alpha@wefc

Why And How I Should Read The Bible Wed, 21 Oct, 2009

Before I start my sharing today, let’s have a short little quiz. I will ask some questions about the bible, and [let's see] if you can guess the correct answer.

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Question #1:

How many bibles are estimated to be sold each year?

1. 88 million
2. 66 million
3. 44 million
4. 22 million

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Question #2:

In an article in the Times magazine, it is stated that the Bible is the biggest-selling book every year. In America, what is the average number of Bibles owned in every American household?

1. 2.4
2. 4.6
3. 6.8
4. 8.0

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Question #3:

How many different books are there in the Bible?

1. 66
2. 56
3. 58
4. 68

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Question #4:

According to Wikipedia as of today, how many languages has the complete Bible been translated into?

1. 341
2. 451
3. 561
4. 781

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[Editor's Note: Answers are Q1 - 44 million; Q2 - 6.8; Q3 - 66; Q4 - 451]

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The 3 Ps

From most of the questions asked in the quiz, we can see that the Bible is an immensely popular book. It is estimated that 44 million Bibles are sold worldwide every year, and it’s been around 2000 years since it was first published. So if the cumulative sales of the Bible were reflected in the bestsellers’ list, the Bible would top the list by a huge, huge margin.

The Bible is not just a popular book; it is also a powerful book. If Christians believe that the Bible is the very words of the living God, then it is no surprise why the Bible is so powerful. It is filled with biblical truths and it teaches us how to live a good life. In fact, countless lives have been supernaturally transformed through the reading of the Bible. It has supernatural power because it is written by God Himself.

So we know now that the Bible is a popular book and a powerful book, let me show you why I think the Bible is also a uniquely precious book. One way to measure how precious or valuable a work of literature is to see how much work & effort has been put into translating it into other languages.

For example, the works of Shakespeare (like Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth & The Merchant of Venice) has been translated into 60 different languages.

The Quran by comparison has been translated into 128 languages. The Bible in its entirety has been translated into 451 languages and 2233 languages worldwide have at least some part of the Bible translated into them.

So you have the 3 Ps of the Bible – it is a popular book, a powerful book and a precious book. But really… should we read the Bible simply because of these 3Ps? If the Bible is truly God’s Word, what then was His intention, what was really His purpose of giving us the Bible?

Before I proceed further, I don’t want us to think of the Bible merely as a good book. I want us to think of it as a true book – a book filled with God’s truths. The Bible is true because it is based on revelation from God and because it is true, the Bible forms the foundation for our relationship with God. And there are 2 things that I want to cover. Earlier we had the 3Ps, now I would like to present to us the 2 Rs: Revelation & Relationship.

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The 2 Rs

Some of us here in our midst do not know me because you have never met me before. For those who already know me, there are still things that you don’t know about me unless I tell you, right??? Unless I reveal it to you. For example, I am going to reveal to you a wonderful, little secret…OK? Are you guys ready?…My wife and I are going to have another baby. Yes! She’s expecting!!

(OK…let’s get back to revelation)

You see, the only way for you all to know NOW that my wife is expecting is for me to reveal it to you, OR unless someone else who already knows this truth reveals it to you.

To a certain extent, the Bible is like that. It is full of truths about God – who He is, what He is like, the very essence of God – His beauty, His glory and majesty, His holy, loving and forgiving nature – we don’t have to guess, crack our heads and ask, “Who is this God?”

Everything we need to know about God is there for us in the Bible. God has revealed to us what He is like. He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible and that is what I mean when I say revelation. And because the God of the universe has revealed Himself to us in His Word – the Bible, don’t you think that it is reasonable for us to read the Bible – that we should read what He wants to tell us?

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Now this verse reinforces what I have been saying: that the Bible is God-breathed. Although the Bible was written over a time span of 1500 years, in 66 different books by more than 40 different human authors, there is a unity of purpose in the Bible because there is a one, single divine Author behind it – it is God Himself. He is the inspiration of the Word. The Bible is God-breathed or divinely inspired and is our instruction manual for how to live life to the fullest.

