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Reading the bible

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Gabriel

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Originally posted by happy
I am new to reading the bible, can anyone tell me where is a good place to begin and where to go on from there.  I would greatly appreciate it. :rolleyes:  

    

I am not sure how this will come out, being this is my first time posting.  Forgive me

 :wave: happy and welcome! 

I would start with Matthew.  Once you have read the NT revert back to the old.  Your best bet though is to use a study guide or daily devotion that is age appropriate.  The Geneva Study Bible is really good.  You can get one at a good price at goodtheology.com .

Are you going to church?  If so what denomination?

We'll pray for your continued growth.  Keep us posted!  (Anyone notice the pun?)
 
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Gerry

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There are many ways to begin reading the Bible. As the previous poster said Matthew is good. It is definitely wise to brgin in the new Testament.

However there is one Book of the Bible that I feel is of the utmost importance to a new Christian, because it contains so many awesome awesome awesome teachings in the Words of Christ, Himself. And that is the Book of John.

I do not take issue with the previous poster who said Matthew, but if you start there move quickly to St. John when you are finished. I promise you a Blessing like you have never seen before.
 
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Gerry

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BTW! You are posting as a New Christian. Does this mean that you have made a conscious decision to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? In replying before I assumed that was the case but was I in error?

The reason I ask is that it is imperitive that you pray as you read God's Word and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your reading and studying. But Jesus said you MUST be born again, so until He is your Lord and Saviour you still will not understand.
 
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Gabriel

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Originally posted by Gerry
BTW! You are posting as a New Christian. Does this mean that you have made a conscious decision to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour? In replying before I assumed that was the case but was I in error?

The reason I ask is that it is imperitive that you pray as you read God's Word and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your reading and studying. But Jesus said you MUST be born again, so until He is your Lord and Saviour you still will not understand.

YES!  PRAY!!  And the scripture tells us that fellowship is a must.  That means church.  Believe me, you will grow and understand alot more of the Word if you are being mentored by a stonger brother.

I recommend Presbyterian Church in America, NOT Presbyterian Church of the United States of America.  BIG difference!  Reformed Baptist churches are great, too. For a church near you:

http://www.pcanet.org/directory.asp
 
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Yes I am a new christian. I tell you one thing (no offense to the catholics) since gave up the catholic views, I feel much much much closer to God.

As far as going to church, I know that I should because like it was stated earlier I can learn a lot more. But I feel uncomfortable in church. Probably because I am use to my old Catholic church.....sit, stand,kneel, don't talk, don't sing, just sing and listen, but feel free to gossip afterwards about the people that were sitting next to you, and did you hear about what people are say about you. That's basically what my church was all about.
 
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Gerry

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Yeah! I understand. Regretably that is what all too many Churches are about today. I do not know how you came to know Jesus but I am so happy you did.

I wish I were a wise old man instead of just an old man. Then I could give you some great advice about your new walk with Jesus.

I can tell you this. You will be much happier and effective in your new walk if you fit yourself with some blinders. You know they put blinders on some race horses so they are forced to look straight ahead and not bedistracted by what is going on around them.

As Christians we need to fit ourselves with some Spiritual blinders, so we are not distracted by what "others" may say or think or believe, or fall into the trap of following some person rather than Jesus, THE Person.

We need to not allow ourselves to be discouraged or disappointed in or buy "others".

In the 14th Chapter of Matthew there is a story about Peter walking on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus he was successful. But when he took his eyes OFF Jesus and looked around he began to sink.

We need to learn from that lesson and stay focused on Jesus and if we take our eyes off Jesus for a second we need to remember as did Peter to cry out to Jesus and He will save us and pull us back to safety.

My prayers are for your happy and joyful walk with Jesus!

His Peace and Blessings!
 
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Gerry

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:D Hmmm. In fact at my local Wal Mart there are actually some good inspirational books. Thanks for your kind words. They are appreciated.

