Together in the Word

 

 

Introduction

God revealed himself most clearly through Jesus. But we learn about this Living Word primarily through God’s Written Word, the Bible. This winter at Fellowship Church we will get to know Jesus better as we read through the New Testament together in just eight weeks. We will gather in small groups through the week to discuss what we’re reading, and Sunday sermons will explore themes in greater detail.  Our prayer is that this is a time of spiritual renewal for our church that reignites passion for Jesus and revitalizes our small group ministry.

Details

We will read through the whole New Testament at a pace which offers a unique wide-angle view of material we usually digest verse by verse. This means reading 12 pages a day, five days a week—challenging, but do-able.

However, we won't read the books of the New Testament in their typical arrangement. Special copies of the New Testament will be distributed which have the books re-ordered, and chapter and verse numbers removed to make reading flow more smoothly. Those who wish to listen, rather than read, can do so on the YouVersion (or other) Bible app. More details below.

Discussion Groups

At the heart of this experience are weekly small group discussions of what we have been reading. These groups will meet at various times throughout the week, and each meeting will be centred around the same questions:

  • What’s something you noticed for the first time?
  • What questions did you have?
  • Was there anything that bothered you?
  • What did you learn about Jesus?
  • What challenged you to change/grow?

To see a list of available groups and sign up, click here.

Reading Plan

Week 1 - January 12–16 - The Gospel of Luke
Week 2 - January 19–23 - The Acts of the Apostles

Additional weekly and daily readings will be added soon.

How to Access an Audio Bible

Download the YouVersion Bible app found at this link. 

Once the app is installed:

Choose your desired translation (the one used in the Bibles we are using is not available, but the New Living Translation is a good substitute).

Click "Bible" at bottom, then choose translation at top left.

Navigate to the desired book manually or by clicking the links in the reading plan above.

Click reference in top left corner, then choose book and chapter.

Play audio by clicking the speaker icon at the top right.

About the New Testaments Provided

“Together in the Word” is based on the now unsupported “Community Bible Experience” by Biblica, which used special editions of the New Testament ("Books of the Bible") with the chapter and verse numbers removed for more natural reading. Unfortunately, NIV copies are out of print, and only one version was available. These employ the relatively uncommon Christian Community Translation and contain front- and back-matter that is geared toward Roman Catholics. While this was not our first choice, it can be a positive experience to read familiar passages in new words. When in doubt, trust more widely adopted translations such as NIV, ESV, or NLT. The book introductions are those provided by Biblica and are generally helpful and trustworthy.