Devotions
"God does nothing but in answer to prayer."
John Wesley
What is prayer
- Prayer is foundational to faith
- It's how we communicate with God, and it is the life-giving fuel that powers our actions.
- It's the sunshine that brings a smile to our face and brings light to hidden places.
- It is the rain that helps new creation grow from the hidden depths.
For more information on praying click here.
The Bible
What is the Bible
The word “Bible” comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning “book,” a fitting name, since the Bible is the book for all people, for all time. It’s a book like no other, in a class by itself.
Sixty-six different books comprise the Bible. They include books of law, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy; historical books, such as Ezra and Acts; books of poetry, such as Psalms and Ecclesiastes; books of prophecy, such as Isaiah and Revelation; biographies, such as Matthew and John; and epistles (formal letters) such as Titus and Hebrews.
What is the Bible? - The Authors
About 40 different human authors contributed to the Bible, which was written over a period of about 1500 years. The authors were kings, fishermen, priests, government officials, farmers, shepherds, and doctors. From all this diversity comes an incredible unity, with common themes woven throughout.
The Bible’s unity is due to the fact that, ultimately, it has one Author—God Himself. The Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The human authors wrote exactly what God wanted them to write, and the result was the perfect and holy Word of God (Psalm 12:6; 2 Peter 1:21).
What is the Bible? - The Divisions
The Bible is divided into two main parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament. In short, the Old Testament is the story of a nation, and the New Testament is the story of a Man. The nation was God’s way of bringing the Man—Jesus Christ—into the world.
The Old Testament describes the founding and preservation of the nation of Israel. God promised to use Israel to bless the whole world (Genesis 12:2-3). Once Israel was established as a nation, God raised up a family within that nation through whom the blessing would come: the family of David (Psalm 89:3-4). Then, from the family of David was promised one Man who would bring the promised blessing (Isaiah 11:1-10).
The New Testament details the coming of that promised Man. His name was Jesus, and He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament as He lived a perfect life, died to become the Savior, and rose from the dead.
What is the Bible? - The Central Character
Jesus is the central character in the Bible—the whole book is really about Him. The Old Testament predicts His coming and sets the stage for His entrance into the world. The New Testament describes His coming and His work to bring salvation to our sinful world.
Jesus is more than a historical figure; in fact, He is more than a man. He is God in the flesh, and His coming was the most important event in the history of the world. God Himself became a man in order to give us a clear, understandable picture of who He is. What is God like? He is like Jesus; Jesus is God in human form (John 1:14, 14:9).
What is the Bible? - A Brief Summary
God created man and placed him in a perfect environment; however, man rebelled against God and fell from what God intended him to be. God placed the world under a curse because of sin but immediately set in motion a plan to restore humanity and all creation to its original glory.
As part of His plan of redemption, God called Abraham out of Babylonia into Canaan (about 2000 B.C.). God promised Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob (also called Israel) that He would bless the world through a descendant of theirs. Israel’s family emigrated from Canaan to Egypt, where they grew to be a nation.
About 1400 B.C., God led Israel’s descendants out of Egypt under the direction of Moses and gave them the Promised Land, Canaan, as their own. Through Moses, God gave the people of Israel the Law and made a covenant (testament) with them. If they would remain faithful to God and not follow the idolatry of the surrounding nations, then they would prosper. If they forsook God and followed idols, then God would destroy their nation.
About 400 years later, during the reigns of David and his son Solomon, Israel was solidified into a great and powerful kingdom. God promised David and Solomon that a descendant of theirs would rule as an everlasting king.
After Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel was divided. The ten tribes to the north were called “Israel,” and they lasted about 200 years before God judged them for their idolatry. Assyria took Israel captive about 721 B.C. The two tribes in the south were called “Judah,” and they lasted a little longer, but eventually they, too, turned from God. Babylon took them captive about 600 B.C.
About 70 years later, God graciously brought a remnant of the captives back into their own land. Jerusalem, the capital, was rebuilt about 444 B.C., and Israel once again established a national identity. Thus, the Old Testament closes.
The New Testament opens about 400 years later with the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. Jesus was the descendant promised to Abraham and David, the One to fulfill God’s plan to redeem mankind and restore creation. Jesus faithfully completed His work—He died for sin and rose from the dead. The death of Christ is the basis for a new covenant (testament) with the world. All who have faith in Jesus will be saved from sin and live eternally.
After His resurrection, Jesus sent His disciples to spread the news everywhere of His life and His power to save. Jesus’ disciples went in every direction spreading the good news of Jesus and salvation. They traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and all the Roman Empire. The New Testament closes with a prediction of Jesus’ return to judge the unbelieving world and free creation from the curse.
Bible Month
Bible month is designed to help you understand more about the bible. Bible Month is an annual opportunity for the whole Methodist Connexion to feast on one particular book of the Bible together. Through a menu of carefully curated resources, training and learning opportunities, churches and circuits are encouraged to taste and see the goodness of an individual Bible text; enjoying some of its particular characteristics, considering its origins, appreciating its place alongside the rest of Scripture, and savouring the unique contribution it might make to our faithful living and learning today.
Noticing God in Scripture is one part of A Methodist Way of Life. Bible Month is a core element of our strategy to equip and enable everyone in our churches to do just that.
Bible month usually takes place in June but churches can decide to hold it in a different month.
Biblical Literacy
The Methodist Church believes that the revelation of God is recorded in all of Scripture, and so we want to help people read as widely as possible. Sometimes we deliberately select books of the Bible that are less familiar. We use these lesser-known parts of the Bible as a case study for honing our reading skills, learning how to approach and appreciate different texts, all in the interest of growing our faith, understanding and biblical literacy. We like to think of it as a chance to stretch and refine our theological palates.
For Everyone… We believe that the Bible is God’s gift to all, and so we want to help the whole Church feel equipped to read it with confidence and the expectation of finding God within. We want to make sure Bible Month equips and encourages everyone to engage with the text and hope that those facilitating Bible Month on the ground do so in a way that invites people to discover, explore and reflect on the text for themselves.
The Bible is meant to be shared together, and Bible Month resources offered each year are an invitation for everyone to enjoy a place at that table.
Every day… We believe that the Bible isn’t just for Sunday, or just for four weeks of the year – it is there for us every day. The annual Bible Month campaign is a concentrated season for us to all come to the table, feast on the Bible together and refine our theological palates, with the view that what we celebrate, practice, discover and enjoy over those four weeks will continue to shape, form and encourage our faith and understanding throughout the rest of the year.
Bible Month 2026
This year the book to the Philippians will be studied, for more information click here.
Singing The Faith
Singing The Faith is the latest hymnal in the Methodist Church and has been available since 2011. It is a mix of hymns that have been around for many years and new modern songs relating to the issues in today's world. For more information click here.