Reading Through the Bible - JAMES

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

JAMES  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

20th book of the NT 

59th book of the Bible

What is it?

The Book of JAMES is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a letter.

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Known as the Proverbs of the New Testament"

 

Who Wrote it?

James the brother of Jesus

Notice that James is not prideful of being the brother of Jesus but speaks humbly as a servant of Jesus in chapter 1 verse 1

 "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,"

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"James was not a follower of Jesus during the Saviour's time on earth.  He finally became a believer upon seeing Jesus alive and well after the crucifixion.  He became one of the leaders of the Church at Jerusalem."

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the Christians who were now living in various countries as we see in chapter 1 verse 1

 "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings." 

How does it start?

It starts with instruction about attitude to trials which these Christians were going through in 

chapter 1 verse 2

and then on to advice about asking God for wisdom in

chapter 1 verses 5-6

Immediately James is instructing the Christians everywhere to be joyful & seek wisdom from God in all situations and believe God will answer so obviously this must be important for all of us now too.

How Long is it?

It has 5 chapters.

When was it Written?

It is generally thought to have been written between 67 & 69 AD

Why was it Written? 

It was written to instruct and encourage believers as to what true faith is. 

Obedience, truth & action are important.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"A letter telling Christians to live in ways that demonstrate their faith in action."

This can be clearly seen in 

chapter 1 v 19

and

chapter 1 v 22

What link is noted here with the Old Testament?

The Book of James is very supportive of the Biblical law.

How does it end?

by imploring them to be

 patient 

in 

chapter 5 v 8

and how to react in certain situations

in

Chapter 5 v 13

and a final message of how to help others who are 

drifting from the truth

Quick outline of James

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

1. Trials and temptation (1:1–20)
2. True religion (1:21–27)
3. Favouritism and judgment (2:1–13)
4. Faith and works (2:14–26)
5. Teachers and the tongue (3)
6. Submission to God (4:1–5:6)
7. Strength and anticipation (5:7–20)

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE 

Reading Through the Bible - PHILIPPIANS

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

PHILIPPIANS  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE

11th book of the NT 

50th book of the Bible

It starts with a lovely greeting of Grace & Peace in verse 2

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Then in verses 3 & 4 it continues into thanksgiving for the Philippians and assures them of Paul's Prayers for them. 

This makes the letter feel so personal and loving.

Verse 6 brings the Philippians encouragement by reminding them of the way God is working in their lives.

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Considered to be one of the most encouraging epistles for those under trial"

What is it?

The Book of Philippians is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a Letter.

How Long is it?

It has 4 chapters.

When was it Written?

It was written between 60 & 62 AD

Who Wrote it?

The Apostle Paul

The first verse of the book tells us that Timothy was included with Paul in the sending of this letter.

"Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:"

Who was it Written to?

It was written to the church at Philippi which was a Greek city in the region of Macedonia.

CREDIT:User:Alecmconroy, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Why was it Written? 

It was written as encouragement to the people of the church in Philippi which was the church that had been started in the house of Lydia and we read about Paul's ministry there in Acts ch. 16.

Timothy and Silas had also been in Philippi with Paul and of course that is where Paul & Silas were in prison when there was the earthquake at midnight and their jailer got saved.

Paul talked about their Saviour and His death and what His focus was

Paul also encouraged them as to what they shoud think about

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"An encouraging letter to the church of Philippi from Paul, telling them how to have joy in Christ."

which is seen the whole way through this book

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"The Apostle Paul did not write Philippians to address a crisis, like he did with other letters. Instead, he wrote to express his appreciation and affection for the believers in the church at Philippi."

What is unique to this book?

It is considered to be the happiest book in the Bible even though it was written from a prison.

The words "joy" or "rejoice" in some form or another are found 16 times in this book.

chapter 1

   v4(joy), v18(rejoice)twice, v25(joy), v26(rejoicing)

chapter 2 

   v2(joy), v16(rejoice), v17(rejoice), v18(rejoice), v28(rejoice)

chapter 3  

   v1(rejoice), v3(rejoice) 

chapter 4  

   v1(joy), v4(rejoice)twice, v10(rejoiced)

How does it end?

With a blessing in the last verse of chapter 4

 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

The Overview Bible  gives us the following

Quick outline of Philippians

1. Rejoice! Christ is our life (Phil 1)
2. Rejoice! Christ is our example (Phil 2)
3. Rejoice! Christ is our glory (Phil 3)
4. Rejoice! Christ is our strength (Phil 4)

Reading through the Bible - PHILEMON

Some Books of the bible are very short and some are very long but this one is one of the shortest.

PHILEMON  -  NEW TESTAMENT  -  EPISTLE 

18th book of the NT 

57th book of the Bible

What is it?

The Book of Philemon is one of the Epistles in the New Testament which means it is a letter.

Who was it written to?

It was written to Philemon, a Christian and church leader, who owned a slave Onesimus.

Who Wrote it?

The Apostle Paul (previously called Saul) 

Although Paul does include Timothy in the first line of the letter

"Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother"

How does it start?

It starts with a greeting v.1-3    

This is not only to Philemon but also to the church who meet in His house.

pronouncing a blessing of Grace and Peace on them all.

I love the blessings pronounced in God's Word and they are still blessings to us as well.

Then it continues straight away in verse 4 with an encouraging statement that they are not forgotten and are prayed for regularly.

How Long is it?

It has only 1 chapter which contains 25 verses.

When was it written?

It is generally thought to have been written around 60AD.

Why was it written?

It was written so that believers would accept a slave, called Onesimus, as a brother in Christ since he had met Paul and got saved.

Paul actually sent the letter with Onesimus to Philemon and asks Philemon to whom Onesimus had been a slave to forgive him for running away but also requests that he may let him return to stay with Paul.

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

"Paul strongly recommends that Philemon accept his runaway slave as a brother, not a slave."

 

which is seen in verse 16

 "no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord."

 

Teach Sunday School  tells us the following

"Paul's message is that even though slavery was an accepted part of Roman society, we should treat each other as equals, like he encouraged Philemon to treat his slave like a brother "

What format does this book take?

The Overview Bible  tells us the following

1. Paul greets and affirms Philemon (Phm 1–7)
2. Paul requests that Onesimus be accepted as a brother (Phm 8–19)
3. Paul anticipates Philemon’s obedience (Phm 20–25)

How does it end?

With greetings from 5 others that are with Paul in verses 23 & 24

and with a blessing

 

An example of how we should remember to bless others

OTHER BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE ADDED REGULARLY AND AN UPDATED LIST CAN BE FOUND AT OUR READING THE BIBLE PAGE