But do take note that the verse in 2 Timothy says that ALL Scripture is God-breathed, so it comes to us as a whole and we are not at liberty to pick and choose bits that we like and parts that we don’t like. For example, the Bible talks to us about God’s love – and that part is really easy to accept. But how about the parts when the Bible speaks about His judgment? If we want to get a true understanding of God, then we must take the Bible as a whole because ALL of it was written by Him.

Earlier I mentioned that the Bible is our instruction manual for how to live life to the fullest. Just last week, I renewed my mobile subscription and got myself a new hand-phone – one of the touch-screen ones. And initially I tried to figure it out by myself how to operate this gadget. And changing from a Samsung to a HTC didn’t really help – because I was so used to how the Samsung works having used Samsung phones for about 4 years. It was only when I read the instruction manual then I realised how I could maximize the use of this little device (show the phone).

In the same way, if we want to get the best out of life, we need to follow the instructions, and they are all found here – in the Bible, God’s Word.

So that is the first R, Revelation – that God has spoken and He has revealed Himself to us. Now the second R I want to talk about is Relationship – that God speaks.

When God created Man – He intended for mankind to have a relationship with Him – to commune with Him. And that purpose of God has never changed. And He gave us His Word so that we can commune with Him – by reading and understanding His plans and purposes for our lives. The Bible is like God’s love letter to us because when we read it, we can then know what it means to be loved by Him. It shows us what God had done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ, thus making a relationship with Him possible.

Point #2 says God Speaks – Relationship. So when God speaks, what happens? With whom can a relationship be established?

Firstly, to those who are not yet Christians. When people read God’s Words in the Bible or when they hear it being preached, God can bring faith to those who are not yet Christians.

¹⁷Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

- Romans 10:17

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Earlier when I mentioned the part about the Bible being a powerful book and that countless lives have been transformed simply by reading it. Now we can see why numerous real-life stories of people in history who suddenly feel the urge to find a Bible, read it and find faith in Jesus because faith comes from hearing the message.

Earlier when I mentioned the part about the Bible being a powerful book and that countless lives have been transformed simply by reading it. Now we can see why numerous real-life stories of people in history who suddenly feel the urge to find a Bible, read it and find faith in Jesus because faith comes from hearing the message.

¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

- 2 Corinthians 3:18

As we grow to know God better by reading His Word to us, we will become more and more like Jesus in our character and in our choices.

Peace and joy in all circumstances

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:6-7

As we read the Bible more, God often brings peace and joy to us, even in the middle of crisis or when we are going through some difficult situations.

God’s Word also provides guidance for life’s decisions. Psalm 119:105 says:

Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

While we may sometimes not be sure of which choices to make in life, God often guides us through His Word.

In addition, the Bible also has great power to judge our very thoughts and motives, and to pierce all our defenses to get through to our hearts.

¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

- Hebrews 4:12

Remember we talked about God being a loving and forgiving God, He is also a holy and just God. And just as the Bible can guide us in the right path, the Bible also convicts us of any wrong attitude or motive or sin if we stray from living out God’s truths in our lives.

As God speaks to us through His Word, and as we learn to hear His voice, our relationship with Him will grow and our love for Him will deepen.

So why should we read the Bible? Because it is unique – it is uniquely popular, it is uniquely powerful and it is uniquely precious. Not only that, it is God’s REVELATION of Himself to us and the foundation of our RELATIONSHIP with Him.

OK, so I’ve talked quite a bit about WHY we should read the Bible. Now HOW should we read the Bible?

I just want to give 2 quick remarks about the Bible.

Firstly, we know that the Bible is a unique book. In fact, it is like no other book. So please do not treat it like some kind of novel or storybook and read it from cover to cover. If you have never read the Bible before, you don’t have to necessarily start from the beginning because some of the earlier books in the Bible can be a little hard going. Instead, you may want to try reading from the New Testament – from one of the gospels that narrates the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, the Bible is also a big book so you should approach it a bit at a time. Of course you may have heard of some people who read the Bible a lot at a go. I wouldn’t recommend that because it would be better for us to aim to read a shorter passage at a time, so that we can reflect on what we have read. Remember, reading the Bible is just one part, it is vital that we try to put what we have read into practice.

Let’s now break into our groups and go through the outline with your discussion leaders. You may perhaps even want to ask your group leaders how they go about reading the Bible or any other questions that you may have, alright?

Thank you!

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- Ps Alfred T

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