Encountering God Together Through Scripture
There are certain moments or seasons in life that leave a noticeable impression. Even as you read that sentence, a specific memory from your own life may come to mind. These moments often serve as a marker, or even turning point of sorts, leaving a person or community changed.
This fall, several of our churches experienced a marker season in our communities as we journeyed through The True Story of Everything sermon series and bible reading plan. Three months of reading the entirety of the Scriptures, while tracing Jesus’ kingdom from Genesis to Revelation, has enlarged our view of who God is and what His kingdom looks like.
Hebrews 4 tells us that the word of God is alive and active, and though we won’t pretend that every person had a life changing experience, I think it’s safe to say that each person who engaged the Scriptures encountered our Living God in a way that left a noticeable impression and hunger for more of Him. Over the last several months, we’ve heard stories of men and women reading through the Scriptures- cover to cover- for the very first time, men and women seeing the grand narrative through a Gospel and Kingdom lens for the first time, men and women reading the Old Testament or New Testament for the first time and, most importantly, stories of countless men and women experiencing more of Jesus’ unending love and grace for them resulting in an increased love and obedience to Him. Each person has their own story to tell, and we’d be remiss, I believe, to simply move on without first celebrating what Jesus has done in growing our affections for Him and His word.
But instead of simply sharing on their behalf, I’d love for you to hear from several of our brothers and sisters just what Jesus did in their own hearts over the last several months. May you be encouraged as you read, may we always look back on this season as a time in which the King of the Universe met us through His living word and may it cause an ever-increasing desire in each of our hearts to continually engage the Scriptures- that we might know Him more fully as we live life in His Kingdom and invite others to do the same.
“Reading the whole Bible like we did made me see God’s unfailing love for his people, and ultimately all people, by sending his son. It’s made me fall in love with him like I’ve never experienced. I’ve experienced Jesus in ways I could have only imagined of before. I can’t wait to dive deeper into the Scriptures and the relationships that have formed through this.” -Cassie Augur, Restored LA
“My first thought was nothing cool or extravagant happened to me. As I thought about it, I actually am so happy I had the encouragement and support of doing something I’ve never done before. I read the Bible from front to back. I spent that much time each day in His word. I feel more confident in what I believe because of that. I honestly would love to do it again. It made me so much more grateful for Jesus and it made me see so much more of God’s glory.” -Tabetha Escalera, Restored Uptown
“This past decade, almost the entirety of my Christian walk, I’ve aimlessly flipped through the pages of the Bible in hopes to solve the problem of that moment or followed along with a pastor going through a book of the Bible. The Bible didn’t feel mine to read or understand, and the True Story of Everything shattered those lies. Not only did it create a desire in my heart to read God’s word, but it continuously showed me God reaching His merciful hand to cover His people. God’s grace was written from cover to cover of the Bible. From Adam and Eve, to Noah, to the human kings in the Old Testament, and all the way to Jesus. Knowing God’s unrelenting, ever faithful, and true loving character has allowed me to grow spiritually by showing and crushing the face of my religious righteousness.” -Liana Davis, Restored South Bay
“If you were to refer to the bible as a puzzle with many pieces that creates a beautiful picture when assembled correctly, then I used to read the bible small 'puzzle' pieces at a time. Often missing the context of what happened before or after an event. Reading the bible from start to finish, I now see and experience the bible as a complete assembled puzzle. Context and perspective is revealed as the pieces are put together. As I step back, I can see the whole puzzle assembled and the fingerprints of Jesus from start to finish."-Jake Williams, Restored LA
“There were some parts that were really challenging for me in terms of my family, specifically the letters by Paul about not eating food sacrificed to other idols (my family is Buddhist and offers food to their ancestors). I was able to have a really honest and open conversation with my dad about that a few days ago while visiting for the holidays. Really encouraged to continue having more conversations with him!” -Sharon Vinh, Restored Uptown
“Going through this series has changed the way I look at being a husband and a father. It revealed to me how I had been living reliant on my own wisdom, rather than depending on our King who is true wisdom. I now know that I desperately need Him to flow through me in order to love my wife, children, and others sacrificially as Jesus boldly did.” -Erick Davis, Restored, South Bay
One of the most impactful aspects of journeying through the Bible over the last few months has been doing it together with several of our churches. The quotes shared above are just a few of the many encounters with God that have taken place amongst our local bodies. I can’t encourage you enough to share yours. Whether it’s with someone in your local church family or across the family of churches, may we testify to each other of His goodness that is found on the pages of His word and experienced as the Spirit brings them alive.