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More than 80% of Christians report never opening their Bible outside of Sunday morning services. Let that sink in for a minute. If the Bible is our sacred, God-breathed GPS for doing life as a follower of Jesus, then why wouldn’t we read all of the directions, rather than just a few steps? What’s more, if we are called to truly know Jesus on a personal level and walk with Him, don’t we need to at least read the books that give us first-hand accounts of His life and ministry?
Reading the New Testament, and the Bible as a whole, from start to finish offers countless benefits to believers, whether it’s your first time cracking it open or your tenth. The New Testament is all about Jesus—how He lived, died, and rose; how His message spread to all races; and the way Jesus will return on the day of judgment.
Our prayer as you begin this reading plan is that you would gain a better understanding of God’s character through the life of Jesus and grow deeper in your relationship with our Savior.
The plan we’re walking through in 2023 is called The Bible Recap. It consists of a daily Scripture reading and a short summary podcast. If you’d prefer, you can also follow along with our printed study guide, which you can find in the vestibules just inside the Worship Center doors, the Connections Center, and the Prayer Room.
Follow these five steps to join us as we explore the Word of God and learn how to live more like Christ.
Download The Bible App by YouVersion to your mobile device. If you’ve never signed up before, create an account.
Once you’ve created your YouVersion account, set Journey as your church. To do this, search for “Journey Church International” in the Discover area. Select our church’s profile (hint: look for our JCI logo), then click “Set As My Church.” Choose who you want to see this update, and you’re done!
Now you’re ready to join our featured Bible reading plan. Navigate to our church’s profile, if you aren’t already on it, and scroll down to see our Featured Plan. Select The Bible Recap logo and then click on “Start Plan” from the plan overview page.
The Bible Recap plan is a year-long journey through the entire Bible, so if you want to join us for the New Testament, you’ll need to use YouVersion’s Catch Up feature. To do this, navigate to The Bible Recap plan (if you’re note already there) and in the top right, select ︙ or ⋯, Catch Me Up. If this doesn’t work, you can jump forward in the plan to Day 274.
Reading together is always better than reading alone! If you’re jumping into the New Testament reading plan with us, let us know by filling out the form linked below.
Reading the Bible is for all ages! Getting your kids involved with our yearly study of God’s Word is a great way to help them know Jesus better and grow as Christians. We have multiple options depending on your child’s age group.
Download the Bible App for Kids by YouVersion. This will take your child through 41 key stories of the Bible in a fun, easy-to-understand format. You can also purchase the accompanying story Bible to use with your children. Keep in mind that since there are 41 stories, your child will not be reading content every day. We recommend focusing on one story for a week or two before having your child move on to the next one.
JKids can follow along with you in the YouVersion Bible App. Use the steps above to download the app and create an account. When you’re all set up, navigate to “More ☰” in the bottom right section of the app. Scroll down and click “⚙︎ Settings.” Under the Account section, select “Kids Bible Experience.” Make sure it’s toggled to the on position.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll see the kids’ verse of the day by scrolling to the bottom of the YouVersion home screen. Your kiddo can read the verse, watch videos, and interact with a brief study each day.
For 2023, middle and high school students will read the entire New Testament. You can find the digital version of that plan on our Student Ministry page, or your child can ask their small group leader for a printed copy at any time throughout the year.
You’ve set Journey as your church, joined our Bible reading plan, and started diving into Scripture — well done! You’ll also want to subscribe to The Bible Recap podcast. This is a critical step, as the podcast will be the study that accompanies our daily readings.
Pro tip: Before you start, we recommend listening to The Bible Recap’s prep podcast episodes. Links to each of those episodes can be found in our FAQs below.
Stream the podcast on listening apps like Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, and YouTube.
If you’re not the biggest fan of technology, that’s OK! You can print the full plan and/or purchase The Bible Recap book. This will keep you on track with our church’s daily readings, while also giving you the benefits of the podcast in book form.
Don’t worry! You can join our plan any time of year; just start reading wherever we are at the time. Even if you missed some weeks, there’s a good chance you’ll be more in tune with the Word of God than ever before!
A study guide isn’t required to participate in our bible reading plan. All you need is the podcast. With that being said, if you prefer to have a tangible book to follow along with, you can purchase The Bible Recap’s physical study book on their website.
Nothing is required for you to start the plan, but The Bible Recap does offer several podcast episodes that you can use to prepare. They’ll answer most, if not all, of your questions — including ones you didn’t even realize you had.
Prep Episode 1: Let’s Read the Bible in a Year (Chronological Plan)!
Prep Episode 2: How I Learned to Love (Reading) the Bible
Prep Episode 3: Why Reading the Whole Bible is Important (interview with Lee McDerment)
Prep Episode 4: Preparing to Read the Bible
Prep Episode 5: Avoiding Common Mistakes: What to Look for When You Read the Bible
Prep Episode 6: Reading the Bible in Community
Absolutely! Encourage anyone and everyone around you to join the plan. Within the YouVersion Bible App, you’ll have options to share the plan with friends via text, email, direct message, and more. They’re not required to join our church in the app, nor are they required to attend our church. Of course, they’re welcome to join us at any time!
Prep Episode 1: Let’s Read the Bible in a Year (Chronological Plan)!
Prep Episode 2: How I Learned to Love (Reading) the Bible
Prep Episode 3: Why Reading the Whole Bible is Important (interview with Lee McDerment)
Prep Episode 4: Preparing to Read the Bible
Prep Episode 5: Avoiding Common Mistakes: What to Look for When You Read the Bible
Prep Episode 6: Reading the Bible in Community
If you’re using the YouVersion Bible App, you can invite people once you join The Bible Recap plan. When you click “Start Plan,” you’ll be asked if you want to complete it individually or with friends. Choose “With Friends.” You’ll then be prompted to invite friends you’ve already connected with on YouVersion. To invite people who aren’t using YouVersion, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the share icon next to the plan link. You can then choose to send the link to anyone via text, email, direct message, and more.
If someone you know wants to be part of our church’s Bible reading plan on the YouVersion app, have them search for our church using the same steps outlined above, or send them our church profile’s direct link.
You sure can! Download and print our daily reading calendar here.