Be sure to visit the Prayer forum and post a prayer request or add a prayer to the never ending prayer thread or post a prayer of your own for someone else. Remember it is not the words that matter. It is the heart that God looks upon.

Be Blessed!
 
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Rising_Suns

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Originally posted by happy
Yes I am a new christian. I tell you one thing (no offense to the catholics) since gave up the catholic views, I feel much much much closer to God.

As far as going to church, I know that I should because like it was stated earlier I can learn a lot more. But I feel uncomfortable in church. Probably because I am use to my old Catholic church.....sit, stand,kneel, don't talk, don't sing, just sing and listen, but feel free to gossip afterwards about the people that were sitting next to you, and did you hear about what people are say about you. That's basically what my church was all about.

Just out of curiousity, why did you leave the Catholic faith?
 
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The reason I left the catholic faith..................HMMMMMMM

I was never really into it in the first place.  I wasn't a practicing catholic.  Growing up I went to a private catholic school then to a public highschool.   Basically I went to church because I was told to and if I didn't I would be punished.  Since I didn't want to be punished I went, on Sundays and holidays and holy days.  I wasn't explained why just that I had to do it.  When I joined the military and left home I decided that I would rebel and not go to church.  I was afraid but when I saw that I wouldn't actually die, I was okay. Knowing what I know now I don't believe in some of the catholic teachings.  One thing is confessing your sins to a priest.  Being a catholic seems that there are alot of rules, and it seems that you can't get close to Jesus unless you go thru a priest.  I do miss some of our family traditions, but I noticed that they aren't mentioned in the bible.  Plus the catholics that I grew up with were hypocrites.   All for God on Sundays and Holy days and holidays, then the rest of the week live as you want to not the way God wants you to.

 
 
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endure

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it is extremely important that you do get in a healthy church.
because paul said that is much easier to fall away if you are not regularly coming together with other people, you need encouragement and strength from other people, you cant always make it alone. and ultimately, i dont beleive you can make it alone at all.
there are times when god calls us aside to be alone with him, but overall you need others, others who can can give you their joy, strength, wisdom, etc, when yours is gone.
their will be times when you are fallen and need help, and if you dont have someone to run to, then you may never get back up.
i once heard a great man say
"there are no lone rangers in the body of christ"

just like in the secular world today, no one could do much of anything all their self without help or connections, it is the same in the body of christ.

i personally beleive a wonderful place to start reading is the psalms or to atleast make a good habit of reading.

there are alot of great teachings in the gospels, but many times its just like reading a history book. and it can be boring at times.

another man once told me that
"you visit the epistles (books like hebrews and james, the books after acts), but you live in the gospels"
becuase you need to meditate on the life of christ and be filled with who he was, he is the one and only model to live after.

but sometimes i need to get away from history and stories.
the psalms are just little poems and testimonies that excite you and encourage you.
the psalms are simply amasing.
one chapter is about nothing but encouragment.
another is about nothing but faith.
another is about nothing but right living.
i myself have found more encouragement and help during my troubles from the psalms than from anything else.
becuase the psalms were written by men when they were going through problems or when they were experiencing gods blessing.
and any time you need encouragement, you can find one that tells how god delivered david from all his troubles.
or you can find one that shows you that your not the only one that feels like your about to fall.
and they teach awesome principles.
the gospels seem to drag on sometimes, but the psalms are quick and to the point.
the men that wrote them learned them from experience, it is good to read them and learn them quick so you dont have to wait years to realise it.
experience is a good teacher, but it is a very slow teacher as well.

im not gonna say the psalms are the best place to start, but as for me i love them, their probly my fave things to read.
check out the psalms sometime.

there is nothing more important than you having a time alone to be with god. you need to a time to get away from everything else and talk to god and tell him how you feel.
even if he doesnt talk back, you need to get alone and talk to him, and ask him to come meet with you.

in the beginning of genesis, god didnt speak his word untill the holyspirit moved on the earth.
the words of the bible will not change your life untill youve first gotten alone with god in prayer and experienced him.
becuase untill the lord prepares you and makes you ready, the word of god cannot penetrate your heart. god has to move on it and fix it.

the word is important, but it is pointless without prayer.
just make times where you get away from everything and ask him to show himself to you. he will come.
and even if you dont see the heavons open and angels singing hehe...just tell him how you feel.
dont use your brain to think of things to say.
tell him exactly how you feel and what you want. sometimes you may not say anything at all, but you must get alone with him or you will never succeed in this life of christ.
 
