DUSTY

BIBLE
How and why you should read a really ancient
book with really small font

DUSTY BIBLE
Does your Bible live with your
forgotten treasures gathering dust
under your bed? Is it sitting in a
cardboard box at the bottom of
your wardrobe with your micro
machines, barbies, old video games
and digital calculator watch?
Your Bible deserves far more than that.
That ancient black (or pink or red or
brown) book with really small font is
Gods message to you.

FROM HIM TO YOU.

This little book (with average sized font) will
help you understand why its important
to read the Bible and how to go about it.
So get down on your hands and knees,
reach under the bed past your old
cassette tapes and grab that book. Pull
it out and dust it off. From here on in,
it will change your life.

MOST CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS

THE WRITTEN
WORD OF GOD
AND A SET OF
GUIDELINES TO
LIVE BY
*

But research has shown that most Kiwi Christians dont read it very much*. Why?
* From Bible Society research, 2008.

IM TOO BUSY
TO READ IT
I GET DISTRACTED
BY OTHER THINGS
I DONT
UNDERSTAND IT
If this is you, dont worry, youre not alone. These are the three most
common reasons why people find it hard to read the Bible.

WHY SHOULD YOU

READ IT?
Because Gods written words have life.
They have power. When you spend time
reading the Bible and praying, youre
putting yourself before God and asking
him to change you and make you into
the person he wants you to be.

ITS ALL ABOUT

TRANSFORMATION
Bible reading and prayer is a crucial part
of your journey with God. So, if you
want the Bible to be an important part
of your journey, heres some help on
dealing with busyness, distractions and
finding the Bible hard to understand.
So then, about those three reasons...

IM TOO BUSY
TO READ IT
AFTER HE HAD SENT THEM
AWAY, HE WENT BY HIMSELF UP
INTO THE HILLS TO PRAY.
- Matthew 14: 23

Jesus made time to be alone with God.

Sometimes he had to tell people to go
away so he could be alone.
You make time in your day for the
things that are important to you. If TV
is important to you, youll make time to
watch it. If having a shower is important
to you, youll make time for one.
If God is important to you, shouldnt
you make time for him? Its all too easy
to put off spending time with God,
because we know he will still love us.

Spending time alone with God every day

is the best way to grow in your faith and
to deepen your relationship with him.
God deserves the best of your time,
because he gives you the best of his.
Make spending time with God in prayer
and Bible reading a priority in your day.
You dont need to spend hours, 20
minutes will do. God just wants to have
a conversation with you.

I GET DISTRACTED
BY OTHER THINGS
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING,
WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK,
JESUS WOKE AND LEFT THE
HOUSE. HE WENT TO A LONELY
PLACE, WHERE HE PRAYED.
- Mark 1:35

Jesus separated himself from the busyness

of life. If that meant climbing a mountain
to be alone with God, he did it.
You will always find it difficult to spend
time with God while someone is
watching TV in the same room. Or if
youre sitting on your bed with your Bible
in front of you and your cell phone next
to it. Make your time with God free of
distractions by going to a quiet place.

Spending time alone with God, in silence,

is radical considering we are constantly
surrounded by noise, images, flickering
lights and televisions, ringing phones,
music and people.
Regularly reading your Bible and praying
is a spiritual discipline. You need to
work at it. The more you do it, the
easier it becomes.
DONT GIVE UP TOO EASILY.

I DONT
UNDERSTAND IT
THEN STARTING WITH
WHAT MOSES AND ALL THE
PROPHETS HAD SAID ABOUT
HIM, JESUS BEGAN TO EXPLAIN
EVERYTHING THAT HAD BEEN
WRITTEN ABOUT HIMSELF IN
THE SCRIPTURES.
- Luke 24:27

The Bible is one story. Its the story of

Jesus Christ. Even the Old Testament
is about Jesus. Everything in the Bible
is from God and it is all useful. So its
important to read it all - both the Old
and New Testaments.
Knowing the Bible story will help you
understand it. It helps you work out

when and why each of the different

books in the Bible was written.
This is something youll need to work at.
Heres what to do:
1. Make sure the translation youre using is a good
one for you. If you dont understand it, find a
different translation that you do understand.
Try the Contemporary English Version (CEV)
or the New Living Translation (NLT).
2. Learn the Bible story. Check out the back
of this book for a very brief summary, or visit
www.biblesociety.org.nz and click on the
Bible resources link for more help.
3. Read the Bible systematically. Rather than
reading a random verse each day, read through
a chunk of verses over the course of a few days.
For example, read Deuteronomy chapters 1 to
5 over the course of a week. This will help you
understand the Bible story better.

HOW TO READ
YOUR BIBLE

HELPFUL TOOLS

WHEN YOU READ THE BIBLE, DO THESE FOUR THINGS:

THERE ARE MANY TOOLS AVAILABLE TO HELP YOU IN YOUR BIBLE READING.

1. TALK TO GOD
Thank God for the Bible and ask him
to help you understand what youre
about to read.

Need help applying the Bible to your

life? Use a Bible reading guide. These are
booklets that have a daily reading along
with a short commentary that helps
you understand the passage and apply
it to your life. Get one from your local
Christian bookstore.

2. READ AND LISTEN

Read the passage slowly and thoughtfully.
Listen to what God might be saying to
you. Re-read any bits that really stick out
to you.

