How To Understand The Bible In All Things Pray Pray Pray
Basically, all these how to understand the Bible tips are nonsensical garbage if you dont pray for God to meet you. The Holy Spirit cant be manipulated by tactics and tricks. He blows where He will, enlivening our hearts and deepening our passion for Him.
The Bible is how we understand Gods will for our lives, but we cant know what he desires for us if we dont have the Spirit enlighten us.
I really hope these simple methods help you, but they are never a substitute for simple prayer and reading.
God WILL meet you. Just ask Him.
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Studying The Bible Is A Community Project
We make progress in studying the Bible when we do it together, working through questions and sharing insights. And this includes not just face-to-face conversations, but also reading the reflections of others. Bible study guides assist us with insights and questions to provoke deeper reflection.
What about commentaries? If I was studying the book of Romans, and John Stott was also sitting at the table with me, I would unhesitatingly ask him for his take on the text. I cannot do that but Im grateful he wrote down his own reflections in his commentary. If we believe that the Spirit leads us to make progress in our study, then we should also assume hes helping others along as well. A proper reliance on the Holy Spirit in study, then, doesnt lead us into isolation. It leads us to learn from others.
Dont Put Yourself At The Center
Remember, the Scriptures testify to Jesus, not you! Yes, there are thousands of things that are incredibly relevant to you, but Jesus is at the start, middle, and end of the Bible.
ITS. ALL. ABOUT. JESUS.
Its easy to put yourself smack dab in the middle of stories that are really pointing to Jesus. Youre not David in the story of David and Goliath, youre freaked out Israel.
Jesus is David, the conquering king. The story of Adam and Eve isnt mainly a primer on the ways of Satan, its the tragic story of the Fall and Gods promise of a snake-crusher.
As youre learning how to study the Bible, keep Jesus at the center.
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Iii Principles For Working With Expository Narrative And Poetic Material
The examples we are using in this lesson are taken from three of the predominant genres2 in the Bible: expository writing, narrative literature, and poetry. We need to comment on these briefly in order to help you work with and teach these various genres.
A. Expository Materials
The epistles are expository letters sent to various churches to further them in their understanding of God, Christ and his work, the Spirit, and living honorably for God. They are decidedly not stories, though they make frequent reference to stories from the Old Testament . They are didactic, expositional writings whose meaning is direct and, compared to most narrative, on the surface. They lend themselves to outlines much more easily and are concerned with communicating raw ideas. Note: there are times when expositional material appears in the context of narrative, such as John 1:1-18 and the many didactic discourses of Christ in the gospels. They must be related to the entire narrative, but treated as expositional material. Also, it is to be noted that there is a fair amount of poetry in the various expository letters of the New Testament.
B. Narrative Material
The bottom line is: when teaching a story from the Bible, help the people in the audience identify with the characters in the story, especially the ones who are good examples to follow. Help them to live it, as if they were there when it happened. Thus, recreation is of the essence in teaching narrative material.
C. Poetic Material
Pray Before You Read Scripture
Pray that God allows you to see Christ in the passage. Pray that He allows you to understand the true meaning of the text. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind. Ask the Lord to give you the desire to read His Word and enjoy it. Pray that God would speak directly to you with whatever you are going through.
Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions.
Remember that Hes the same God
God hasnt changed. We often look at passages in the Bible and think to ourselves, well that was then. However, Hes the same God that revealed Himself to Moses. Hes the same God that led Abraham. Hes the same God that protected David. Hes the same God that provided for Elijah. God is real and active in our lives today just as He was in the Bible. As you read, remember this incredible truth as you apply different passages to your life.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Look to see what God is saying to you in the passage that you are reading.
God is always speaking. The question is, are we always listening? God speaks through His Word, but if our Bible is closed we dont allow God to speak. Are you dying to hear Gods voice?
Do you want Him to talk to you like He used to? If so, get in the Word. Maybe God has been trying to tell you something for a long time, but you have been too busy to realize.
Write down what God is telling you.
Look in the commentary
Pray after you read Scripture
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The Bible Contributes To A More Vital Witness For Christ
The greatest spiritual harvest of all time is taking place today. More people are hearing the gospel, receiving Christ as their Savior, and committing themselves to helping fulfill the Great Commission than at any other time in history. How is this revolution taking place? Through the distribution and teaching of Gods Word by faithful Christians who want to share their joy and victory in Christ with others.
