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HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE - Bible Study Methods
HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
Lesson
Six: Bible Study Methods
Preparation
To effectively
study the Bible, you need to:
1. Read
the Scriptures carefully and prayerfully.
As
you take up the Scriptures to read, pray that the Lord will open your eyes,
that you will see and understand what it is that He has for you today.
2.Take
notes. Write down everything. Create a notebook that is set apart just
for your Scripture notes. This will be a helpful reference in the
future.
3. Be receptive
to the Holy Spirit's teaching. Leave your pre-conceived ideas behind. Let
the Scriptures teach YOU, don't try to twist the scriptures to say something
that God did not put there.
4.
Memorize as much of the Scripture as you can. This allows the Holy Spirit
to bring verses back to your remembrance at appropriate times, and allows
you to compare scripture with scripture in your mind at any time of the
day.
Three
Ways to Study the Bible
There are
three basic ways to study the Scriptures.
a. TOPICAL
b. EXPOSITORY
c. MEDITATIONAL
Let's take
a quick look at each of these:
TOPICAL:
This is
just what the name implies. You choose a topic in the Scriptures
to study. Pick one that interests you. Something that you would like to
learn more about.
Then, using
a Concordance, look up all the references to that topic, write them down,
and then look them up in the Bible. This can take some time. But
the more time you set aside for serious study, the greater the rewards.
Read each
passage carefully, and answer these questions in your notebook:
1.) What
does this passage mean?
2.) How
does it apply to me?
3.) What
can I learn from it?
Examples
of some Biblical topics are:
Prayer,
fasting, grace, salvation, tithing, faith, repentance, confession .
If you
are using Bible Software with a concordance search engine, you can do multi-word
topical studies, such as "fear not", "strong drink", "new covenant", "unto
the end", "last days".
EXPOSITORY:
This word
literally means "a detailed explanation". Referring to a study
of the Bible it means a detailed study of a verse, a chapter or a book
(or books) of the Bible. To do an expository study, pick a verse or several
verses to study. ( Start with just a few verses at first, because you will
be essentally studying every word of a passage.This can involve a lot of
work and time, but is well worth the effort.)
Read your
selection through very carefully several times before you start your study
of it.
Then, when
you are ready, read it through once again slowly.
Write in
your notebook all the major words that are used in it.
Once you
have them all listed, look them up in the Concordance.
Look up
the meanings of the words and write those down.
Check for
any verb tense information help in the Amplified Bible or the Expanded
Translation mentioned in the Study Tools.
Check the
references to other Scriptures where those words are used. Read them
and make notes on how those Scriptures apply to the ones you are studying.
This can get quite detailed. Take your time.
Check a
Bible Commentary, a Bible Dictionary and/or a Bible Encyclopedia and see
what they say about the Scriptures you are studying.
Make notes
on all relevant material, listing the references used.
Then, looking
over all the material you have gathered, write down
the interpretation
(What it Means)
and the
application (What it Means to Me and how I can apply it to my life).
MEDITATIONAL
Psa 1:1-3
(KJV)
Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth
in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth
in the seat of the scornful.
{2} But
his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in
his law doth he meditate day and night.
{3} And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth
forth his fruit in his season;
his leaf
also shall not wither;
and whatsoever
he doeth shall prosper.
Meditational
Bible Study is one of the highest forms of study. It is commended in Scripture
as one of the ways to God's blessing on the life!
It begins
by memorizing.
This is
what the Scriptures mean when it talks about "hiding God's Word" in your
heart. You hide it in your heart by memorizing it.
There are
many little "tricks" to memorization.
One way
is to set the section to music and sing it. There is something about the
flow of a song lyric that aids memory recall.
Another
effective method of memorizing Scripture is to write out the passage by
hand that you are seeking to memorize word for word. This method enables
you to process the passage several times and in several ways as you write
the passage. By writing a passage down you have to :
1) Read
it and look at it many times as you write down each word.
2) To process
it through your brain as your hand writes it down.
3) To read
it again many times as you write it down.
4) You
can even read the passage out loud to yourself as you write it down.
5) You
can write it down as many times as it takes to memorize the passage.
Once you
have a section of the Scripture memorized, you meditate on it by filling
your mind with it. You let the words of the memorized portion run
through your mind, again and again.
Joshua 1:8
KJV
This book
of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth;
but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night,
that thou
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein:
for then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then
shalt thou have good success.
As you do
this prayerfully, thoughts, ideas, and concepts will be revealed to your
mind. You may even think of other verses that relate to the one you
are memorizing, and how the truths of those verses apply to what you are
studying.
Keep a
notebook handy and write them down.
As you think
on the Scripture you have memorized, look for
1.) Interpretation
- What it means. and
2.) Application
- How to apply it to your life.
Be sure
to write down what you are learning. Quite often the more you meditate
upon a Scripture or a portion of Scripture the more revelation you receive
about it. Again, take your time.
One way
to use Scriptures you have memorized is to quote them out loud during times
of emotional upheaval. For instance, if you have memorized the 23rd
Psalm, during a period of "darkness" you can quote this Scripture.
It affirms your faith, brings light and peace, and will help keep your
mind from running away with worry or fear.
Try it!
Pick out a method that intrigues you, or try them all, or make up one of
your own. The important thing is to improve your Bible Study skills, and
to become more skillful at using God's word for witnessing and your personal
Christian Growth.
God Bless
you as you study and meditate on God's Word.
In Christ.....brother
bob.....<><
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IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONALS
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