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HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
Bible Study Methods Lesson six 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.
MEMORIZATION
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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In Christ.....brother
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