Admit it. You like reading the Psalms, the Gospels, Paul's epistles and maybe Esther and Ruth.
But what about the least read Bible books -- I call them Orphan Books -- because they almost are never read. Here's a list I found.
Hope you take the challenge to read an "orphan" or two this week.
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# Book Why read it? Difficulty
1 Obadiah A miniature study of pride, injustice, and God's judgment Easy
2 Haggai A surprisingly relevant book about misplaced priorities Easy
3 Philemon Paul, slavery, forgiveness, and Christian brotherhood in 25 verses Easy
4 3 John A fascinating glimpse into early church politics and leadership Easy
5 2 John Truth, love, hospitality—and boundaries Easy
6 Nahum The dark counterpart to Jonah: what happens to Nineveh? Medium
7 Zephaniah Judgment followed by one of the OT's beautiful pictures of God's joy Medium
8 Jude Strange, intense, apocalyptic, and packed with unusual references Medium
9 Habakkuk One of the Bible's best books for wrestling honestly with God Easy
10 Lamentations Biblical poetry about grief, catastrophe, and hope Medium
11 Joel Locusts, the Day of the LORD, and the famous promise about God's Spirit Medium
12 Malachi A surprisingly sharp ending to the Old Testament Easy
The ones I'd especially recommend
If you only want to read five, I'd pick:
Habakkuk — perhaps the most rewarding “orphan.” The entire book is essentially a conversation between a confused believer and God. Habakkuk starts by asking, “Why aren't you doing something about this?” and ends somewhere radically different.
Haggai — extremely short but surprisingly practical. Its central question is basically: What happens when God's people become preoccupied with their own houses while neglecting God's house?
Philemon — don't let its size fool you. It's an extraordinarily compressed little letter about power, status, forgiveness, reconciliation, and what the gospel does to human relationships.
Nahum — read it immediately after Jonah if you can. Jonah tells you that Nineveh repented; Nahum, written later, tells you what eventually happened to Nineveh. Reading them together makes both books considerably more interesting.
Lamentations — probably the most emotionally neglected book on the list. It gives you something the Bible is unusually good at: language for grief when everything has gone terribly wrong.
And here's the really fun challenge
Don't read these as if they're merely the Bible's “B-list.”
Try reading one orphan book a week, with no commentary at first. Just read the entire thing in one sitting.
You'll discover something interesting: some of the books that feel least important at first are actually the ones that illuminate the famous books around them.
Jonah → Nahum
Isaiah/Jeremiah → Lamentations
Romans/Galatians → Habakkuk
1 John → 2 John → 3 John
Ezra/Nehemiah → Haggai

Sunday 24 August 2026
Portland Metro Church Assembly of God
Church Services Notes: God gave them over to their desires
By Pastor Jon H.
(Bible verses King James version)

Romans 1:24-32- Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Romans 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

1. The problem of the free will.

2. God abandoned them…

3. Three stages of God's abandonment to spiritual
and moral impurity.

4. When people trade truth for a lie.
Romans 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

5. God's plan for sexual relationships.
Romans 1:26,27 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

6. The homosexual sins and desires
Romans 1:28-32- And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

7. How do we know that sin deserves punishment?
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Jesus always said follow me
we think Jesus follow us around all day
John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.