Learning to Read the Bible – Part 1

Why the Bible can be Difficult to Read

Is the Bible difficult to read? If so, why? In this podcast we explore some of the reasons why the Bible’s contents can be challenging for us to get to grips with. We find that there are very good and logical reasons why this should be the case, and yet we have clear assurance that any attempt on our part to genuinely seek God’s message will be abundantly rewarded.

5. Learning to Read the Bible – Part One (17.0mb)

Bible quotes referred to in this podcast:

Isaiah 55:8-9, Proverbs 25:2, Matthew 13:10-13, Matthew 5:1, Matthew 8:1 and Matthew 7:7.

Background on the Bible – Part 3

Why Two Testaments?

If you open the contents page of your Bible you will find that it contains 66 books, 39 of which are designated as belonging to the Old Testament and 27 of which are designated as belonging to the New Testament. The divison is mainly an historical one with the break coming in between the books which deal with the history of the nation of Israel up until Christ’s first coming, and the coming of Christ himself as recorded in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What of the Old Testament though? Is it still relevant and necessary? Can the New Testament be understood without it?

4. Background on the Bible – Part Three (15.0mb)

Bible quotes referred to in this podcast:

Romans 15:8-9, 2 Peter 1:2-4, Galatians 3:26-29, John 5:39, Luke 24:27 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Background on the Bible – Part 2

The Benefits of Reading the Bible

“Someone once said to me that the Bible is like that puddle of water that you go to put your foot in just to see how deep it is… and before you know it, it’s up to your knee, and pretty soon you realise it’s deep enough to stand in… and before long you realise, that you need to don the scuba gear because there is so much depth there and so much to explore”

3. Background on the Bible – Part Two (13.5mb)

Bible quotes referred to in this podcast:

Isaiah 40:6-8, Proverbs 30:5-6, Psalm 19:7-11, 2 Peter 1:19, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 119:9, Romans 15:4, and Psalm 119:105

Bible Reading and Study Resources referred to in this podcast:

Free html download of New English Translation (NET) with translation and study notes available here: www.bible.org

Free Bible Study Program called ‘E-Sword’ with a variety of Bible translations, (including the King James Version – ‘KJV’), dictonaries and study tools available here: www.e-sword.net

Background on the Bible – Part 1

The Bible Inspired by God

The Bible claims that God was the over shadowing author of the Bible and intimately involved with the communication of His Word through a variety of selected ‘co-authors’.

2. Background on the Bible – Part One (12.5mb)

Bible quotes referred to in this podcast:

2 Timothy 3:14-17, 2 Samuel 23:1-2, Jeremiah 30:1-2 and 2 Peter 1:19-21.

Introduction

The Powerful Word of God

Upon opening the Bible for the first time, it’s likely to be confusing, overwhelming and depending on where you opened it, maybe even boring! I hope to be able to show in coming podcasts you that it’s certainly not boring, and it doesn’t have to stay confusing and overwhelming either! The Word of God is powerful… it’s just a question of plugging into it!

1. Introduction and Promo (6mb)

Bible quotes referred to in this podcast:

Romans 1:16

 

 

Hello and Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to this page.

My name is Josh Wallace and I am writing this from Melbourne in Australia!

Have you ever wondered what people find so fascinating about the Bible? The Bible is a book that has had a tremendous influence on the course of human history and continues to influence millions of people throughout the world today. Why is this? What’s it all about?

There is no doubt that the Bible is a controversial book and one that many people find hard to read. Frankly, it can be frustrating, confusing, boring or simply overwhelming. I believe that the Bible is the word of God, and my mission with the aid of this site is to help people find out a little more about the Bible and learn how to read the Bible effectively for themselves. I believe that the Bible’s ancient message can still be exciting and relevant to us today.

I plan to have on this site podcasts on various Biblical topics, starting with some simple background and intro casts. These will be accessible on the various pages above.

Gradually I intend to expand the topic range to include studies on various sections and characters of the Bible, tips for reading and understanding the Bible etc.

I’m still playing around with wordpress, and getting a feel for it, and offline I’m fiddling with Audacity and preparing an intro cast. I hope to be up and posting real soon with some mp3’s, so stay tuned!

Many thanks,

Josh.