1,000,000 Chapters - Part 9Sample

Every little bit counts! 

It doesn’t matter whether this is your first chapter in the 1,000,000 chapter challenge or you’ve read all 433 chapters of the Bible on this plan. We’re grateful for the fact that you’ve helped us on this journey to read 1,000,000 chapters of the Bible as a church. There is nothing more important for our walk with Jesus than growing in our understanding of the greater story that we are a part. 

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the unique perspectives on Jesus that each of the different Gospels have provided. The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and each of them have their own specific perspective on who they understand Jesus to be and how he is to be understood for the community in which they are writing. Mark is all about the action of Jesus’ life and how the whole direction of his life was ultimately leading to His death, burial, and resurrection. Luke makes sure his readers understand the unlikely people who Jesus spent his time with and the direction of His mission. John is the most unique of the Gospels and he makes sure that the identity of Jesus was fully understood as booth human and God. 

Matthew writes His Gospel to show how Jesus is the culmination and continuation of God’s story with His people. Throughout the Old Testament God is faithful to his people time after time. He purses them, rescues them, restores them, guides them, and loves them as His children. We see all those things and more in how Matthew tells the good news of Jesus’ life. 

Often times what we will find in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life is that the people who were supposed to have God all figured out were the ones who were way off on what God really wanted. Jesus fulfilled all that Israel (God’s people) and we have failed to be. If Jesus is who Matthew reveals Him to be, then we have to believe, trust, and act according to what Jesus says if we want to be able to know God. 

Thanks again for joining us on this journey of reading through 1,000,000 chapters of the Bible together. Let’s finish strong together!