BIBLE READING & PRAYER
BIBLE READING
At Renfrew Baptist Church we seek to be a people who are being shaped by the Scriptures. Therefore, we encourage everyone to faithfully read through the Bible and become more familiar with its various parts as well as grow in their awareness of how the whole Bible is a unified story of God’s unfolding plan of redemption in history.
Here are four brief reasons why we should seek to read through the Bible:
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God works through His Word. The Bible is the living and active word of God (Hebrews 4:12) that He uses to renew our minds and change our lives (Romans 12:1-2). When we regularly read our Bibles, God works through His Spirit to convict us of sin, strengthen our faith, correct our misunderstandings, teach us about His will, help us to remain steadfast through various trials, equip us for every good work, remind us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ, and much more (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 5:11-14; John 17:17).
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God often applies His Word in unexpected ways. As we maintain the discipline of faithful Bible reading, we will often be surprised by the way God will use His Word to bring some insight or encouragement that will “speak” to our particular life situation.
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God will show us His grace through portions of Scripture we may be less familiar with. The whole Bible is about the good news of God’s Kingdom through Jesus Christ the King. As we develop an awareness of the themes that run throughout God’s Word we will be able to discern how everything points to Jesus in some way (John 5:39; Hebrews 1:1-2; Luke 24:27, 44).
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God will meet us through His Word when we read it aloud together with others. The Scriptures are meant to be read aloud and heard. We learn a lot from others as we meet regularly with them to read, pray over, and discuss what the Scriptures teach us about Jesus Christ and how that should influence our faith and life together as members of the church body.
To establish a habit of faithful Bible reading we recommend getting a good English translation (we generally use the ESV translation on Sunday mornings) and having a plan. It’s a good idea to establish a regular time and place to read the Bible each day. We also suggest using one of the helpful Bible reading plans available below.
PRAYER
At Renfrew Baptist Church, we seek to be a people who call upon the name of the Lord -- in our private devotion, in our homes, and when we gather together as a church. Prayer is not merely one spiritual discipline among many; it is the breath of the Christian life. We therefore encourage everyone to develop a faithful and fervent habit of prayer, both alone and alongside fellow believers.
Here are four brief reasons why we should seek to grow in prayer:
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God invites us to approach Him as our Father. Through Jesus Christ, we have been given access to the living God and are welcomed to draw near with confidence (Hebrews 4:14-16; Romans 8:15-16). Prayer is not a duty we perform to earn God's favour; it is the response of those who have already received it. When we pray, we are not overcoming God's reluctance; we are acting on His open invitation.
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God works through the prayers of His people. Scripture is filled with examples of God moving in response to prayer -- not because prayer changes God's mind, but because He has appointed it as the means by which He advances His purposes (James 5:16-18; Matthew 7:7-11). God will bless His church and extend His kingdom, but He calls us to ask. Our prayers are not a last resort; they are part of how God has chosen to work.
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Prayer keeps us dependent on God in every area of life. Left to ourselves, we drift toward self-sufficiency. Regular prayer is God's appointed remedy. It reshapes our hearts, orders our priorities, and reminds us that every good gift comes from Him (Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:17). It is also the place where God meets us in our weakness and conforms us more and more to the image of Christ (Romans 8:26-29).
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God is glorified when His people pray together. Corporate prayer is not secondary to Sunday worship; it is a vital expression of it. When we gather to pray, we declare together our trust in God, bear one another's burdens, intercede for our city and the world, and align ourselves with the advance of the gospel (Acts 2:42; Acts 4:23-31; 1 Timothy 2:1-4). There is something uniquely powerful and God-honouring about the church crying out to God with one voice.
To grow in the habit of prayer, we encourage you to establish a regular time and place each day to pray. Begin simply and honestly, even if your words feel inadequate. The resources below are intended to help deepen your understanding of prayer, stir your desire for it, and give you some practical guidance for both personal and corporate prayer.​​