Too many want to start halfway through a book hoping to understand the plot and then think that they understand who the author is and what he is trying to express to the reader. Many readers come to the Scripture with a similar mindset. They start at the points that are of interest them and ignore the basics of Who the Author is and what He expresses to the reader through each page. When a person has little or no knowledge of the Scriptures, it is often best to start right at the very beginning. People need to understand Who God is by what is given in Scripture.
One huge issue to overcome though when starting at the beginning is some who consider themselves to be smart want to ignore or erase the first eleven chapters of Genesis. The reason is because if we can erase the truth and validity of the accounts found in Genesis 1-11, we can then make God into our own image. We no longer have to worry about those troubling doctrines such as: original sin, the fall of man, the total depravity of man, hereditary aspects of the sin nature, the judgment of God, and even the need for a promised Messiah.
I was convinced that the pastors, elders and deacons sitting in that hot concrete building had never heard a complete gospel message. They may have known that a person named Jesus Christ died on a cross, but they did not know why. Several attendees expressed their own thoughts on sin and how they believed that they would be judged by God and allowed into heaven because of their good works.