Reading the Bible, Finding the Gospel
Two of the greatest issues facing the Western Church today are a lack of biblical literacy, which directly leads to a lack of gospel centrality. As a result, we are teaching a series that directly addresses these two issues head-on.
Starting in January 2026, we will begin a sermon series that will take us book by book through the entire Bible. Each Sunday, we will explore and unpack a biblical book by addressing its purpose, its context, and how it uniquely points us to the gospel of grace.
How to Participate
We are inviting our church body to participate in this series by reading the entire Bible, book by book. We will provide a weekly reading plan aligned with the book we are preaching about on Sunday. This reading plan, Lord willing, will be released one week at a time on the website, enews, and social media. Most weeks, you will read the entire book of the Bible that was preached on the previous Sunday. We will also provide discussion questions weekly for small groups and discipleship relationships.
Journals
In an effort to provide you with a resource to refer back to in your discipleship relationships and future Bible study, we will have a journal available for your sermon notes during this series. If you take notes during each sermon, you will end up with notes on how to find the gospel in every book of the Bible. You can purchase a journal for $10 at the Equip Center anytime during the series.
Journals are available for pre-sale through January 3 with pick up available starting January 4.
Weekly Reading Plan + Discussion Questions
For our weekly reading plan and discussion questions, visit the Weekly Plan page.
If you are joining us in the middle of our series and want to start from Genesis, visit our Entire Reading Plan page.
- The goal is to increase your biblical literacy and gospel centrality, so reading or listening can both achieve that goal. Some weeks in the reading plan, you will only have a few chapters to read, and others will have a larger section of Scripture for the week. This may impact whether you decide to read or listen that week.
- We encourage you to choose a time of the day that you want to read the Bible or listen to the Bible, and try to stick to that consistent time.
- If reading is too time consuming, you can listen to the Bible through the Bible app on your phone. Revelation 1:3 says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
- Before reading or listening, pray for the Lord to teach you and speak to you through His Word today.
- Write down or highlight anything that stands out to you as you read/listen.
- Write down any questions you have along the way and talk about those questions in a discipleship relationship or small group.
- Don’t get discouraged or give up if you miss a day or a week or a month of reading the Bible! Every single day offers you a new opportunity to connect with God through the Bible. So don’t get discouraged, and don’t quit. God loves you and wants to speak to you through His Word.
- We use the ESV translation at Mission Church in our teaching. The ESV is one of the word-for-word translations that tries to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and personal style of the original author.
- The NLT is also a great translation that is easy to read and understand, especially if you are starting out with reading the Bible or want to read it in a more accessible translation.
- There are many more translations of the Bible you can use in your study as you prefer, but these two are a great place to start.
- Books at the Equip Center
- The Bible Simplified - Feeling overwhelmed and confused by the Bible? Bestselling author Zach Windahl breaks down its entire storyline in The Bible, Simplified, making Scripture clear, accessible, and life-changing so you can gain confidence in your faith. In The Bible, Simplified, you will learn how to: understand the entire storyline of the Bible, gain clarity and confidence in your faith, and incorporate the Bible’s teachings into your daily life. Equip Center price: $17
- God’s Big Picture - In God's Big Picture, Vaughan Roberts provides a roadmap for making sense of the Bible in its entirety by giving you the big picture, showing how the different parts of the Bible fit together under the theme of the kingdom of God. This should provide both the encouragement and the tools to help you read the Bible with confidence and understanding, and point you to the Bible's supreme subject, Jesus Christ, and the salvation God offers through him. Equip center price: $10
- Everyday Gospel - In the Everyday Gospel devotional, Paul David Tripp provides a roadmap for readers who want to spend a full year in God’s word. Tripp, author of the bestselling New Morning Mercies, has now written a second daily devotional, offering 365 fresh, engaging entries that follow an annual Bible reading plan from Genesis through Revelation. Brief and practical, these reflections connect the transforming power of Scripture to all you will experience in your everyday Christian life. Equip Center price: $17
- Online Resources
- The Bible Project is a wonderful website to visit as you read the Bible. They provide videos explaining each book of the Bible, as well as podcasts, guides and classes to learn how to read the Bible.
- You can listen to the Bible through the Holy Bible app on your phone. Simply choose a passage of Scripture, a translation and press play.
- Dwell Audio Bible App - The dwell app combines Scripture reading and music allowing you to choose many narrator options and reading plans.