A Spark
Igniting a Spark
In the summer of 2013, I was a graphic design intern at a church in Henderson, Nevada (a town about 20 minutes south east of Las Vegas). It was an amazing, and life-changing summer for a number of reasons. I can vividly remember one day as I was sitting in my condo (a family friend was letting me stay there throughout the summer), this question all of a sudden came to mind: “How does the Old Testament relate to the New Testament?” Or more simply put, “Why even study the Old Testament?”
And that was the question that I typed into Google that afternoon. I just thank God that Matthew Henry was what popped up.
The answers that I found blew my mind! Things like, the Old Testament predicts a Messiah (Isa. 53), and the New Testament reveals the Messiah (John 4:25-26). The Old Testament details the giving of God’s Law, and the New Testament describes how Jesus the Messiah fulfills the Law (Matt. 5:17; Heb. 10:9). God deals mainly with His chosen people, the Jews, in the Old Testament; in the New Testament, God deals mainly with His church (Matt. 16:18). Physical blessings that were promised in the Old Testament and Covenant (Deut. 29:9) yield spiritual blessings in the New Testament and Covenant (Eph. 1:3). In short, I learned so much more than I ever knew about how the Old Testament lays the foundation for the arrival of the Messiah who would sacrifice himself for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).
And the thing that blew my mind was that I finally understood (after a life lived going to church) that both testaments reveal the exact same holy, merciful, and righteous God who condemns sin, yet desires to save sinners through an atoning sacrifice. In both testaments, God reveals Himself to us and shows us how we are to come to Him through faith (Gen. 15:6; Eph. 2:8). I thought to myself, “how is it that I’m 22 and I’m just now learning this stuff?” And the wild thing was - it wasn’t as if I hadn’t been taught any of those things before, but for the first time in my life I actually paid attention to it. This was quickly followed by the thought, “I need to share this! I need to share this with anyone and everyone who will listen.”
That day a spark was ignited in me.
I had a this unquenchable desire to learn as much as I possibly could about the Bible, this book that I had learned about just about every Sunday for the last two decades, as if a light bulb had gone off in my mind illuminating the pages in a way I had never seen before. I wondered how many others felt similarly to me. Not sure about some things about the Bible, maybe a little intimidated to approach it. Even for those of us who believe what the Bible says, like I did (and do), it may feel like page after page of just this tedious mumbo-jumbo. Are you just supposed to accept it all blindly like the terms and conditions when updating your phone or adding software to your computer? Do you just assume if there’s something important in there that you would’ve heard about it by now?
“By accepting these terms and conditions you give up your birthright to your younger brother.” Surely some nerd would’ve tweeted something like that by now, right?
Maybe you’ve tried to read the Bible, as a New Year’s resolution, and you started out great…until those dreaded “begats” came along: “Jechoniah begat Shaeltiel…” Or if you’re like most, you start in Genesis, make it through Moses (because the story is awesome), and fizzle out because then it kind of gets boring, technical, and confusing.
Well this is the year that we change all of that. Because that spark that ignited in me as an intern in Las Vegas is what this series is about - connecting the entire Bible and emphasizing God’s purpose through its entirety.
Whispers of a Name
The Bible has:
31,102 verses,
3,237 different characters (of which there are 31 different guys named “Zecharaiah”),
1,663 commands (613 in the Old Testament and 1,050 in the New Testament),
and 40 different authors
Over the course of the Bible there is one story being told. It's all about that one baby, that very special baby born in a manger. Every character, every genealogy, every command, all point to Him; every story in the Bible whispers His name:
Jesus.
My Prayer and Invitation
It’s my prayer that for some of you watching, that this series will completely revolutionize your life. That’s because for some of you watching, you’ll finally be able to get your mind around the big picture of the Bible for the first time in your life. It’ll finally all click. Maybe your marriage needs improving, or you have a low self-worth, or you feel as if you’re lacking purpose. There is nothing better that you could experience in this lifetime than knowing Christ, His story told throughout the Bible, and your place within all of it.
Or maybe you’re new to Christianity, or you’re curious about Christ, the Bible, and what all of this is about. Well, there’s potentially nothing more beneficial for you right now, no matter where or when you’re watching this.
So I’m inviting you, right now, where you’re sitting, standing, listening, or reading, to join us in this series - and to take it seriously.
And I want to help you do that. I’m providing a completely free resource:
The 66 Gospels Reading Plan.
If you follow along with this plan, you will read every single word in the Bible this year. You can click the button below to download this plan.
While there is absolutely no shame whatsoever in choosing the “66 Gospels Reading Plan,” let me encourage you to choose the “Every Verse” plan. Did you know that in order to read the entire Bible in one year, it takes just 10 minutes a day? Actually it’s less than that, but on average it’s about 10 minutes per day.
