This church offers a mix of old with new, contemporary with traditional, and public friendliness with personal indifference. As a bonus, they also talk about having a Thanksgiving potluck.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #31:
1. At one point, the leader asks everyone who is able, to kneel. It hurts when I kneel. So focused on my pain, I miss the prayer.
What practices in your church may get in the way of people encountering God?
2. Two girls read about the Good Samaritan: the first in Spanish and the second in English. But this is the only bilingual part of the service.
What changes can you make to your service so it’s more accessible to people of other languages or cultures?
3. Afterward is a Thanksgiving potluck. Publicly, they invite all to join them, but no one personally does. “If we walk slowly,” Candy says, “maybe someone will ask us to stay.” No one does, so we leave.
What can you do to personally invite someone to do something?
4. Aside from the two greeters at the door, no one talks to us. After the service I try to make eye contact with many people, but fail each time. I don’t matter and want to cry.
How can you let people know you care?
Though this church had much going for it, the lack of personal connection is my lasting memory.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Most years I read the entire Bible in a year. It takes 12 to 15 minutes a day. If you’re up to the challenge, I encourage you to join me as I read the Bible next year. Here’s the Bible reading schedule that I like to follow.
Though a few minutes a day isn’t a huge time commitment, it is a habit that takes a while to develop.
Though many people start strong with their desire to study Scripture every day, after a few weeks it looms as a huge commitment, which requires a lot of self-discipline. The temptation is to quit, just as most people do with their New Year’s resolutions.
Monthly Bible Reading Plans
For that reason, if you’re new to the idea of reading the Bible every day, I recommend taking smaller bites to begin with.
Instead of committing to reading the entire Bible in one year—blocking out 12 to 15 minutes a day, every day—how about committing to reading one book of the Bible in a month, 3 to 4 minutes a day?
An ideal place to start is with Luke and then Acts. Read Luke one month and Acts, the next. It’s a great duo of books to get you started. Luke teaches us about Jesus, and his story continues in Acts, letting us know about the early church.
Another consideration is John. John is a book that many people adore. He writes with a poetic flare. So, reading John requires a slower, more thoughtful pace.
You can find other books to consider as you read the Bible each month. If you follow this list for twelve months, by the end of the year you will have read many of the Bible’s essential passages.
From there you can move into one of the following more comprehensive plans for the following year.
New Testament Reading Schedule
Though all the Bible is useful for us and can help us on our faith journey, the New Testament contains more relevant, readily applicable passages. Reading the New Testament in one year is an ideal way to help you develop the habit of regular Bible reading.
The commitment is 3 to 4 minutes a day, Monday through Friday. That’s right, you can take the weekend off when you focus on the New Testament as you read the Bible in one year.
Old Testament Reading Schedule
The following year, read the Old Testament in one year. This can build on the habit you formed by reading the New Testament in one year.
This requires 10 to 12 minutes a day for an average reader. The Old Testament helps us better understand the New Testament, adding insights and clarity that we would have otherwise missed.
Read the Entire Bible in One Year
At this point, you will have developed a habit of regular Bible reading. Congratulations! You’ve read the New Testament and the Old Testament, covering the entire Bible, albeit in two years, not one.
Now you can grow your habit of studying Scripture by reading the entire Bible in one year. As I mentioned, it only takes 12 to 15 minutes a day.
Plan to Read the Bible
It doesn’t matter which of these Bible reading schedules you follow. Any plan is better than no plan. The point is to pick a plan to read the Bible and move forward.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Discover More Sacred Songs of Praise, Petition, and Lament throughout the Bible
The Psalms capture our emotions in a unique way, but they’re not limited to one book of the Bible. Study more sacred songs that appear from Exodus to Revelation.
Explore the beauty and delight of the psalms that appear throughout the Bible. You’ll learn about songs of lament and praise as you immerse yourself in the lesser-known poems of Scripture, written by people of faith, like Moses, Esther, Mary, and more.
Biblical psalms recognize what God has done throughout the history of his people. Beyond Psalm 150 is a treasure that helps you to uncover these awe-inspiring songs of worship and praise that often get missed in the study of God’s Word.
Both a devotional and a Bible study, Beyond Psalm 150 gathers these buried passages to make it easy to immerse yourself in their themes, meaning, and poetic style.
Each psalm in this book includes a reflection, a thought-provoking question, and a blessing, giving you the chance to understand and appreciate these expressions of worship in a fresh, new way.
In Beyond Psalm 150, you’ll:
Discover sixty-seven songs of worship that don’t appear in the book of Psalms
Explore how you can apply these words to your life today
Develop insights about each psalm in the context of the story
Dive deeper into the Word to better understand each song
Explore Biblical worship songs throughout the Old and New Testament
Beyond Psalm 150 will help you gain a greater appreciation for the God who holds history in his hands and how he has shaped the lives of people just like us.
Peter DeHaan, PhD, is an author of over 18 devotionals, biblical-based studies, and church resources. He yearns for Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
If you desire to deepen your faith and embrace the variety of psalms scattered across the pages of the Bible, then dive into Beyond Psalm 150.
