Further Help In Bible Study

I know some of you out there are doing a  research once again in  my posts on bible study methods. I notice 3 have  done a recent read  of the ABCD Method of Bible Study again. For further suggestions I would refer you back to an earlier one I posted in 2017 on Chapter study. This may help you do more intensive study. The only way we are going to dig deep in our study is to use different methods so our study doesn't become mundane.
I am happy to see that people are reading and interacting with this blog, for Your Information. Keep up the good work.

Search For Helpful Aids

A Deeper Way Of Study

   Now this is an more advance way of study. Maybe not for the beginner, but I would keep this one in mind as I seek to grow in my understanding and depth in my Christian walk.
    I have started this the last few months. To do this one you will need a note book to record your observations. A pen to write with is needed. You won't just be reading without responding. Maybe for a while you will be responding to the passages as if you were journaling. In fact you should be able, over time, to look back and trace your growth.
    For you will grow using this method.
    It goes without saying you will need a good version of the scriptures. NASB, NIV, English Standard, etc. Yes, even the King James helps. Or the NKJ. Just a good version that is readable.
    I take a chapter at a time. Once a day. I don't rush. I ask what is here? Who is speaking? Who is he speaking to? What is the context? I record as if  I were seeing this for the first time. I keep remembering I am not reading a 21st century book. It meant something to those who read it for the first time.  Look at it as it meant then.
    Just what was the impact?
    You will need a good book on Bible times to refer to. Maybe even a concordance to look up words and see how they were first used.
    Using this method you will end up comparing scripture with scripture. When was the word first used? What did it mean when used that first time?
     I told you this was advanced. It will take more than a few moments. But you can also break your devotion time down into segments so you may not do a full chapter a day. But you keep with it day by day until you finish that book.
      I hope you are enjoying the methods discussion of this blog. It seems some are.
      You can always search this blog. I am sure all the postings are there.

Growing in Bible Understanding

Well, I am still going to use this blog for the purpose of furthering your study of God's communication to us, the Bible.
The method I am talking about this time is devotions.
To do this properly you will need a good Bible, a pencil or pen and a note book. You may also need a commentary or a good handbook of the Bible.
 Chose a book of the Bible that you can spend time studying.
 The pen or pencil is for marking up the Bible. A well read Bible is a well marked up Bible.
You will be asking what is being said here? Who is speaking? You will be marking in your Bible the key word in each portion.
 I suggest you do a paragraph at a time this works well, but the idea is not speed. Or maybe a chapter at a time.
The notebook is to jot down what it is you are discovering. Also what you are noticing. Record the repetition of a certain word. You may find it repeats in another chapter. Note that. It is important .
Use the handbook for background and context.
Always search context. Don't take day dreaming trips. The Bible is not written in twenty-first century context.
 Use the commentary to understand if you are on the right track in the deduction you are making.
 Stay with it. Dig as in mining for precious ore.
 And may your understanding of God grow as you do so.

Chapter Study

   It would seem that you as a group are camping on the subject of Bible Study and the ABCD method. I would like to suggest an easier one for you to do. It doesn't require any other book except the Bible and a paper to jot down what you are learning.
   It is known as the chapter method. I would suggest you start this one with a shorter chapter  such as I Corinthians 13.
    Start out by reading it five times. Maybe one of the times you read it aloud to yourself. Notice the flow. Notice the main word or subject covered.
   After reading it through at least that many times, preferably in a Bile you have not made notes in yet , give the chapter a name. Then next paraphrase it. Note down the key word (in this case, love). Ask yourself how you can apply it. The purpose of Bible study is application not so much interpretation.
    Using a study Bible find the other places this topic is referred to.
    Find a verse to memorize in the passage read. This is very important as God the Holy Spirit will use it in your life. "Thy Word I have hid in my heart that I may not sin against God. Psalm 119:6" Always remember to include the address of the verse.
     Inform me how you are doing.

Paul Still Roman-Part Seven

 
Now let's use the Book of Romans to answer- Can God be known  and How?
  Since you have been reading the book a few time already in preparation for this study method. you have a general idea of the answer. Since you are doing this Bible study method for application and for a tool in helping others, you need to get somewhat of a grip on the answer.
  We are still using a pencil and a notepad alongside our translation of the Epistle to the Romans
   From our reading we conclude that Paul says we are able to know God in a general way.. In general means that since God can be seen in a general way, all are guilty before God. We will find how as we read and study this book.
    He has revealed Himself. By carefully reading chapter one verses 18 to the end we should be able to answer..Use the notepad to chart the use of the phrase  "God let them over to.... Because they did not acknowledge Him."
    Note what happens when man suppress that truth.
    This is a deep study and your shouldn't expect  to dig out all the gold out of it in one study. You will only be doing a surface study at the moment. You can go back and dig more later. Note questions your reading gives you in your notebook.   
    Go back and search for the answers at a later time. I hold that the Bible explains itself.
     Comment back to me with how you are doing, please.

