“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. ⁵You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…” Exodus 20:4–5

 

Our elders have recently been thinking through how the second commandment applies in the life of our church. This has been particularly beneficial for me because, to my shame, I’ve never given much thought to the second commandment. I know that Christ has fulfilled the Mosaic Law on my behalf, and that I am now under the New Covenant. I’ve also never been one to make or bow down to graven images, so I’ve tended to skim over this prohibition.

 

But upon further review, I believe the Law is still instructive for believer’s lives today, including the second commandment. At the end of the article I’ll give you a few links for your own personal study.

 

This study has been good for my soul, but it has also proven to be timely. Mark Burnett’s Son of God movie is coming out and I am considering whether or not I’ll watch it. In years past I’ve watched and even shown in church The Passion of the Christ. I’ve also used The JESUS Film as an evangelistic tool in the Amazon jungle; and didn’t give any of that a second thought.

 

But with my recent consideration of the second commandment, I’m approaching this movie watching decision with more caution. I realize that many movies about Jesus are made with the intent of helping people think well about Jesus. But to portray an image of the Son of God does affect the way we think about Jesus, which I think the second commandment was put in place to guard. In light of this, we must “keep watch over our hearts with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23).

 

Now for some of you, this question may seem ridiculous. To be honest, when we first began the discussion I was a bit irritated and thought that we were wading into Pharisaical waters of prohibiting artistic expressions of the beauty of the incarnate Son of God. But the more I’ve prayed and processed and considered, the more convinced I’ve become that all believers should at least wrestle with this question: Does making or watching a movie that portrays an image of Jesus violate the Second Commandment?

 

I do realize that all films reflect truths about God and humanity that we need to wrestle with. In light of that, we should research and prayerfully discern whether or not we should watch them. But for the sake of this article, let’s consider a few questions about movies that portray images of Jesus.

 

 

1. Why do you want to go see this movie about Jesus? 

 

Here are some answers that would be concerning.

 

#1 – I just want to go see it and I’m free in Christ, so I plan to go.

 

First, I wouldn’t just assume that because you are free in Christ, that there aren’t important applications for you from God’s Law. This is an important study and one that every Christian should consider.

 

But as we do seek to live out our New Covenant freedom, we must remember that just because we’re free to do something doesn’t mean we should do it. Paul said “all things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:23). To want to do something isn’t good a enough reason to make a decision. We live to please The Lord (2 Corinthians 5:15) and build up other believers (1 Corinthians 14:26).

 

The “I just want to and am free to” response could reveal pride and immaturity. Everything we do should be for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We grow in maturity by practicing discernment (Hebrews 5:14). This means we should look to Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:5-6) realizing that there are some things that seem right but aren’t (Prov. 14:12).

 

#2 – I think the movie will help me better worship and understand God.

 

To want to worship God more deeply is a wonderful desire. But to think that a movie could give you something that the Word cannot is very dangerous. Christians are a people of God’s Word. We grow, not by seeing visual depictions of Jesus, but by seeing Jesus with the eyes of our heart (revealed by the Spirit of God) through the written Word.

 

If you walk away from a movie about Jesus and say “I never thought of Jesus like that” or “now I understand what the Bible says” it may be evidence of God’s grace, or it may be a dangerous delusion. The Bible tells us “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This doesn’t mean that we can’t learn about God through general revelation or that we can’t be edified by Christian art. It does mean however that there must be no substitute for the Word, and any supplement that we take in must be done cautiously, especially when it paints images in our head of things God has given directly to us.

 

If we aren’t careful, we can begin to undermine the sufficiency of Scripture when it comes to learning about who Jesus really is. This is a common trend in our day, one that Kathy Keller’s review of Jesus Calling captures wonderfully. God’s Word is sufficient to teach us everything we need to know about Jesus. Portraying Jesus on the big screen or in paintings has the potential to tempt us to look somewhere besides God’s Word to learn about who Jesus really is.

