The Adventure Begins

The Bible might look like one book, but in actuality it is a collection of sixty-six books, written by forty writers over a period of 1500 years (1400 BC – 100 AD). These writers lived in various parts of the world – Israel, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Turkey, Italy, and more. Yet, in spite of the great variety of writers and locations, the Bible holds together as a consistent, accurate message from God to humanity.

How does this happen? The Bible’s accuracy depends on the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit who oversaw and guided each of these forty writers to ensure that the message from God was trustworthy and true. The Bible is like the human Owner’s Manual, provided by our Creator to help us know who God is and how we should live – for now and for eternity.

Our goal is to have each member read through the Bible chronologically in 2024. I know before we ever start, that completing this goal is quite a challenge. If you get behind, don’t give up. Jump in and start again. God will bless whatever parts of His Word that you put into your heart. His Word is powerful and will do its work in your heart and life.

Join us on this adventure to discover God’s plan for your life. We’ll learn more together than we ever could alone.

Click the download link to see the documented introductions for each of the Old Testament books.

Our Bibles provide us with four separate accounts of the life of Jesus. Three of these (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) have great similarities. They tell of many of the same encounters that Jesus had, the same parables that He told, and many of the same teachings. While each of the three has its distinct personality, they share much of the same material in a similar fashion. For this reason, they are dubbed “the Synoptic Gospels.” “Synoptic” simply means that they look alike.

John’s Gospel, however, has a completely different structure and flow. Although it tells the same story of the life of Jesus, John’s Gospel doesn’t look like, read like, or feel like the other three.

Understanding the Gospel of Matthew

Of the four Gospel writers, Matthew appears to aim his message more at the Jews. He presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and the giver of God’s new law. In many ways, Matthew seems to compare Jesus to Moses as a lawgiver, spiritual leader, and emancipator of the people.

Matthew records five major discourses (sermons) of Jesus and ends each one with the phrase, “When Jesus had finished saying these things… ” This Gospel contains more Old Testament references than the other three Gospels, apparently attempting to convince the Jews that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah.

Matthew was originally introduced to us as the tax collector called Levi. He made a radical life-change to leave his profession and follow Jesus. It is no surprise that he ends his Gospel with the charge from Jesus to take the Gospel into the whole world.

Understanding the Gospel of Mark

Most scholars believe that Mark was also known as John Mark and accompanied Paul and Barnabas on one of their missionary journeys. He is also sometimes connected to the unnamed young man who followed Jesus and the apostles to the garden before His arrest as the one who fled away naked from the temple guards.

Mark is identified as the cousin of Barnabas and a close co-worker with Peter. It is believed that Mark wrote his Gospel from Rome while he was with Peter and aimed his account toward those Gentile Roman converts. Mark refers to time by Roman terms rather than Jewish terms. He often explains the meanings of Aramaic words that are used in the Gospel account.

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four and seems to hurry through telling his story. He uses the term “immediately” quite often to keep his story moving. He concentrates on Jesus as a man of action, a servant of both God and man, and His calls to sacrificial discipleship.

The ending to Mark’s Gospel has been a source of controversy for many years. The earliest (oldest and most reliable) manuscripts end Mark’s Gospel at Mark 16:8. Later manuscripts also contain verses 9-20. While the addition might not have been part of Mark’s original writings, these verses are likely things that Jesus taught in His ministry and were added in by scribal copyists. In most modern translations, these verses are included in the text as a footnote with explanation.

Understanding the Gospel of Luke

Luke was a Gentile medical doctor who often traveled with Paul on his missionary trips. He probably wrote his account of the gospel around 60 AD. Luke also wrote the book of Acts as a sequel or “the rest of the story.”

Luke presents Jesus as a compassionate minister who is especially sympathetic toward Gentiles and people on the fringes of society. Several themes stand out in Luke’s writings. He boldly announces the arrival of the long-awaited kingdom of God. Luke also emphasizes a great reversal in life. The first will be last. The humble will be exalted.

Luke probably has more to say about possessions, riches, and wealth than the other Gospel writers. He often emphasized the danger of trusting in material riches and the need for good stewardship.

Understanding the Gospel of John

John’s Gospel is likely the last one of the four to be written. Scholars suggest a date of 85-95 AD. John was one of the original twelve apostles, the brother of James, and son of Zebedee, a Galilean fisherman.

John chose not to begin his story of Jesus at His birth in Bethlehem. Instead, he goes back to creation and identifies Jesus as the one who existed with God from eternity. John moves from Jesus’s role as co-creator with God to His fleshly appearance as a man from Nazareth.

John builds his Gospel around the theme of seven “I Am” statements that Jesus made. (I am the bread of life, I am the light of the world, I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and I am the true vine.) By doing this, he is emphasizing that Jesus is, in fact, God in the flesh. John reveals seven major miracles to accompany the seven “I Am” statements.

John clearly states that his purpose in writing is that we might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He concludes that our solid faith in Jesus will lead us to salvation by His power.