| About The Bible |
 The Bible deals with every experience in the life of people. It gives advice and help instruction and warning, comfort and hope, correction and direction, predictions and promises. As you read the Bible, may you receive help in time of need, guidance in life’s problems, a knowledge of Jesus Christ, hope for the future, peace of mind and an assurance of eternal life. The first and largest part of the Bible is called the Old Testament. It is comprised of 39 sections, referred to as "books". The Old Testament is basically the Hebrew Bible. Contemporary scholarship indicates that it was written and compiled between the 12th and the 2nd centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus, and later his disciples, rooted their teachings in those books of history, wisdom, the law as given to Moses, and prophecy. Much is mentioned in the Old Testament about the future coming of the "Messiah", or Jesus. The second part of the Bible is the called the New Testament. There are 27 short books which were written between 35 and 60 years after Jesus was crucified. The first four, called the "Gospels”, were written by men who were His contemporaries, three of whom knew Jesus Christ personally. They were written so that people in the future could know what happened and what Jesus taught. They have been protected through the centuries and translated carefully and accurately by faithful people so that the truth contained was preserved. Throughout the Bible, it is astonishing to see that the nature of humans and their needs really has changed very little. The stories told and the precepts written in it are as relevant and useful today as they were when written. It is a book that can plant hope in your heart—again or for the first time. WHAT TO EXPECT As you grow in your faith in Jesus Christ, you will experience a wonderful renewal in how you feel about yourself and the people and circumstances around you. Everything will seem new and fresh, filled with hope and meaning, maybe for the first time in your life. This gift is the result of the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, one of those awesome mysteries about the manner in which God works in our lives. The gradual changes you will notice in your nature—referred to as the “fruit of the Spirit”—are evidence of God’s power at work in you, both to you and to those you come in contact with. They will enrich your life. You may read about these marvellous, transforming gifts in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, verses 22 and 23. The Gideons does not produce its own translation or version of the Bible. The Bibles and New Testaments which The Gideons distributes are well recognized and widely accepted translations. |