 

2. Are you more excited about this movie than reading what the bible says about Jesus? 

 

The question behind this question is, what stirs your affections for God? If it’s something more than God’s specific revelation of Himself through His Son by the Spirit in the Word—then we are in dangerous waters. Sunsets, movies, and all other things that can help us delight in God must be seen through the lens of Scripture.

 

God’s Word is able to do what even the world’s most talented artist can not do: portray Jesus for who He really is. For instance, no matter how gruesome one portrays the crucifixion and death of Jesus, no one can capture the unfathomable horror of the Father turning away from the Son when He poured out His wrath at the cross.

 

Only God’s Word, as illumined by God’s Spirit in the hearts of God’s people can paint the true picture of Christ. Doesn’t that make you want to open your Bible? Praise God for His Word! If we’re getting more amped up to see people’s guesses of what Jesus was like than who He really is, as revealed in His Word, we should reevaluate our hearts.

 

3. What potential spiritual good can come from watching the movie?

 

I trust there are spiritually edifying things that can come from the movie. For instance, one of my friends shared with me how The Passion of the Christ reinforced that the stories given to us in the Scripture were not lived out by westerners speaking English. He said the movie helped to connect him more to the 1^st century Jewish culture than he had ever been before.

 

Another potential benefit would be the opportunity to go see it with a friend who might never go to church with you but who would go to a theater and then discuss it afterwards.

 

Now, I have a good friend who came to trust in Christ after watching the Passion of the Christ and one of our church members was reminded of the Gospel message she’d heard from her brother while seeing Aslan slain in The Chronicles of Narnia. God can and does use all kinds of things to bring His children to Himself. Praise Him for that!

 

At the same time, I do think we should humbly realize that this, or any movie, isn’t the ultimate answer. For a good article by Tim Challies on this idea click here. God’s Word proclaimed in His church and through loving relationships is always the primary way God saves people. The Gospel shared in a loving way is hard to beat. Could this movie be a helpful supplement? Maybe so, but we need to consider the next question.

 

4. What potential spiritual harm can come from watching the movie?

 

Let me lay out three potential dangers I’ve been wrestling with, all that center around the second commandment issues.

 

#1 – This movie could put images of Jesus in my mind that will affect my prayer and reading of the Bible later.

 

To this day some of our elders have images from The Passion of the Christ that come to mind when they pray or read about Jesus’ final hours. Why does this matter? There is something wonderful about the mystery of faith that can be potentially be stifled by having limiting and inaccurate images in our mind. This is at least worthy of consideration.

 

#2 – This movie could speak where God was intentionally silent.

 

I suspect any Christian who has read the Bible has longed for more stories and words of our Lord. But the fact is that God doesn’t tell us everything we want to know, He tells us what we need to know. Curiosity killed the cat they say, and I suspect that it could harm our soul as well.

 

With that in mind, we should be careful when watching scenes about Jesus that God has intentionally remained silent on. Why? Because it could cause us to think wrongly about Him based on what a film producer has taught us through the film.

 

What if a movie shows scenes from Jesus’ life that aren’t in the Scriptures, or what if the person who plays Jesus has lines that aren’t part of the revealed canon? Could that affect me? What about my non-Christian friend I took to see it?

 

Do you doubt that’s possible? Once after preaching through a passage in Exodus I was approached by a grown evangelical man who tried to correct me on a point because he’d seen it differently in a movie. Are you above that? Maybe. Or maybe not.

 

#3 – These images of Jesus could lead me to think wrongly of Jesus.

 

This is the heart of the issue as I see it. As with all things, there is no neutral ground with visual depictions of Jesus.  The most well-intended artists will have to take artistic liberty that will knowingly fall short of presenting Jesus accurately. And the more realistic a portrayal of Jesus becomes, the more potentially dangerous the threat becomes that someone might receive what that Jesus does or says as being true.

 

I realize we are all likely to imagine what Jesus said or how he said it as we read the bible, but when God gave the second command He specifically spoke against the making of images of Him for a reason. Our natural sinful nature tends to make God into our own imaginative image. But as J.I. Packer said in Keeping the Ten Commandments “I like to think of God as…” should never be trusted. An imagined God will always be an imaginary God.”

