Reading for discipleship/deep dive?

So, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, but I was looking for suggestions for reading to get a better understanding of the Bible. This is something I have always wanted to do, but didn't get around to before. I grew up Mormon, and then became a Christian as a teenager. At the time, most of my focus was around apologetics. I kind of fell away for awhile before coming back more recently. This time around, I would like to finally gain a better understanding of God and the Bible.

Are there any books, or reading plans you would recommend? Online resources?

Hi
I would recommend listening to some teachings or sermons by some one you trust. But do this after you pray and seek the Lord direction. Tell the Lord your desire to know him and his word. IAM sure he will be delighted in your request.

Hello Hamarr .
It’s great that you are desiring to get a better grasp of the scriptures.
I suggest before getting started you set a time each day that you can have some uninterrupted time for prayer and reading. Then stick to it. Making scripture reading a habit is key !
Nothing beats the Bible for for knowing what’s in the Bible. So I suggest at first you don’t get into books about the Bible , like commentaries. They are a great help but I suggest you get a lay of the land before you read what others think . I do suggest a good plain English dictionary and a Bible dictionary. If you can’t afford a Bible dictionary or a biblical Greek/ Hebrew dictionary e-Sword has them for free on the net.
Here is a reading plan of the basics. I suggest you read the whole Bible , but this will jump start you .

Not my list , but I see that it’s a good start of the basics.

The Old Testament overview includes:
* Genesis (the history of Creation, the fall, and God’s covenantal dealings with the patriarchs)
* Exodus (the history of Israel’s liberation and formation as a nation)
* Joshua (the history of the military conquest of the Promised Land)
* Judges (Israel’s transition from a tribal federation to a monarchy)
* 1 Samuel (Israel’s emerging monarchy under Saul and David)
* 2 Samuel (David’s reign)
* 1 Kings (Solomon and the divided kingdom)
* 2 Kings (the fall of Israel)
* Ezra (the Israelites’ return from exile)
* Nehemiah (the restoration of Jerusalem)
* Amos and Hosea (examples of minor prophets)
* Jeremiah (an example of a major prophet)
* Ecclesiastes (Wisdom Literature)
* Psalms and Proverbs (Hebrew poetry)
The New Testament overview includes:
* The Gospels all (the life of Jesus)
* Acts (the early church)
* Ephesians (an introduction to the teaching of Paul)
* 1 Corinthians (life in the church)
* 1 Peter (an introduction to Peter)
* 1 Timothy (an introduction to the Pastoral Epistles)
* Hebrews (Christology)
* Romans ( Christian, theology)
You probably already know this but I will throw it out there . You aren’t going get it all in one read through. Folks spend a lifetime reading and discover something new every time they turn a page.
I hope this helps .
Try as hard as you can to make reading the Bible a part of you . That is when you don’t you feel you are missing something.
Blessings
Bill

Thanks a ton for the reading list. That is a big help. I’ll have to see what I can get for dictionaries. I am mostly reading out of a Bible app. I love being able to switch translations on the fly.

Starts with Genesis as thats the first book. Then carry on till you reach Revelation. Thatss the best way, nice and simple. And you dont need any other book you just read whats in the Bible. If stuck ask God to help you.

I think the only other books that really helped outside the bible would be Bible for Dummies, a Bible Handbook, and a bIble dictionary...but beware any thing outside scripture may have biases, and weird interpretations, some can be just as destructive as mormon doctrines.

Another good thing is keep a journal or diary on what you read and write down anything thats important, this will help putting scripture in your heart. Some people hiighlight passages and write all over their bibles but I find it best to keep a separate notebook. Make a habit of reading each day and read prayerfully. You will soon be deep in the Word, God will teach you so much simply by reading and meditating on it. Enjoy!

Concordances : Young's Analytical and Strong's are best for what you seem to be looking for.

You can access these immediately because both have online versions.

I just have discipleship with my Pastor

The Bible

Also, ask the Holy Spirit to give you direction in what to read and wisdom to give you understanding in the Word.

I like the idea of journaling during my reading. That will definitely give me time to reflect and process the reading, plus notes for later.

did you Love your Saviour as a Mormon and understand His Holy Sacrifice???
was it even possible for you to understand what He has done for you???
we all have so much to learn about Yeshua, - we must leave the world behind, and open our hearts
to The Holy Spirit and allow Jesus to teach us what His Holy Love truly means in relation with The Father,
and to our future...

