One of the reasons so many of us don’t read our Bibles regularly comes from a misunderstanding of what the Scriptures are. We see the Bible as an ancient rule book with a whole bunch of disconnected information about God, rather than a whole grand story that showcases who God is.

What is this a picture of?

The Big Picture

You can see that by only looking at one part of the picture in this isolation it is very difficult to understand the big picture. The same is true when you are trying to do a puzzle, you need to look at the completed puzzle picture to know how all of the different pieces fit together. Reading the Bible works in exactly the same way. We need to view it as a whole to understand how each book and chapter fits together because the Bible is one book and not a collection of books.

The Bible tells one profound story. All the writings, which are written in different genres, from history to poetry, to eyewitness accounts, to personal letters and narrative ALL point in the same direction. They are all about the same characters, working to accomplish the same mission and goal.

Some Key Terms…

• Inerrant: Bible is without error, meaning what it says is true, and the way it was supposed to be written.
• Inspired: God helped to write the Bible. God did not physically write the words in the Bible, but we believe that He led the authors by His Spirit to write and record the things that they wrote.
• Characters: God is our great protagonist – or the hero of the story, the one who we are all cheering for. Our antagonist – or the bad guy- is Satan, or the devil, the great adversary to God Himself, who will spend the entire narrative trying to destroy the relationship between God and mankind permanently.
• Central Plot: God’s endless, tireless, faithful pursuit of a relationship with His most special creation – us.

Watch: The Bible – Setup (Right Now Media) by Brody Jespersen.

DISCUSS DURING PAUSES IN THE VIDEO

• What has been your understanding of the Bible? What is it? How do you describe it to others?
  – If a non-believer were to ask you what the Bible is, what would you say?
  – What do you believe the Bible is all about?

• What are some of the stories in the Old Testament that you feel point towards Jesus?
  – Is there a specific story in the Old Testament that stands out to you? How has it impacted you?
  – What is our relationship with the Old Testament to be? How are we to interpret and follow what we discover?

• Do you see the Bible as relevant or important? Why or why not?
  – Do you believe the Bible is still relevant today? Why or why not?
  – If someone were to say to you, “the Bible is just an old book, it is not relevant today” – how would you reply?

DISCUSS

• How did this video influence your view on, and relationship with, the Bible?
• What is your relationship with the Bible? How frequently, and why, do you read it?
• Have you ever experienced falling more in love with Jesus through the Scriptures? Is there a specific story or verse that stands out to you as shaping your view of God?
• According to 2 Timothy 3:14-17 what is Scripture and why is it important?
• Read 2 Peter 1:12-21. What stands out to you about what Peter says about Scripture? What questions arise for you?

Answer the following questions in the quiz after the discussion pauses during the video.

• Openly and honestly reflect on the following statement and consider where you are currently.

1. I believe and value the Bible as God’s Word…

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YES

2. I am familiar with most of the stories in the Bible…

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YES

3. When I read the Bible, I find it easy to understand…

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YES

4. I read the Bible regularly on my own…

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YES

• What is one way you can be more intentional about spending time in your Bible? (For example, verse a day on the Bible app, using audio Bible during day-to-day tasks, setting a specific time to read, starting a plan, etc.)