40 Days with John

By Roger Hubert

Christians are agreed that reading the Bible is a good thing, but sometimes we find it difficult. 40 Days with John is a series of reflections from the staff and deacons of Chichester Baptist Church, designed to encourage our church members and friends to read the Gospel of John together, along with some accompanying reflections from people that they know.

40 Days with John is intended to be read over a period of 8 weeks - 5 readings each week. Over the course of the 8 weeks the entire Gospel of John is covered.

Each reflection is based on a passage from the gospel, and concludes with a suggested response.

We hope and pray that everyone who uses this material - supported by sermons and small group studies during the period April - June 2015 - we find their love for God and his word increased.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roger Hubert
• Release date: Apr 8, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310576843

Book preview

It’s been a while since we invited people to follow the same pattern of Bible reading and prayer together at CBC but whenever we have done so we have found there is something powerful in this shared commitment.

"Pick up a Bible, and read a little bit every day from the Gospel of John. Underline everything you read that shows you how trustworthy Jesus is. Notice especially how he treated people; think about why he died, and what his resurrection means for you. Jesus gave up his life for you. You can trust him with your life today. You can follow him." Edward T. Welch

I read these words early in January of this year, soon after we had decided as church leaders to produce this Bible reading plan, which takes us through John’s gospel. This quote reminded me that we can discover some key insights into Jesus’ life by reading John’s gospel together. I hope we will find what Edward Welch points to and more.

There is a greater likelihood that we will successfully commit to reading the Bible daily when we know that others in our church are doing the same. To encourage that, these readings will be supported by our Sunday morning messages, morning and evening, and some other things that are described in the Welcome! page overleaf. We hope that you will engage with 40 Days with John in as many ways as you can.

For some of us, this may be just what we need to start or get back on track with a regular pattern of reading the Bible and praying. For others, we hope this will be a useful additional tool. Just maybe, the fact that you know the people who have written the notes will help make the readings more personal and poignant. For those who want to, you can also continue the conversation by following our Blog and Twitter pages (details overleaf).

At the end of the readings there are some links and suggestions for ongoing daily Bible readings.

I am looking forward to seeing where these readings, prayers and conversations take us.

Ken

April 2015

Welcome!

Welcome to 40 Days with John! We hope and pray that the readings and thoughts contained in this booklet will be a help and encouragement to you, and that your love for God’s Word will grow.

If you are using this booklet along with other members and friends of Chichester Baptist Church, then there are lots of other ways in which you can engage with 40 Days:

On Sundays

Each Sunday, in both the morning and evening services, there will be a message from a verse or passage from the Gospel of John for that week. In the mornings we will be sharing some thoughts on a conversation that took place in the week’s readings. In the evenings we will be exploring what John says about truth from the week’s readings. If you miss a Sunday, or are using this resource sometime after it was published, then you can still listen to the messages by going to http://sermonplayer.chichesterbaptist.org.uk/

40 Days Blog

If you use the Internet, you might like to take a look at the 40 Days Blog: http://cbc40.blogspot.co.uk/ On the site you will find the readings for each day (posted on the day). You can also join in the conversation about the day’s readings and thought by adding your own comments. And if you like, can register on the site and have your readings delivered by e-mail to your smartphone, tablet or computer.

#40cbc

If you are Twitter user, please tweet your thoughts about the passages, daily thoughts, and Sunday messages and use #40cbc. If you go to http://www.chichesterbaptist.org.uk/40cbc.htm (whether or not you are a Twitter user) you will be able to follow the discussion, as this page will show all of the posts for #40cbc.

And …

We will be encouraging our young people to join in with the Bible readings, and our Discipleship Groups to look at John’s Gospel as well. We will also be producing some Food for Thought – weekly questions to engage friends or families of all ages.

We hope you will engage with 40 Days in as many ways as you can. May God bless you richly as you do …

Week One

John 1-3

Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

John 3:3

Day 1 … John 1:1-18

In at the deep end

"Never forget that the entire course of a story or novel, like an avalanche, is largely defined within its