There has been an ever-increasing number of podcasts that read the Bible in a year to its listeners. On the surface, a great idea, and so many millions of people have subscribed and listened to Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year podcast; which at one point was the number one podcast in America. With over 430 million downloads across all available platforms and tens of thousands of reviews, the Bible, in this format at least, has spread like wildfire. Admittedly, I started this podcast a couple years back and didn’t make it very far. That doesn’t mean that millions haven’t benefitted from making it through the entire Bible in a year though. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” My question for those dedicating 20 minutes a day to get through the Bible in a year challenge; are you being fed from the word? Have habits been formed to read the Bible to know the Bible, not just to read or listen to the Bible?
Reading a daily devotional that highlights a verse or passages from the Bible and offers someone else’s opinion, much like my Proverb postings, is nice and often fills the soul, making us feel better, or gives us pause to ponder an insight. I imagine any of the Bible in a year podcasts out in the wild provide a multiplication of fruit over daily devotionals, with added history lessons attached, especially when reading in the Old Testament. But isn’t reading the Bible and prayer supposed to be essential and a central part of every Christians life? Moreover, how is one supposed to disciple under Jesus Christ if reading, understanding and knowing the Bible isn’t part of a spiritual discipline found in our everyday routines? I posit that churches are partly to blame for the lack of biblical study in today’s Christian household.
Some church preachers are expository in their sermons, taking the congregation through the Bible verse by verse. Presented with pens and oversized notecards, you are encouraged to take notes and fill in the blanks. I love this because studies have shown up to a 30% increase in retention when we write things down by hand, furthermore, when taking notes, we tend to form things in our own words, thus increasing our own understanding of the material being taught. Imagine how many years it would take to get through the Bible in this manner, roughly seven years if we follow the same Bible in year format of ~20 minutes a day and divided that out across 52 sermons per year, assuming a church ever put forward a plan such as this. The moral of the story; no amount of note taking will allow us to fully comprehend everything taught to us for 20 minutes once a week for seven years.
Paul has a different plan for us, as laid out in Romans 15:4: “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” In a fallen world, hope is mighty and powerful but not necessarily guaranteed and can’t be earned, but effort begets grace, also not guaranteed. A strong spiritual discipline of reading the Bible, regularly, outside of church on Sunday is a good way to begin forming a relationship with Jesus Christ. Relationship with Christ is the foundation to apprenticing under Him, learning about endurance and feeding on the encouragement found there-within, will by its nature provide hope in a valley.
How can a book written over several thousand years and last updated two thousand years ago provide such hope? Simply by looking at it through a lens that the Bible is based in reality, as something that brings internal change and transformation to us. Adulthood makes that hard for us, that is the genius of why Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 – “And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'” I often wear a shirt that says, “your mentality is your reality”, a truer statement couldn’t come alongside Jesus’ statement in Matthew. It’s not much of a secret as it is an act of surrender, complete and total surrender and a belief that each word in the Bible is God-breathed. Explore more about the power of scripture in His Gospel and Truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
To teach anything one must have more than a surface level understanding of a subject, by all intents and purposes it must be internalized by the teacher. Otherwise, born are the labels of ‘bible thumper’, ‘holier than though’ and ‘holy roller’, my personal favorite. I remember when I first started studying the Bible in-depth. It transformed my understanding of God. Read more about my journey in A Testimony of Service and Faith.
In the end, without intimate knowledge and bearing righteous fruit of the Spirit that only comes through a relationship with Christ we are only wrapping self-righteous judgement in a cloak of religious speak. Rebuking and correcting should be inward facing arrows as we mature in spiritual discipline, not aimed toward our neighbors, only love should be directed outward first to Christ and then to our neighbors. Already having memorized the entire Old Testament, a requirement set forth to become a Pharisee, after conversion, Paul spent three additional years in training after Jesus revealed himself on the side of road. This didn’t stop him from preaching and sharing his testimony, and witnessing to others, something we are called to do as followers of Jesus. Understanding and applying Biblical teachings is crucial. Learn more in Fully Devoted: No Shortcuts in Following Jesus. My final point here can be found in the last five words of this verse, “…equipped for every good work” Let’s not forget the power of God here, remember how the verse begins, “All scripture is God-breathed”, therefore every good work means ALL good can ONLY be from God by His grace and mercy. Everything else can be considered not of God, therefore not good.
Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 is the reality of what the Bible can do for us as humans; should we open ourselves to such immense opportunity for growth. But isn’t that what being an apprentice of Jesus is all about? To live and love like He did, to cover ourselves with His blood, transforming our personality from the inside out? The only way to know His love and His Life is by reading His Truth and following His Way. I know I’ve just punned John 14:6, but a true statement, nonetheless. Without intimate time spent in solitude with His word and prayer we will not form the relationship required to follow Him and apprentice under Him.
In closing, whether just starting out or wrapping up the Bible in a year podcast, encourage yourself to spend time alone in the written Word with our Lord. Paul, in his letter to Colossus in Colossians 3:16 said, ”Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” To understand and know the Bible is to have Christ dwell within you, the only source of eternal joy and peace. If your aim is to simply complete the Bible in a year then you will find yourself held captive to legalism; with nothing more than growth in pride and ego to show for your efforts, not the lesson the Bible aims to teach. If however, your aim is to make the Bible in a year podcast part of your daily spiritual discipline then you are off to a great start in forming a bond and relationship with your Creator beyond your wildest imagination. One where you will be transformed from the inside out, armed with a light that extinguishes darkness before it can take hold. “Come, follow me” He said. “Go and make disciples”, He said. Be bold, be truth, go forth and God bless.
For further insights on deepening your relationship with God through the Bible, check out Faith Over Fear and Patience in Suffering.
