Studying the Bible can seem intimidating, but many helpful books and resources are available.

Where should I start reading in the Bible?

Try starting out with Biblica’s “Reading the World’s Greatest Story” plan.  This is a great reading plan that will help you trace God’s big-picture story through the Bible.  As a next step, consider one of the  reading plans available from Zondervan.  Think about looking for a reading partner, someone (or a group) who will do a reading plan with you.  This will help both of you stay on track, and it is often a great encouragement and help to discuss what you are reading.

Study resources

One of the most important study resources to have when you are starting out is a study Bible.  The NIV Study Bible is a good choice, but there are many others, such as the ESV Study Bible.

A next step would be to look into a devotional book that will guide you through reading a book of the Bible.  These are also great for group studies.  Try Th1nk’s study of John, or any of the other Th1nk studies.

As you move further in the discipline of Bible study, you might want to consider getting a commentary, such as the New Bible Commentary or the IVP Bible Background Commentary.  Also feel free to use the resources available in the church library.  We have the Expositor’s Bible Commentary, a Bible dictionary, and other study resources.

Free online resources

Free resources are available online.  These tend to be older commentaries and tools, so you may have to wade through older language, but they are still very helpful.  Check out  http://www.biblestudytools.com and http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/.  For a history of the Bible, go to Biblica’s Bible History timeline.

Bible study software

Good Bible study software is extraordinarily powerful and can replace entire bookshelves full of study books, but it also tends to be expensive.  One of my favorite programs is Logos.  It comes in many different levels with smaller or larger libraries.  For most home use, the Christian Home Library or Bible Study Library should be sufficient.

Many of us have a vague sense that God wants us to be more like Jesus, but our “plan” for becoming like Him consists primarily of just trying harder to do what Jesus did… and feeling guilty when we fail.  God doesn’t intend us to experience this cycle of failure and guilt!  As we intentionally take more responsibility for our spiritual growth (see “What Is REP All About?“), there are spiritual practices in which we can engage that will help us grow closer to God and become the person He wants us to be.

Spiritual disciplines are like training or weight-lifting — for the spiritual life.  Just as a baseball player cannot hit a home run the first time he picks up a bat, we cannot expect immediately to respond with love when we are cursed (Luke 6:27-28) or consistently deny ourselves and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34-35).  A baseball player lifts weights and practices swinging so that he can bat well; we practice the sort of spiritual disciplines that Jesus practiced so that we can follow Him well.

Prayer, silence, solitude, celebration, listening, fellowship, service, fasting, study, and meditation are just some of the spiritual disciplines that Christians have practiced for thousands of years to bring them closer to God.  There are plenty of great resources available for learning more about spiritual disciplines.  As a starting point, check out The Reading Room at The Water’s Edge online or the book Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.  You can also email us at admin@aplacetoconnect.com or call the Christ Community Church office at 815-254-3800.

Everyone is on a spiritual journey… and we hope this blog will be a place where you can learn how to go further in your spiritual journey and participate in meaningful discussion with fellow travelers.  Learning to follow Jesus is not something we do in isolation; rather, it is meant to be a process that happens with other people, in community.  Stay tuned for more to come!  Pull up a keyboard and comment.  If you’re new to REP, check out the “What is REP all about?” page.