Don't believe me? In the ESV bible (which is the version we’ll be using for the majority of this series), there are 757,439 words. Considering that adults average a reading speed of 238 words per minute, that puts us at just under 9 minutes a day to read the Bible in full. You can do it! Or think of it this way, if you spent the amount of time it takes to watch one episode of your favorite TV show (~30 mintues), you could read the Bible in full in just over 3 and a half months. 30 minutes a day.
Click the button below to download the “Every Verse” plan.
Maybe reading isn’t your thing. I completely understand. Maybe, if you’re like me, there are times that reading a book works far better than melatonin ever does. One page in and you’re out. Also understandable.
Well, I made a podcast as well! You can listen to it on your way to work, at home, or as part of your morning routine.
My Guarantee
As a general rule of thumb in my life, I don’t really make all that many guarantees, but I will say this - if you do this, if you join me in this series, if you join me in making this the year of the Bible in your life, I’ll guarantee that at this time next year, you’re going to be in a far better place spiritually and in your walk with Christ than you are at his very moment.
The Big Picture of Scripture
So with all of that being said, I’d like to spend just a little time looking at the Bible from a 30,000 ft. view.
While there are a lot of topics and themes found all throughout Scripture, we can divide the Bible into four main, primary, sections: the creation, the fall, the redemption, and the restoration or new creation.
Creation
At the beginning and the end of God’s Word - there is creation. In the beginning - God created (Gen. 1-2), and God will create all things new again one day (Rev. 21:5). Throughout this series, as we trace the story of Christ and the gospel throughout the entirety of redemptive history, we’ll see a recurring emphasis on God’s power of creation. For instance, in just a few weeks we’ll see Noah and his family walking off of the ark, accompanied by a great deal of language that is quite similar to the story of creation in Genesis 1 and 2.
In fact, the story of creation at the beginning of Scripture reveals God’s infinite power to us right away, from verse 1. We get a front row seat to His purposeful and majestic creativity. And the amazing thing is that man and woman are listed last as the pinnacle of God’s creation and are given divine rulership over the rest of creation (Gen. 1:26-27). It is a picture of God’s great goodness and provision.
It’s this part of the story that provides us with purpose.
The Fall
However, just pick up a newspaper or turn on the news today and you’ll quickly see that all is not right in the world. Headline after headline, and news story after news story of hatred, death, and suffering in some form or another. Where did all of this come from? Why do we lie? Why do we cheat and steal? Why do these traits in us seem to be in a never ending cycle?
The third chapter of Genesis records the Fall of man. The account of sin entering the world and the havoc that was brought with it. This biblical theme is called the “fall” because it depicts man and woman’s fall from a relationship with God and a creation that was perfect and in perfect harmony with God. Adam and Eve sinned by their choice to disobey God; they became aware of their sin and they were ashamed before Him. In that moment they hid from Him (Gen. 3:8-10) and man has been hiding ever since. Because of the fall, death became a reality, and all creation was subject to it (Rom. 6:23). All men, animals, and plants die. The “whole creation groans” (Rom. 8:22), waiting for the time when Christ will return to liberate it from the effects of the Fall, the effects of death. When Adam chose to rebel against his Creator, he lost his innocence, as well as incurred the consequence of both physical and spiritual death. His mind was darkened by sin, as are the minds of his successors.
This part of the story also reveals that there is a cosmic enemy who continuously tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and His provision. It reveals an enemy who constantly offers us cheap substitutes for God that will never truly satisfy. We see all these headlines and hear those news stories because in the fall we’ve lost sight of the purpose for which we were created: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Cor. 10:31; Ps. 86:9). When we fail to place God at the core of our lives, at the core of all morality and goodness, we hold ourselves supreme. Selfishness is at the root of the Fall, and what follows are all other crimes against God. When we sin, we turn inwards upon ourselves, a confirmation seen in the way that we live our lives. We build ourselves up. We minimize our shortcomings. We seek that extra edge in life that no one else has. We display a certain desire to our own wants and needs, over those of others. When we place ourselves upon the throne of our lives, we usurp God of His role.
The Fall produced in mankind a state of depravity. A state in which we, as humans, are incapable of doing or choosing that which is acceptable before God apart from His grace (Rom. 8:7). And the truly beautiful part of this story, is that right in the story of the fall, we see a portrait of God’s grace. It is a manifestation of God’s protection that Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden. And in Genesis 3:15, we see our first glimpse of God’s rescue plan as a child is predicted who will vanquish our great enemy.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
- Gen. 3:15 (ESV)
This solemn part of the story illustrates our deep need for a savior and engenders faith.
