Pastor and theologian John Piper outlines three challenges Christians will face in reading the entire Bible in one year. similarly 9 benefits. in latest episode On his podcast, Ask Pastor John, Piper answered a question from a listener named Mike who asked for advice. reading This year through the Bible.
“Here are three negatives to scare you, and nine positives to draw you back in,” said Piper, president of Bethlehem University Theological Seminary.
According to reports Christian PosstPiper warned that the first challenge will be opposition from Satan, who will “try to distract you, blind you, distract you, bore you.”
“He will fight with all his might to prevent this from happening. So as you become a stronger warrior against him, all four things Satan tries to do will backfire and explode in his face. “Pray and fight and ask God to do the same thing” — your heart will be inclined, your blinders will be removed, you will be focused instead of distracted, excited instead of bored,” he added.
Piper then pointed out how the Bible's depiction of sin and judgment can shock and upset people.
“The Bible gives us a horrifying picture of the wrath of sin and its graphic depiction, the horror of God's judgment and the failure of God's people,” he stressed. “The Bible is an astonishingly graphic depiction of both our outrageous sin and God’s breathtaking judgment on sin. For example, seeing how God deals with sin in the Bible can make you want to throw up. Please look forward to it.”
The third and final challenge is confusion in reading and “praying for illumination” of complex biblical texts.
“Try doing anything that will help you study. What you can summarize, and what you don't understand, put it on a shelf and keep it for later.” above It's moving. If you get stuck on something you don't understand, you won't be able to finish reading that day. ”
The founder of Desiring God went on to offer nine benefits when Reading God's Word that includes increased faith, sanctification, and steadfast joy.
“Expect renewed strength in the battle against Satan, because that is how Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness.Satan quoted the Bible to the devil, but the devil did not stand before him. I couldn't do it. he I won't even stand in front of you. he is a liar he is a scammer He can't stand the truth. You are preoccupied with the truth. You will be a braver warrior against Satan than you ever dreamed,” he said.
“This is a big commitment for you,” Piper concluded. “You have great intentions in your heart. Be brave. Pledge to the Lord that you will protect them, and you will not regret it.”
According to recent research According to the American Bible Society, twice as many Gen Zers (21%) reported reading the Bible more in the previous year than those who reported reading less (9%). The amount of Bible reading has increased Among Generation X 15% increase; Among baby boomers and those born before 1946 16% increase.
Conversely, 9% of Gen Xers and 10% of oldest adults said they rarely read the Bible.
In recent years, is becoming increasingly popular among A podcast and digital platform focused on Bible readings and discussions.
Before Piper could respond, navigator bible reading planhe has been following it for over 20 years. The plan includes two things Read the Bible for 15 minutes every day. It is expected to be completed within 300 days.
Two of Apple's top 10 podcasts are: Bible for a Year (with Father Mike Schmitz) and bible summary The podcast, hosted by Tara Lee Cobble, has approximately 6 million downloads per month. Last year, Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, “The Bible After One Year” podcast and It has since taken the number one spot on Apple's Religion Podcast Chart. have Over 70 million downloads worldwide. The podcast began premiering episodes in Spanish last week.
Photo courtesy: © Facebook/john piper
First publication date is January 7, 2025.
