Jump Into The Word

Bible Engagement Blog

February 25, 2014
by Dr. Lawson Murray Leave a comment

What Helps People Connect With the Bible?

Research indicates that the primary factors helping people connect with the Bible are:

being a committed Christian
accessibility and availability of a Bible
attending church
reading books that aid Bible reading

Simply stated, people are more likely to engage the Bible when they are committed to Christ, linked up with other people (go to church, attend a Bible study or youth group, speak to friends and family about what they read in the Bible) and use easy to read or contemporary versions of the Bible together with devotional books, reading guides, or commentaries.

Conversely, the main reasons why people don’t connect with the Bible are:

they are not relationally connected to the Christian community
they do not read books or don’t own a Bible
they say they are too busy or have other priorities

Slick advertising campaigns or just handing a stranger a Bible are unlikely to have much success in helping connect people with the Bible. Relationships are crucial. We must facilitate and nurture vertical (with God) and horizontal (with God’s people) relationships. For this to happen we must share the good news (evangelize), teach people how to live for Christ (make disciples), and foster authentic Christ centred communities of faith.

© Scripture Union Canada 2014

February 11, 2014
by Dr. Lawson Murray 1 Comment

Why it’s Good to Read the Bible

We asked hundreds of people why they think it’s good to read the Bible. This is what they said:

It tells us what God is like
It develops an understanding of God’s relationship with us
It has transformed the world
It helps us understand God’s plans for us
It connects us to Jesus
It lets us know how we can be saved from sin
It focuses our faith
It is food for our daily growth
It constructively effects our behaviour
It provides a level of protection against temptation
It contributes to a more positive outlook
It provides guidance for life and living in this day and age
It gives us a sense of significance and purpose
It assists in our moral development
It is a safe place for reflection and resolution
It helps us understand our encounters with the seen and unseen world
It facilitates peace and well-being in our lives
It addresses the concerns of everyday life
It renews our minds and hearts
It is the meeting place of our stories with God’s Story
It makes us wiser and broadens our perspective
It keeps us from wasting our lives on what doesn’t matter
It prompts us to acts of kindness and mercy
It dramatically changes lives for the good
It fuels belief
It is a measuring stick to determine truth from error
It contains the life-changing message of freedom
It raises the dignity and rights of everyone
It equips us to serve God
It gives us comfort and hope
It tells us how to truly get to heaven
It helps us meet with God
It is “God-breathed”
It is the “bread of life” and the book of light
It is “living and active”
It is a source of “joy and my heart’s delight”
It is the Word of God

I read the Bible for all the above reasons. And I read it because to know God and be godly, I need to know God’s Word intimately.

Have your say. Why do you think it’s good to read the Bible?

© Scripture Union Canada 2014