The Real Reason We Don’t Read Our Bibles

~ Brandon D. Smith:

Through my work with the Christian Standard Bible, I came across some stats about Bible reading. Eighty-eight percent of American households own a Bible, but only 37 percent of people read it once a week or more. People said they don’t read their Bibles because they don’t have enough time, and they struggle to understand the words.

These two frustrations are understandable, and we’ve all struggled with them. But are they the real reasons people aren’t reading their Bibles?

Root Issue

When you think about it, we should get really excited about Bible reading. The God of the universe has given us his Word. He could’ve tapped out when we disobeyed him in the garden, but he didn’t. He went looking for us and talked to us (Gen. 3). Knowing our gracious God gave us his Word should make us want to read it, but often that’s not enough.

We don’t read the Bible regularly because we don’t understand how it works. We often think it’s all about us, and that opening Scripture is only useful when we think we need it. We don’t understand how amazing the Bible really is.

There is more: https://pjcockrell.wordpress.com/2017/07/10/the-real-reason-we-dont-read-our-bibles/

How God Uses the Bible to Change Us

http://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/how-god-uses-the-bible-to-change-us.html

Bored by the Bible? Six creative new ways to read Scripture

Reading the Bible can be hard – but here are six fresh new ways to open it up.Pexels

Sometimes the Bible can be boring. Or at least, we make it boring. Perhaps reading Scripture turns into such a chore that we begin to resent it or just stop caring about it. But its grand narrative is far from dull, even if some of its genealogies can be something of a challenge.

The past decade has seen numerous creative attempts to retell the Bible’s story in a way that holds onto its heart in a way that’s fresh, innovative and engaging. Could now be the time to try one out? Here are six new ways to read the Bible.

Go to: https://www.christiantoday.com/article/bored.by.the.bible.six.creative.new.ways.to.read.scripture/110333.htm

Why the Church Is Filled With “Functional Agnostics”

One of the reasons we don’t see spiritual breakthrough is that we live as functional agnostics in relation to the supernatural life.

Peter, James and John had amazing experiences on the mountaintop, but now they had to return to the valley with Jesus …

‘When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”’ (Matthew 17:14-21)

“Because you have so little faith.” That’s hard-hitting—Jesus isn’t pulling any punches. It’s supposed to be shocking, and it is.

But here’s the thing, the faith that Jesus speaks of is not a complex theological matter; it’s a simple issue of hearing his word. ‘Faith comes by hearing the word’ (Romans 10:17).

 

Continue reading: http://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-how-to/258534-church-filled-functional-agnostics.html

Fertile soil needed

Keeping Ourselves in the Love of God

The idea that professing Christians may not be true Christians is something not easily acknowledged in the present climate of the church. One finds it even more difficult to believe that ministers, with acknowledged gifts and abilities, whose teaching may have been blessed to many, could after all be devoid of true grace themselves. The fact that error and apostasy appeared so early on in the history of the New Testament church was to be a solemn warning to the church in later ages. We find that in a very short time after Pentecost error was creeping in, for example, to the church in Corinth and to the churches of the Galatians. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus are full of warnings of the readiness of some to apostatise from the truth. The Epistles of John and the Epistle of Jude warn Christians of the danger of falling away. The threat of apostasy is highlighted in the letters to the seven churches of Asia in Revelation chapter 2 & 3. How frequent the promise there is made “to him who overcometh”.

Satan is behind apostasy

Read more: http://raggedtheology.blogspot.com/2017/05/keeping-ourselves-in-love-of-god-by-rev.html

Why Does No One Go to Church in the Summertime?

http://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/why-does-no-one-go-to-church-in-the-summertime.html