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When you read the Bible you are encountering God and God’s story.  You’re not simply learning facts or trivia or reading just another great piece of literature.  An effective way to get to know God is to read what God has said about Godself. 

Be careful as you read the Bible, many people have made the mistake of thinking they are reading a bunch of rules describing how a person is supposed to live, that is a secondary goal at best.  

The Bible is God’s story.  It is the grand narrative of the Almighty God in an all out pursuit a “Bride” (a Biblical metaphor those seeking relationship with God).  The Bible is a love story.  God wooing people back to Godself.   

Where should I start reading?  

There is no “w
rong place” to begin reading – its all good.  However, if you’ve never read the Bible before I’d suggest you open your bible to the “Table of Contents”.  You’ll notice there two main sections; most often referred to as the Old Testament, and the New Testament.

All the books in the Old Testament where written before Christ, and talk about creation and how God begins to build people for relationship.  The books of the New Testament were all written after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, and chronicles the continuing saga of God pursuit of a people who would choose to relationship, and has a very personal feel often leaving one with a clear sense of God’s love.

If you’ve never read the Bible before, I’d encourage you to turn in your Bible to the New Testament, reading the book of Mark, followed by the book of First John.    

After reading Mark and First John, try to get a feel for God’s activity throughout Biblical history.  I suggest the following order as a good overview to understanding his story.

a) Genesis  b) Exodus  c) Deuteronomy  d) John  e) Acts  f) Romans

What do I do when I read?  

If at all possible read with other people.  There is something meaningful about interacting with the Bible within the context of a community.  As you read ask the following questions:

·                     What does this reveal about God?

·                     What can this teach about life?

·                     What is this saying and what does it mean?

·                     What is one thought I can carry with me today?

·                     So what?  

How much should I read?  

No right answer here.  Read what is comfortable for you.  Often when a person first reads the Bible they find it helpful to do a quick “overview” and cover lots of ground.  Jotting questions as one reads or highlighting paragraphs to reread can be beneficial.

For those who want to read more slowly its often helpful to read until there seems to be a natural stopping point.  Then ask yourself those questions again.  I highly recommend that you keep a journal of your thoughts and questions.

peace, dwight

Meditation, solitude and silence.  Great-sounding words, neat concepts, but practical and obtainable?

We are bombarded with noise from the moment we wake until we retire at night.  Think about it.  We wake up to a clock radio blaring, turn the TV on during breakfast, listen to more radio in the shower, hop in the car with the cd player going, enter our workplace with our minds racing about the urgencies awaiting us, and then it’s back home again with a mind cluttered with noise. Where is God in all this? When do we have time to be still and know our Lord?

Solitude and silence are a key to the Spiritual Disciplines. You can’t communion with God meaningfully without dealing with the clutter and  noise — whether the noise is external noise or the internal noises of your mind. 
Quest believes that our cultivated ability to be still and listen for the voice of God is key to fostering dependence on Christ.

·         Matthew 14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

·         Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

·         Luke 4:42 At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.

·         Psalm 62:1 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.

·         Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

The invitation of the Bible is clear; God longs for us to BE with Him in His presence. 

It is also very helpful to take time during the day to have just a few minutes of stillness whenever you can grab the time — in the car, in your office, at your desk in school, or wherever you may be, or better still, to set aside specific days just to listen.  Just practice focusing on Christ and clear the clutter from your mind.  Let Christ bring you life.

Peace, dwight

Prayer is talking with God, it is a dialogue of the soul. 

But prayer is much more than words.  It is an expression of your heart, mind and emotions toward God.  It’s an experience, a relationship, not merely an activity.  The goal of prayer is not to talk, rather to be with God.

Does it sound a little mystical – good – it is.  Prayer may seem strange at first but most things do when you first try (remember learning to ride a bike or to use chop sticks how did it feel at first).  So hang in there.  It won’t take too long before talking with God will be like talking with a friend and it will become increasingly meaningful to you.

Can I really just talk with God, or do I need to get a book of prayers?

Yes you can simply talk with God as you talk with a trusted friend.  God knows you and loves you, and He longs to hear from you.  Talk with God honestly – tell Him your hurts, and longings, your concerns and your joys.  God is interested – and listening.

Do I have to light candles and be in a church building to pray?