Perfect for your personal study time or small group, Beyond Psalm 150 will help you to understand these beautiful songs of praise as you worship a mighty God.
Read Beyond Psalm 150 and enhance your understanding of the psalms throughout God’s Word.
Explore the other psalms—sacred songs of praise, petition, and lament—scattered throughout the Bible in Peter’s book Beyond Psalm 150.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
When Candy asked about the service time, the pastor confirmed what their website said: 10 a.m. When we arrive, they tell us to sit anywhere.
After fifty agonizing minutes, they say, “Thanks for coming. The service will start in about ten minutes.”
They used the old bait and switch tactic on us.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #30:
1. We just endured an agonizing Sunday school. They must think they’re clever, but I feel manipulated. They should be honest and say church starts at eleven.
How might people feel tricked or misled about your church’s practices or the information posted online?
2. We sing old-time hymns with piano accompaniment. They sing with vigor.
How might people characterize the singing and worship at your church? Is their assessment acceptable?
3. One man wears a lapel pin of the Baptist flag. He thinks his pin is a conversation starter, but his dogmatic discourse pushes me away.
In what way might our words, passion, or doctrine repel people?
4. Today we heard a powerful message and worshiped God with people passionate about singing, but their bait and switch trick to get us into attending Sunday school remains my key memory.
What parting memory do people leave with from your church? (If they don’t come back, you made a bad impression.)
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Once the People Read Luther’s 95 Theses They Pushed for a Change He Hadn’t Intended
Though most Protestants know of Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses, few have ever read them. Here’s why:
First written in Latin and then translated into German, neither of these versions of Luther’s ninety-five theses helps us as English-speaking readers. Several English translations exist, but their formal language, complex sentence structure, and unfamiliar terms make them hard to understand.
The fact that Martin wrote his original document five hundred years ago in another culture further complicates our ability to understand them today.
So difficult to comprehend, few people invest the time to wade through Martin’s ninety-five points of contention. And most who try give up after the first few.
Understanding Luther’s 95 Theses
In considering Luther’s ninety-five points of debate, it’s important to remember that they don’t stand alone. Many build upon prior items.
If some of his theses seem contradictory, it may be because there exists a fine line of distinction between what Martin opposed and what he approved. Or that we fail to grasp his subtle nuances.
When Luther’s followers distributed printed copies of his ninety-five theses, they essentially went viral and sparked a religious rebellion. Many mark this as the birth of the Protestant Reformation.
Support from Others
However, aside from Martin Luther, many notable theologians and ministers breathed life into this movement, too. They helped advance the cause, of which Luther played a part.
These include John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli, along with William Tyndale, Jan Hus, Peter Waldo, John Wycliffe, John Knox, and George Wishart, among others. Some were peers, some preceded Luther, and others followed him, yet their common goal was reform.
In determining a date for the onset of the Protestant Reformation, the most accessible one is October 31, 1517. This is the day Martin Luther stepped forward to post his ninety-five theses.
As such, many assign this date as the beginning of the Reformation. And they put Luther, the man behind the list, as its chief advocate.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
If You Are a Citizen of the Kingdom of God, Then You Live Here as an Alien
Peter writes his first letter to Christians scattered about in pagan cities. He first calls them exiles (1 Peter 1:1). He also refers to them as foreigners (1 Peter 2:11). Though foreigner is accurate, I prefer the label of alien. It has an otherworldly connotation.
The point is that they don’t fit in where they are. They are outsiders subsisting in a society that doesn’t understand their thinking and their way of life. They live in a culture that is opposed to Jesus.
Peter doesn’t tell them they need to adapt and settle down. Instead he tells them to live careful lives, hold onto their awe of God, and refrain from immorality.
They are to persist as foreigners, as if they are just passing through—because they are.
Foreigner or Citizen?
They are citizens of the Kingdom of God, children of the King of kings. Their allegiance is to God. Their real domicile, their eternal home, is in heaven.
Holding onto this perspective, they realize they are here for the short-term.
With eyes fixed on Jesus, they maintain their earthly status as foreigners, as exiles, and as aliens—both in an actual physical sense and with a faith-filled, future-focused, spiritual expectation.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Prosperity Is Not a Bad Word, and We Must Start Embracing It as Good
A popular pastime today is to decry prosperity as an evil that plagues the world. These folks think that all people who prosper are greedy and selfish—though some are.
They advocate taking from those who have and give to those who have not. In truth, these people aren’t interested in helping the poor as much as they are envious that others have more than they do.
They miss the point that God wants us to prosper.
The Bible has much to say about prosper and prosperity. We often think of prosper in terms of money, but it also applies to other areas of our life.
Our family can prosper. We can prosper by enjoying good health. And we can prosper in intangible ways when we lead a God-honoring life.
Consider some of what the Bible says about the idea of prospering:
God plans to prosper his people and not harm them, plans to give them hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
God told Jacob to go back home and he would prosper (Genesis 32:9).
You will prosper more, and then you will know that I am your Lord (Ezekiel 36:11).
