Join us as we read through the Bible in 2006.
Each week I will post notes to help you read through the Bible in a year. On October 2nd we started the New Testament so you can still join us and read the New Testament by the end of the year.
Also you can feel free to e-mail me any questions you may have. I look forward to partnering with you as we read through the Bible in 2006!
Tom…
December 25th, 2006
Read 2 John/Jude
2 John
Chapter 1 Summary
John now sums up his message. Those who believe Jesus is the Christ are born of God. We know we are among the reborn when we love God’s children, love God, and keep His commands. Only a new birth can provide this kind of victory over the world (5:1-5). John speaks of three witnesses—Spirit, water, and blood—which give authentic…
December 18th, 2006
Read Hebrews 1-6
Chapter 1 Summary
Hebrews begins with a grand affirmation. God, who has spoken to man through intermediaries, has now spoken to us by His Son, a Son who is God Himself in all His splendor and power (1:1-4).
The author underlines the fact that the Son is superior to angels. Jewish tradition held that angels gave the Old Covenant (the Pentateuch, the Law) to…
December 11th, 2006
Read Philippians
Chapter 1 Summary
Paul is under house arrest in Rome when he writes this letter to the Philippians. After a brief greeting (1:1-2), Paul expresses the joy he finds in thinking of the Philippians and all they mutually share in Christ (vv. 3-8). His prayer is that their lives will overflow with love and righteousness (vv. 9-11). Apparently the Philippians…
December 4th, 2006
Read 2 Corinthians 1-4
Chapter 1 Summary
Paul’s vulnerability and openness are stunning, especially in view of the fact that he writes to a church where many openly oppose him. After a brief salutation (1:1-2), Paul praises God for providing comfort (vv. 3-7). The great apostle freely shares moments when he has felt desperate and depressed (1:8-11). Paul also carefully…
November 20th, 2006
Read Acts 18-20
Chapter 18 Summary
Paul’s next mission is to Corinth, a vital commercial center on a narrow isthmus of land, with ports on two seas. There too the Jews turn against him, although many of the more prominent Jews become Christians (18:1-11). When Paul is brought before Gallio, whom secular sources identify as a prominent Roman known empire-wide for his wisdom…
November 27th, 2006
Read Romans 11-13
Chapter 11 Summary
Paul continues his defense of the righteousness of God’s dealings with Israel. In sovereign grace God has chosen those who show faith, not those who “qualify” by mere physical descent from the patriarchs (Rom. 9). Israel’s present rejection has come because they sought righteousness by works, not by faith, despite God’s constant…
November 13th, 2006
Read Acts 1-3
Chapter 1 Summary
Luke picks up the story of Jesus from where he left off in his Gospel (1:1-3). He focuses attention on Jesus’ postresurrection promise of the Holy Spirit, a central theme in this book (vv. 4-5). The disciples are still concerned with God’s coming kingdom. Jesus tells them to focus on witness and promises them power when the Holy Spirit comes…
November 6th, 2006
Read John 5-6
Chapter 5 Summary
Back in Jerusalem, Jesus heals an invalid at the pool of Bethesda (5:1-9). The incident stimulates a controversy, as Jesus had told him to pick up his bedding and walk—and it was the Sabbath (vv. 10-14). When the man reports Jesus is the one who healed him and told him to carry his bedding, the Jews (John’s term for the religious leaders in…
October 30th, 2006
Read Luke 14-16
Chapter 14 Summary
The Sabbath issue is raised again when a Pharisee invites Jesus to dinner—and places an obviously ill person at the table “in front of Him.” Jesus heals him and gives some dry advice to His host (14:1-14). Jesus then tells a parable about a great banquet, representative of God’s kingdom, and guests who are too preoccupied with their own…
October 23rd, 2006
Read Luke 1
Chapter 1 Summary
After a brief introduction (1:1-4) Luke relates angelic announcements of the coming births of John the Baptist (vv. 5-25) and of Jesus (vv. 26-38). Luke reports the joy of the two kinswomen, Elizabeth and Mary (vv. 39-45) and includes a copy of Mary’s magnificent praise poem, commonly known as “the Magnificat” (vv. 46-56). He relates the unusual…
October 2nd, 2006
Read Matthew 1-4
Chapter 1 Summary
Matthew launches his Gospel with a genealogy, intended to serve as a “record of origins” of the one he will show is the promised Messiah of Israel (1:1-17). In summary fashion Matthew identifies key ancestors in the line of Jesus, with particular emphasis on His descent from King David. This is vital, for the Old Testament stresses the fact…
October 9th, 2006
Read Matthew 18-19
Chapter 18 Summary
In a sequence of teachings and experiences Jesus shows His disciples the way to greatness in God’s kingdom (chaps. 18-20). The underlying principle is seen in a little child’s responsiveness to Jesus’ call (18:1-5), a quality the disciples are urged to maintain (vv. 6-9). We do this by remembering that we human beings are sheep, who are…
October 16th, 2006
Read Mark 4-5
Chapter 4 Summary
Opposition to Jesus has developed despite His miracles of healing. So Christ turns to parables that reveal truth in a form that requires faith to accept and understand (4:1-2). The parable of the farmer sowing seed tells us that God’s Word is sown in all the world. But only in those who truly accept it will it produce fruit (vv. 3-20). Three…