No.  Prayer is talking with God.  God is everywhere.  So you can be at home, in your car, at work, in class.   However, our physical envi
ronment does play an important role.  Prayer can be challenging in an atmosphere filled with distractions.  So for some people it can be helpful to find a quiet place.

Do I have to get down on my knees to pray?

No.  The reason people often close their eyes and bow their heads is to cut down on distractions.  Sometimes people get on their knees out of respect for God (it can be a good discipline – but whatever your posture you have God’s attention). If you’re talking with God while driving, its best to stay off your knees and to keep your eyes open.

We Recommend:

• Be Honest (God knows – so don’t try to trick Him)
• Tell it to God Straight (God can handle your worst, and He is hoping that you’ll talk with Him about it)
• Don’t wait (When the feeling to pray hits you – do it)
• Set aside specific times of the day to talk with God

Try:

• Writing a letter to God
• Write some poetry (Psalms in the Bible is a book of poetry written to God)
• Imagine God is sitting in an empty chair in your room, and talk to Him
• Pray with a trusted friend, or a small gathering of friends.

What do I include in my prayer?

Prayer is your unique communication with God there is no magic incantations or phases.  If you’d like some guidance in getting started, I’d encourage you to consider the following prayer outline, its also an acronym (ACTS):

Adoration – Take a moment to tell God what you value about Him, what you appreciate about His character – this has been call worship or praise.

Confession – Express again you dependence on God and you need for His forgiveness, God promises to forgive us.  The more we begin to understand who God is the more we see our own short-comings, and our need for God.

Thanksgiving– Spend some time focusing on people, things, experiences, events etc. you are thankful for and communicate those to God.  You may wish to express your thanks to God for the forgiveness God just granted you.

Submit Requests – What are the needs in your life – relational, spiritual, financial, emotional, physical etc. God is interested in them all.  Maybe you have some friends or family or maybe you’re aware of something that concerns you and you just want to talk with God.  Its all good.

Take a look at things Jesus taught His followers to include when they pray, see Matthew 6.

A prayer God promises to answer, when sincerely offered:

God,

I’m full of questions and I know I’m not perfect, I’ve “sinned” and I need your forgiveness.  Help me learn to depend on You.  I’d like to walk in your way as best as I can.  Please make me more like Jesus.  

Thanks

Your search for truth and meaning has brought you to the place where you consider yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ.  You’re on a journey; you are a pilgrim.  Well, look out because you’re in for the adventure of a lifetime.
 

Full devotion to God is normal for every follower of Jesus.

There is no hierarchy of people or jobs – we are all equal before God.  And God expects the same thing from each of us.  So . . . what does God expect?  

God expects one thing.  For us to live with him, Christianity is a holistic lifestyle.  The Bible uses the phrase – “To abide with Him” (John 15).  Jesus used a gardening metaphor to illustrate this point.   

He said, picture a grapevine.  For a branch to produce grapes, it’s got to stay connected to the vine.  If a branch gets cut off, it’s not going to produce any fruit.  However, if the branch “abides” in the vine, then the fruit is inevitable.   

Jesus was saying that if you will just stay connected to God, then God will do the work of producing “fruit” in your life.  He will do the transforming work.  All you need to do is choose to abide with Him.  

The goal of the follower is that he or she becomes like the leader – Jesus.  For that to happen the follower must know Jesus first – doing life together is a must.  As you abide with Jesus, he promises to make you like him.  He promises to produce “fruit.”  The fruit, which is the very life and character of Jesus; fruit like love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  He promises to guide us to live lives marked by faith, hope and love.   Ultimately, the “trademark” of Christ-followers is love. Not fitting some kind of label, not a certain political stance, not having a fish on their cars’ bumper, nor a cross around their neck, simply love.  

Jesus said that the whole world would recognize His followers by seeing their love.  When Jesus summed up the entire Bible and its teaching He said, “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself.”  That’s what following Jesus is all about – loving God and loving people.  

So.  How goes your transformation?  How is your experience of community?  Are you looking more like Jesus?  Are you connecting deeply with others?  

Ask your self:  

·         Am I growing in my ability to give and receive love from God and from other people?

·         Am I sensing God communicating to me that I am His child?

·         Am I learning to love what God loves and hate what he hates?

·         Am I ordering my life to stay close to God?

·         Am I becoming more like Jesus?

peace, dwight