The Scriptures that Shape Us
One of the resources I keep on hand and use often is a little booklet with a basic plan of salvation, a description of baptism, a few pages on Christian Growth, and at the end, a 12 day Bible reading plan with selected passages from the Gospels on the life of Christ. I love giving this to new Christians (along with a card we created that has the page numbers in our Church Bibles) because there’s no better way to grow than to be in God’s Word (Hebrews 4:12) and this reading plan makes it easy.
I started thinking about what other passages I would encourage a new Christian to read. What passages of Scripture had a big influence on shaping me as a young Christian? I thought of the first time I read all the way through the book of Genesis and noticed the connection between the stories I learned as a kid – seeing how they related and fit together to tell a unified story. I had only seen them as separate stories before then but now I could see that these stories were telling a bigger story. It was the first taste of seeing that the Bible tells one story that points to Christ.
I asked some of the church staff to share passages that were influential for them early in their walk with Christ. Here are a few that were shared: John 15 (the vine and branches), Romans (especially the “Romans Road” verses like 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9), Ephesians 2:1-10 (“by grace you are saved”), Luke 9:23 (“Follow me”), Psalm 27, and the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15).
We can all look back fondly at the key verses or passages of Scripture that had a big influence on our spiritual growth especially as a young Christian. Spend some time this week thinking about some of the verses that were especially meaningful for you and go back and revisit those passages, reading over them and meditating on them again. Ask God to help you remember what He was teaching you at that time of your life. My guess is He has something for you to see again in that passage in your current phase of life.
Christian Biographies
I’ve had a few ask for a list of the Christian biographies I mentioned in Sunday’s sermon. Reading these is another powerful way to grow as a Christian and to remember you are not alone in the challenges you face. I have read all of these except the last one and can say they are all worth the read. You will not be disappointed! You can probably find most at the public library.
- Shadow of the Almighty by Elisabeth Elliot. The story of Jim Elliot’s life and efforts to share Christ with an unreached tribe in Ecuador.
- Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Mr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor. From a young age Hudson Taylor had a burden to take the gospel to China. The book shows how God used him to inspire many others to also take up the mission.
- Bruchko by Bruce Olson. One man’s motivated (and also somewhat naive) adventure to share Christ in a remote jungle.
- Peace Child by Don Richards. A missionary story that reads like a novel with a surprising twist in the middle and end!
- The Insanity of God by Nik Ripkin. A gripping collection of stories from modern efforts to take the gospel into hostile environments.
- The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards. Brainerd worked to share the gospel with American Indian tribes. Though Brainerd died at only 29 years old, Edwards was so inspired by his life that he wrote what has become his most re-printed book.