First look: Inductive Method

  As we consider Bible Study Methods I want to start by looking at an easy one. It is useful for digging and will give results in the short periods of time that we have in this busy lifestyle of ours.

Study-- study--study

   It is called the Inductive Method. It basicly will answer; What does it say?

   We start with our Bible. We take a section, a small section. Maybe even a short paragraph. Or maybe even a sentence.

    Let us take a sentence out of the Gospel of John  which most people who are told to memorize scripture  playfully or not choose. That is John 11:35. Jesus wept.

    Yes, that is good enough to see how the Inductive Method can be used.

     The thing to do is to ask questions of the passage.
      The first thing we do is start with observation. Who is involved in the passage?  Jesus. His followers. The Jews. Mary. Martha What is happening? Jesus is standing in front of the tomb of Lazarus. He is weeping. And so on. Who. what.when. where
      The second thing is interpretation. Why is Jesus weeping? Is He a cry baby? Where is the evidence? No, he is not a cry baby.  What does this tell us about God? If you hold that Jesus is the God/man, then we can learn something here about God. So why is He crying?
       Then we end up with application. Why does this mean to me?
        I suggest strongly that you have a pencil or pen and a pad of paper with you as you use this method. You would want to record what you are discovering. The main reason is that you want to share this with others. Christianity is not a solo act.

Preparation

As I have posted earlier, Pastor Joe, the pastor of Acts-A Church That Studies-- believes in  preparation. Not all of us, of course, can spend the time to go to a campus and get our education. Some of us are working a full time job and can't get away. But now since the internet is here, it is possible to get an education on line. Just make sure the online degreee comes from an acccredited organization so that the credits transfer should you want to do something with it. A Masters from some unknown or small independent university that only exists on line in cyberspace is in the long run  useless.
  But if you just want it to look good on some resume and you have the money to throw away....
  And when it comes to the preparation for the pastorship of a church, take the time and do it right.