Ben Connelly - Reading the Bible, Missing the Gospel: Recovering from (Shockingly Common) Ways We Get the Bible Wrong in Our Everyday Lives

Hebrews 3:3 says, Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Mosesas much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. Jesus story is on every page of the Bible. His love, His power, and His victory show up everywhere. People miss this if we think the star of the Bibles story is ourselves. When we do this, we look for self-glory or self-affirmation, or complain about our role in Gods story. Both thoughts miss Jesus and the greatness He alone deserves. And both thoughts lead us to misapply the Bible in our lives. Ben, thank you for writing a book that reminds us not to be amazed by the house itself but to be amazed by the builder of the house. Thats Jesus.

SHAUN ALEXANDER,2005 NFL MVP; author; entrepreneur; disciple of Jesus

Im sorry to tell you this, but the book youre holding in your hands right now is going to challenge some of your longest-held beliefs. In the best possible way. Calling readers back to Scripture, Reading the Bible, Missing the Gospel invites us to discover the good news afresh and to learn how Gods vision will always be bigger and better than what we settle for.

HANNAH ANDERSON,author of All Thats Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment

Deconstruction can be a fruitful endeavor. Ben Connelly not only helps us to deconstruct how we read the Bible, but more importantly, he helps us to reconstruct the way that we read the Bible, in and through the living Word. The good news is that Scripture reads us more accurately than we read it and reveals to us our need of the Father who loves us, the Son who gives us grace, and the Spirit who empowers us to follow Christ.

JR WOODWARD,National Director, The V3 Movement; author, Creating a Missional Culture; coauthor, The Church as Movement

Ben Connelly brings years of experience as an equipper of church planters alongside his own work as a planter to the crucial question, What is the gospel? He writes with biblical depth, the wisdom of experience, and the heart of a disciple-maker. I highly recommend careful study for the sake of the kingdom of Jesus.

GERRY BRESHEARS,Professor of Theology, Western Seminary, Portland

Please read this book about THE BOOK! For a follower of Jesus, reading and knowing the Bible is everything since it is the objective source of our faith. Sadly, few read it and fewer study it, and yet when many do, they do so often studying some book or subject in the Bible disconnected from the greater whole of Gods story and the gospel. Recently, Ive read a couple of books on reading bookswhich has tremendously helped me. This book will have a profound impact on how you read the Bible and the lens you see it through.

BOB ROBERTS JR.,founder, Glocal.net and Multi-Faith Neighbors Network; Senior Global Pastor, Northwood Church

Far too many people have been reading the Bible visually impaired, missing the beauty of the expansive landscape of the good news of Jesus Christ. Sadly, they either burden themselves with a crushing load of guilt, shame, or performance-driven expectations, or they walk away never having taken in the life-giving beauty of Jesus when they consider key themes of Scripture. Bens work reveals the reason so many remain blind to the beauty, while providing a means to begin seeing clearly the treasures of Jesus Christ found in every page of the Bible.

JEFF VANDERSTELT,Executive Director of Saturate and author of Saturate, Gospel Fluency, and Making Space

Among the morass of books written to help us read the Bible, this one stands out. Its prose is clear, and illustrations are compelling. It helpfully exposes common errors in Bible reading and guides readers into more faithful interpretation. It also avoids complicated hermeneutical discussions while handing the reader the ultimate interpretive lensthe gospel of Jesus Christ. Here is a theologically rich yet eminently practical way to read the Bible with Jesus!

JONATHAN DODSON,Lead Pastor, City Life Church; author, Gospel-CenteredDiscipleship and The Unwavering Pastor

Reading the Bible, Missing the Gospel is a wonderful resource to help believers see the Scriptures as they are meant to be seenas one unified story that points to Jesus, our source of life. Ben Connelly helps us see that this vision correction of a gospel lens of reading the Bible brings the pages of Scriptures to life! No longer is the Bible simply a book of rules, or quick bits of encouragement, or random truths about God, but it is the story of God in which Jesus is the Hero and we are joy-filled participants. If youre looking to better understand the relevance of the Bible and the person of Jesus for everyday life, get this book. It is challenging yet winsome, theological yet accessiblea great addition to the bookshelves of clergy and laity alike.

DOUG LOGAN JR.,President of Grimk Seminary; Vice President for Advancement of the Acts 29 Network; author of On the Block: Developing a Biblical Picture for Missional Engagement

Practical, theologically deep, and clarifying, this book will challenge your entire approach to the Bible if youlike so many (including me)just find yourself reading it all wrong sometimes. Ben is a gift to the church in todays climate, where we have more Bibles than ever but not always a clear understanding of what it is actually all about. Get this book, and give it to a friend or three!

MARK CLARK,Teaching Pastor, Bayside Church (CA); Founding Pastor, Village Church (BC)

It is not enough to read the Bible. One must know how to read the Bible rightly. With pastoral care and a humorous heart, Ben speaks to each of us, gently showing us where we have misstepped in our reading, both culturally and religiously. He does not, however, abandon us. Instead, he points us hopefully toward a brighter and more holistic path. He leads us further up and further into the great Story, making us better readers and, in the end, better participants in remaking the world. Highly recommended.

Steve Bezner,Senior Pastor, Houston Northwest Church; adjunct instructor, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University

2022 by BEN CONNELLY

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESVBible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.