WHAT TO DO – WHEN READING THE SCRIPTURES
GOAL The scripture reader simply reads God’s Word (no exhortation or explanation at this point). This is in obedience to the Lord’s command in – 1 Timothy 4:13 “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture”
STEP 1 Ask people to stand in reverence/respect for God’s Word, you may say “May I request everyone to stand in reverence for God’s Holy Word.”
STEP 2 Let everyone know your passage and version. If the passage for example is John 3:16-18 and the version is ESV, you can say “Our scripture reading this morning is JOHN, chapter 3, verses 16 to 18. I’ll be reading from the ESV”If the passage for example is 1 Timothy 2:2-5, you can say “Our scripture reading this morning is 1st TIMOTHY, chapter 2, verses 2 to 5. I’ll be reading for the ESV”
STEP 3 Read the passage (check the right pronunciation of difficult words, easiest is google .com or youtube.com, search “pronounce the _word_in_question”, or listen to the reading of the passage in the YouVersion app).
STEP 4 Ask for God’s blessing and remind people to sit down … “May the Lord bless the reading of His Holy Word. You may sit down.” or “May the Lord help us to apply these words to our lives. You may sit down.”
NOTE Use ESV (English Standard Version) for the scripture reading.
RIVERLIFE CHURCH – JANUARY 2024