Whatcha Talkin' 'Bout God?
A Simplified Guide to Reading or Studying the Bible
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
What’s in it For Me?
Why Do I Need to Study the Bible?
This chapter explains why it is so important to read and study the Bible. Although by no means an exhaustive list, you will learn the many benefits of reading the Bible. You will see how it can change you and your life as well as how it can affect those around you.
Prayer
Father God, thank you for your enduring love. Thank you for putting the desire in my heart to know you better. Lord Jesus, take the things I will read here and use them to teach me more about You and how to know You better. Holy Spirit, open the eyes and ears of my heart to see and hear what You are saying to me. I realize that what You have to say to me may not come from the words on these pages, but I am eager to hear them anyway. Lord, in the name of Jesus, I ask You to bless this time of study. Amen.
Chapter Verse: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
ESV 16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
CSB 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
NLT 16All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Jacket Notes
If you have ever bought a book, you most likely have read the jacket notes before you purchased it. What it is about? What do other people have to say about the book? Now, imagine that the book you are considering is the Bible. From the jacket you learn that the book is about the story of mankind, from creation to residing in heaven. But is it really good? Listen to what others have said.
The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.
—Patrick Henry (Bell & Campbell 2003)
It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
—George Washington (Bell & Campbell 2003)
The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.
—Charles Dickens (Bell & Campbell 2003)
[The Bible] is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking.
—A. W. Tozer (Johnson 2003)
You’ve heard it before, but it’s true. God created you for one purpose—to have a relationship with Him, the Triune God. Relationship, by definition, means interaction with each other. God is always there, so it is your task to connect with Him. It is His task to do the perfecting of your life, which He does, partly, through His Word. God tells you why He gave you His Word (see Scripture 3).
Scripture 3: John 20:31
ESV But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
NLT But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
Reading or studying the Bible is a communication with God where you find out who God is. Inhaling these words of life that God carefully breathed on the authors can transform you into a radically different person who thinks as God thinks and loves as God loves. In short, it can transform you into the person God sees when He looks at you.
What the Bible Is and Is Not
The Bible is many things, but at its core it is essentially a revelation of God. It is, in fact, a divine self-disclosure. While the Bible contains scientific facts, it is not considered scientific. Likewise, it is not literary, it is not philosophical, and it is not an ordinary book.
Finding Jesus and God
The supreme importance of the Bible is that in it you find Jesus Christ. There is only one way to gain clear, true, fresh, and lofty views of Him, and that is through Scripture. Jesus is the grand centerpiece of the entire Bible. Scripture’s purpose is to bring you to salvation, and since salvation is through Jesus, all the scriptures point to Him as well as His death and resurrection.
The Bible is the prism through which the light of Jesus Christ is broken into its many beautiful colors. Through it you see love, peace, and forgiveness as well as all the other attributes of Jesus. Additionally, you gain a personal knowledge of God through knowing Jesus. Christians study Scripture because they know Jesus, but also because they want to know Him more. The Bible is God’s own portrait of Jesus, and there is no other way to know Him.
Another goal of studying Scripture is to know God. While the Bible reveals Jesus to you, it also gives you God’s thoughts about everyday issues of life. The big picture shows how God has interacted with his people throughout history. Reading and studying the Bible is essential for the Christian who wants to know Him on a deeper level.
Benefits of Reading
Granted, the Bible is not an easy read meant for a lazy afternoon. The benefits of reading or studying the Bible greatly outweigh the challenges. It can be life changing. God’s word is as essential to your spirit for a healthy spiritual life as natural food is to your body for a healthy physical life.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Do you feel a little overwhelmed when you try to read or study the Bible? Would you like a guide that can enhance the time you spend with Scripture? Whatcha Talkin’ ‘Bout God? leads you through a simplified process that you can use to enhance the time you spend in Scripture.
Designed for use by either groups or individuals, Kathy Lee Rix has taken the best and most understandable information from over 30 resources and combined it into this one guide to answer the questions that most new Christians—or even those who just want to know more about Bible study—might ask.
This book will take you from the very beginning of learning what the Bible is, all the way through being able to do your own Bible study. With practical steps laid out in a simplified, easily understandable process, Whatcha Talkin’ ‘Bout God? is your gateway to a more satisfying Bible reading and studying experience.
About the Author
Kathy Lee Rix is a living testimony of God’s love and persistence when it comes to His children. She spent most of her life in an on-again-off-again association with God—mostly off. In 2013 (at the age of 65) she was at the end of a 24-year span without God. She calls it her time in the desert. She had reached the lowest point in her life, going to bed at night hoping she would not wake up in the morning. A friend dragged her to church where God got hold of her heart. She repented and rededicated her life to Jesus. He taught her how to be in a true relationship with Him instead of just doing religion. She subsequently had an encounter with God that opened her heart up and allowed her to surrender to Him completely.
Kathy Lee’s life is a testament to two things. First, it is never too late to develop an intimate relationship with God. Second, God never gives up on his children. And, according to His word (Romans 8:16; 2 Corinthians 6:18), we are all sons and daughters of the living God.
Today, Kathy Lee is growing in her own spirituality as well as in her role of ministering to others, primarily through the written word. She is continuing to develop study guides, as well as producing other genres of literature, designed to help all of God’s people realize a closer, more personal relationship with Him. Her constant prayer is that each person who picks up one of her books is blessed by what God is sharing through her.