Menu
Menu
Horsham Crawley London Scarborough Taunton Worthing
Menu
Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram
Bible Reading Plan
more
Menu

Going deeper...to go further

The more rooted we are in God and in His Word, the more fruitful we become in His purposes

Throughout this year we’re encouraging everyone at Kingdom Faith Church to get a Bible, a journal and a pen and to S.O.A.P. your way through the scriptures. Below you’ll see what we’re reading today.

What is S.O.A.P.?

In order to go further in the mission God has given us, He said we need to go deeper in our relationship with Him. As with any tree or plant, the fruit is determined by the health and depth of the root. One way we have been going deeper is by reading and journaling through the Word every day. We’ve called it S.O.A.P.

[S]cripture - Read the Word
[O]bservation - Write down what God is saying/showing you
[A]pplication - How do we apply this in our lives?
[P]rayer - Pray through and over your life

As we read the Word (Scripture), listen to the Holy Spirit (Observation), discover how to apply that to our lives (Application) and pray these things over our lives and those in the Church (Prayer) we’re going deeper in our relationship with God so that we can go further in the mission He’s given us.

Throughout the rest of the year we’ll be continuing our Bible Reading Plan to press deeper into God so that we can go further in His purposes. Get yourself a Bible, a journal and a pen and SOAP your way through the scriptures!

Today we are reading: Revelation 21

The new Jerusalem1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea no longer existed.2And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending from heaven, from God, prepared as a Bride beautifully dressed for her husband.3And I heard a loud voice coming from the throne, saying: "Look, the holy dwelling place of God is with men and He will remain among them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them.4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death, no more grief nor crying nor pain, for the old order has passed away."5He who sat on the throne said: "Look, I make everything new." He added: "Write this down, because these words are trustworthy and true."6Then He said to me: "It is accomplished. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To those who are thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.7The victorious shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.8But as for the cowardly, the unbelieving, the morally filthy, murderers, the sexually immoral and those who practice witchcraft, those who worship idols and all deceivers, their destiny will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, the second death."9Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came and spoke to me saying: "Come and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, radiant with His glory.11It shone like a precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.12It had a great high wall with twelve gates attended by twelve angels. The names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were written on the gates.13There were three gates on the eastern side, three on the north, three on the south and three gates on the west.14The city wall had twelve foundation stones, on which were written the twelve names of the Lamb's twelve apostles.15The angel who was speaking to me had a measuring rod of gold with which to measure the city, its gates and wall.16The city was in the form of a square, the length being the same as the breadth.He measured the city with the rod and the length, breadth and height were each fifteen hundred miles long.17When he measured the wall it was two hundred feet thick by human measurement that the angel was using.18The wall was built of jasper and the city of pure gold that was as clear as glass.19-20The foundations of the city wall were decorated with every kind of precious stone: on the first foundation jasper, on the second, sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth and the twelfth amethyst.21The twelve gates were made from twelve pearls, each being made of a single pearl. The city street was of pure gold, as transparent as glass.22I saw no sanctuary in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were its holy sanctuary.23The city had no need of the sun or moon to give it light for it shone with God's glory and the Lamb is its light.24The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it.25The gates shall never be shut by day and no night shall exist there.26-27The glory and honour of the nations shall be brought into the city; but nothing unclean will be permitted to enter, nor anyone who does what is abominable or false. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life may enter.

Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE TRUTH VERSION. Copyright © 2009 by Colin Urquhart. All rights reserved worldwide. (The Truth New Testament)


Today we are reading: 2 Samuel 20

1Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted,“We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son!Every man to his tent, Israel!” 2So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 3When David returned to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but had no sexual relations with them. They were kept in confinement till the day of their death, living as widows. 4Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself.” 5But when Amasa went to summon Judah, he took longer than the time the king had set for him. 6David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bikri will do us more harm than Absalom did. Take your master’s men and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and escape from us.” 7So Joab’s men and the Kerethites and Pelethites and all the mighty warriors went out under the command of Abishai. They marched out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bikri. 8While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath. 9Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri. 11One of Joab’s men stood beside Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab!” 12Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the troops came to a halt there. When he realized that everyone who came up to Amasa stopped, he dragged him from the road into a field and threw a garment over him. 13After Amasa had been removed from the road, everyone went on with Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bikri. 14Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maakah and through the entire region of the Bikrites, who gathered together and followed him. 15All the troops with Joab came and besieged Sheba in Abel Beth Maakah. They built a siege ramp up to the city, and it stood against the outer fortifications. While they were battering the wall to bring it down, 16a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 17He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?”“I am,” he answered.She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.”“I’m listening,” he said. 18She continued, “Long ago they used to say, ‘Get your answer at Abel,’ and that settled it. 19We are the peaceful and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why do you want to swallow up the Lord’s inheritance?” 20“Far be it from me!” Joab replied, “Far be it from me to swallow up or destroy! 21That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you from the wall.” 22Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.23Joab was over Israel’s entire army; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; 24Adoniram was in charge of forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 25Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; 26and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.

Scripture quoted by permission. The passage above is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online)