4% said they read their Bible 5-7 times a week.
20% said they read their Bible 2-3 times a week.
76% said they read their Bible less than 1 time a week.
These were the results of a survey I did among our students this past weekend. I was saddened by the results but not surprised. They were confirmation as to why we are doing a new series called “MY BIBLE.”
I asked students to bring THEIR Bible and a pen with them on Sunday, and led them through several verses dealing with the importance of Scripture. If they didn’t own a Bible, we gave them one for free. Getting kids into the Bible PERSONALLY has long been a burden and a passion for me. If you haven’t noticed, very few kids (or people for that matter) bring their Bibles with them to church anymore. Reasons can vary – they don’t own one, there are Bibles at church they can use, the Scriptures will probably be on the screen, the preacher will tell me what God has to say, they don’t want people to see them carrying a Bible, etc. Obviously the point is not to go to church and walk around with a Bible in your hand so people think you look good. To me it’s a matter of, “This is my Bible. I’m going to learn something today. I want to have my Bible out and ready to follow along and engage with what I am learning.” Through the series my desire is to cast vision and help people understand the importance and significance of the Bible and help them learn how to engage with the text ON THEIR OWN. To that extent I led them through various passages and asked them to underline, highlight, write question marks next to things they don’t understand or wonder about, put a star next to things that are meaningful to them, draw lines between things that are repeated, etc. In short, I want them to use the minds God has given them and allow the Holy Spirit to make the Bible come alive in their hearts.
Giving away at least 4 Bibles to kids that didn’t own one, and seeing the response to our little survey tells me we’re onto something that is mission critical. As you see the results, join me in praying that God will give us a hunger for His Word, because only God’s Word can lead us to living lives that honor God.
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