Hello Hamarr.
Read the four gospels, Acts, the letters and follow the instruction of Jesus and the Apostles. Obeying Jesus and the Apostles is the key to unlocking all scripture.
They cite the Old Testament and when they do, look at those passages, not just just the verse they quoted, but the surrounding text.
Also read Psalms and Proverbs. God is with us. Obey him and pray for understanding.

I also believe that knowing some history (like the ancient Jews ways of life, etc) can help understand some things. I remember a long time ago reading where it says "let no one on the housetop come down..." and I wondered, why are people on their roofs. Then I learned their roofs were flat and they used them like a room.

I like deep diving into the Bible. Here are some things that I use:

*The IVP Bible Background Old Testament and New Testament

*E-sword free Bible study software (for PC, IOS) there are free downloads for is such as KJV 1611, KJV with Strong's numbers, Geneva Bible, ESV, ERV, but some newer versions you would have to pay to get. It also has commentaries, some of the free ones are Adam Clarke, Matthew Henry, and many other things.

*Online Biblegateway you can find new versions of the Bible if that is what you prefer

*Online BlueLetterBible has different version of the Bible, but it uses the Strong's numbers as well. You can just look up a Strong's number or a verse. It also give the definitions for those Strong's numbers, using either Strong's Definitions, or Thayer's Greek Lexicon and for Hebrew the Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon.

There are many things online if you search.

I always check the meanings of the words in the Bible, especially when using KJV. There are some words that the meaning are different today. One if the word "study" in 2 Ti 2:15. It does not mean what we think to day, open the books and keep reading and reading, it means to make an effort, be earnest. (and if using a newer translation, I always check back to the KJV). I use multiply Bibles to achieve the best understanding I can.


Hope this helps.
God bless

I forgot to reply to this earlier. As a I mentioned in my original post, I left the Mormon church as a teenager. I started going to some Christian churches in the area and then became a Christian. A lot of the Mormon teachings were a bit offputting as we got further into the doctrine, which was the original motivator for leaving.

Thanks a bunch. There's lots of stuff for me to check out. I'm excited to check out BlueLetterBible in particular.

You are welcome.

Get a good understanding how the faith of God works in us. Learn the difference between walking by faith and walking by sight.

Pray you get excited about the word and stay in the will of God as long as you can .

Study to show yourself approved to Him as he has loving commanded us . Look to the different interpretations prescriptions as to how we can hear what he is saying to the churches'. Get acquainted with the signified language. Know he has a special blessing that comes through parables.

For a "deep dive" I would recommend Nave's Topical Bible (King James Version).
https://www.amazon.com/Naves-Topical-Bible-comprehensive-Associated/dp/091700602X

"Nave's Topical Bible, " the best known of all topical bibles, has been a valuable Bible-study reference and a best-seller for more than 75 years. It is a comprehensive digest of over 20,000 topics and subtopics with more than 100,000 associated Scripture references. The most significant references for each topic actually include the full text of the verse cited saving the need to separately look up each verse.

Because "Nave's "groups verses by "idea" (or "topic"), it offers a better overview of relevant Scriptures than a concordance, which only lists or indexes verses according to specific words. This edition also includes the helpful Scripture index (left out of some other editions), which makes it possible for the reader studying a particular biblical text to locate every topic and grouping of Scripture in "Nave's "whenever a particular verse is included. That way, it is possible for the reader to study either all the verses related to a particular topic "or" all the topics related to a particular verse it works both ways.

For the pastor or teacher interested in saving hours of time but not willing to give their second best, and for anyone wanting to be challenged by what God has to say about a given subject, "Nave's Topical Bible" is the passport that will allow immediate and successful entry to the many points of interest."

Also use Bible Hub online for access to a very comprehensive range of Bible study sources.

https://biblehub.com

I heartily concur that reading the Bible daily is the way to go!

Do find a modern translation that you can understand! I read Hebrew and Greek, and they are all good versions, except for maybe the paraphrases, like The Message.

Modern versions are based on a huge collection of the earliest and best manuscripts. Older versions, like KJV were based on 7 corrupted 15th century manuscripts, to say nothing of the fact that we don't speak 1600s English, anymore.

I'm not home, but if you want to read some excellent books on discipleship, anything by Dallas Willard or Richard Foster are great. I have a lot more I can pass onto you, whenever we stop enjoying the sand and beaches in Oregon and head north back to Canada.

The KJV HAS BEEN REVISED THROUGHLY since the original...……..It used to say Moses came down from the mount with horns coming out of his head...…….the word for rays was mistranslated as horns until then.

Take a peak at the stastue of Moses in the Vatican. It is a hoot and a holler.