Beyond the Weekend

May 4 | Reliability

May 4, 2022

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but were eyewitnesses to his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16

Read: 2 Peter 1:16-19
Listen:
2 Peter 1

TODAY’S MESSAGE

How can we trust the Bible—is it reliable? This is a question that people often wonder about. In 2 Peter, the author said that they didn’t follow cleverly devised stories but they were eyewitnesses. Peter, one Jesus’s closest disciples, watched Jesus perform many miracles. He was an eyewitness to a Jesus being transfigured while on a mountaintop (Luke 9:28-36).

What this means is the authors of the New Testament were often eyewitnesses to the things they wrote. Even more, they were beaten, imprisoned and killed for talking about these things. Despite this brutal treatment, they continued to speak about Jesus and all they had seen. They did this because they believed it was true and that God’s words are to be believed.

There may be some of us who still struggle with reading our Bibles. Maybe for some of us, we get busy and it just gathers dust on the shelf. For others, maybe we intend to do more research before we trust and read it. Pastor Jeff Manion encouraged us to just read it. Even if we don’t follow Jesus yet or struggle to trust the Bible’s reliability—the best place to start is to read the Bible. If you wonder where to start, Pastor Jeff recommended starting with the accounts of Jesus’s life in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Commit or renew your commitment to pursue God’s Word in your life. If you are already reading the Bible consistently, ask God for the strength and discipline to keep going. If you struggle to read the Bible regularly, ask God to help you jump in to read. A good place to start is to read one of the books about the life of Jesus or Beyond the Weekend each day.


2022 BIBLE MEMORY PRACTICE

Develop spiritual roots and tap in the power of God’s word by memorizing monthly a Bible verse! View previous verses at beyondtheweekend.org/biblememorypractice.

MATTHEW 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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