Reading the Bible as God's Story

By: Mike Bishop
*originally published on May 21, 2020

Ever struggle with the Bible being dry, repetitive, or even confusing?  Tired of listening to other Christians spout off Bible verses that seem to say something else when you read them?  Do you listen to sermons and just feel like you must not be smart enough to really understand the Bible?

Well, a lot of these feelings are a direct result of the way most Christians have been trained to read the Bible.  Although we could spend a lifetime and barely scratch the surface of the historical, literary, and theological dimensions of Scripture – for most of us, we just want to hear what God has to say.  That starts with learning the underlying story that lives within the Bible.  With that foundation, we can begin to hear what God is saying to us without a Doctorate in Theology.

I’ve made this short video to introduce the Scriptural story and why it’s so important to helping us read the Bible the way God intends.  If you want to know more after you watch, here’s a few very helpful resources.

"God's EPIC Adventure uses a five-act-play model as a way of presenting Scripture as a full-length Story in order to assist the reader toward a better reading experience of Scripture's text."

"Have you wondered how the Bible hangs together, or how to make sense of it all? The Bible isn't a set of separate books: it's a compelling drama that unfolds from beginning to end. This book unfolds Scripture in six "'acts'"--from the establishment of God's kingdom to the "'return of the King.'"

"Understanding the Bible isn’t for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It’s meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your twenty-first-century life."