The most read book in the world is the Bible. In 2012, writer James Chapman created a list of the most read books in the world based on the number of copies each book sold over the last 50 years. He found that the Bible far outsold any other book, with a whopping 3.9 billion copies sold over the last 50 years.
Renowned Bible teacher, Derek Prince, says “The Bible is the most enthralling, interesting, and compelling book.” It has a lot of practical things to say about life, like love, romance, sex, relationships, betrayal, broken hearts; crimes, murders, mysteries; health, behavior & emotions; family life, generational problems, dreams, angels, demons;, wars, natural disasters; birth and death, our origin and identity, and the future.
Biblical illiteracy
Egyptian-born theologian and Christian author, Dr. Michael Youssef, believes we in the West are suffering from serious “biblical illiteracy.” A survey found that only 9% of Americans read their Bibles on a daily basis. Only 25% open the Book each week. Thirty-eight percent said they never use their Bibles. Youssef asks why are we so surprised at what’s happening in our culture and our society when we are ignoring “the measuring stick.”
Biblical canon—“the measuring stick”
Dr. Youssef explains that the biblical canon is a set of texts (also called “books”) which has been declared to be the Word of God. The English word “canon” comes from the Greek κανών (kanōn), meaning “rule” or “measuring stick.” Without the measuring stick, how do we know what is right, what is wrong, what is false, and what is truth, he asks.
And even more importantly, Youssef says, “The Bible reveals something so precious, so special. It’s invaluable: the revelation of the character of God. Unless you know the character of God, you will not understand some of the events and the things that are now happening in this life. Knowing the character of God gives us great hope and it gives us motivation for living, motivation for serving, motivation for disciplining others and passing on that information to the next generation.”
Winter Zoom Group
This why my winter zoom group will focus on the Bible and what it says about spiritual things we need to understand: Grace; Salvation; Faith; God’s Covenants; The Kingdom of God; Healing, Health, & Long Life; The Spirit and Hearing God’s Voice; Prophecy; The Jews and Israel; Demonic Problems & Spiritual Authority; and The Power of Your Words & Declarations.
Our 8-week e-group, KMI-404: Bible Study, Sharing, Prayer begins Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 1 pm EST (UTC–05) (19:00 Europe).
There will be no study notes. Please bring your Bible, Pen, and Paper.
Here is how to sign up for the e-group
Send an email to judith@judithdoctor.com saying you want to sign up for KMI-404: Bible Study, Sharing, Prayer. And we will send you the Zoom Meeting ID and Passcode.
I look forward to hearing from you.