The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction…
The above statement is taken from the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message and is a good summary of what Christians throughout the ages have believed about the Bible. It also happens to be what we still believe about the Scriptures – these books really are God’s written word, a “perfect treasure of divine instruction.” Now, if we believe this, then we ought to study, even immerse ourselves, in this Book. Right?
So, just how immersed are you? Take a moment and see if you can get these questions right. (Answers at the Bottom).
1) What is the first book of the Bible?
2) Name the four Gospels?
3) Where in the bible is the Sermon on the Mount?
4) Put the following people in chronological order: Moses, Adam, David, Solomon, Abraham
5) In which book are Paul’s missionary travels recorded?
Now, if you did poorly on this, you can take some (but not too much) consolation that most College freshman could not answer these questions either. Of course, this is Bible Trivia. How well we answer them has no eternal significance and little affect on how we live our lives. We can be wonderfully faithful Christians without knowing any of these answers. So, let’s see how you do on a non-trivial bible quiz:
1) Can you name the 10 commandments? (Ex 20:1-17)
2) What are the two greatest commandments? (Matt. 22:36-40)
3) What does the law do and not do for sinners? (Rom. 3:19-20)
4) Can you name the 8 Beattitudes (Matthew 5:1-11)
5) What is the Gospel (the Good News)? (1 Cor. 15:1-7)
6) What must you do to be saved? (Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 10:9)
7) What is the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples before He was taken up into heaven? (Matt. 28:18-20)
How did you do? Were you able to answer these without looking up the verses? Please keep in mind that these are neither advanced nor trick questions, but rather they contain basic and essential information that every believer needs to know for this life and the next.
Now, the point of these quizzes is not to make us feel like terrible, lazy Christians…though we probably are. Rather, my hope is to stir us (including myself) out of our slumber and challenge us to read and study the Scriptures and teach them to our children.
THE E-100 CHALLENGE
Several years ago, a couple dozen of folks from MSBC attempted to do the Bible Challenge. This was reading the Bible from cover to cover in 6 months. It was pretty intense, but well worth our time and I commend it to anyone who wants to dive in. But this year’s challenge is for those of us who don’t have as much time and discipline, but would like to become much better acquainted with God’s Word. This is called the E-100 Challenge, and the details can be downloaded at this website:
Basically, this plan consists of 100 of the essential readings of the Scriptures (50 from the Old Testament and 50 from the New). It’s designed to give us a good survey of the Bible and help us grasp its basic message. It is perfect for first-time readers and for children, families and friends who would like to read Scripture together. As for me and my house, our plan is to do at least two of these readings every week as a family (mostly after breakfast or dinner). We’ve just got started and it has been even more enjoyable than I expected!
So, here’s the plan: if you would like to do the E-100 Challenge or the much more intense Bible Challenge in 2010 either by yourself or with your family and/or friends, please let me know. (Either call the church office or e-mail me at mejohn@verizon.net) I’ll be happy to send you all the information to get you started.
ANSWERS TO QUIZ:
1) Genesis
2) Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
3) Matthew 5 - 7
4) Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon
5) Acts