5 Books Every Bible Believing Christian Should Read
I have always been an avid reader but I really struggled to read the Bible for many, many years. I think that is because I had difficulty understanding what I was reading.
I was raised in a traditional Christian denomination and before great Bible Study teachers were mainstream so I was limited in teaching about Biblical foundations outside of Sunday sermons until I was an adult. In my early 30’s I moved from a traditional practicing denomination to one that was more Bible study focused and there I was introduced to topical Bible Study which I found hugely fulfilling. But topical Bible studies still failed to answer basic questions about the foundations of Christian faith and left me still with many unanswered questions. So while I grew in understanding of topics of Christian life I still struggled to maintain a practice of regular Bible reading for myself without some sort of teaching to guide me through the scriptures. While it’s great to have someone guide our learning, it limits our ability to receive revelation from the Word of God for ourselves. Topical Bible study is amazing and a great place to start, but reading and gleaning from complete books of the Bible for ourselves is the most beneficial way to engage with scripture.
I am sharing some books here I read over time that helped me to understand better the context of the Bible and how I as a regular person could interface with the Word and the God of the Bible.
There are MANY books I could and would like to share, but these 5 are a great start to begin to gain an understanding of the Person of God, His Kingdom, and the context in which the Bible is written and how we, disciples of Jesus fit into that plan even today.
I titled this post for “Bible believing Christians” because I think it’s important to actually believe the Bible and what is contained within it as true and factual. Without that basis, I’m not sure these books will be helpful. But if you believe the Bible is true, but just recognize you don’t necessarily understand some or most of it I think you will find great value in these books as an aide to build and explain the basis of your faith and the scriptures.
These are some challenging books, but they bring the Bible to life, help us understand its relevance today, and introduce us to the Person of Yahweh the covenant God of the Bible. It is my hope that through reading these suggested books that the Word of God would open up to you in new ways and that your discipline of reading it would become exciting, enjoyable, and fulfilling to your spirit!
The Awe of God - John Bevere
Although these selections are in no particular order of importance to me I would still rank this book at the top of books I would recommend to any/all Christians. This book is foundational to understanding the necessary reverence of God, but brings it in a way that inspires the reader rather than condemns. John Bevere is probably the author and teacher I recommend most for all topics regarding Christian faith and living and I have followed his writings and teachings for the twenty plus years I have been pursuing my faith. That said, I have also recognized that John also writes his books according to a specific revelation that the Lord is releasing to His Body during that particular season and this book is definitely on time for right now. I highly, highly recommend it. This book is written in a devotional style, designed with daily readings and comes with some additional video resources that can also be really beneficial.
An Alternate Reality: See From Heaven’s Perspective - Chad Gonzales
Get ready to have your mind blown! This book literally changed my life. If you ever looked at modern day Christianity in comparison to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and thought today’s version seems to be missing something - I would agree. This book opened my eyes, literally, to the reality of the early church possible today and connected me with the living God of the Bible in a whole new way. If you think Christian living is tired and dull - this book will light a fire in your spirit and change your relationship with God forever!
The Unseen Realm - Michael S. Heiser
What a gift Mike Heiser was to the Body of Christ! He is a world renowned Bible SCHOLAR and teacher. His list of credentials is a mile long and we get to benefit from his depth of knowledge and years of theological education. It was his tenacity and refusal to gloss over the most difficult scriptures in the Bible that revealed a completely new understanding of the Christian worldview today. If you struggle to understand some of the Bible - especially the Old Testament, Yahweh, how that all relates to the New Testament this book will not only intrigue you but excite you! As he states, reading your Bible will become new! He will show you through context, original language and meanings, what the scripture is actually talking about and reveal the grand plan of God. He is an excellent teacher and you will get a true education in this book. It is fantastic and life changing!
A Time to Prosper: Finding and Entering God’s Realm of Blessings - Chuck D. Pierce & Robert Heidler
This book is not about what it seems by the title and I am so grateful to have found it. Chuck Pierce is another author I recommend every book I’ve read that he’s written. But this book makes this list because it is a good introduction to the Biblical concept of time, The Feasts of Yahweh, and God’s plan for the redemption and restoration of man in this time. We often mistakenly think of salvation and redemption being just reserved for Heaven, but this book begins the exploration of God’s redemptive plan for man while still on the earth. This is not a prosperity gospel teaching. It is instead a Biblically based overview of the Kingdom plan of God for man and will help the reader begin to align his/her life with Him in His way, at His time. This is a book I check back in periodically each year - it is that full of valuable info!
The Principle and Power of Kingdom Citizenship - Dr. Myles Munroe
A few years ago I began trying to discover more about the concept of the Kingdom of God. I had heard that Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God more than anything else, but I realized I knew nothing about it at all. This was the first book I read on this topic and I found it to be an excellent and easy to understand introduction to this topic. It will likely challenge your worldview as all the books on my list, but I believe that once you read it you will both be inspired to live differently and also be the kind of Christian that the world wants and needs us to be. Dr. Munroe has many books on the Kingdom and you can continue in studying in this vein too!
A personal note:
People often say to me that they admire my faith and my ability to function in faith despite challenges that I’ve gone through. I would say these books are foundational for my ability to operate this way. It is my hope by sharing them with you that you will also find a deeper understanding of the Word of God, the Godhead and be able to go deeper into a life sustaining relationship with Him as a result. I hope these books bless you and also empower you to bless others. If you are interested in more about my faith practice you can check out this post here that I recently revised and updated. Blessings!