The Bible

By George Stiekes | July 19, 2017

George Stiekes

That ye might walk worthy of the LORD unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and INCREASING IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Colossians 1:10

Our text is very clear as to what our mindset ought to be and what our Christian lives are supposed to be all about. 1) We are to walk worthy of the LORD , 2) We are to please the LORD, 3) We are to be fruitful in every good work and 4) We are to increase in the knowledge of God.

Since God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in His Word, daily reading, studying, and meditation in His Word ought to be priority. How many times have you heard a conversation like this?

“There is nothing like getting up at 6:00 AM and going for a run in the park to start the day.” “Wow, how long have you been doing this?” “I am starting tomorrow!?

How many times have you said, “There is nothing like getting up at 6:00 AM and having a time in God’s Word and prayer?” How often do you carry through with this special time?

Did you realize: In the King James Version, God’s Word contains 3,586,489 letters, 773, 692 words, 31,173 verses, 1189 chapters, and 66 books. The word “LORD” occurs 1,855 times. The word “reverend” occurs only once in Psalm 111:9. Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible. Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters in the alphabet except the letter “j”. II Kings 19 and Isaiah 27 are alike. The longest verse is Esther 8:9. The shortest verse is John 11:35. Psalm 107:8, 15, 21 and 31 are alike. Each verse of Psalm 136 ends with, “The mercy of the Lord endureth forever.”

You could break this down if you like. For example – Genesis contains 50 chapters, 1533 verses, 38,267 words. Isaiah – 66 chapters, 1292 verses, 37,044 words. Numbers – 36 chapters, 1288 verses, 32,902words. In Acts, there are 18 prayer meetings recorded and 18 sermons. In Romans, Paul quoted from the Old Testament more often than in all his other letters combined, revealing how important the Old Testament is to understanding the Gospel.

It is not certain how that information will help you spiritually. However, in the Bible, you have a perfect library and those who study it thoroughly will be a far better scholar than most university professors (Psalm 119:99). The average person can read through it in 71 hours.

It is important to know what each Bible book is all about. The following provides a brief synopsis of the twenty-seven New Testament books. Like the Old Testament books, it might be helpful to some to download that basic framework in order to prepare yourself for reading through the Word of God with understanding.

Book

Author, Key Verse

Theme

The Gospels give a fourfold view of Jesus Christ

Matthew

Matthew 4:17

The King and His Kingdom

Mark

Mark 10:45

The works of Christ, the Servant.

Luke

Luke 19:10

The Son of Man

John

John 20:31

The Son of God – God in Flesh

Acts

Luke 1:8

The Birth and Spread of the Church – The Acts of the Spirit of God.

Romans

Paul 1:16-17

Epistle of Faith & Righteousness – Doctrinal – Justification by Christ

I Corinthians

Paul 2:6-8; 3:1

Disciplining the Saints – Practical

II Corinthians

Paul 3:8, 4:5, 15

Defense of his ministry – Personal

Galatians

Paul 2:16

Magna Carta of Christian Liberty – Correction

Ephesians

Paul 1:3, 2:6

Our Wealth and Walk in Christ – Doctrinal – Divine Grace

Philippians

Paul 2:5

The mind of Christ – Reproof

Colossians

Paul 1:17-19

The Preeminence of Christ – Correction

I Thessalonians

Paul 4:13-14

Hope in Christ’s Return – Doctrinal

II Thessalonians

Paul 2:3, 13-14

The Day of the Lord – Doctrinal

I Timothy

Paul 3:14-15

Ministry Manual

II Timothy

Paul 1:13, 2:15

Encouragement in Ministry

Titus

Paul 1:5, 3:8

The Book of Good Works – Doctrinal

Philemon

Paul 1:16

The Runaway Slave Turned Brother

Hebrews

? 11:40

The Superiority of Jesus Christ

James

James 2:20, 26

Practical Faith

I Peter

Peter 1:6, 7

Suffering and Persecution

II Peter

Peter 1:3, 4, 3:2

Truth in the midst of Apostasy

I John

John 5:13

Fellowship

II John

John 1:6

Love and Truth

III John

John 1:4, 8

Truth

Jude

Jude 1:3

Contend for the Faith

Revelation

John 1:7, 19

The Book of Final Judgment

In your reading of these books, you may come up with other themes and key verses, but these will get you started. I trust you will find this helpful.

George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.

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