Where To Begin?

[Webers_Home]

.
FAQ: I'm thinking of reading the Bible; where should I start?

REPLY: The Bible can be a tedious chore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that someone who's only looking to indulge their curiosity skip
the heavy books for now and try the short stories of Ruth, Esther, and
Jonah; and then for sure the philosophical book of Ecclesiastes. You
gotta love Solomon's pessimistic world view: it's spot on.

* When my teen-age son first started reading the Bible, he became
discouraged. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he couldn't
figure out the hidden messages. So I told him: Son, forget about hidden
messages. Just read the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia and you'll get
more out of it that way; and he did.

FAQ: Which version would be best for me?

REPLY: I recommend avoiding linguistic antiques like the Douay-Rheims,
the Confraternity, the American Standard Version, and the King James
version because their language and grammar are obsolete.

For English-speaking inquirers I suggest contemporary versions in common
use like the New International (NIV), New American Bible (NAB), the New
American Standard (NAS) the English Standard Version (ESV) and/or the
New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQ: Where can I find a Bible?

REPLY: Just about any book store carries a selection of Bibles, and even
some department stores; and of course Christian book stores. Amazon dot
com has them too. If you're on a limited budget, you might try shopping a
thrift store like Good Will and/or Salvation Army.

* No matter whose version of the Bible you choose, some all-knowing
armchair expert will eventually come along and insist it's either no good,
corrupt, and/or inadequate so be ready for that. Actually it's probably best
you don't tell a Christian what you're doing lest they muddy the waters with
unsolicited spiritual counseling that's appropriate for a proselyte but quite out
in left field for someone who's only mildly curious.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

 

[Zachariah]

.
FAQ: I'm thinking about reading the Bible; where should I start?

REPLY: The Bible can be a tedious chore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that newbies skip the heavy books for now and begin with the
short stories of Ruth, Esther, and Jonah; and then for sure the philosophical
book of Ecclesiastes. You gotta love Solomon's pessimistic world view: it's
spot on.

* When my teen-age son first started reading the Bible, he became
discouraged. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he couldn't
figure out the hidden messages. So I told him: Son, forget about hidden
messages. Just read the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia and you'll get
more out of it that way; and he did.

FAQ: Which version would be best for me?

REPLY: Do yourself a kindness by using a Bible that reads very close to our
own modern way of speaking. Rickety old antiques like the Douay-Rheims,
the Confraternity, the American Standard Version, and the King James
version are no longer practical because their language and grammar are
obsolete.

For English-speaking newbies I suggest contemporary versions in common
use like the New International (NIV), New American Bible (NAB), the New
American Standard (NAS) and/or the New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQ: Where can I find a Bible?

REPLY: Just about any book store carries a selection of Bibles, and even
some department stores; and of course Christian book stores. Amazon dot
com has them too. If you're on a limited budget, you might try shopping for
Bibles in a thrift store like Good Will and/or Salvation Army.

* No matter which version of the Bible you choose, somebody will eventually
come along and insist it's no good so be ready for that.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

Truth is of unseen nature. The book is full of unseen messages. Personally I read the bible the way your son initially started to read it. The problem is that we need to know how to find Truth. It's all about reflection apon the self and various other forms of Truth discovery.

 

[bluedragon]

In to

.
FAQ: I'm thinking about reading the Bible; where should I start?

REPLY: The Bible can be a tedious chore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that newbies skip the heavy books for now and begin with the
short stories of Ruth, Esther, and Jonah; and then for sure the philosophical
book of Ecclesiastes. You gotta love Solomon's pessimistic world view: it's
spot on.

* When my teen-age son first started reading the Bible, he became
discouraged. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he couldn't
figure out the hidden messages. So I told him: Son, forget about hidden
messages. Just read the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia and you'll get
more out of it that way; and he did.

FAQ: Which version would be best for me?

REPLY: Do yourself a kindness by using a Bible that reads very close to our
own modern way of speaking. Rickety old antiques like the Douay-Rheims,
the Confraternity, the American Standard Version, and the King James
version are no longer practical because their language and grammar are
obsolete.

For English-speaking newbies I suggest contemporary versions in common
use like the New International (NIV), New American Bible (NAB), the New
American Standard (NAS) and/or the New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQ: Where can I find a Bible?

