Generation Word Church: Public Reading of Scripture

Paul’s admonition to Timothy was, “Until I come , devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching.” (1 Tim.4:13) One of the components of the early church services that Paul established was the reading of scripture to those that had assembled. To the Colossians: “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodiceea.” (4:16) The reading of scripture to the people in those early days was necessary since they did not have personal Bibles available as we do today. A church service was the only time many of them heard the scriptures. That is one of the reasons Paul told the Thessalonians, “I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.” (1 Th. 5:27) Today the number of readable Bibles has increased, but still today the only time many of us hear scripture is in a church service.

Generation Word Church is investing a few minutes each church service to read 2-3 chapters from one of the letters Paul wrote these churches and people. This means that during the 52 church services we have a year we will easily be able to read 104-156 chapters publicly to those who are attending. If we read two chapters a week we could read every chapter that Paul wrote (100) in a year. If we read three chapters a week we could publicly read the entire collection of New Testament letters, from Romans through Revelations (143 chapters), to the church in a year. “Blessed is the one who reads the words; Blessed are those who hear.” (Rv.1:3)

"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear. . .because the time is near."
-Revelation 1:3,4