 

My children have all asked if the Jesus in The Jesus Storybook Bible and The Action Bible are what Jesus really looked like. We want to know what He looks like. This is the longing of our hearts.

 

1 Peter 1:8-9 says “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory…” Peter, who had seen Jesus, didn’t tell them what He looked like. Instead he pointed them to the day when they would see Him and see the Father face to face (Revelation 22:4).

 

Between now and then what must shape our thoughts about what God is like are the Scriptures. These are the only trustworthy guide to what Jesus really looks like.

 

Our original question was does making or watching a movie that portrays an image of Jesus violate the Second Commandment?

 

The Scriptures are clear that God’s people must not attempt to worship God through any types of images (Ex 20:4-5). To do this is certainly a sin. This echoes the Westminster Shorter Catechism which says “the second commandment forbids the worshiping of God by images (Deut. 4:15-19; Rom. 1:22-23), or any other way not appointed in his Word (Lev. 10:1-2; Jer. 19:4-5; Col. 2:18-23).”

 

It is less clear however if the use of certain depictions of Jesus as a man violates this command. Some images are clearly not intended to draw our hearts and minds to worship as an idol (e.g., picture Bible images of Jesus).  These images may not necessarily violate the second commandment.

 

At the same time, I think it is wise for spiritual discernment and heart-searching to be put to use in order to avoid being led into breaking the second commandment.  The more lifelike the depiction of Jesus, the more likely it is that images could become impressed on our minds during worship, which could result in violating God’s command by replacing God’s revealed Word with an artist’s rendition of Jesus.

 

If we do see movies with images of Jesus in them, we must be careful to be like Bereans (Acts 17:11) and judge the movies, and what they communicate about Jesus according to what He has told us about Himself through His Word. May God give us wisdom as we seek to honor and obey Him in all we say, do, and view.

 

For further study on how the second commandment applies today check out:

 

This Ligonier article, this Tim Keller audio clip about the heart behind the 2^nd commandment, this excellent Mark Dever Sermon where he preaches on the 2^nd commandment in Dubai (the last 10 minutes deal with images of Jesus), this John Murray article entitled The Second Commandment and Images of Christ, the Westminster Shorter Catechism – Question #51 and the Larger Catechism – Question #109.

 

For a few other good resources on the 10 Commandments check out these:

How Jesus Transforms the Ten Commandments – Edmund P. Clowney

The Law and the Gospel – Ernest C. Reisinger

Keeping the Ten Commandments – J.I. Packer

His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy – Jani Ortlund (for teaching children)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my earliest prayers as a Christian was, “Lord, bring me someone to teach me Your Word.”

My life before Christ had been devastated by the lies of sin and I needed someone to help me learn what it meant to walk in the truth of God’s Word. God graciously answered my prayer by bringing many people into my life, but two of the most influential have been Tommy Nelson and Mark Dever. I was recently blessed with the opportunity to see these men come together for an evening, which gave me a good reason to reflect on how they have marked my life—which I hope in turn will mark yours as well.

On the one hand, these men have little in common. Tom Nelson is a former D-1 football player, who in his 60s can still bench 300, squat 300, and run 3 miles. Mark, well, he isn’t sure what football is and doesn’t understand why you’d run if you can sit. Tom is more of an introvert while Mark is so extroverted he makes the rest of us look like monks. For fun Tom shoots things and goes to they gym while Mark plays board games and organizes Puritan quotes. Tom jokes he had a 2.1 GPA as a physical education major (though he’s really quite brilliant), while Dever has more degrees than Fahrenheit.

On the other hand, these men have much in common. They both love God in ways that are contagious. They both tremble at His Word and help others do the same. Both men have godly wives who joyfully and sacrificially support them in their ministries. Both Tom and Mark have resisted climbing the ministry ladder so they can pour their lives into the congregations they love. Both men work tirelessly to impart the Word of truth to the next generation. They both possess a courage that can only be explained by the promised power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Both men have a unique ability to stir people’s hearts with awe and love for God.

