New book encourages you to finally read the Bible with that friend

Opening the Bible with someone can be one of the most rewarding experiences. It can also feel like one of the most unnatural things to do, for a first-timer. Author and publishing director of Matthias Media, Tony Payne doesn’t believe it has to be.

There’s very little that compares with two or three friends sitting down together and reading the Bible, according to Tony. Whether it’s inviting an old friend to discover the faith that drives you, or challenging a new friend to investigate the claims of Jesus Christ, there are ways to go about making the suggestion in a non-confrontational way. It may even be an invitation that someone out there is really waiting for.

“We believe that God reveals himself by speaking, and this comes in different forms. The written medium is central and important, and one really helpful way to hear God’s voice is to read and discuss that Word,” says Tony.

Tony tells a story of reading the Bible with a “god-fearing man” a few years ago. “In the process of reading a few verses from Romans 5 and a few verses from Ephesians 2 the penny dropped that the Christian life was about salvation by grace, not his own effort to do God’s will”.

It’s the lasting impact of one-on-one Bible reading that’s made Tony, the newly appointed director of the Centre for Christian Living at Moore Theological College in Sydney write a new resource to help Christians read the Bible with people.

You, Me and the Bible is a resource to help a small group of friends sit down together and read the Bible. It builds off the well-known Two Ways To Live gospel presentation. Each section includes the Bible passage, and some discussion questions to help get the conversation flowing. There are also videos available online that summarise the content of each segment.

Opening the Bible is a great way to share the gospel. Tony says that by reading Scripture together “you bring truth before others and pray that by the Spirit they may be changed”.