Some of you will know that in recent years I have had the joy (and sometimes the stress) of travelling to different parts of the world. The main reason I visit is to share the message of the Bible with unbelievers and to talk with believers about some of the Bible's great truths. I was once asked what I did for a living. That can either be a conversation stopper (if the person I am talking to thinks being a Christian preacher is weird) or open an interesting conversation. On that occasion, I decided to be a little coy with my answer, so I said, 'I research and promote the world's best-selling book.' Of course, I was talking about the Bible. You might be surprised by that fact, but it is true. Billions of copies of the Bible are sold every year, and every major source agrees that no other book, religious or secular, comes close to its total circulation[1]. Statistically, no other book comes near. The Bible stands at around 5-6 billion copies sold or distributed; Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung, 1.1 billion; The Qur'an, 800 million, and so on.
There are around six countries where the Bible is either banned or makes owning a Bible so dangerous that it effectively functions as a ban. In nine nations, despite not having a formal ban, the activity of extremists, and the levels of government surveillance make access to or the use of the Bible extremely difficult. You might be asking, "What is your point?" I have a couple, so please bear with me. Firstly, we should all be grateful that we still have the freedom to read and evaluate religious texts such as the Bible. Secondly, you need to ask – what is it about the Bible that makes it so feared?
One of the wonderful things about sharing that Bible with people is knowing how powerful it is. It is the word of God (I know you may not agree, and thankfully, you have the freedom to do so), and it claims to be eternal and living. Reading, believing and acting upon its truth will change your life – maybe this is where the 'fear factor' comes from! The apostle Peter wrote a similar description of scripture in one of his letters. He was describing the effect of becoming a Christian and confirming that the source of that change was God, as revealed in the Bible. Let me quote the whole of his statement so you can read it for yourself:
'Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you,' 1 Peter 1:21-25 (NLT).
I challenge you to get a Bible and read it this year. That privilege may not always be available to you, so take the opportunity while you can. Have a good year.
[1] Source – Guinness World Records and multiple independent analyses confirm its number one position.
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
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