God made his people prosper while they were in Egypt (Acts 13:17).
Some of these verses apply to individuals, while other passages have a broader audience, but the point we can glean from all these verses—and many others in the Bible—is that God loves us. And he wants us to prosper.
Blessed to Be a Blessing
But many people desiring prosperity, miss the point of why. They think their prosperity is for their benefit and theirs alone. Taken to an extreme we end up with a prosperity gospel and a prosperity theology. Don’t go there.
These overreaches miss the basic biblical truth that God wants us to prosper. He wants to bless us. But why?
God told Abraham, “I will bless you and you will in turn bless others” (Genesis 12:2). This means that God’s blessings are not for us to consume or to squander in conspicuous living.
Our blessings are to share with others. As God is generous with us, may we be as generous toward others.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
Daily Scripture Reading Guides Available Now from ABibleADay
Every year I intentionally explore the Bible, reading a few chapters each day. Some years I focus on the New Testament and other years, the Old Testament, but usually I read the entire Bible in a year.
Will you join me this year?
To guide us, the Bible reading guides are now available. Get your Bible reading plan today.
Chronological Bible Reading Guide
New last year was a chronological Bible reading plan. This year it’s tweaked and improved, based on feedback from the inaugural offering.
Though a comprehensive chronological reading of the Bible requires a lot of details that won’t fit on a concise handout, it is possible to make an approximate chronological reading guide by putting the books of the Bible in order.
Following this Bible reading plan only takes 12 to 15 minutes a day. And each Tuesday, I’ll blog about a passage from that day’s reading.
If reading the entire Bible in a year seems too big of a task, scale back to a more manageable goal. I have a series of other Bible reading plans to guide you. Pick the one that works for you:
Read the New Testament in a year (3 to 4 minutes a day, Monday through Friday)
Read the Old Testament in a year (10 to 12 minutes a day)
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.” Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
As we pull into the church parking lot, we realize our daughter attended preschool here, many years ago. What we don’t know is that we will experience a laity led service.
Consider these four discussion questions about Church #29:
1. We amble in and one woman approaches us and mutters to herself, “Where’s the guest registry?” She moves toward an ornate wooden stand that holds nothing. As she searches for the missing book, I walk past her.
How ready is your church to receive visitors?
2. The minister is gone, and a member fills in. Though not an accomplished speaker, I applaud what she’s doing. In fact, members lead the entire morning. It is a laity led service.
Can your church hold a service without your minister or staff? If not, what should you do?
3. They invite kids to come forward for the children’s message as music plays. Though the song is appropriate for preschoolers, the five who come forward are much older: later elementary through high school.
What traditions does your church persist in even though it no longer makes sense?
4. During the message, someone passes us a clipboard with a sign-in sheet. I watch the clipboard weave its way in the rows ahead of us. I’m so distracted that I never reconnect with our speaker.
What church practices distract people from hearing the message and worshiping God?
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Luther Studied to Become a Lawyer to Please His Father
Hans Luther, a German peasant, and his bride, Margaret, who came from the middle class, committed their lives to each other. Though having different social backgrounds, Hans pledged to work his way up in life. He promised to provide for Margaret and their future family in the way she grew up.
Devout Catholics, Hans and Margaret welcomed their firstborn into the world on November 10, 1483. The couple baptized their baby the next day on St. Martin’s Day. It seemed fitting to give their son the name Martin.
As Hans worked in the mines, Margaret, a stern disciplinarian, taught little Martin the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles’ Creed. The Luthers celebrated Mass each week. They instilled in Martin a love for singing, both in the church choir and at home with family.
Consistent with the Church’s teaching of the day, young Martin learned of a Jesus who not only came to save but who also judged, demanding holy living and exacting a dreadful wrath over those who fell short. This tough teaching gripped Martin and caused him great agony for the first part of his life.
At eight years old, Martin started school. He learned Latin from strict teachers who governed with harsh discipline. Despite the school’s rigid setting, he performed well.
At age thirteen and showing promise, Martin continued his education. He progressed through a series of schools, as was the practice of the day for students with potential.
Luther’s Career Dilemma
This prepared him for a professional job, possibly in law, which his father desired for his son. For the most part, Martin accepted his dad’s career preference. A highly respected occupation, a career in law would provide Martin with a good income.
But Hans could afford to pay for only part of Martin’s schooling. As the accepted practice of the day, the lad would try to make up the difference through begging and street singing.
Despite this, Martin relished learning. He desired to honor his dad by becoming a lawyer, even though young Martin felt occasional pulls to serve God and the Church, a profession that lacked both the pay and the prestige of law.
At eighteen, Martin began the final phase of his education, which his dad could now fully cover. An excellent student, Martin soon earned his bachelor’s degree and then his masters two years later.
Yet he continued to struggle to balance his personal worries about spiritual issues of sin and punishment, as taught by the church, with his father’s push for him to pursue law.
Martin vacillated between honoring the wishes of his dad—a man he both loved and feared—and responding to God’s call. Despite not liking the legal profession, Martin chose to follow the wishes of his father.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.