New / Young Believer
Following Jesus.
John's Gospel and his letters, read together.
Companion App
Take it with you.
Reading plans for every stage of faith, an optional Psalm, Proverb or Gospel of the Day, and questions and tips as you read. Free on iPhone and Android.
See what's in the app →
Why this plan
John's Gospel and his three short letters share an author, a vocabulary and their great themes: light and darkness, love, abiding, walking in the truth. Reading them together reinforces what you're learning rather than piling on something new.
What you'll read
2 streams, read side by side.
John
John
1–3 John
1 John → 2 John → 3 John
Week by week
The plan for the next 6 weeks.
Every reading, in the order the app gives them. When one stream finishes, the others carry on until the plan is done.
Week 1John 1:1–28 – John 4
- Day 1John 1:1–28 · 1 John 1
- Day 2John 1:29–51 · 1 John 2
- Day 3John 2 · 1 John 3
- Day 4John 3 · 1 John 4
- Day 5John 4 · 1 John 5
- Rest dayReflect on the week's readings
Week 2John 5 – John 7:25–53
- Day 6John 5 · 2 John 1
- Day 7John 6:1–21 · 3 John 1
- Day 8John 6:22–71
- Day 9John 7:1–24
- Day 10John 7:25–53
- Rest dayReflect on the week's readings
Week 3John 8:1–30 – John 11:1–27
- Day 11John 8:1–30
- Day 12John 8:31–59
- Day 13John 9
- Day 14John 10
- Day 15John 11:1–27
- Rest dayReflect on the week's readings
Week 4John 11:28–57 – John 15
- Day 16John 11:28–57
- Day 17John 12
- Day 18John 13
- Day 19John 14
- Day 20John 15
- Rest dayReflect on the week's readings
Week 5John 16 – John 20
- Day 21John 16
- Day 22John 17
- Day 23John 18
- Day 24John 19
- Day 25John 20
- Rest dayReflect on the week's readings
Week 6John 21 – John 21
- Day 26John 21
- Rest dayReflect on the plan you've just finished
Weekly rhythm
Five days to read. One to reflect.
Each reading day has one reading per stream. On your rest day, look back over the week. You choose your rest day in the app: Saturday, Sunday or the whole weekend. Your place only moves on when you mark a reading done, so a missed day never leaves you behind.
How to read
Read, Reflect, Respond.
The same three steps every day, in any plan. Fifteen to thirty minutes is plenty.
- 1
Read
Read slowly and on purpose, with a pen in hand. Mark the words and verses that stand out, the big words to look up, the repeated ideas, and the connecting words like therefore and because.
- 2
Reflect
Ask why you marked what you did. What did it mean to the people it was first written to? What does it mean for you today? What does it show you about God?
- 3
Respond
Turn it into prayer: thanksgiving, praise, repentance, or asking for help, using the words you marked. Optionally, write down one thing to carry into the day.
Optional, in the app
Add a companion reading.
Alongside this plan, you can add a short daily reading. Turn on any of them, or alternate the Psalm and Proverb from day to day.
Psalm of the Day
One psalm a day, working through the whole Psalter.
Proverb of the Day
One chapter of Proverbs a day, cycling every 31 days.
Gospel of the Day
This plan already reads John, so Gospel of the Day waits until you've finished that part of the plan, then picks up where you left off.
Companion readings need a free account in the Standfirm app.
When you finish
Read another, then go deeper.
Each New / Young Believer plan covers different books, so reading another before you move on gives you more ground to stand on. When you're ready, step up to Growing Believer. It's your choice, not a test.