Redemption
And it’s in His grace, mercy, and long-kindness that God sent His son to die on the cross to pay the debt of our sin - thus reconciling us to God and making eternal life with Him even possible. In short, what was lost in the Fall is reclaimed at the Cross - the third theme of the Bible, redemption.
The story of our redemption is by far the largest thematic section of the Bible, from Genesis 4 all the way through Revelation 20. It’s where we will spend the vast majority of our year, and this theme tells the story of God’s pursuit of us to provide a way of salvation. Over and over again, we witness God’s amazing grace, patience and love in demonstrating that dogged pursuit that reaches its climax with Jesus Christ becoming a man, living a perfect life of compassion and going to the cross on our behalf to pay the price for our sin. Then He is raised back to life after three days to reveal the new life that is possible for us as we place our trust in Him for the forgiveness of sin - which is then followed with the birth of the church and our participation in the mission of redemption.
One grain of faith [in Christ] is worth more than a diamond the size of the world - yes, though you should thread such jewels together, as many as the stars of heaven for number, they would be worth nothing compared with the smallest atom of faith in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.”
- Charles H. Spurgeon
This section of scripture brings us joy and comfort as we encounter God’s great love and sacrifice through Jesus Christ, His Son.
Restoration and a New Creation
The last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21-22, depict total restoration. This is a beautiful conclusion to the biblical narrative that shows how every aspect of creation that was revealed in the Book of Genesis will one day be brought back into perfect harmony with God and each other. A new creation.
It’s truly beautiful to see that God’s story of salvation history, the Gospel over 66 books, is both linear and dynamic. It goes somewhere. The Bible literally begins with “In the beginning…” (Gen. 1:1) and concludes with “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. (Rev. 22:20). These are bookends to a grand story from creation to the promise of complete restoration. But, as well see, together, over the coming year, the individual stories of the Bible reveal the same themes. God creates people, moments, and situations. Sin and brokenness taint every setting. There are repeated accounts of divine redemption and rescue. We are witnesses to the restoration of events and relationships. The Bible’s beauty lies in its rawness and in its sweetness. It displays tragedy and triumph, brokenness and beauty, injustice and righteousness, the lost being found.
And most importantly, it reveals a heavenly Father’s loving, merciful, and gracious efforts to restore the relationship with His creation. And it reminds us that a holy God will one day bring justice and righteousness to the earth, to all living beings.
How You Fit Into the Story
And you fit right into this story. You are a character in God’s great storyline. You have both a role to play and a contribution to make. From the very beginning in Genesis 1:26-28, you and I are charged with filling, replenishing, and caring for the rest of creation. One of the greatest responsibilities God has given human beings is to bring order to chaos in every setting, to bring a beautiful dominion to the ugly and chaotic (Gen. 2:15; Luke 1:3; Acts 11:4; 1 Cor. 13:12, 14:33; Col. 3:23; Rev. 21:4;). This means that God has tasked the third-grade teacher with bringing order to chaos in the classroom as lives are being shaped and formed. It means that God has tasked the architect to bring order to chaos with a set of drawings that represent beautiful spaces so that work and life can be done with greater energy and effectiveness. That means that God has tasked the hotel manager to bring order to chaos by creating a hospitable stay where safety and rest coincide for weary travelers. It can mean serving the poor, homeless, or food-deprived that they might experience God’s goodness and peace. To bring order is to also arrange resources in such a way that others can flourish and thrive. When you are intentional and pay close attention to God’s great story, you’ll see that you’ll begin to elevate even the smallest of tasks, stories, or priorities into something truly meaningful.
Our part in redemptive history also includes faith-filled initiatives to share Jesus with those who will listen. God has tasked you not only to fill the earth biologically but to participate with God to see His kingdom expanded (Matt. 28:19-20). As a follower of Jesus, you have this beautiful potential to make a difference for God’s glory.
If you’re wondering how you fit into the story, what God is calling you to, the answer is simple. You need to read the whole story, 66 Gospels, from book 1 to book 66. More importantly, you need to know the whole story. Knowing the story deepens our intimacy with the Ultimate Author of the Bible. Knowing the story will lead to better understanding God’s character and His ways. Knowing the story will help you to honor and respect every human being and the world God created. The true story of the world counteracts all of the false fables in every society. You find your place in God’s story when you entrust your personal, small story to the Ultimate Author.
And whether you know it or not, everyone is connected to God’s story. Every small story carries meaning because it is connected to His story and plan. And you can join with God in the process of redemption.
Austin W. Duncan (@austinwduncan) is the Associate Pastor of New Hope Community Church. He is a husband, writer, graphic designer, and owner of three dogs.
