Read the Bible
Investigate for Yourself Have you read the Quick Start Guide? If not, be sure to pick one up. It will help you get connected at Shoal Creek. We let people we hardly know tell us what to believe or at least think about God. Information in the news, on a website or blog, or even from friends, often influences our deepest thoughts about critical issues. Thoughts about who God is and how He wants to relate to me shouldn t be left to strangers or even well-meaning friends. These are things I should investigate myself. While what happens on Sundays at Shoal Creek is based on the Bible, it s really a starting place and shouldn t be considered your only source for spiritual nourishment. We may spark your interest or stir your emotions, but traction in your spiritual journey really begins when you get your fingerprints on the Bible and read it for yourself. So get a Bible, get a reading plan, and set a time to let God begin to tell you about Himself. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT) 2
Getting Started You need to have access to a Bible. Get one from our Bookstore in the lobby or from a retail or online store. We ll be happy to give you one if you are unable to afford one at this time. We suggest the New Living Translation (NLT), especially if you are new to reading the Bible. Electronic options are available as well. The City, Shoal Creek s online connection and communication space, has a free option and there are online options such as biblegateway.com and YouVersion.com. Get a Bible reading plan. The Bible is a collection of books written by different authors in several languages over thousands of years. It s not an ordinary book that reads smoothly from cover to cover. Having a plan to guide your reading is important. If you have never read the Bible or have read it very little, we suggest you use the Starter Bible Reading Plan on page 5. When you re done, you might want to use the verses sent in the weekly Next Steps on The City to further engage the Sunday topic. Or, consider the 7Journeys plan available at the Information Center in the lobby. Set a Time and Place. It s important to choose a time and place with few distractions when you read the Bible. It could be first thing in the morning, during your lunch break, while your child is napping, or late at night. Experiment until you find the place and time that works for you. 3
How to find a verse Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi GOSPELS HISTORY PAUL'S LETTERS GENERAL LETTERS Revelation Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel MINOR PROPHETS 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Job Psalm Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon MAJOR PROPHETS Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians POETRY Acts Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther HISTORY Matthew Mark Luke John LAW NEW TESTAMENT Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy OLD TESTAMENT The books in the Bible are shelved by type and topic as in a public library. PROPHECY Let s say you re looking for the following verse: John 3:16. John refers to The Gospel according to John. Go to the Table of Contents in the front of your Bible. Find John, get the page number and turn to that page. Books are divided into chapters and chapters into verses. The number before the colon (3) refers to the chapter and the number after (16) to the verse. See the example diagram below. The book name is listed at the top of the page. The chapter numbers are the larger numbers within the text. The verse numbers are the smaller numbers within the text. Book Chapter Verse JOHN 3 1 876 There was a man named... 16 4 Page For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life
Starter Reading Plan Beginning on page 8, we have provided the first 8 passages from the list below. Check out the Bible reading tools on pages 6 & 7 then grab your Bible and pen and give it a try in the space provided. John 3:16-18 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Psalm 23 Exodus 20:3-7 Luke 15:11-24 Romans 12:1-2 Philippians 4:4-9 Matthew 16:24-28 Isaiah 40:28-31 Joshua 1:1-9 1 John 1:5-10 Romans 8:18-30 Proverbs 3:1-12 Matthew 28: 18-20 Ephesians 2:1-10 Galatians 5:16-26 John 10:1-18 Galatians 2:15-21 Romans 3: 19-31 John 14:1-14 Romans 5:1-11 Romans 6:20-23 Isaiah 53:1-12 Matthew 6:19-34 Hebrews 12:1-12 Matthew 11:28-30 Hebrews 11:1-40 Hebrews 13:1-8 John 16:31-33 Romans 15:7-13 Matthew 19:16-26 John 18:1-11 Luke 23:44-24:12 5
Bible Reading Tools We often overcomplicate reading the Bible. Below is a simple process that will help you read the Bible. Take a sheet of paper, turn it sideways and make three columns. Label the first Bible, the second My Words and the third I Will and Share With. 1. Hand write the passage word-for-word in the 1st column. Bible My Words I Will 2. Hand write the passage in your own words in the 2nd column. 3. What will you do in the next 48 hours to obey God in relation to these verses? Write your I Will statement in column 3. 4. Also in column 3, write the person you plan to share what God is doing in your life with. Grab a Bible and give it a try. 6 Share With
Bible Reading Tools Journaling is a term often used to describe a way of engaging God through the Bible. It can be as simple or as complex as you make it. Here s the basics. Pick a short passage (from your Reading Plan or Next Steps) Have a pen and a notebook or journal available. Read the passage in a modern Bible translation like the New Living Translation (NLT), New International Reader s Version (NIrV) or The Message. As you read, underline, circle or highlight words that stand out. Stop at anytime and write thoughts, questions or observations that the Bible passage elicits. Think of this as a conversation. God is speaking to you in the Bible and you are speaking back to Him on the pages of your journal. After reading, you might want to write a poem, draw a picture, write a prayer to God or simply write your thoughts about the passage. Questions that might help: What attracts my attention? What bothers me? What did I like? What does this say about God? What does this say about me? What does this say about the life God wants us to live? Don t be afraid to be creative, no one will ever see this notebook. It s a private conversation between you and God. 7
John 3: 16 18 16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God s one and only Son. 8
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Love Is the Greatest 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 1 Corinthians 13: 4 8 10
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A psalm of David 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. 4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. 5 You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. 6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23 12
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Ten Commandments 20 Then God gave the people all these instructions: 2 I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 You must not have any other god but me. 4 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7 You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8 Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. 12 Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 13 You must not murder. 14 You must not commit adultery. 15 You must not steal. 16 You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 You must not covet your neighbor s house. You must not covet your neighbor s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20: 3 17 14
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Parable of the Lost Son 11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, I want my share of your estate now before you die. So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17 When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant. 20 So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. 22 But his father said to the servants, Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found. So the party began. 16 Luke 15: 11 24
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A Living Sacrifice to God 12 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12: 1 2 18
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Matthew 16: 24 28 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom. 22
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