Spending time daily with God in His Word gives us the power and excitement to spread His message of love and forgiveness. Studying the Bible helps us see how God loves the unlovable and seeks the lonely and hurting. Applying Gods commands helps us maintain a godly life that demonstrates the Lords presence in our lives to others.
Raising A Strong Daughter In A Toxic Culture: 11 Steps To Keep Her Happy Healthy And Safe
Meg Meeker has been a pediatrician for more than thirty years, is a mother and a grandmother, and has seen it all. She knows what makes for strong, happy, healthy young womenand what puts our daughters at risk. Combining that experience with her famous common sense, she explains the eleven steps that will help your daughterwhether shes a toddler or a troubled teento achieve her full human potential.
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Level Three: The Prophetic Books
The last section contains the writings of the prophets. They wrote about a great deal of things, but mostly they spoke about two major catastrophes in Israels history.
In 722 B.C., Israel was destroyed by Assyria, and then in 586 B.C., Babylon attacked and captured Jerusalem. These events were incredibly significant in the life of Israel. By and large, the prophets wrote to warn of, or explain, these events.
The final prophet, Malachi, wrote about 400 B.C., and then there was silence until Jesus arrival.
Pick A Book Of The Bible And Work Your Way Through It
If youre anything like me, you need a Bible reading plan or youll waste precious minutes thumbing through the Bible, never quite landing. So pick one book of the Bible and read a little each day, one chapter, perhaps.
If you read one chapter of John a day, youll read John in its entirety in 21 days.
After reading John, move on to the other gospels Matthew, Mark or Luke. Next read Philippians, Ephesians and Colossians, which provide practical encouragement and instruction for living the Christian life. Romans is jam-packed with essential doctrine. Genesis explains how everything began. Psalms is filled with heartfelt prayers that offer encouragement for every season of life.
Work your way through one book at a time, and youll never find yourself fumbling for where to read again.
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Study A Verse By Looking For The Great Ideas Revealed In It
Let us look again at John 3:16 as our example. We might title this verse, The greatest verse in the Bible. The following ideas are found in it:
Godthe greatest Personso lovedthe greatest devotionthe worldthe greatest numberHe gavethe greatest actHis only begotten Sonthe greatest giftthat whoever believesthe greatest conditionshould not perishthe greatest mercyhave everlasting lifethe greatest result
Sometimes a combination of these various ideas applied to a verse will bring the richest results.
ThereforeThis verse depends on 4:25. Our justification is based on and is guaranteed by Jesus resurrection.justifiedmade righteous.by faithmethod of our justification .havenot future, but present tensewe have this now.peace with GodWe were enemies, but now there is peace between us and God because of what Christ has done. through our Lord Jesus Christthe way to peace with God is only through Jesus Christ.
The Bible Is Gods Personal Love Letter To His Children
The story is told of a young woman who heard about a popular novel. Intrigued, she began to read it but found it difficult to understand. She would read for a while, then put it down, then pick it up again whenever one of her friends told her how much she was enjoying it. But no matter how she tried to immerse herself in the book, it just did not hold her interest.
Then one day she met the author. Eventually, she fell in love with him. Now she could hardly wait to read his novel. This time, she found it to be the most captivating and exciting book she had ever read.
Before I became a Christian, I had difficulty reading the Bible. In fact, I found it boring. Then I experienced the love of its Author, the Lord Jesus Christ, and my attitude changed. I began to realize that the Bible is Gods personal love letter to His children. I became excited about what He had to say to me. Do you find the Bible the most interesting book in your library? Or are you tempted to read anything but the Bible? The best way to catch the excitement about reading Gods Word is to experience and share the love of its Author.
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How I Study The Bible
It has taken me a while to figure out a Bible study method I really love. My method is still ever-changing. However, I will share it with you in case you wanted to take it and modify it to suit your Bible study needs.
As I mentioned earlier, I use the ESV Journaling Bible from the Daily Grace Co. in Bible Study. I love its wide margins that I can write notes, doodles, and observations in. Yes, I draw in my Bible!
Take Everything Back To Jesus
Jesus said that all the Scriptures testify to him. This means that generally speaking, every portion of the Bible points to Jesus in some way.
For example, in the Old Testament, the Mosaic law points to our inability to keep the law and Jesus fulfillment of the law. The temple foreshadows Jesus as the new temple.