REPLY: Just about any book store carries a selection of Bibles, and even
some department stores; and of course Christian book stores. Amazon dot
com has them too. If you're on a limited budget, you might try shopping for
Bibles in a thrift store like Good Will and/or Salvation Army.

* No matter which version of the Bible you choose, somebody will eventually
come along and insist it's no good so be ready for that.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

In today's world.....include a computer and find a reliable source to accompany the read.

Otherwise you read the chapter, have no relationship with 1BC culture or mindset and walk away shaking your head trying to understand what you just read ....

Or simply watch the movie .....

 

[Jay Ross]

First, buy a hard copy of the Bible. An ESV may be a good translation to start with.

Second, turn off all of the intruding clutter in your life like mobile phones, computers, electronic games etc.

Thirdly, find a place where you can be secluded from the world around you while you read.

Fourthly, ask God to reveal His truth to you as you read through the scriptures each time you begin reading each day.

Fifthly, do not try to resolve, what may be confusing on your first reading through of the scriptures.

Sixthly, go back to the start and begin reading through the scriptures until you have complete understanding of who God is and what His purpose for your life is.

Intermixed with the time of your reading of the scriptures, develop friendships with likeminded people who are also discovering who God is and His purposes for their live so that you all can with wisdom come into a better understanding.

 

[bluedragon]

First, buy a hard copy of the Bible. An ESV may be a good translation to start with.

Second, turn off all of the intruding clutter in your life like mobile phones, computers, electronic games etc.

Thirdly, find a place where you can be secluded from the world around you while you read.

Fourthly, ask God to reveal His truth to you as you read through the scriptures each time you begin reading each day.

Fifthly, do not try to resolve, what may be confusing on your first reading through of the scriptures.

Sixthly, go back to the start and begin reading through the scriptures until you have complete understanding of who God is and what His purpose for your life is.

Intermixed with the time of your reading of the scriptures, develop friendships with likeminded people who are also discovering who God is and His purposes for their live so that you all can with wisdom come into a better understanding.

A Bible study is always suggested ....well stated.

 

[GRACE ambassador]

A Bible study is always suggested ....well stated.

Amen! And a 'Rightly Divided' Bible study is the best, being "Approved Unto God" (Rule 2 of BSR)

 

[Jay Ross]

A Bible study is always suggested ....well stated.

This suggestion was covered in my list of finding likeminded people to interact with, in my suggested list of things to do while studying the scriptures.

Amen! And a 'Rightly Divided' Bible study is the best, being "Approved Unto God" (Rule 2 of BSR)

Not all Bible studies are rightly divided or approved by God.

My advice is to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in all things. In all Bible Studies there is always a particular bias that reflects the thinking of the writer of the study. Many of our translations do not convey the same context as the original texts for the same reason. My experience is that the HS often prompts me to search deeper into the original texts to discern the context in that text that we should be following.

Best of all, allow God to draw you into His presence with praise and thanksgiving as you read His word.

 

[Webers_Home]

.
The OP addresses the concerns of someone mildly curious about the Bible
yet some of you are recommending prayer, solitude and silence, finding truth,
the presence of God, the Holy Spirit's guidance, Bible study, computers, etc, etc.

That kind of advice is useless to folks only thinking about reading the
Bible. It's sort of like telling someone how to service their lawnmower's
carburetor and sharpen its blade when all they want to do is try changing
the oil themselves instead of taking it to a small-engine repair shop.

BTW: There's lots of YouTube tutorials out there to assist folks with mowers
change their own oil. It's a good idea to watch one of those first because it's
very easy to ruin a $10 air filter by oil getting into it via the crankcase vent
when the mower is tipped up on the wrong side. I found that out the hard way.
_

 

[Jay Ross]

.
The OP addresses the concerns of someone mildly curious about the Bible
yet some of you are recommending prayer, solitude and silence, finding truth,
the presence of God, the Holy Spirit's guidance, Bible study, computers, etc, etc.

That kind of advice is useless to folks only thinking about reading the
Bible. It's sort of like telling someone how to service their lawnmower's
carburettor and sharpen its blade when all they want to do is to change
the oil themselves instead of taking it to a small-engine repair shop.

BTW: There's lots of YouTube tutorials out there to assist folks with mowers
change their own oil. It's a good idea to watch one of those first because it's
very easy to ruin a $10 air filter by oil getting into it via the crankcase vent
when the mower is tipped up on the wrong side. I found that out the hard way.
_

An old school understanding.