 

Memory Lane

While there are plenty of stories I could share on these men, I’ll give you one that characterizes what I love most about them.

A Breakfast with Tom the Bible man…

I’d been a believer for about a year when my friend Jason Seville and I stopped in Denton, Texas to have breakfast with Tom Nelson. I was told Tom had a discipleship program called Young Guns where he taught verse-by-verse through the Bible for a select crew of men. I wanted to do this program, but needed to size up this unknown pastor first.

During breakfast I pulled out a list of 20 of the hardest questions Jason and I could put together. We were sure our inquisition would lead him to beg for mercy, but we were wrong. As I asked questions, Tom gave answers. But in his answers he never said, ‘I think’ or ‘I feel.’ Rather, he’d say, ‘The Bible says…’ and then rattle off several verses from memory to explain what we thought were unsolvable mysteries. He did this for each of our questions—quoting Scripture and giving brief biblical commentary. I’d never seen someone handle God’s Word like that before—and my heart burned to be able to do the same thing.

Over the next three years Tom allowed me into his life to learn from him. I went through his discipleship program three times, accompanied him to many of his other bible studies, and became his yard-care gofer so I could ask him questions about supralapsarianism in between water breaks. I was hungry for God’s Word, and the Lord fed me well through Tom.

Tom had a masterful way of teaching so that God’s Word stuck in my head. He was gritty, hilarious, a master illustrator, and could teach in a way that made Levitical codes and land allotments come to life. He helped me see the big picture of the Bible and how every part pointed to Christ. When Tom taught, I wanted to go home and study my Bible more.

I truly believe God brought Tom into my life at the perfect time. I was young, prideful, and impressionable which was a recipe for disaster if I had gotten in with the wrong theological crew. But, in the Lord’s kindness he introduced me to a man who taught me to trust the Bible and even more, the God of the Bible. I owe much of my esteem for God and His Word to the Holy Spirit’s work through Tom Nelson.

 

After my time studying under Tom I helped to plant a church in Graham, Texas where I pastored for 7 ½ years. During those years God blessed the preaching of His word, but it was certainly in spite of me. I felt well trained to handle the Scriptures, but didn’t have a clue what to do with His church. That’s when I met Mark Dever.

 

A Weekend with Mark the Shepherd…

I met Mark briefly at a Desiring God conference and then spent more time with him at a 9Marks event at Southwestern Seminary. Mark shared his email address with me and I suspected I’d never see him again.

A few months later I was struggling with a pastoral situation and emailed Mark a question. He wrote back saying, “Why don’t you come to DC for a weekend since I’m better in person than on phone or email.” The invite seemed over the top, but my wife and elders gave the green light so I made the trip to Capitol Hill Baptist (CHBC) in Washington, D.C.

Mark picked me up from the airport and began asking me what would prove to be the first of a thousand questions. He wanted to know everything about me, my marriage, and our church. I’ve since learned that Mark asks questions because he really loves people and desires to help them in order to strengthen God’s kingdom. As I followed Mark around for the next several days I was a bit beside myself. Mark was a pastor—a real pastor.

He loved his church. He showed me how he prayed through the church directory each day to keep the members close to his heart and fresh on his mind. He let me sit in on an elder meeting where, if I hadn’t known it, I never would have guessed he was the senior pastor because of the way he quietly gave room for the other men to lead and wrestle with decisions.

On Sunday he introduced me to members of the church and seemed to know what was going on in most of their lives. He prayed for other local churches in the service and even encouraged people to consider visiting them if CHBC wasn’t right for them. His preaching wasn’t flashy, but you could tell that with every idea he was pushing the people toward heaven. His applications encouraged people to talk over the sermon during lunch and to share the Gospel with unbelieving friends.

Long story short, after two years I came to CHBC where I served as an intern and elder before being placed across the river at Del Ray Baptist Church, where I now serve.

