Renowned evangelist Billy Graham has dished out advice to those struggling to read through the entire Bible, recommending they start with one of the four Gospels, namely the book of John.
In a recent post on The Kansas City Star, the 97 year old addresses a reader's question asking whether they did "something wrong" after failing to read through the Bible according to a New Year's resolution.
"I gave it a try, but the Bible is just too big, and I couldn't make much sense out of it. Did I do something wrong?" a reader by the initials of S.L. quizzes.
Graham begins by commending their effort to read the Bible, claiming that nothing is "more important than knowing it and applying it to our lives."
He then goes on to offer practical tips on creating a Bible reading plan: "Instead of starting at the beginning (as you do with most books), the best place to start reading the Bible is about three-fourths of the way through — that is, with one of the Gospels of the New Testament (I often recommend John)."
The reason for this advice, Graham explains, is because Jesus is the "centre of the Bible's message."
"The Old Testament points forward to him, and the whole of the New Testament is focused on him. In other words, once we understand who Jesus is and why he came into the world, the rest of the Bible will begin to make sense."
Graham, founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, is known for his mass evangelistic rallies and broadcasts. He has repeatedly appeared on Gallup's annual poll of 'most admired' people.