Revival is Here

After a prolonged period of declining attendance, young people are returning to the church in greater numbers than ever before. The harvest is ripe. Kids, teens, and young adults are hungry for God.

Are you ready for the harvest? Are you ready to make some disciples? One of the primary ways that we need to disciple young believers is to guide them into a daily habit of Bible reading.

That’s how I found God, by reading the Bible. Here’s my story.

Growing up, we never read the Bible in my home. One day, when I was 16 years old, my dad gave his life to Christ.

He went around the house speaking in tongues. Sometimes he would say things like, “The Lord told me ….”

God was talking to my dad, which is kind of scary when you are 16, because I wasn’t sure what God might tell him.

One of the biggest changes I noticed was that I saw my dad reading the Bible every morning. This is a picture of that Bible – It was the Living Bible Translation, also known as The Way.

At first, I wasn’t sure what my dad was reading, because it didn’t look like a Bible, but then he would quote from the Bible to us. All of this was new, and I didn’t know how to take it.

My Dad’s salvation created some very real tension for me. I wanted to believe in God, but I didn’t want to give up my party lifestyle. At 16, I was caught up in the drug scene of the 70s. My friends and I got high every day on the way to school and on the way home. I couldn’t imagine living a life without drugs and alcohol.

They were my source of joy, but I also knew that I was slowly killing myself. One Saturday night, I came home from a long night of partying. It was 2 am. I was sitting on the edge of the bed and thinking about how messed up my life was, and I cried out to God, “God, how do I find you?”

I heard an internal voice say, “Read the Bible.”

At that point, a light went on inside my heart, “That’s how you find God. He’s in the Bible.”

I had never read the Bible, but I knew my dad had his Bible, The Way, which was written in modern English. I found my Dad’s Bible sitting on a coffee table. I picked up his Bible, and then I panicked. I did not know where to begin. I opened up to the first page, and there was a handwritten note in the Bible.

“Dear Mark, I suggest you start reading with the Gospel of John, then the Book of Acts, and the Book of Romans. Read three chapters a day and then move on to other books in the New Testament.”

That note was written to my dad from the lady who prayed with him to receive Christ, but I didn’t know that. I thought God wrote me a note. At that point, I was on a mission from God. I read the first three chapters of John right then. The next day, I read three more chapters. In a few short weeks, I had developed a habit of reading the Bible every day.

At this point, I was not a good person, nor was I a Christian, but I kept reading the Bible every day. As I am reading the Bible, I am drawing closer to God, because God speaks to us through His Word.

This is why the habit of Bible reading is so important. You are literally setting a time to sit down and listen to God.

After about a month of Bible reading, I gave my life to Christ, and it was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. Then I went out and got my own Bible, the same Bible my Dad owned. I haven’t stopped reading the Bible. It’s been a lifelong habit for almost 50 years.

I’ve had some people ask me the same question I asked when I was 17 years old, “The Bible is a big book. Where do I begin?”

Here is my suggestion. Do what I did. If it worked for me, it will work for you.

1) Turn to the Table of Contents
2) Read the Gospel of John
3) Read the Book of Acts
4) Read the Book of Romans.
5) Keep reading. Read three Chapters per day. Don’t stop.
6) If you miss a day, it’s OK. Just start up again tomorrow.

If you do this, you will change the course and direction of your life. Don’t wait. Start reading the Bible today.