I’ve learned from Mark that life isn’t about us, but about building God’s kingdom. Mark seeks no glory for himself, only to help do spiritual good to those he encounters. His love for the church abroad is seen most clearly in his love for his church at home. He regularly chokes up talking about them because of his pastoral love for them.

 

There are countless lessons I’ve learned from these men, but the main one is this: God works through discipleship relationships to change lives.

By inviting me into their lives, these men have said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). In countless ways they have said, “Come and see Jesus” (John 1:46, 4:29).  And by allowing me to follow them, they have allowed me to see who they are, warts and all. There are things I want to emulate from both these men, and there are things I want to avoid. I don’t agree with all their convictions, but I will never be the same because of the way they have loved and led me toward the Savior.

One of the simplest ways this is true is that God has given me an inescapable passion to always be discipling other young men. I may not have the Bible memorized like Tom or memorize everyone’s name like Mark, but you don’t have to do those things to help others love Jesus. Our call is to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20), “be witnesses” (Acts 1:8), and take truth given to us and “entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Any of us can do this, and all of us must do it. This is the call of our Savior.

So pray that God might use you. Pray He might give you someone at your church to pour into. If you aren’t sure how to do that, pray He might give you someone to help you as well. Don’t wait till you’ve arrived to get started, cause we’ll never feel “ready” to help others. It is, however, out of this weakness that Jesus gives strength (2 Cor. 12:9). And if you’ve had someone pour into you, tell them how they’ve blessed you. That’s a good way to help those who have helped you.

 

My life was indelibly marked by two men who simply offered a breakfast and an open door. They radically transformed my life by giving me truth and time, and I want to invest my life doing likewise. This is the model of Christ; this is the New Testament call for those who follow Christ. Extend an invitation to a younger Christian and get started.

 

 

Psalm 33:21 “Our heart shall rejoice in Him.”

“Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress. Although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God’s countenance. They have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, “God is with me still.” To whom will the glory be given? Oh to Jesus, it is all by Jesus.

Trouble does not necessarily bring consolation with it to the believer, but the presence of the Son of God in the fiery furnace with him fills his heart with joy. He is sick and suffering, but Jesus visits him and makes his bed for him. He is dying, and the cold chilly waters of Jordan are gathering about him up to the neck, but Jesus puts His arms around him and says, “Fear not, beloved; to die is to be blessed. The waters of death have their fountain-head in heaven. They are not bitter, they are sweet as nectar, for they flow from the throne of God.”

As the departing saint wades through the stream, and the billows gather around him, and heart and flesh fail him, the same voice sounds in his ears, “Fear not; I am with thee; be not dismayed; I am thy God.” As he nears the borders of the infinite unknown, and is almost too frightened to enter the realm of shades, Jesus says, “Fear not, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Thus strengthened and consoled, the believer is not afraid to die, no, he is even willing to depart, for since he has seen Jesus as the morning star, he longs to gaze upon Him as the sun in his strength. Truly, the presence of Jesus is all the heaven we desire. He is at once:

“The glory of our brightest days; The comfort of our nights.”

“He who lives without prayer – he who lives with little prayer – he who seldom reads the Word – he who seldom looks up to heaven for a fresh  influence from on high – he will be the man whose heart will become dry and barren; but he who calls in secret  on his God – who spends much time in holy retirement – who delights to meditate on the words of the Most High – whose soul is given up to Christ – such a man must have an overflowing heart; and as his heart is, such will his life be.” – Spurgeon from The Great Reservoir on Proverbs 4:23

Lord, guard us from getting by with what we can do in our own strength. Guard us from our own sufficiency. Guard us from neglecting the power that comes from You alone. Guard us from having withered hearts that are dried up from not abiding deeply.

Lord, guide us to our knees in humble dependence. Guide us to Your Word that our souls may be refreshed with your benevolent grace. Guide us to step away from the many distractions we could find refuge in and make us to find refuge in You. Guide us by Your Spirit to live lives of that are simply an overflow of Your love to us.

