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Bible-Rooted Reading Plan

June 2020

June 1 to 5: 2 Thessalonians
June 8 to 12: 2 Thessalonians
June 15 to 19: Titus
June 22 to 26: Titus (repeat)

May 2020

Apr 27 to May 1: 1 Thessalonians 1
May 4 to 8: 1 Thessalonians 2
May 11 to 15 : 1 Thessalonians 3
May 18 to 22: 1 Thessalonians 4
May 25 to 29: 1 Thessalonians 5

April 2020

Read the chapters of the week twice a day from Monday to Friday
Mar 30 to Apr 3: Colossians 1-2
Apr 6 to 10: Colossians 1-2 (repeat)
Apr 13 to 17: Colossians 3-4
Apr 20 to 24: Colossians 3-4 (repeat)

March 2020

Read the chapters of the week twice a day from Monday to Friday.

Mar 2 to 6: Phil 1-2
Mar 9 to 13: Phil 1-2 (repeat)
Mar 16 to 20: Phil 3-4
Mar 23 to 27: Phil 3-4 (repeat)

January 2020

Each of these books only has one chapter. Read the book of the week four times a day from Monday to Friday.

Jan 6 to 10: Philemon (2m 30s)
Jan 13 to 17: Jude (3m 15s)
Jan 20 to 24: 2 John (1m 33s)
Jan 27 to 31: 3 John (1m 40s)

The estimated time for each reading is based on the average pace of 200 words per minute and is provided to help you plan your day.

Know Your Bible. Be Rooted in the Word

Bible-Rooted is the reading plan for Christian Bible Church of the Philippines starting 2020. 

Our previous plan, Dig Deep, helped us become familiar with every Bible chapter by introducing its main themes and contexts in a quick guide. We read through the entire Bible in a span of three years. 

With this plan, we will be taking a different approach. The Bible-Rooted Reading Plan’s principles can be summarized using two words: Repetition and Consistency.

Repetition

We will read Bible passages over and over again. This program invites us to read a passage not once, not thrice, but 20 times. 

You might ask, “Why? What’s the point? Do I really need to do that? (Is it because it’s the year 2020?)”

There are many reasons why it is wise to do this. One practical benefit is familiarity with the text. When we read Scripture, we gravitate towards verses that are most familiar to us. Reading repetitively allows us to slow down and notice the details and nuances in the text. It retrains our eyes and ears to notice what we did not pay attention to before. Even if you’ve read a passage a hundred times, the Holy Spirit will continue to speak to you (and surprise you) as you meditate on the timeless living Word of God. 

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8. 
Consistency

We will break down the goal of reading a passage 20 times into manageable chunks. We do this by reading the selected passage individually for five days each week, from Monday to Friday. 

Shorter passages will be read four times a day for a week, while longer passages will be read two times a day for two weeks. You can read a passage at its prescribed frequency all in one sitting or you may choose to distribute it evenly across the day. Do whatever works for you.

This approach is NOT a strict rule and it does not mean that if you fail to do this on Wednesday, you have failed and there’s no point in continuing. On the contrary, don’t stop! Consistency is not perfectionism. Consistency is more about getting back on track when you’re starting to wander off. 

As it is with any other reading plans, this Bible-rooted reading plan is here to help you stay on track in the journey towards the goal. In case you miss a day or a week, ask for God’s grace and muster the discipline to get back up again.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 3:14

Start with the Goal in Mind

You are more likely to stay consistent with this reading program if you start with a clear grasp of the goal. The Bible-Rooted Reading Plan is very straightforward in this aspect. 

As a church that upholds the core value of Bible-rootedness, this program is designed to help every one of us “Know our Bible and be rooted in the Word”.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 

Start Anytime

The beauty of this reading plan is that you can jump in anytime. We’d love it if you can join us right from the very beginning. But if you’ve just discovered this reading plan, there’s no stopping you from getting onboard and starting to read this week’s assigned passage. You can catch up on earlier passages later on.  

Still doubtful that this plan is for you? 

Consider this: the reading plan is designed to start with books that have a single chapter, which will be read 20 times over the course of a week. 

For example, the book of Philemon has one chapter with only 25 verses. The average person can read the entirety of Philemon in less than 3 minutes – leisurely! Reading the book 4 times a day will take less than 12 minutes. That is almost certainly faster than your commute to work or school. 

Ask yourself: Can I devote 12 minutes of my day this week to the Word of God?