Believe, NIV: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus by Randy Frazee is probably the best book any Christian believer can read, with the exception of the Bible, to help the reader understand what they believe, what they should do, and who they are becoming.
Using scripture from the New International Version Bible, Believe helps disciple the believer in three core areas: the Christian’s beliefs, their practices, and their virtues.
Frazee explains scriptures, which are written out in their entirety in the book, and how they are related to Christian living. The explanations are italicized and the scriptures are not. I found this particular layout to be a little confusing, because, traditionally, the scriptures would be italicized, so I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t the case.
I had a very difficult time with the fact that he placed all of the scripture references in the back of the book in a “Chart of References”. I really wished that I could just have the scripture references listed after the scripture readings. By placing them in the back of the book, it was confusing and disruptive and it doesn’t help someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible find their way around the scriptures. It would have been helpful to have the verse numbers as well. It would especially be helpful for believers who don’t have a lot of experience or knowledge of the Bible.
In the same vein, the discussion questions for each chapter were written in a section in the back of the book called “Discussion Questions” and are listed by chapter. I’m not sure why they at the end of the book, but I think it would make it easier for group discussions or book groups if the questions were at the end of each chapter.
I really do like the premise of Believe and highly recommend it for new Christian believers or believers who need further discipleship. I think that it’s a great way to learn about what a Christian life should be modeled after and how a Christian should live.
Think, Act, Be Like Jesus: Becoming a New Person in Christ, a companion book to Believe, NIV, continues the discipleship of the reader. The author gives the reader 10 core beliefs, 10 core practices, and 10 core virtues that help believers to think, act, and be more like Jesus. This is a great follow up to Believe or can be read in conjunction with it.
There is, also, the Believe Bible Study Guide, Believe Student Edition, Believe Kids' Edition, and Believe Key Verse Cards available.
Randy Frazee is the senior minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, TX. He teaches and leads in partnerships with pastor and author Max Lucado.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.