Title – How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It

Author – Skip Heitzig

Publisher – revised and expanded edition published in 2002 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Skip is the pastor of a megachurch New Mexico.  Very, very, very big church.  I enjoyed this small book.  It is a simple primer encouraging inductive Bible study for the average church attender.  For my interest, here are four standout quotes from Skip’s book.

“At a moderate rate, the entire Bible can be read in about seventy hours—about fifty-two hours for the Old Testament and eighteen hours for the New Testament.  Divided over an entire year, those seventy hours equate to one hour and twenty minutes per week, or sixteen minutes per day if you were to read five days a week—or only eleven-and-a-half minutes per day if you establish the habit of reading your Bible every day.  Not as time-consuming as you’d think, is it?”

“Certainly, beneath the large umbrella of Christianity, there are disagreements about specific passages of Scripture or doctrines, such as the precise chronology of the return of Jesus Christ, the application of certain spiritual gifts within the contemporary church, the issue of man’s free will versus God’s sovereignty, the controversy over eternal security, and many others.  However, when it comes to the essentials of the Christian faith, such as the Person and work of Jesus Christ, His deity, His atoning death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, and the fact of His impending return, there is unity among believers.”

“I personally prefer the New King James Version for both studying and teaching, although I often refer to other translations as well.  One reason I like the NKJV is that it preserves familiar elements from the King James Bible that I began with in my earlier years.  Another reason is that it seems to be a middle-of-the-road translation.  Members of my congregation who are reading from a more formal translation can follow along as easily as someone using a dynamic equivalent version.”

Three rules for Biblical interpretation:  “1. We must be His.  2. We must be hungry.  3. We must be humble.”