A boss of my sons went and filled up his four-stroke mower with fuel and found that he could not get the mower to start. His understanding of where to put the fuel meant that he looked for a big lid filler point and poured the fuel down the oil filling tube instead of putting the fuel into the fuel tank. The boss told my son to go and buy another new mower for him and to get rid of the mower that did not "work."

My son asked me for advice and after pouring out all of the oil and fuel in the crankcase and filling up the crankcase with the recommend volume of oil, and actually putting the fuel into the fuel tank, the mower started and has run like clockwork ever since.

My son's boss needed a step-by-step instruction list as to what he needed to do to put more fuel into the mower for it to keep running.

A step like asking God to help the person reading a bible the first time for understanding is not out of order as you are suggesting.

Telling the person to remove off anything that would distract him while they are reading the bible is very good advice. The only reference that I had made to a computer was for them to turn it off while they were read the bible.

Oh well, have a good day now.

 

[Webers_Home]

A step like asking God to help the person reading a bible the first time for
understanding is not out of order as you are suggesting.

Telling the person to remove off anything that would distract him while they are
reading the bible is very good advice. The only reference that I had made to a
computer was for them to turn it off while they were read the bible.

Well; personally I would never give that kind of advice to someone who is
only mildly curious about the Bible, i.e. to someone who is only thinking
about reading it. You're assuming that all who do so are seeking spiritual
guidance when the reality is that someone who's thinking about reading the
Bible is just a looky-loo seeking to satisfy their curiosity.
_

 

[Jay Ross]

It seems that we both have a very different approach to encouraging a person to read the bible.

It also seems to me that you hold people who are not of the faith in very low esteem if you will not challenge them to be serious in their first attempt to read the scriptures.

Oh well, it seems that we need to disagree with each other and leave it at that.

 

[WalterandDebbie]

Thursday 6-15-23 5th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Sivan 26 5783, 88th. Spring Day

.
FAQ: I'm thinking about reading the Bible; where should I start?

REPLY: The Bible can be a tedious chore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that newbies skip the heavy books for now and begin with the
short stories of Ruth, Esther, and Jonah; and then for sure the philosophical
book of Ecclesiastes. You gotta love Solomon's pessimistic world view: it's
spot on.

* When my teen-age son first started reading the Bible, he became
discouraged. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he couldn't
figure out the hidden messages. So I told him: Son, forget about hidden
messages. Just read the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia and you'll get
more out of it that way; and he did.

FAQ: Which version would be best for me?

REPLY: Do yourself a kindness by using a Bible that reads very close to our
own modern way of speaking. Rickety old antiques like the Douay-Rheims,
the Confraternity, the American Standard Version, and the King James
version are no longer practical because their language and grammar are
obsolete.

For English-speaking newbies I suggest contemporary versions in common
use like the New International (NIV), New American Bible (NAB), the New
American Standard (NAS) and/or the New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQ: Where can I find a Bible?

REPLY: Just about any book store carries a selection of Bibles, and even
some department stores; and of course Christian book stores. Amazon dot
com has them too. If you're on a limited budget, you might try shopping for
Bibles in a thrift store like Good Will and/or Salvation Army.

* No matter which version of the Bible you choose, somebody will eventually
come along and insist it's no good so be ready for that.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

Thursday 6-15-23 5th. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Sivan 26 5783, 88th. Spring Day

Where To Begin?​

2 Timothy 2:15: 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV - Bing

Hello Webers_Home, and how are you all? Interesting OP, Studying The King James Open Bible ISBN-10: 07180-1811-7, ISBN 13:978-0-7180-1811-5 Large Print Edition Nelson Hardback

And The NIV Version along with the King James and get Cross References on each during your study, ok?

Love, Walter and Debbie

 

[Matthias]

Where to begin? Genesis 1:1 -> “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

 

[Michaelwestbrook828]

.
FAQ: I'm thinking of reading the Bible; where should I start?

REPLY: The Bible can be a tedious chore for people new to it; so I highly
recommend that someone who's only looking to indulge their curiosity skip
the heavy books for now and try the short stories of Ruth, Esther, and
Jonah; and then for sure the philosophical book of Ecclesiastes. You
gotta love Solomon's pessimistic world view: it's spot on.

