About

A group of people reading the bible together

What is Public Reading of Scripture?

Public Reading of Scripture (PRS) is the biblical practice of listening to the Bible together.

(Timothy 4:13)

Why do Public Reading of Scripture?

By reading and listening to Scripture together through PRS, Bible reading is more sustainable and enjoyable. We read the Bible, God's Word, because it is spiritual food. People need both physical and spiritual food.

(Revelation 1:3, Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)

A group of people listening to Scripture together

How to do PRS

We recommend starting and ending by praying a Psalm. After praying a Psalm, read and listen to passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

We also recommend using the Reading Plans in the PRS app to guide you through different books of the Bible. 20-minute, 30-minute, 45-minute, and 60-minute reading plans, can be found in

Resources.

Pray a Psalm
Read Old Testament
Read New Testament
Pray a Psalm

Practice

A. Belong to a PRS Group
‍1 Timothy 4:13
That you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. Romans 1:12
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17
‍B. Set an annual Bible Listening Goal
‍Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 1 Corinthians 9:26
‍C. Track the listening progress and share it with the group
‍Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 1Timothy 4:15

Why read the Bible?

01.

Scripture is a spiritual food

Matthew 4:4 
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”  
‍
Deuteronomy 8:3 
So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

02.

Usually, we eat food together

1 Thessalonians 5:27 
I command you in the name of the Lord to read this letter to all the brothers and sisters.  
‍
Nehemiah 8:1-3 
All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

03.

Enjoy Regularly and Lifelong

Psalm 1:2 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  

Psalm 119:105 
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  

Luke 4:16 
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.

Our Four Key Pillars

In Community

1 Timothy 4:13
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and teaching.

Listening

Revelation 1:3 
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Regularly

Psalm 1:2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he mediates day and night.

Whole Bible

Matthew 4:4
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” (Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 8:3).

How much Bible to read each year through public and private reading?

Old Testament

77 hours
1-2 Times

New Testament

21 Hours
2-4 Times

Psalms

6 Hours
2-4 Times

That equals 2.5–4.8 hours per week or 125–225 hours per year! 

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.  
‍
Hebrews 1:1-2

Public Reading of Scripture App