I was a brand new Christian, and I had no idea how to start reading the Bible. In fact, I couldn’t have told you where to find Genesis or Revelation (the first and last books of the Bible).
But I wanted to know more about God.
So, I walked to a tiny missionary book store down the street from my Singapore apartment and bought a Bible.
When I opened it, I had no idea what I was reading.
That’s how the Ethiopian in the book of Acts must have felt when his chariot ran smack dab into Philip.
Evidently a new convert to the Jewish faith, he’d been to Jerusalem where he must have heard rumblings about Jesus. Now a hunger was burning in his heart to know more.
So, on his way back home, he sat in his chariot and opened the Scriptures. He was reading aloud, but not comprehending much.
That’s when Philip showed up and started reading the Scriptures.
Unbeknownst to the Ethiopian, God had instructed Philip to leave a prosperous ministry in Jerusalem and travel down a road in the desert.
Those two lives intersected on that road. When Philip met the Ethiopian ruler, he climbed up in his chariot, and “Philip began with this same Scripture and then used many others to tell him about Jesus” (Acts 8:35, TLB).
Did you get that? God knew the Ethiopian ruler wanted to know the Scriptures, so He yanked Philip up to go explain them to him!
Here’s what I know beyond a doubt:
WHEN WE START READING THE BIBLE, GOD WILL TAKE ALL KINDS OF MEASURES TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO US.
Back at my apartment, I opened my paraphrased translation of the Bible and started reading. I don’t consider myself incredibly smart, so I didn’t understand much. But God gave me a supernatural hunger to know more. So, I kept reading. And before long I was hooked. I couldn’t put my Bible down.
As the Scriptures became more clear to me, I fell more in love with them and with Jesus. This was long before the Internet, so I didn’t have access to commentaries or online Bible teachers. But I didn’t need them. God sent His Spirit to teach and guide me as I read. If that sounds cliché to you, be assured that I’m naturally a skeptic myself and don’t easily make claims like that. But there’s simply no other explanation.
Besides that, God led me to a church where the Bible was taught. He gave me Christian friends who showed me how to obey what I was reading. And He helped me memorize verses that have guided my life for years.
If you want to know more about how to start reading the Bible, use these steps that worked for me.
Don’t worry about how much you don’t know. The Holy Spirit will teach you.
Here’s all you need:
- A DESIRE to know God and hear from Him.
- A DECISION to open your Bible.
- A COMMITMENT to set aside some time to read and pray.
God pulled out all the stops for a man who was hungry to hear from Him.
He’ll do the same for you and me.
Take the first step.
START READING YOUR BIBLE and allow Him to supernaturally teach and encourage you, too.