Lord, make our hearts overflow with Your life and love. We need you.

Amen.

 

credit to 12stonehollowway.blogspot.com for the picture.

What moves you to worship God? 

The sound of your favorite song? A breathtaking sunset? Your favorite preacher preaching your favorite text?

While all of these can move us to worship God, in Romans 12 we find another motive that stirs our heart to respond to God by giving Him all that we are.

Romans 12:1 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” 

True worship of God is found in giving our bodies, our entire self, to God as a living sacrifice. We are to worship God through everything we think, do, and say. And to what does Paul appeal to motivate us to respond in obedience to this high call?

Mercy. 

God’s mercy.

God’s many, many mercies.

But, what particular mercies does he mean?

In Romans 12:1 Paul points us back to the first eleven chapters of the book that chronicle the many mercies of God toward His people in Christ. These mercies are intended to warm our heart toward God so that we might respond to Him by offering our entire lives to Him as worship.

In a recent sermon on Romans 12:1-2, one of our pastors, Shai Linne, walked us through God’s many mercies in Romans 3-11 and showed us how God’s mercy moves us to worship.

You can listen to Shai on the Mercies of God as you read through the list. 

3:24 – the mercy of justification – we have been declared righteous by God

3:24 – the mercy of redemption- we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus

3:25 – the mercy of propitiation- Jesus absorbs the wrath of God on our behalf

4:7-8 – the mercy of forgiveness of sins

5:1 – the mercy of peace with God through Jesus Christ

5:2 – the mercy of access to the grace of God 

5:2 – the mercy of the hope of Glory of God

5:3 – the mercy of joy even in the midst of suffering

5:5 – the mercy of the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit

5:5 – the mercy of the Holy Spirit Himself

5:8 – the mercy of the Love of God

5:8 – the mercy of Christ’s death for Us while we were still sinners

5:9 – the mercy of being saved from the wrath of God

5:11 – the mercy of being reconciled to God

5:20 – the mercy of abounding grace 

5:21 – the mercy of eternal Life

6:2 – the mercy of us dying to sin

6:5 – the mercy of us being united with Christ in His Death

6:5 – the mercy of being united with Christ in His resurrection

6:13 – the mercy of being brought from death to life by God

6:18 – the mercy of being freed from slavery to sin

6:18 – the mercy of being made slaves of righteousness

6:22 – the mercy of sanctification, that we are being made more like Jesus

8:1 – the mercy that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus

8:3 – the mercy of being set free from law of sin and death

8:9 – the mercy of the indwelling Spirit of God

8:15 – the mercy that we have been adopted as sons of God

8:17 – the mercy of being heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ

8:23 – the merciful promise of the redemption of our bodies

8:26 – the mercy of the Spirit’s help in our weakness

8:27 – the mercy of the intercession of the Spirit

8:28 – the mercy that God works all things together for our good

8:29 – the mercy of being foreknown by God

8:29 – the mercy of being predestined to conformity to the image Christ by God

8:30 – the mercy of being called by God

8:30 – the mercy of being justified by God

8:30 – the mercy of being glorified by God

8:31 – the mercy that God is for us

8:32 – the mercy of God promising to graciously give us all things

8:34 – the mercy of Christ Jesus interceding for us

8:39 – the mercy that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord

9:18 – the mercy of the sovereign mercy of God

9:23 – the mercy of the riches of His glory being made known to vessels of mercy

9:25 – the mercy of Gentiles being called the people of God

9:33 – the mercy that we will not be put to shame

10:17 – the mercy of faith that came from hearing the word of Christ

10:20 – the mercy we found God when we weren’t seeking Him

11:5 – the mercy of being chosen by grace

11:17 – the mercy of being grafted into the people of God

11:22 – the mercy of the kindness of God

11:33 – the mercy of the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.

“How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!”

These mercies are what move us to respond in worship to God.