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What I do...because it is so hard to read the Bible thorugh from start to finish I think...also sometimes a little boring at times. I just pray to God before I open up my Bible and just ask God to guide, lead, and direct me to where he would have me get fed from. I just tell him that I'm just going to open my Bible up to wherever I land pretty much...and just that I would aprreciate his guidance in scripture to me...and to open the words of God unto my heart, mind, body, and soul and to tell me whatever he wants to tell me at that time through the word. And that he would just bless me w/ the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of what the word of God is meaning. But yeah that is pretty much my whole prayer to God before I read my Bible...you'd be surprised what God will feed you w/ knowing all your needs throughout the day...as he has done a many time for me. Good luck in your reading and may God feed you daily!
 
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Knight

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I'll echo whoever suggested reading the gospel of John.

I'll also recommend the book of Romans. Romans is a systematic, and clear explanation of the gospel from creation to new life in Christ. Our pastor is finnishing up a 40+ weeks sermon series on the book of Romans. It's amazing the depth of knowledge in this book.

It's highly recommended that you get into a church where you feel comfortable. Just make sure that it is a Bible-teaching church. Try several out for a few weeks at a time and decide from there. I'd always ask them for a copy of their mission statement (if they have one) and a summary of their beliefs and doctrine.
 
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Gabriel

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Do be a bit careful, though when picking out a church.  Most churches say they are bible based as most are.  However, the pastor may have a wacked view of what the bible is saying to us.  I see it all the time.
 
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Michael0701

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Happy......

as I read your post I chuckled. I could have written the same thing word for word (including the military). I too have recently gone from catholicism to Christainity. Ok, that was a measured dose of sarcasm. Up until I met my wife and her family I had no idea what it meant to be a Christian. I have since realized that it is much more than just believing in Christ. I have heard that even the devil knows that there is a Christ ;). I don't feel that I have turned my back on anything, rather I've turned my eyes toward Jesus. But I can surely relate as to how you feel. Between you and me, I think you are doing the right thing.

As for reading the bible, man o' man is that old testament a hard read. I started by reading the gospels, then my mother-in-law encouraged me to read cover to cover, but I must confess that after Judges, I had to go back to the new testament.

As for additional resources, I have been warned that there are many publications which may lead you in one direction or the other. Based on what I have been told and what I have seen so far, I try to stick to the bible, ask God to open my heart and to just ask questions. I have a fear of being led into a denomination, then a church, only to find all of the hypocracies that can be found in a big church, only to become spiritually lost and back where I started. I'm still trying to find a non denminational fellowship because I know it is so important. I wish you good luck.
 
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Gerry

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I wish you both more than luck. It is my prayer that you are led of the Holy Spirit to where you need to be. The problem with so called "non denominational Churches is that they are in and of themselves "denominational" more than any. And the so called Church of Christ claims to be non denominational when in effect they are a very very tight knit group.

As for the hypocrites, well, sorry but you are going to find them everywhere. No one is free from them. But don't worry about them. As I advised before keep your eyes on Christ, and let God deal with the hypocrites.

Don't be confused. As you can see, every Christian has their own idea of where you should start reading the Bible and even where you should go to Church. You have been well advised to begin in St. John and there learn what Jesus, Himself says that He expects of you as Christians. But the important thing now is to concentrate on your prayer life. Learn to pray for others and for yourself and the more you pray the more sensitive you will become to the sound of God's voice and the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit.
 
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