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Recorded in the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, is the greatest story ever told about the greatest person who ever lived, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God; God walking on earth as a man in real flesh and blood. The life of Jesus is told by four men, two were eye-witnesses and Apostles of Jesus who served alongside Jesus and knew him personally (Matthew, John), one was a convert of the Apostle Peter (Mark), and one was a historian (Luke), who knew and interviewed eye-witnesses of the life of Jesus.
Since the four Gospels are four different perspectives on the life of Christ it would make sense to combine the four Gospels together and read the one story chronologically, in the order in which the life of Jesus unfolded. And that's exactly what you'll be doing as you read through the Gospels following a weekly format that can be completed in one year.
ThrutheGospels.org has combined the four Gospels in chronological order and organized them into 50 weekly Bible studies. Technically, the Gospels are covered in weeks 1-46, the last four weeks, 47-50, cover the major teachings of the person of Christ in the rest of the New Testament. This site isn't just about reading the Gospels but introducing you to Jesus.
Each week you'll read the selected verses which contain one or more, usually more, of the Gospels. The verses you'll be reading for that week will generally cover the same information in each Gospel, since they'll be talking about the same event, but they are seldom word-for-word repetitions. Each author, even though covering the same event, saw it through their own eyes and offers different details. Sometimes one author gives events of the life of Christ that the other authors don't even mention. You'll find that to be true most often with the Gospel of John. John has a different focus in his retelling of the life of Jesus, whereas Matthew, Mark and Luke are more similar to each other.
WEEK This section identifies the week you are reading and a title that captures the big idea. That is followed by an introductory paragraph that gives a brief overview that connects the events from the week before and sets the stage for that week's reading.
READ This gives the Bible verses for you to read. Click on each chapter and it will take you to an online Bible where you can read the verses. The verses are from the New Living Translation (NLT); a popular and well-established paraphrase translation that is easy to read and understand. The NLT is very useful for reading narrative and long sections of Scripture.
MAJOR EVENTS This section lists the major events that will be covered in the reading for that week. For each event it also lists the Gospel where that event was recorded. It is here you can notice what Gospels cover the same material and which one's have unique information not covered by the others.
MAJOR TOPICS This section lists important topics that are covered in the reading for that week. In the future these topics will be linked to more in-depth information.
VIDEO The video section has dramatic chapter-by-chapter retellings that are usually no longer that 10 minutes each. The narration is word-for-word from the Bible. You can watch and listen to these alone or better, follow along with your Bible.
KEY VERSES & WORDS This section lists the key Scriptures from your reading. The Scriptures are grouped into two sections: "The Story" and "The Teachings of Jesus". The Story section includes verses that are important to the narrative and story line. These verses are action oriented and usually have key places and names. The Teachings of Jesus section focuses on concepts, ideas and key truths taught by Jesus. The Key Verses and Words section also has in bold type key words and phrases. These verses are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION This section gets you to reflecting on the reading to help you internalize the Word and make it personal to you. These questions also make for good small group study.
DIGGING DEEPER This section will give you resources to go below the surface and study the Bible. The commentary provided has links to in-depth information about the background, people, culture and topics of that particular chapter.
CURIOUS CHRISTIANS This section has interesting topics related to your reading or asks questions that you never thought to ask but always wanted to know.
LIVING THE LESSON Here is where the Holy Spirit has opportunity to bring great revelation and transformation in your life--in reflection and obedience to what you have been reading and studying in God's Word. Don't skip this section; pause and listen, allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you how to respond to the reading.
Want to read or study about when Jesus meets the woman at the well? Or when He walked on the waters? The EVENTS INDEX is where you can find which week that event is covered.
How you use this site depends on how much time each day you have to devote to it. One of the strengths of this site is its versatility. The following READING PLANS are based on the amount of time each day you commit to it.
Read the TITLE and overview paragraph.
Scan the MAJOR EVENTS and MAJOR TOPICS sections. This gives you some focus as to what you'll be reading.
READ the selected Bible Scriptures for the day.
Go to the bottom of the page and do the LIVING THE LESSON.
Complete steps 1-3 from PLAN ONE.
Watch a VIDEO or two of the Bible chapter-by-chapter. If you're not a strong reader watch the videos before you read.
Go to the bottom of the page and do the LIVING THE LESSON.
Complete steps 1-2 from PLAN TWO.
Scan the KEY VERSES & WORDS section. Notice the key phrases and words that are in bold. This will help you to internalize the main points of the storyline and teachings of Jesus.
Pick a topic or more under the QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION to ponder and respond.
Instead of day by day take each day and turn it into a week. At this pace you'll turn the study into a year. This plan is much more manageable for most people's schedule.
Make a goal to spend 20-30 minutes, three to four days a week.
Follow PLAN THREE.
The primary goal of ThrutheGospels.org is to guide the reader through the Gospel story and getting them to engage the Scriptures. The hope is when a person reads through the Gospels day by day over a period of about 9 weeks they will see more clearly the one story all four Gospels record. Then once they finish they will want to go back through it and go deeper in areas that have been extra compelling to them. That is where the DIGGING DEEPER and CURIOUS CHRISTIANS sections come in to play.
This section has links to Bible commentary over the chapters of the reading for that day. These excellent commentaries give you background information about the culture, people, locations and events that will deepen your understanding and appreciation. They also will often outline and organize the chapter and add clarity to the events and teachings. The difference between reading and studying the Bible is NOTE TAKING. When you find yourself in this section take notes! If you don't already have a Bible note taking journal now's the time for one. Here's what I use but any will do. Leather Journal
Caution! A "secret" goal of ThrutheGospels.com is for you to spend more time in your Bible than you intended too! This section is no exception. Here you'll find a picture or video or link to an article over an interesting topic covered in that day's reading.