"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:17
I would like SAY REBEL to consider taking this challenge seriously. Have you ever read the Bible cover-to-cover? In other words, you have read all the books within the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation?
If not, can I urge you to set yourself a reasonable timeline (say, no more than 2 years), and develop your own system to cover all the books listed in the Bible. If you've already covered most of the books then that's well and good. In that case, do come up with a reading plan to cover those books that you have left out.
The Bible states that the Word of God is like a sword. It is your spiritual weapon and if the Youth Leadership embarks on a mission in full solidarity to read the Word and encourages the rest to do so,..that will add great strength to the life of the church.
Attempt to read through the Bible along with prayer and being mindful of God's love. Each of you should consider coming up with your own reading plan and system. Do so in your own time. Some will only need 3 months or less. Some may need more time. That's fine. Just don't take too long. I'm assuming two years to be the reasonable limit.
Once the words of the Bible is captured in your memory, that allows the Holy Spirit to help you recall it to your benefit in times of need. Use whichever version that you are comfortable with. Good News, NIV, NKJV, etc... it doesn't matter.
That's the first part of the challenge. The second part is to encourage those around you to do the same. If you're running Sunday school, you can urge the children to read their Kids Bible or picture Bible book. At the end of the day, the goal is to lay a strong spiritual foundation for the young people at church.
This challenge comes with a name - Op:G2R
