Hey guys!
So how do you read the Bible as a beginner?
It's a very important question because a lot of people like yourself maybe,
feels a little bit overwhelmed when it comes to reading the Bible because it's big
and I mean it's God's Word; it's the best seller in the world,
and it's not just one book.
When you open it you start to realize it's a collection of books and in it
you'll find things like poetry, history, prophecy, wisdom literature,
eyewitness accounts of Jesus, mind-blowing apocalyptic descriptions of the past,
present and future. And it's so much more than just that!
So in this video I'm gonna give you seven tips that's gonna help you to read the Bible as a beginner.
These tips is gonna help you to save a little bit of time and it's also gonna
help you to grow with God and His Word.
So let's get to it!
Hey! Now just very quick, if it's your first time here on my channel, I'm Daniel
and welcome to DLM Christian Lifestyle!
Subscribe and also click that notification bell so you won't miss any of the next videos.
Now, let's start with the first tip...
Now the first thing you got to do and this is probably one of the most
important things; is that you've got to get the right Bible.
There's a lot of different Bible translations out there and then there's also a lot of
fake Bibles where people altered and change the Bible to fit in with their
belief or their religion.
So the goal here is to read the original Bible.
Now, it's important to know that there's over 20,000 sources of which we can put the
Bible together in its original form and the Bible we have today is still the
same, still the original Bible;
and so you might ask "Okay, but Daniel, so what
translation should I read then?";
Well, for an easier read you can read any of the
following translations, the
New King James, the New International Version,
the English standard version and the new American Standard Bible.
Now, looking at these translations, languages change, so they have to translate scripture;
but a lot of people seem to worry and stress and say "Hey, how can
you trust it if it's been translated so many times?",
but with the translations I've
just given you we have over 20,000 of the original copies of the Bible;
and then they look at that and then they translate it correctly.
So when you look at these translations that I've just given you there's no differences in the
fundamental truths or the the fundamental doctrine of Christianity so
it means that you can trust it.
Alright...so, you got your Bible.
What do you do next?
Just dig in and start reading?
Well...you can, but it's better to go into your room,
close the door; go into a quiet place,
and then first pray to God.
Just relax and stop thinking about everything that's
going on in the outside world; and ask God to help you to understand the Bible
which is His Word.
And then you open the Bible.
Alright...now, when you look at the Bible you get two main parts.
You get the Old Testament over here... the thicker, bigger part;
and then you get the New Testament.
Now the Old Testament, it's got to do with everything before Jesus came
to earth and then the New Testament starts with John the Baptist and when
Jesus came down to earth; and what you want to do is you want to start with
the New Testament; because it will help you to understand the Old Testament
better when you go and read that a little bit later.
But if you start with the Old Testament first, it's gonna be a lot of stuff that you just won't be able
to understand, it's not gonna make a lot of sense.
So start with the New Testament first!
It shows you what Jesus and the apostle's really said and really did so
this is in the second half of the Bible.
Now, if you look at the New Testament the
first four books of the Bible are called the Gospels.
You have Matthew,
Mark,
Luke
and John;
and these four are eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life and his teachings.
So they are very similar to one another and they give you the same kind of story of
Jesus each in their own words.
But I would suggest that you read John first;
it's the last of the four so it's Matthew, Mark, Luke and then you find John.
John is a little bit...I would say it's colored in a bit more.
It explains a little bit more, so start with that.
So in John, you'll find some of the
simplest passages but also some of the deepest; and after John you just carry on
to Acts.
Now Acts tells you the story of how the church started to spread through
the world and what the disciples did after Jesus went to heaven;
Then after Acts you will find Romans, which is written by the Apostle Paul, which is
very very interesting; you got to read that to understand justification;
then you just continue and you finish the New Testament or after you can read
Genesis and Exodus which are the first two books of the Old Testament.
But I would suggest that you finish the New Testament first because then when you go
back to the Old Testament, things are gonna make a lot more sense.
Alright...now you know which translation to read and also where to start.
But...you also need to set a goal and a routine.
So, for example, if you want to
read the Bible in one year, you can do it! But you probably need to read around five
to six pages every day; which is doable.
So, set your alarm clock at a certain day
for example in the morning when your mind is fresh or if it's not fresh make
it fresh; just get a cup of coffee and get into God's Word.
There's nothing better than to start your day the right way.
Another tip, is to get a good Bible commentary.
Now, this saved me a lot of time, especially if you're fresh and you
don't know a lot about scripture yet.
Because to understand a certain
context or a certain verse you need to understand the chapter,
you need to understand the whole book that you're reading,
for example; if you're reading in Romans
and you also need to understand that context with the whole New
Testament and when you're new to the Bible it's something that's hard to understand.
So when you get a Bible Commentary or even just a good handbook
that will help you and guide you and answer a few questions that you might
need about that certain passage, it's gonna save you so much time and help you
to grow faster.
I'll add a few good options for you in the video description that you can check out.
Now...it's good to just read your Bible by yourself, to close the door,
to have that privacy where it's just you and God!
But...it's also good to have fellowship with other people;
so you don't always have to read alone.
You can study with other people, with other brothers and sisters in Christ, and to do
that you can, if you don't have any friends yet, go to a good, local church
and go meet a few people.
Most of the churches also have these study groups or
they have these cell groups or fellowship groups certain times of the
week where they come together once; or even some that's very dedicated, maybe
twice a week; and they have fellowship they spend some time together and you
might meet a few very good friends.
Now over the years, whenever I travel to a
new country, the first thing I usually did was to find a church and to find a
group where I can have fellowship with people and I've met so many
good friends over there years that I'm still friends with,
so...I can't emphasize enough how important it is to read with other people
and how it's gonna help you to grow with God!
Remember this, in Proverbs 18:24
God says: "One who has unreliable friends,
soon come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother".
Alright...next one,
read your Bible with colored pencils.
Like these...
"Daniel, what do you mean with colored pencils?"
Well...if you mark what
you're reading with certain colors, certain things in the Bible that have
certain meanings,
it helps scripture to pop up and it's easier to build
on your earlier notes;
so this is how I do it...
I use yellow = God's promises,
Brown = sin,
Green = prayer
Dark blue = angels
Purple = anything that's got to do with the devil and demons
Light blue = God is talking to me spiritually about something
Red = God speaks in His own words
So, you can use my system or you can just use your
own kind of color method where you choose the colors and the meanings for
yourself, but it is gonna help you out a lot and at the same time you're gonna
enjoy it a lot.
Now, just some last advice and this is very very important you need
to listen up...
There's nothing wrong with the Bible,
but the problem is the way
that people interpret the Bible
and how they take it out of context.
To understand one sentence you need to understand its meaning within the
chapter and within the book you're reading
and how that fits in with all the other books in the Bible.
The Bible is a very deep book!
It says in 2 Timothy 3:16,
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may
be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
So the Bible is your main source of truth!
If the church that you go to, or the pastor that you listen
to says anything that is not in scripture,
it's very, very dangerous!
So read the Bible, study it, get to know it and then you won't be easily misled by
anyone.
If you have any other questions,
ask it in the comment section below
and check out some more of my videos
and if you like this one give it a thumbs up,
subscribe,
and we will talk soon.
I love you!
Cheers