Welcome To The Vandalia Church of God!

A few weeks back, I brought the message to the congregation from God’s Word…on God’s Word. Questions come up from time to time about the nature of the Bible, and especially about what’s in it (and what’s not). With that I mind, I prayerfully ventured onto the narrow path of teaching what the Bible really says in a series of messages called “Through the Bible Rejoicing.” Before even starting in Genesis with God’s creation of the world and all that’s in it, we looked at what the Bible is and what it means in our lives today. One of the interesting facts that I shared (okay, I’m a nerd. I thought it was interesting) is this: 87% of American homes own a Bible. 43% of those open the Bible once a year or less. Bibles are handsome books, so I’m pleased that they’re in so many American homes. What good are they doing, though? Holding up other books? Propping up furniture? The point of having them is to use them. Dust the book off and allow God to reveal His loving plan for humanity by reading it.

“Where do I even start in the Bible?” That’s the question that so many people ask. It’s a 1,300-page book, so it’s hard to know. I’m not a scholar, but here’s how God illuminated His Word to me and revealed Himself to me through His Bible:

+Start in Luke and read Luke’s Gospel along with the book of Acts. That way you read the narrative of Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, and resurrection all the way through the birth of the Christian church and the reach of the Good News of Jesus Christ out into the world.

+Read the story of God’s creation of humanity and the way man rejected God from Genesis through Exodus. From Joshua and the Judges through the kings. From the Wisdom of David and Solomon. From the stories of women God moved to action as He fulfilled His plan for humanity, including Ruth and Esther. From the warnings of the prophets to the exile from the land God promised His people. From the letters to the early churches of the early Christian leaders and missionaries. Whatever you read, definitely begin. We see man’s pattern of sin and crying out to God and God’s deliverance of His people over and over. As I always loved to tell young Sunday school kids, the Bible is the greatest book ever.

+Join a Bible study group and start to read through the Bible section by section and theme by theme as we see God’s redemption of rebellious humanity. Whatever you choose to read in the Bible, find Christ-following believers to share your questions with and to help you see the power and meaning in the Word. When we go it alone, rather than in fellowship, it can be difficult to interpret and understand the Word. Pick up a good, faithful-to-God’s truth paraphrase version of the Bible (I often turn to The Message Bible. It’s a whopping $7 a copy, cheaper than a take-out burger). The point is to get into it, and make the Bible an indispensable part of your life and your own story. Dust shouldn’t keep a person from living in God’s Word.