* When my teen-age son first started reading the Bible, he became
discouraged. When I asked him what the matter was, he said he couldn't
figure out the hidden messages. So I told him: Son, forget about hidden
messages. Just read the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia and you'll get
more out of it that way; and he did.

FAQ: Which version would be best for me?

REPLY: I recommend avoiding linguistic antiques like the Douay-Rheims,
the Confraternity, the American Standard Version, and the King James
version because their language and grammar are obsolete.

For English-speaking inquirers I suggest contemporary versions in common
use like the New International (NIV), New American Bible (NAB), the New
American Standard (NAS) the English Standard Version (ESV) and/or the
New Living Translation (NLT)

FAQ: Where can I find a Bible?

REPLY: Just about any book store carries a selection of Bibles, and even
some department stores; and of course Christian book stores. Amazon dot
com has them too. If you're on a limited budget, you might try shopping a
thrift store like Good Will and/or Salvation Army.

* No matter whose version of the Bible you choose, some all-knowing
armchair expert will eventually come along and insist it's either no good,
corrupt, and/or inadequate so be ready for that. Actually it's probably best
you don't tell a Christian what you're doing lest they muddy the waters with
unsolicited spiritual counseling that's appropriate for a proselyte but quite out
in left field for someone who's only mildly curious.

Buen Camino
Pleasant Journey
_

thank you for sharing !!
>>I always recommend nlt or niv for starters and i encourage people to start in the new testament and fall in love jesus before going back to the sorta tuff love of the father just my suggetions to new believers <<

 

[Windmillcharge]

FAQ: I'm thinking of reading the Bible; where should I start?

two things,
1, ask why? are they interested in finding out what is in the bible, a bit like ' I've heard of War and Peace and would like to read it, or are they curious about Christianity?
2. If curious about the bible explain it contains a lot of historical narrative, lists of laws, poetry and can be hard work reading right through it.
suggest they read genesis together with AIG's commentary on genesis.
2, if interested in Christianity suggest they start with Johns gospel, show them where it is.
Suggest they not only read John, but at the same time use a daily reading set of bible notes.

With both suggest they make notes of difficulties and come back to you for help.

 

[bluedragon]

two things,
1, ask why? are they interested in finding out what is in the bible, a bit like ' I've heard of War and Peace and would like to read it, or are they curious about Christianity?
2. If curious about the bible explain it contains a lot of historical narrative, lists of laws, poetry and can be hard work reading right through it.
suggest they read genesis together with AIG's commentary on genesis.
2, if interested in Christianity suggest they start with Johns gospel, show them where it is.
Suggest they not only read John, but at the same time use a daily reading set of bible notes.

With both suggest they make notes of difficulties and come back to you for help.

I agree ..... Christianity is where you want to begin. Maybe Genesis and exodus for the basic core ......but to get bogged down in numbers and Kings ?

 

[strepho]

James chapter 1 . Pray to God for wisdom and understanding.
Have the right tools to study the bible.
King James companion bible and STRONGS concordance.
Why??.
The old testament is Hebrew, translated to English.
The new testament is mostly Greek, translation to English.
Example. In Acts chapter 12. Thiers mistranslation. Easter.
Now PASCHA Greek means =Passover.
Now we understand why we need king James companion bible and STRONGS concordance.
I recommend you study with shepherds chapel, thier on YouTube. Pastor dennis murray teaches sound doctrine.
It's your decision.

 

[Fancy2020]

Yesterday I went to church for the first time in my life...It is very important for me to receive the support of other Christians and strengthen my faith!

 

[WalterandDebbie]

Yesterday I went to church for the first time in my life...It is very important for me to receive the support of other Christians and strengthen my faith!

Hi Fancy,

1 Peter 2:21

​

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Read full chapter

Love, Walter

 

[GRACE ambassador]

Yesterday I went to church for the first time in my life...It is very important for me to receive the support of other Christians and strengthen my faith!

Precious friend, I would suggest for you 'to begin' by focusing on Three Important Biblical Passages:

"For By Grace are ye Saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is​

the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)​

+
faith in God's Gospel Of Grace:

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ​

Died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that​

He rose again the third day According to The Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)​

+

"Study to shew thyself Approved unto God, a workman that needeth​

not to be ashamed, Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)​

Expanded study here: "Distinctions" of Prophecy vs MYSTERY

Hope and pray these Are Encouraging and Edifying on your Growing In Grace journey.

Amen.