You can go overboard on this, such as trying to literally tie every single item in the temple to Jesus , but overall this is a very helpful principle to keep in mind.
During your Bible study, always bring it back to Jesus Christ.
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What’s The Best Way To Study The Bible
Read a transcript of this video below:
Well, lots of people say, if you’re a new believer and you’re asking, where do I start reading my Bible? Most people will say the gospel of John. And I understand why that’s true. The gospel of John represents a historical account of the life of Jesus. Jesus is the most important person in the Bible. Jesus is the most important person in life. But it’s not necessary that you start at the gospel of John. For example, if you went down to a bookstore in the mall and bought a book, and you said to the owner, “Where should I start reading this book?” He wouldn’t say chapter 28, he’d say chapter one. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t start right in Genesis, chapter one, and read right through the Bible. Now, admittedly, there are some portions of the Bible, more difficult to read, more difficult to understand than others.
But the great thing is the spirit of God helps us understand even those difficult passages. I’ve been studying God’s word, speaking from God’s word, teaching God’s word for a lot of years. And there are things I still don’t understand, things I probably never will understand, but I think the best way for a new person to God’s word, to really understand and read God’s word is three things. And they’re a little bit corny. So forgive me.
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In 30 Days You’ll Have A Solid Grasp On Things Like
- The Arc of Bible history
- Main characters and people in the Bible
- Major points of geography and locations of main events
- The 10 doctrines of the Bible
- The stories and themes of the Old and New Testament
- Why there are four Gospels
- How to understand the parables of Jesus
- The importance of miracles, and more!
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Example: How To Start Bible Study
One example is John 4:1-2: Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John .
If I was relaying the basic story, I would have just said Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard he was baptizing and making more disciples than John. The fact that the author adds though Jesus himself didnt baptize them means that theres something important there.
I did some Googling/research and it turns out that thats actually a really important note! It seems like Jesus didnt perform water baptisms so that no Christian could lord their status over another, because we are all of equal status in Christ . By paying attention to what stands out, Im able to notice little details that I wouldnt if I just looked at the big picture.
Bible Reading Plan For Beginners
If you are ready to commit and dive into the whole Bible then you need a Bible reading plan. Then you dont have to think of where to start reading the Bible, you read it all!
When reading the Bible all the way through there are two main ways to do it.
One way is just from cover to cover. This is often the easiest place to start.
*Sometimes Bible reading plans include the books in a different order to break up some of the longer story sections and make it easier to read!
You can also follow a chronological order of reading. The way the Bible is currently published is not necessarily the order the books were written in.
When looking at context we realize a few books actually repeat stories of others.
This kind of Bible reading plan is often as a way to go deeper after reading it through at least once cover to cover.
Its good to mix things up and read the Bible both ways!
This year Ive read the entire Bible all the way through for the first time. It taught me so much about the bigger picture of the Bible and how Gods plan was happening throughout.
I even took on a challenge that is only for those who are really ready for a big commitment I read it through in 60 days. Check it out here!
If you are looking for a Bible Reading Plan for the entire Bible here it is! This one will go back and forth on the Old Testament and New Testament everyday!
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How To Study The Bible: Tips For Growth
Keeping a journal often helps. This may be for devotional notes, theological questions and insights, questions you may have and more. It need not be an elaborate journal but a simple notebook where you can jot down insights you come across during your Bible study times.
Studying the Bible alone is helpful for personal, devotional times, but make sure your Bible study can involve others too. Find out if your church offers small group Bible studies and look for one that interests you. Many times other people will have the same sorts of questions about the Bible that you will have. As a result, studying and discussing the Bible with other believers will help everyone grow in their faith.
Try not to jump around too much in your study times. Instead of reading brief, isolated verses from different books of the Bible, try to concentrate on longer passages and books. You may wish to select a broad theme or topic to study, too, such as Gods plan of redemption. In general, however, studying the Bible book by book is better than jumping around a lot from section to section. If your time is limited occasionally, but you would still like to study the Bible more carefully, try reading entire psalms or passages from Proverbs.
Use A Reliable Study Bible
The same principle applies to study Bibles as commentaries: dont make them your first stop. But again, they can be very helpful as you work your way through different sections of the Bible.
Im a fan of the ESV Study Bible. Its got loads of insightful notes, historical charts, diagrams, and more. Plus, its big so it doubles as a self-defense weapon.
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