Every disciple of Jesus is in a dependent friendship with the Lord and Saviour.
At Berwick Anglican we want everyone in our church to be proactive and engaged in their personal walk as a follower of our Lord Jesus. The very heart of this is reading the Bible and personal prayer.
There are a variety of good models of personal devotion that vary based on personality, gifts, life stage, household dynamics and more. We encourage you to explore different models and find what best helps you in growing in Christ and growing in the Word and growing in Prayer.
Bibles and Bible Reading Guides:
Here is a five day a week Bible Reading Plan to download and print. Here is a helpful review article on this plan (via the Gospel Coalition)
I recommend the ESV (English Standard Version) as a readily available translation with very close promixity to the original languages.
Physical Bibles in my opinion are still the ideal for home use and careful reflection. The ESV has a number of excellent large print and even giant print Bibles. You can purchase these from Koorong Christian Books (online or shop is in Blackburn), Amazon or other suppliers.
Good Bible websites include the ESV website and the Bible Gateway.
Some good Bible reading apps for phones and tablets are: YouVersion and the ESV Bible Apps.
The Bible websites above also can play audio. You can also get dedicated audio Bibles to listen while driving, or mowing the lawn! The NIV audio Bible read by David Suchet is good.
Many Christians find it helpful to have a journal where you can write down what you are learning and even write your prayers. You can even use this for sermon notes!
Bible Study Booklets:
We have a range of home grown BAC Bible studies on our website. These can be used for personal devotion, and you can email the original authors! (some of the links on this page are still being uploaded)
We have a number of 3rd party Bible study booklets available for sale from our church for $5 each. Often these are left over stock from group purchases. COVID-19 special – we are happy to freely provide a gloved delivery of a Bible study booklet to your street mailbox. We want you to dig into God’s Word while in isolation. Email us at: info@berwickanglicanchurch.org.au
We highly recommend the resources from Matthias Media Australia and the Good Book Company.
Christian Reading and Thinking:
JC Ryle is a timeless author on the gospel and the Christian life. He wrote many short essays (or tracts) which you can Google for free online. There are also cheap editions of his works on Kindle.
At BAC we also have a small range of select JC Ryle booklets that we print and distribute. COVID-19 special #2 – we are happy to freely provide a gloved delivery of a JC Ryle devotional booklet to your street mailbox. We want you to dig into God’s Word while in isolation. Email us at: info@berwickanglicanchurch.org.au
On our bookstall we have a number of solid Christian books from authors such as CS Lewis, Tim Keller, JI Packer and more. Please email us if you would like to purchase from us.
Recommended Online Christian Resources:
There is a wealth of online Christian content, both good and bad, wise and unwise.
The Gospel Coalition Australia is a good source of evangelical Australian content.
I highly recommend the online sermons and other resources provided by St Helen’s Bishopsgate in London.