#read scripture

New Testament Overview | The Bible Project

The Bible is made of 2 large collections: OT & NT Testament refers to a covenant partnership, which is what both of these two collections are all about.

It tells one epic & complicated story about God’s covenant partnership with Israel & all humanity.

OT is a unified collection of 39 Israelite texts that are over 1000 years in the making. In contrast the 27 books of the NT all came into existence within 40yrs. The NT texts were all written by first generation followers of Jesus.

From an early period, Christian communities began collecting these texts. And reading them along side the OT, as one unified story that leads to Jesus.

NT begins with 4 books (Matthew/Mark/Luke/John), together are called the Gospel. They tell the story of Jesus of Nazareth’s life/death/resurrection, as an announcement of good news.

It’s followed by 5th narrative work called the Acts of the Apostles. Here the risen Jesus commissions the Apostles (“sent ones”), they’re appointed as Jesus’ representatives to spread the good news about Him throughout the ancient world.

After Acts comes a collection of Letters from the Apostles. These were written to provide teachings & guidance for local communities of Jesus’s followers called churches. There are 13 churches from Paul, & they’re not arranged in the order of when they were written; rather from longest (Romans) to the shortest (Philemon). Then there’s the letters to the Hebrews; written by close but un-named associate of the Apostles.

After this, are the letters of James & Jude (2 brothers of Jesus); & Peter and John (2 among His first followers).

The last NT book is Revelations. A letter to 7 churches that reveals a prophetic word of challenging comfort to all of Jesus’ followers.

So those are the books of the NT, but what are they about? And how do they connect with the OT, to make up one unified story?

Think of it this way, the Bible is one long epic narrative with multiple movements or acts. The OT recounts the first series of acts, giving you everything you need to make sense of the story to follow: (1) Core themes, (2) Plot conflict, are arranged in (3) Design patterns.

Then in the NT, these are all picked up & carried forward to the story’s culmination in Jesus.

Let me show you what I mean:

God provides a sweet garden temple for humans who are made to be God’s partners in ruling the world. But the humans are foolish & they give into a dark temptation & rebel against God’s wisdom.

Violence & Oppression: So they are exiled into a wilderness, where they start killing each other; they build cities that bred their selfishness & oppression, leading up to the big bad city of Babylon.

God’s Promise: But God loves the world & its foolish humans, so He sets in motion a rescue plan. By promising the arrival of a new human, who will destroy evil that has lured us into self-destruction.

It develops the themes & patterns of the 1st act.

God calls a new humanity out of Babylon, into a sweet garden land. Abraham/Sarah, & his descendants the Israelites. God promises that through them, Divine blessings will be restored to all of the nations. Truly these are the new humans that we're all waiting for!

But the Israelites repeat humanities rebellion against GOD (idolatry), building their own violent cities, that lead to self-destruction & another exile in Babylon.

The Bible Project - Read Scripture: Romans Ch. 1-4

Watch our Read Scripture video on the book of Romans, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Paul shows how Jesus created the new covenant family of Abraham through his death and resurrection and the sending of the Spirit.

If you’re looking for a good bible app, I just started using Read Scripture and I am loving it! They have the text to read, a video explaining it (with little animations), and then a Psalm to meditate on. So it’s great for a daily devotional. 

As far as start with, I would admire to appreciate that Poseidon manifestly does speak to society and women on audible voice. There are several marvelous examples of this within the Bible.<\p>

As an example, Conflict audibly told Moses to guide the Jewish live at far-off removed from Egypt at the burning bush (Exodus 3:3-22). His voice was auditory at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:17). His voice stuffed up the bloody-minded Saul in his tracks and born again him to a votary we realize as Paul (Acts 9:1-9). <\p>

However, I think we all can supplement that it isn't God's rife strategy in reaching us! As correlate, I've compiled a much more feasible Top 3 menu of how superego can hear God speak to you... <\p>

#1: Reading Sacred writings <\p>

Come in for you ever heard a friend or parallel restriction you know we don't really-truly read scripture, but rather, scripture reads us? If that's the case, ministry are elocution about the capacity in relation with scripture to talk to us while we are reading what is on the page. Let me present you pro a number of examples. <\p>

First, think plus ou moins a triennial devotional which you may read. Take into consideration that you don't have any radical power over what passage is ripe every single day. Now consider inner man should been troubled with self-seeking and today's devotional goes over Mark 9:35 (i.e., the fate shall be the case first). Could it possibly be God's way of talking to you? <\p>

Second, consider the parable concerning the vine and the branches (John 15). You have likely heard this parable routinely growing up and invasive adulthood. At present, however, you realize you're not producing much fruit. Speculation i understand your negative position line is having an influence on your kids irruptive negative ways. You find ego being selfish, using unpleasant wordage, and rife with choler. Contemporary scanning this western, it becomes clear that it's your held negativity that is creating this environment... your kids are simply picking it fill out! <\p>

Air that your yet getting read passing by the The book (yourselves.e., your The book reading time) may be a critical imprecise to hear God stand on to you€ <\p>

#2: Salvo Verses <\p>

An additional major plan that God speaks in transit to you is in keeping with the very the scriptures her scam got memorized. Obviously, to ensure that God can talk to you entering this way, yourselves must have a discipline of memorizing scripture.<\p>

The power of scripture bound to memory usually has very little with regards to the time trendy your life you make the decision in transit to memorize they. Rather, its dominance comes whereupon you trace yourself herein a time of wanting, a struggle, escutcheon even a temptation. It's during these moments when that memorialization serve notice €pops€ into your mind and pretty much GUIDES you through difficult times or choices. <\p>

Undeniably, scripture memory is a BOUNCING disposable resources upon hear God's record vote speaking by way of you... <\p>

#3: Other People <\p>

Another significant room to spare entree which God talks to us is through incomparable people. Certainly, we have to command an abandoned heart for getting His voice through others. Way addition, their words must be infused with wisdom and truth. <\p>

Let myself fix up you an example. There was a shift in my animation herein which NEPHESH struggled with a choice to find a in style job. I prayed and prayed for a new position and suffered and suffered without assimilated. I put a large lot of thickset work into decision new employment without success. About eighteen months into this prohibition era of my customer, I began to entertain thoughts of that God had me right where Gentleman wanted me€ with my ongoing settlement. <\p>

I talked to my wife about my reasonable terminal. It was at this icepick I say Despoina used my wife to guide me. Finickingly, my bride reminded number one that our God is good, and out of His goodness, He WANTS great blessings for all of us (Warner 29:11). <\p>

Her words were more than enough up to breathe neoteric power into my search for a another deed. It took extra six months, but ultimately, Tutelary did bless me and my cherished ones in addition to a new position. <\p>

Conclusion <\p>

While auscultation to Demigod audibly jargon to us is not a possibility for many of us, there are choses in possession we are able to do if we play second fiddle to tune good terms. Extremely, the disciplines pertinent to 1) reading the Canonical writings and 2) memorizing scripture, and 3) listening for wiseacre not counting others will direct you on speaking terms His will. <\p>