His love moves us to love others (1 John 4:19). His service moves us to serve others (John 13:14). His forgiveness moves us to extend forgiveness to those who have hurt us (Ephesians 4:32). His welcoming us in Christ moves us to gracefully welcome others (Rom. 15:7).

 

Let this be a cue to us to study and meditate deeply on God’s mercies. As we do, let’s plead with God to move our hearts to respond in worship that brings Him everlasting glory and us everlasting joy.

By  God’s grace, last night I was able to share the Gospel with a new friend who turned from trusting in himself and the god of Islam to follow Jesus as His Lord and Savior.

To help him begin to grow in his new faith, I put together a 30 day bible reading plan for him. It’s set up to get him a big picture of the Bible’s story. I’m sure there are better ones out there, but here’s what we’re working through.

I’ve also encouraged him with the following guidelines:

1. Ask God to help you understand what you are reading. Pray something like “open my eyes and my heart to understand your word.” God delights in showing Himself o His children as they draw near to Him in faith.

2. The most important thing is not that you make it through each of these readings each day, but that you process what you read.Move at your own pace, this is just some direction for you to follow.

3. Write down questions that you have as you read and we will talk about them together.

Please pray for this young believer and feel free to use this guideline for yourself or anyone else who might benefit.

____Day 1 – The Creation and Fall of Humanity – Genesis 1:1–3:19

____Day 2 – God Calls A People His Own – Genesis 12, 28:10–15; 32:22–28

____Day 3 – The 10 Commandments – Exodus 14:1-20:17

____Day 4 – Obedience Flows From Love – Deuteronomy 6:1-7:26, 11:13–21

____Day 5 – Cycles of Disobedience in God’s People – Judges 1:1-2: 19

____Day 6 – The People Demand a King – 1 Samuel 7-9

____Day 7 – The Fall of Saul and Rise of David – 1 Samuel 15-17

____Day 8 – How the Righteous Respond to Hard Times – Job 1-2, 38-42

____Day 9 – Psalms that Enrich Your Soul – Psalm 1, 23, 139

____Day 10 – Psalms for the Suffering and Sinful – Psalm 6, 38, 51

____Day 11 – Wisdom for Everyday Life – Proverbs 3, 16, then 5, 7 (men) and 31 (ladies)

____Day 12 – Israel’s Sin Against Their God – Ezekiel 18:1-32, 20:5–26

____Day 13 – Jesus the Promised King – Jeremiah 23:1–6; Isaiah 9:6–7, 53; Zechariah 9

____Day 14 – Jesus Became Man – John 1:1–18; Luke 2

____Day 15 – Signs and Miracles of Authority – Matt 8-9; Luke 13:10–17

____Day 16 – Jesus Fulfills the Law – Matthew 5-7

____Day 17 – Jesus Teaches About New Life – John 3-4

____Day 18 – Jesus Willingly Taken – John 18-19

____Day 19 – Jesus’ Death and Resurrection – Matthew 26-28, Luke 23-24

____Day 20 – Jesus our Savior and the Final Sacrifice – Hebrews 3-4, 8-10

____Day 21 – The Sinfulness of Man Exposed – Romans 1-3

____Day 22 – God’s Grace in Christ Jesus – Romans 3-5

____Day 23 – We Battle Sin by the Spirit – Romans 6-8, Galatians 5:16-26

____Day 24 – Living a Life of Worship – Romans 12-13

____Day 25 –  New Life in Christ – Ephesians 1-6

____Day 26 – Living Out A Life of Faith – James 1-5

____Day 27 –Trusting Jesus While Facing Persecution – 1 Peter 1-5

____Day 28 – Walk in the Light of God’s Truth – 1 John 1–2

____Day 29 – Love One Another – 1 John 3-5

____Day 30 – Promise of Eternity – Revelation 19-22

 

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.” – Charles Spurgeon

“I want people to fill their minds with passages of Scripture while they are well and strong, that they may have sure help in the day of need. I want them to be diligent in studying their Bibles, and becoming familiar with its contents, in order that the grand old Book may stand by them and talk with them when all earthly friends fail.” – J.C. Ryle