Revive School - Year Two

“This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” Acts 19:10

Last year I wrote about our ministry starting reviveSCHOOL and how Erica and I were going through it together. Well, we are officially half-way through reviveSCHOOL and its been an amazing journey. 

If you don’t remember, reviveSCHOOL is a two-year study through the entire Bible. There is a daily reading plan which is accompanied by daily video teachings, teaching notes and a daily devotional. We read one to three chapters per day and alternate between the Old Testament and New Testament. Our overall goal is to find the Messiah (Jesus) in every book of the Bible - not just the New Testament. 

In addition to the daily readings and studying we do, Erica and I also lead a weekly discussion group where we meet via video and talk about the previous week’s readings. The goal, like the disciples who studied with Paul for two years, is that you are so saturated with the Word of God that everyone around you hears the word. 

Nicole drinking a green "grinch" smoothie

Before we started reviveSCHOOL, Erica and I wanted to “read the Bible together” but we really didn’t know how. I’m sure several people in our lives told us that if we wanted to have a strong marriage we had to read the Bible together. Well, we tried, unsuccessfully, reading on our own and then talking about what we read. Next, we tried buying a devotional-style study and navigating it at the same pace. Nope, not our thing. Then, we tried a study written primarily for a female audience and let me tell you, that didn’t work for me. Erica rocked that study though - you should see her notes!

What has been good about this is that we are both reading with the same purpose. We read. We look for the Messiah. We discuss. We grow. 

On our own, both of us read the one or two chapters each day and then during the week we will discuss some of the things that stuck out to us. Since both of us learn from a different perspective we are able to gain greater insights into the reading. There are times when we discover something that neither of us understand and guess what? We get into a good discussion and it even forces us to look into a topic more. We ask each other questions via text during the day or over dinner at night.

Nicole (3) and Jonah (8 months) goofing off.  

The process of studying the Bible together has both deepened our faith as well as our relationship. How many weddings have you been to where someone makes a toast and says something along the line of “to keep your marriage strong you need to pray together and read your Bible together…” I have. I used to think that “reading your Bible together” meant hashing over the chapters that talk about marriage - “husbands, love your wives…” Sure, that is helpful. 

I would propose this, though. That when you read your Bible together, you are growing closer to God. You are becoming more intimate with Him and when you grow closer to God together, the result is that you become closer as a couple. You begin to look more like Him. You understand His ways, His plan, and His story. When you come to the realization of how BIG HE really is, your focus and awe is on Him. When your focus is on Him, you don’t have time to focus on the imperfections of your mate. They don’t matter.

Halfway through reviveSCHOOL I have noticed this. I am in love with the Word of God. Erica and I are growing closer to Him by studying His word. We have something to do together. And, our marriage is strengthened because we focus first on God and then on each other. The good news is that we have another year to go. There are so many ways we have grown by studying God’s word together that I cannot wait to see what is in store.

If you would like to jump into reviveSCHOOL check out the website at www.reviveschool.org. You can study the book of Acts for free and if you do, you might see a familiar face teaching a couple of the lessons. Maybe this is your chance to grow closer to God. If you do, who knows how it might benefit those around you. 

“This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.” Acts 19:10