Dave Miller's 2024 Bible Reading Challenge

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:8    Background:     Remembering the books that Paul wrote on his missionary journeys is easier than you think. On his first journey, Paul wrote ONE letter. Galatians.  On his second journey, Paul wrote TWO letters. First and Second Thessalonians.  On his third journey, Paul wrote (guess) THREE letters. Romans. First and Second Corinthians.  On his fourth journey (the prison trip), Paul wron

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     Acts 17:16-18:22    Background:     ne of the papers I did in my fourth year of Greek in seminary was on 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. In that passage, Paul says that he entered Corinth determined to know nothing but Christ and Christ crucified. It has been assumed by many that this was the result of Paul's "failure" Athens, in which he attempted to debate with the philosophers in Athens. As the theory goes,

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     Acts 16:1-17:15    Background:     After splitting from Barnabas, Paul took Silas and went back out on his second missionary journey. Paul headed by to Galatia, where at Lystra he met a young man who would become his key assistant, Timothy. He tried to go first to Asia (Asia Minor - Ephesus and surrounding areas), then to Bithynia, but was redirected by the Spirit both times. Then in a dream, he was called to go

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     Acts 15    Background:     Irresistible force, meet immovable object! When Saul of Tarsus met Jesus the passion with which he persecuted the church became the force with which he proclaimed Christ and nothing was going to stop him, not even his Jewish critics. Paul's first journey was a great success as many Gentiles came to Christ but he also encountered growing opposition from the circumcision party. He wro

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Galatians 5-6     Background:     Galatians 5 is one of those mountaintops of the Bible and one of the formative texts for my ministry. It begins with a strong rebuke to the Galatians who had begun so well, being saved by grace but had now turned toward the law of God to try to live in the flesh. Verse 12 is probably the strongest thing Paul says in any of his letters, wishing those who pushed circumcision and the

Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Galatians 3-4     Background:     Galatians 3 contrasts the way of the law and the way of grace. Paul confronts the false reliance of the circumcision party on Jewish law and rituals, demanding they come to God through faith and faith alone. Galatians 4 continues the argument of chapter 3, the superiority of grace over the law, but here there is a series of metaphors related to our standing as sons and heirs of God t

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     Galatians 1-2    Background:     Figuring out when Paul wrote his other epistles is generally easier than setting a date for Galatians, which has been much debated. The issues have to do with the identity of the Galatians and are likely not of interest to many of our readers - a basic Bible dictionary or encyclopedia would explain those issues for those who wish to go deeper. It seems best to identify the Galatia

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Acts 13-14     Background:     Acts 13-14 records Paul's first missionary journey. It is a true turning point in the life of the church. It begins in Antioch in a worship service when the Spirit called Barnabas and Saul to go out as missionaries. They did, traveling to the Galatian region. A funny thing happened there. The process which began with Cornelius came to full fruition. Chased out of the synagogues an

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     James 4-5    Background:     James did not get the memo that "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar," nor did he understand that those who proclaimed God's word were to be unfailingly positive and encouraging. In James 4 he blistered his hearers for their spiritual adultery and their friendship with the world. As they got away from Jerusalem and from the center of worship they tended to

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:     James 3    Background:     James 3 deals with two topics. First, James transitions from a warning about the high responsibility of teachers to a discussion of the power of the tongue. He then reflects on the wisdom of God and contrasts the wisdom from above and the wisdom that is from below. Daily Devotional:   Satan's Greatest Servant   When I look back on my 5 decades of Christianity, I would surmise that t

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   James 1-2     Background:     An Introduction to the Book of James We interrupt our reading of the book of Acts to read what is often believed to be the first of the epistles of the New Testament, James. New Testament scholars are not uniform in their opinions of the timing and setting of the book of James, but it seems likely that the book was written by James, the brother of Jesus, who became the leader of the ch

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Acts 12     Background:     Acts 12 is about two deaths and a life.  It begins with the martyrdom of James, the Son of Thunder, who asked to be at the right hand or left of the Savior in his kingdom but instead had the privilege of going to the presence of Christ, dying by the sword at Herod's command. The chapter ends with Herod himself dying at the hand of God's angel, struck down because of his pride.  I

  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2022 This year, instead of reading from Genesis to Revelation, we will read the Bible as the story flows, as it happened and was written. There are several plans out there and I have worked to combine them into a plan that lets the Bible tell its own story "as it happened."  Remember, the Bible is inspired, but not in the order the books appear in our Bibles.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but I have divided it so that we will spend half the year in the OT, and half the year in the NT.  Bible Readings:   Acts 11     Background:     God did something amazing in Caesarea, but there was still some difficult work to do back in Jerusalem. Already there had formed what would become the greatest rift in the early church - how Jewish was the church going to be? Did people have to be Jews to become Christians? The "circumcision party" had already formed in Jerusalem, Christians who put Jewish law ahead of God'