3. THINK
Think about what youve read. Ask yourself some questions:
What is the main point?
What does the reading say about
God? His character? His plans?
What insight is there for me to apply
to my life situation? Is there an
example or warning? Is God giving
me a promise?
How does God want me to respond?
4. RESPOND
Turn things youve read into prayers. Ask
God for his help in applying what youve
learned to your life. Pray for others.

Dont like reading? Try an audio Bible.

Listening to the Bible can be a great way
of encountering God. Bible Society has
many to choose from, so contact us.

Want something a little more digital?

There are many great digital tools
available on the web that can help you in
your Bible reading. These include
podcasts, online Bible search tools,
audio Bibles, discussion forums, blogs
and interactive Bible reading websites.
Visit www.biblesociety.org.nz and click
on the Bible resources link to help you
find some.
Need a plan of readings? Bible society
offers a free bible reading plan that
contains 365 readings, one for each day
of the year.
Contact us and well send one to you or
order online at www.biblesociety.org.nz
and click on the free outreach materials link.

THE BIBLE STORY

When you dont know the full
story the Bible can feel like a
jumbled puzzle. The entire Bible
is one story: the story of Jesus
Christ. Knowing the story will
help you understand and apply
the Bible to your life. Here is a
very brief summary.
In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. In
six days he created everything
including his masterpiece,
humans. On the seventh day he rested.
One day, the serpent convinced Eve
and Adam to eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. In doing so,

they disobeyed Gods command and sin

entered the world. God kicked them out
of the garden as he didnt want them to
eat from the tree of life and live forever.
Adam and Eve had children and as the
population grew, God saw that human
hearts and thoughts were constantly
filled with evil. God was sorry he had
made humans. To deal with the problem
of sin, he chose Noah and told him to
build an ark. Noah filled the ark with
every kind of animal and God flooded
the world, destroying all living things
except those in the ark.
After the flood, the population
grew again, but sinful desires
led people to build a tower

to the heavens at Babel. After destroying

the tower, God decided to deal with
the problem of sin once and for all. He
chose one couple, Abraham and Sarah, to
start an entire nation of special people
from whom a Saviour of the world would
come. God promised them a special land
to live in. One of their sons, Jacob, had
twelve sons who became the fathers of
the 12 tribes of Israel. One of the 12 sons,
Joseph, was sold into slavery in Egypt by
his brothers.
Joseph served Pharaoh well and was put
in charge over all of Egypt. At Josephs
advice, Pharaoh stored up food for a
coming famine. When the famine came,
Jacobs sons had to go to Egypt to buy
food. Joseph forgave his brothers and
they moved to Egypt to live with Joseph.
The Israelites grew in number
in Egypt and were forced into
slavery. After 430 years of
exile in Egypt, God chose one
man, Moses, to lead them to freedom.
After Pharaoh let them go, the Israelites
travelled to Mount Sinai where God gave

Moses the Ten Commandments. After

a year at Mount Sinai and a bad report
from some Israelite spies sent out into the
Promised Land, God sentenced his people
to wandering in the desert until an entire
generation of unbelieving adults had died.
After 40 years in the desert, Moses died
and Joshua led the Israelites into the
Promised Land. The land was divided
among the 12 tribes. They had no formal
leadership except for Judges that God
called on as the need arose. The Judges
were generally ineffective and the Israelites eventually asked God for a king. God
granted them their wish and Saul became
the first king of Israel. After Saul, David
became king followed by his son Solomon.
After Solomon died, the
kingdom of Israel erupted
into civil war and divided
into two parts: Judah in the
south and Israel in the north. Israel lasted
200 years before being destroyed forever
by the Assyrians. Judah lasted 350 years
before the Babylonians destroyed
Jerusalem and Gods temple that Solomon

had built. Many citizens of Judah were

exiled to Babylon.

tried him before Pilate and Herod and

crucified him.

After Persia defeated Babylon, the exiled

Israelites (now called Jews), were allowed
to go back to their homeland and
rebuild the temple. This is the end of
the Old Testament.

Three days later he rose from

the dead. Jesus Christ was Gods
sacrifice, once and for all, for the
sins of all humans.

During the time between the Old

Testament and the New Testament, the
region where the Jews lived was controlled
first by the Greeks and then the Romans.
The Romans appointed King Herod to
rule over the province of Judea where
the Jews were living.
Jesus Christ was born under
Herods rule to a poor couple
named Mary and Joseph. At
about the age of 30 he was
baptized by John and began his ministry
by announcing that he was the Saviour
sent by God to be a sacrifice for the
sins of the world. He chose 12 men to
be his apostles and taught people about
how to have a right relationship with God.
However, religious leaders arrested him,

After he rose from the dead, Jesus

appeared to more than 500 people
before ascending to heaven. Ten days
later, the Holy Spirit was given by God
to the apostles and the church began to
grow rapidly. One of the churchs main
persecutors, Saul, encountered Jesus and
was converted. After this, Saul became
known as Paul and began preaching
the Gospel of Jesus Christ all over the
region. One of Jesus apostles, Peter, was
sent by God to preach the message of
Jesus to non-Jewish people.
The church grew rapidly throughout
the Middle East. The Bible ends with a
prophecy about events that will lead to
the return of Jesus and the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth.
Bible verses quoted (except where stated) are from The Holy Bible, New Century
Version (NCV), copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

For more help with your Bible reading contact Bible Society.
Email: bibles@biblesociety.org.nz
Freephone: 0800 42 42 53

www.biblesociety.org.nz

Getting Bibles into hands and hearts