relationship that was new and exciting. I remember going on dates where we would spend hours getting to know each other better. It was a great season of life that we both look back on with joy. Over the years, as a married couple, we have continued learning new things about one another. Getting to know another person is a process that requires continual curiosity and self-disclosure. On one hand, we need to be curious about the other person if we hope to build a relationship. On the other hand, the person we are seeking to know must provide a certain degree of self-disclosure so that the relationship can grow. When it comes to the Bible, it is really a book that shows us how deeply God wants us to know him; it is a book where God engages in self-disclosure. The question for us becomes, “Are we curious about who God is and interested in building a relationship with him?”
The Bible is a collection of 66 books that was written by 40 different authors using 3 different languages composed on 3 different continents over a span of approximately 1,300 years. Despite the varied cultures, the gaps in time, and the location differences, the Bible is a unified book that tells a singular story. It tells the story of a God who is passionate about his creation, and who will stop at nothing in order to restore all that has been affected by humanity’s sin. It tells the story of a God who wants relationship with you.
Despite the varied authors, the gaps in time, and the different locations, the Bible is a document that demands our reverence and esteem. “The heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole, the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof” prove that this is a book unlike any other. It is a book authored by God in order to reveal himself to you. As we read the Bible and build a relationship with God, it is important to remember a few things about the nature of the book we are reading…
The Bible is a Book about Jesus
First and foremost, the Bible is a book that points to Jesus. Despite the varied authors and the long span of time in which it took to author, the Bible is a cohesive story about the promised Savior, Jesus Christ. After his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to many people in bodily form. One such instance is recounted in Luke 24:25-27 where Jesus leads two disciples in a remarkable Bible study, "He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”
As we read the Bible, it is important to keep in mind that all of the Scriptures concern Jesus. Whether we are reading about the sacrificial system in Leviticus or the monarchy in 1 Samuel or the moral demands of the Law, we need to ask the question, “How does this portion of Scripture point me to Jesus? How does this portion of Scripture reveal who Jesus is and how deeply I need him?”
The Bible is a Book that Re-Aligns our Hearts
In Psalm 19:7 we read, “The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” In our culture, we are all looking for something in our lives that is “perfect” and “sure.” As we look over the landscape of our lives, we are constantly being told a number of different stories from a number of different sources. These sources may be parents, social media, friends, or even your own inner voice. These sources are telling us a number of different stories about who we are, what is important, and what we should believe. In the midst of all of these competing voices, the Bible cuts through the noise in order to re-align our hearts to the true story. The Bible tells us the true story of who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world.
Every once in a while I have to take my car in to have the wheels re-aligned. Over time as I drive, the wheels get knocked out of alignment due to bumps in the road, potholes, and general wear and tear. In order to get my car driving straight and true again there must be an intentional re-alignment appointment made. In much the same way, our hearts need realignment in order to live straight and true. Over the course of our lives we experience unexpected bumps, relational potholes, and the wear and tear of sin on our hearts. If we aren’t re-aligned our lives have the potential to swerve out of control. As we read the Bible our hearts are slowly but surely being re-aligned with God’s truth about who we are, who God is, and what is important in this world.
The Bible is a Book that Reveals God’s Grace
Many people tend to have misconceptions about the main thrust of the Bible. Imagine if someone pulled you off the side of the street and asked you, “What is the Bible about?” I wonder how you would respond? Maybe you would describe the Bible as a list of rules that Christians are meant to live by. Maybe you would talk about the heroes that the Bible tells us about and how they’re there to give us examples of what a holy life looks like. Maybe you would describe some of God’s characteristics and how we can learn more about them in the Bible.
Rarely do we think of the Bible as a grand story of God’s grace in this world and our lives; a story of restoration and renewal. The Bible primarily tells a story - the true story of who we are, what is wrong with this world, what God is doing in the world to set things right. The Bible is not primarily about what we do. Instead the Bible is all about what God has done on our behalf. It’s all about God’s grace.
As we understand this it has the ability to transform the paradigm through which we read the Bible. Tim Keller, a pastor in New York City who has gone to be with the Lord, highlights this aspect of Scripture in a profound way when he says, “There is, in the end, only two ways to read the Bible: is it basically about me or basically about Jesus? In other words, is it basically about what I must do, or basically about what he has done? If I read David and Goliath as basically giving me an example, then the story is really about me. I must summon up the faith and courage to fight the giants in my life. But if I read David and Goliath as basically showing me salvation through Jesus, then the story is really about him. Until I see that Jesus fought the real giants (sin, law, death) for me, I will never have the courage to be able to fight ordinary giants in life (suffering, disappointment, failure, criticism, hardship). For example how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of failure, unless I have a deep security that God will not abandon me? If I see David as my example, the story will never help me fight the failure/giant. But if I see David/Jesus as my substitute, whose victory is imputed to me, then I can stand before the failure/giant. As another example, how can I ever fight the ‘giant’ of persecution or criticism? Unless I can see him forgiving me on the cross, I won’t be able to forgive others. Unless I see him as forgiving me for falling asleep on him (Matt.27:45) I won’t be able to stay awake for him.”
Knowing that Scripture is meant to point us to Jesus, that it is meant to re-align our hearts, and that it is meant to show us God’s amazing grace has the potential to change the way we read the Bible. With this new paradigm in mind, you can practically implement these suggestions next time you read the Bible…
Read Humbly. If the Bible is the grand narrative of who we are and what God has done on our behalf, then it requires us to read the Bible with humility. As we read the Bible we must submit our beliefs and our actions to it’s authority. As long as we think that we know best, we will never have the correct posture for reading the Bible. As we come to the Bible we approach as weak and needy. We are the ones who need guidance, we are the ones who have lost our way, we are the ones who need rescue. Instead of approaching the Bible looking to correct it, we must approach the Bible with a willingness to be corrected ourselves. As we approach the Bible with a posture of humility and teachability, we will find that God graciously wants to change us and enable us to experience life as it was intended to be experienced.
Read Prayerfully. Ask God to open your heart and mind to what he might want to say to you through the Bible. As we read the Bible, the ultimate goal is not to obtain more knowledge about God, but to actually know God in a personal way. We desperately need God’s supernatural power to properly understand and apply his Word to our lives. As you read, it is also a good idea to use what you are reading in order to craft and cultivate your prayers. As you read about God’s promises, you can pray that God would make those promises manifest in your life. As you read about the sin that has vandalized this world, you can pray that God would continue to push back the curse of sin. As you read about the commands of God, you can pray that God would enable you to obey out of a spirit of gratitude.
Read Redemptively. Since the Bible is the story about God’s grace in our lives we can read the Bible with the goal of seeing the beauty of God’s grace. There are some questions you can ask as you read in order to maximize your experience of God’s grace in his Word: What does this passage teach me about God? What does it teach about me and humanity? How does this passage point to or reveal the Savior, Jesus Christ? How does this passage point to or reveal my need for Jesus? As we ask these questions of God’s Word we will begin to experience God’s grace for us even in the act of reading the Bible.
For those who are not able to participate in our “Community Bible Reading” plan, here are some good 2024 Reading Plans so that you can connect more deeply with God through His Word this upcoming year:
As always, give yourself plenty of grace as you set out on any annual reading plan. There will be hard days and seasons. When I personally encounter these inevitable realities, I try to just get back at it and forget about what was missed. Even if portions are missed, God still speaks through the portion of His Word that is set before you today. It may even be helpful to remember Paul's encouragement to the Philippians when we miss some days: "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Praying that God uses His Word to bring comfort, encouragement, and refreshment to your soul in 2024!
Pastor Michael