Tom’s Bible Challenge (2010)

Jump to: Prayer/Quiet Times · January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

What is Tom’s Bible Challenge?

Tom’s Bible Challenge is simply to read the Bible, cover to cover, in 2010. So many of us say we base our lives around the Bible and its message but have never read it through. And while for many the thought of reading the whole Bible through is a daunting task, taking it on with other church friends, along with your trusty “The Hitch-hiker’s Guide to the Bible”, will make it an achievable task – and a very rewarding one too. Really, it is only by reading the whole, that we can really understand its parts. (So much of the New Testament answers the questions raised in the Old Testament.) I have no doubt you will have a new understanding of the God you profess to worship by taking on this challenge!

Although reading the Bible through is the main challenge of Tom’s Bible Challenge, there are many other challenges that may be more appropriate to take on for your particular situation.

Here are some ideas:

commit to having a quiet time every day this year
try something new in your quiet times, like using Scripture Union notes
read through the Old Testament
read through the New Testament
read through the Gospels
take on a Moore College Correspondence Course subject, like Introduction to the Bible
As a Bible Study group go through a book that does a Bible overview, like Gospel and Kingdom by Graeme Goldsworthy
Attend The Bible in Perspective in October

Go on – make 2010 your Year of the Bible!

Why read the Bible through?

I am sure we can all appreciate the truth that for some things, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. It is my hope and prayer that as you read all the books of the Bible in a year you will be able to thread all those random Sunday School/church stories together, placing them in their proper perspective in light of the whole. At the end of the year, you will be able to clearly define God’s great unfolding plan throughout history for His beloved people. And let me tell you, once you get there, the view is worth it!

Reading the Bible through means you are better able to “give an answer for the hope you have” (1 Peter 3:15), something that is significantly more difficult if you haven’t got a grip on what your hope is bound up in in the first place! Really, being a Christian with a poor handle on the Bible is not that different to a cowboy that doesn’t know how to ride a horse, or perhaps a lifesaver who can only do dog-paddle. If there is only one big fat book you conquer in your lifetime, then surely it should be the message God has sent to you.

‘Why not just read the interesting bits in the New Testament?’, you might ask. To that I would throw the question back ‘But what is ‘God’s word’ to us?’ The truth of the matter is, all 66 books are a message to us from God. We can be confident God put the Old Testament in there for a very good reason! Paul says “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) We must conclude then, that God has a ‘66 book message’ for you to hear.

Although is it certainly fair to say that Jesus is the star-player of the Bible, Jesus Himself said- “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44) In many ways, Jesus is the answer to the questions that arise out of the Old Testament. So, to really understand the significance of Jesus, we really do need to understand the struggles, hopes and promises displayed in the Old Testament. Augustine was on to something when he said: “the New Testament is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.”

How to…

So how are you going to read the Bible through? It is best to block out a time each day when you can read and pray. Being a morning person, I like to read my Bible after breaky, before leaving for work. For others, it might be while you travel to work (though, if you drive to work, this is not recommended!). For stay-at-home mums, you might lock in that time when your child takes their first sleep of the day. Making it a routine makes things so much easier. (Just think of how little hassle is involved in remembering to brush your teeth each day. It is because you have made it a routine.)

The next thing is to find a translation of the Bible that works for you. Considering the grand task ahead of you, it is best to find a translation that you find pretty straight forward to read. If you are constantly reaching for the dictionary, chances are you are trying to ‘punch above your weight’. (With this in mind, the New International Version is great, and if you find reading hard the Good News Version or the Contemporary English Version could also be good options.) However, for some who are quite familiar with the Bible, or have read it through before, a more exact translation might be good to see things in a different light, like the English Standard Version or the New American Standard Bible. Try to stick with the same translation the whole way through the challenge.

Four quick words of caution…

Firstly, as you read, remember, the purpose of this exercise is not simply so you can blitz the upcoming church Bible trivia night. This is ultimately an exercise in listening to God speak to you. Keep that in mind as you read.

In light of this, key questions to ponder as you read would be:

What does this say about the God I worship?
What does this say about how I can relate to Him?

Secondly, as you read, don’t feel you need to stop and investigate every little thing you are not sure about. Remember, this is a ‘quantity exercise’ – once you can see the whole, then you can go back and become more familiar with the parts in 2011. (Often the bits you don’t understand are explained as you read ahead anyway.) A study Bible might help you if you really need it, but remember, the study section is not inspired! If you have a question that is hindering you moving forward, write it down and ask your Bible Study leader.

Thirdly, don’t be too quick to apply an Bible story to your life. Be aware that some stories are simply that: stories. We need to ask ourselves, “is this story simply a description of what happened at the time, or is it something that I too should do?” (Often the answer is pretty obvious once you have asked yourself the question.) And along similar lines, you will no doubt find many issues that are based on the culture at the time of writing (ie. having tassels on your garments), but try and see what the timeless principle is that God is declaring to us in the passage.

Last of all, it is a good idea to start your reading each day by asking for God’s help. God has promised that He would give us His Holy Spirit to help us understand Him, and with the challenge ahead of us, this is definitely something worth asking for!

A bit about the Bible

As mentioned, the Bible is made up of 66 books: 39 books in Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

It is filled with all kinds of literature. There is law (like Leviticus), history (like 1 Samuel), wisdom (like Proverbs), prophetic writing (like Isaiah), biography (like Matthew), parables (like the ones Jesus told), doctrine (like Romans), and apocalyptic (like Daniel). Be mindful of this as you read, otherwise you might totally misunderstand where the writer is coming from.

This awesome book was written over a period of 1,600 years (which is about 60 generations). It was written by a range of people: fishermen, kings, scholars, peasants, and shepherds. In fact, more than 40 people took part in writing the Bible. Some wrote from Asia, some from Africa and some from Europe.

You can clearly see the personality of the writers coming through in what each of them writes. Peter says this about the writers: “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). That means, although it really is the human writer speaking to us, it is also quite true that God is speaking perfectly through their messages.

And it is my prayer that you hear Him speak to you this year and through this you learn to love Him all the more!

Are you pumped? Okay, let’s begin!

Jump to: Prayer/Quiet Times · January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December