Bible Reading Plan for Year 2008
We are committed to fact that the Bible is sufficient for all of life and practice.
2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
In order for us to be able to sufficiently apply the Bible to life, we have to know it and meditate on it.
Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
A great way to begin knowing and meditating on God's Word is to read it. Below is a Bible reading plan for 2008, which will enable the reader to read all of God's Word this year.
Bible Reading Plan for 2008
Questions to ask when reading any Scriptures for the year:
1. How is Christ seen in the passages for today?
2. How do the passages for today fit into God's redemptive plan?
3. How are the passages for today fulfilled in the gospel?
Questions on the specific passage for the day:
January Questions
February Questions
March Questions
April Questions
May Questions
June Questions
July Questions
August Questions
September Questions
October Questions
November Questions
December Questions
Scripture Memory Plan for 2008
As a church we will be memorizing and meditating on these Scriptures.
2008 Scripture Memory
Hymns of the Month, 2008
As a church we will be singing these hymns each Sunday of the month, Hymn #1 in January, Hymn #2 in February, and so on. Our goal is to memorize the music and all verses of these hymns.
Hymns for Each Month
MP3 Files (with introduction and all verses)
Jan - We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer Instrumental Congregation on 1/1/08 Congregation on 1/6/08
Feb - O God, Our Help in Ages Past Instrumental Congregation on 2/3/08
Mar - Trust and Obey Instrumental
Apr - May the Mind of Christ, My Savior Instrumental
May - I Sing the Mighty Power of God Instrumental
Jun - Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Instrumental
Books to Read in 2008
This year we will be reading three books, then following up with discussion and a searching of the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Below are some thoughts and book highlights.
There are several different kinds of books you can read (self-help books).
1. Books primarily based on experience.
2. Books that give the doctrines of men as solutions to problems.
3. Books that are expositions of Scripture and how Scripture is applied to life (the BEST choice).
Teach Them Diligently - Lou Priolo
This books discusses the Scriptural basis for what to do as a parent - teach your children to be biblical adults.
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
The idea is that we are to no longer be children, but mature adults. By application then, we are to also raise our children so they are no longer children, but mature adults. They are to be adults grounded in the Bible, who are becoming Christlike in their lives.
This is not about vocation, it is not about external beauty, it is not about the having of things. It is about the heart. It is about developing heart attitudes that are the same heart attitudes demonstrated by Jesus and result in spiritual fruit such as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
What is needed to do this?
Holy Spirit - a regenerated heart.
The Bible - that through which the Holy Spirit works.
Time - it is a process.
Parents that desire to properly raise children should ask themselves these questions:
1. How well do you know the Bible? (The best teacher is one who knows (and experienced) what he is teaching)
2. How often do you talk about the Bible in your normal conversation [with children]?
3. How well do you teach and relate the Scriptures to your children in everyday life?
4. How effective are you using the Scriptures to reprove (convict) your children?
5. When you use the Bible to reproof is it done in a way to cause your child to love or disdain the Bible?
6. How consistently do you use the Bible when correcting your children?
7. How do you use the Bible to train your children in righteousness?
Passionate Housewives, Desperate for God - Jenny Chancey and Stacy McDonald
This book is very much written in the spirit of Titus 2.
Titus 2;3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Characteristics of Titus 2:
Holy behavior – demeanor (countenance).
Not false accusers – no slander (false accusations are associated with Satan).
Not given to much wine – they have self control.
Teachers of good things – literally a teacher of what is right (righteousness).
Sober – sound mind.
Love their husbands – with tender affection.
Love their children – with tender affection.
Discreet – temperate and moderate in appearance and behavior.
Chaste – innocent and pure.
Good
Under authority (husbands).
What is presented in this book in a Titus 2 context with the goal of helping women achieve this list plus the other characteristics listed in 1 Timothy 5, Proverbs 31, and 1 Peter 3.
Here are some highlights from sections of the preface...
Instead of treasuring women and properly utilizing their gifts, our culture has attempted to discard the beauty and uniqueness of biblical womanhood and create an emotionally androgynous power-woman whose worth is measured only by the degree of her ambition, the shape of her body, and her money-making potential.
A godly keeper at home is absolutely not a lesser human being, a mindless robot, or a placid doormat under the submission to all men; rather, she is created in the very image of God and of equal worth and value compared to man. She is the crown of her husband, and a helper suitable for him.
She is not childish or unintelligent, she opens her mouth in wisdom, and her husband and children praise her.
She is not a household drudge chained to her stove, instead she is like a merchant ship, bringing her food from afar. She impacts her community by feeding the poor, making purchases for the proper running of her household, dealing in wisdom with employees, and selling homemade goods. She is known in the community and honors her husband by representing him well while in public, yet her hub of productivity and her primary focus is the place she most loves to be – her home.
Many church's, including ours is under attack in this area. We want to dispel rumors, gossip, slanders, and wrong perceptions about how women are viewed and how they function. This book presents an accurate, biblical picture of what a woman is and is not, and how she ought to function.
Other issues this book addresses:
1. The “What about Me? Problem.
2. The calling to be a woman is sacred.
3. Suggestions for when you are worn out.
4. The bondage of perfectionism.
5. What a keeper at home really looks like.
Plus more…
Specifically to the husbands:
1. You need to read this book.
2. It is your responsibility to help your wife achieve these things.
The Complete Husband - Lou Priolo
This may be the most difficult of the three books. It will require discernment, humility, accountability, and much effort to put into practice.
1 Peter 3: 7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
This word knowledge is derived from the primary verb “to know” which is used in the most intimate of relationships. The word honor has the idea of something very costly and very precious.
That's how men are to view their wives.
Quotes from Chapter One
The Bible places the burden of understanding on you as the husband. You’re the one who must take the initiative to draw out of your wife the information necessary to develop and maintain the one-flesh intimacy God intends you to have with her.
Quote from Jay Adams on a purpose of marriage many don't realize or have forgotten.
God made most of us so that we would be lonely without an intimate companion with whom to live. God provided Eve not only (or even primarily) as Adam’s helper (though help is also one dimension of companionship), but as his companion. He, as all other husbands since, [was] to provide companionship for her. In the Bible, marriage is described in terms of companionship. In Proverbs 2:17, for example, we’re told that “the strange woman… forsakes the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God.” The word translated “companion” in this verse has in it the idea of “one that is tamed” or “one that has a close, intimate relationship with another.” It’s obviously hard to establish a close relationship with a wild animal, but not nearly so with a domesticated (or “tame”) animal. The core meaning has to do with a close, intimate relationship, and that is exactly what marriage companionship is—the close, intimate relationship of a husband and wife to one another. The concept of “marriage as companionship” also appears in Malachi 2:14, where a different, but very complementary, term is used: “The Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth to whom you have been faithless, although she is your companion and your wife by covenant.” Now, the word here translated “companion” has as its kernel the idea of union or association. A companion, therefore, is that person with whom one enters into a close union or relationship. Inputing the two terms together, we come to a full sense of the idea of companionship: A companion is one with whom you are intimately united in thoughts, goals, plans, efforts, and in the case of marriage—bodies.
A question from chapter one: Why don’t men think this way and/or do these things?
Answer: Fear, Selfishness, Pride, Laziness, Ignorance.
A few of the several suggested questions that husbands should ask themselves and their wives to build intimacy in their marriage.
1. How can I be more Christ-like?
2. What are and how can I remove bad or annoying habits?
3. How does my wife feel when I do this or that?
4. Rate your marriage on a scale of 1 to 10.
5. What are my wife’s personal goals and how can I help her achieve them?
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