Keep on Romaning With Paul-part five

Jot Down Observations

Okay. Let us get back to our Bible study method using the Epistle of Romans.
 There is so much here in this one short epistle. We can follow the mention of the wrath of God. What is it? Why do we mention the wrath? Isn't God all loving? For this you will need a Concordance which lists all the words used in the Bible. Also you may want to look up the wrath of God in a Bible dictionary. Make note in the margins of the paper you are recording your observations.
  Remember, I said you should have a notebook to jot down your observations. This is very important if you are serious about doing a Bible Study Method.
  Later on you will contrast the righteousness of God.
  I believe the Bible is able to answer the questions we have as we read and study. That is why having notes jot down are important. You may not find the answer in the passage of the book you are presently in, but as you read you will no doubt find some insight that will help you in your quest.
   Remember I have talked about your Bible study being like a quest for nuggets of gold? This is what I meant. Slow and steady.

Romaning With Paul- part 4

Bible Study

  I am going too fast and have taken on more than I can develop at the moment. Romans is a big epistle with many areas to study. I should have chosen a smaller epistle to work on. So to those who are out there waiting for me to unpack the whole thing, I will say hang on. A step at a time.
   Since this is not a group that is meeting in my house and I can not see your faces to know how I am doing, I will need you to comment from time to time and ask questions, make observations, respond. Can I get that from you?
    So I will change to a overview method and land on segments.
   In verse 17 which is part of what I submit to be the theme we read a quote from the Jewish scriptures -"The righteous shall live by faith."  We should ask ( and this is something you should note on your piece of paper you have with you as you study--to jot down questions to explore) just what is living by faith?  And what is faith? And what is righteousness? (Told you this was deep) Is there an example we can look at?
   Glad you asked.
   Paul looks at the example of unrighteousness first before he looks at a person who was living a righgteous life.
   You may have to take a paper and put on one side unrighteous and on the other righteous. In fact, that may be a good idea.
    You may be realizing when you do Bible study you need a large amount of time. It is not a small short session. It is work.
    As you read and reread the epistle you fill out the chart.
     You start your listing at verse 18. What does Paul and though Him, God, say unrighteousness looks like? What are the fruits of unrighteousness?
   It seems he spends a good amount of time on what he calls sin. Sin being less than what God requires. That definition is weak but it will do at the moment. As you work through this epistle you will come to a better definition.
   I guess  that is enough for now.
   When I see your responses I will venture on more with Romans . Until I hear from you, then, I will let Romans rest.

Following Paul In Romans - part 2

As we look at this epistle we note that it is deep. Therefore we should start our study by reading through it a couple of times to get the landscape plotted, so to speak. As we read through it we will no doubt notice a large section in it concerning the Jewish reader in Rome as well as the Gentile reader. Therefore we can figure there was some Jewish-Gentile tension in this group.
  The church in Roman might have started out as a Jewish church. It might have been start by a small group of those who had been in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost as spoken of in the book of Acts. They returned to Rome and started the group. Later Gentiles joined.
   Using a Bible dictionary we see that some people through the ages have thought Peter formed this group, but there is no significant evidence to support this premise.
   The Roman historian Suetonius records that the emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) expelled the Jews from Rome. We find this recorded in Acts 18:2.
   Reading this epistle a few times shows us that there are a number of themes running through this epistle. Some are gospel and law; the significance of Abraham; the future of Israel.
   Up to this point Paul has not been in Rome.The book of Acts tells us he was brought to Rome in chains.
   He wants them to know that the gospel was spoken of or hinted at by the prophets in the holy scriptures. All they had at that time was the writings we today know as the torah, the writings, the prophets, and so on. We call it the Old Testament. But since the books we know as the New Testament weren't yet in completed form when this epistle was written  in A.D. 57 we must be fair and deal with what was available then. In other words., don't read twentieth century back intro the epistle.
   Verse 8 tells us that this church was well known and talked about.
   Verse 16-17 can be looked on as the theme.
   I recommend to my groups to find one verse per chapter and commit it to memory.  "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word....I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.' Psalm 119:9,11. ESV
   Until next time.

A Whole New Year

Here it is. 2016. A new year. How are you doing in your Bile Study sessions? I have this past year of 2015 presented Bible Study methods which I have hoped you are following.
  By now you must have questions and comments to make. If so, I haven't seen any.
  I wish to have some of you readers out there responding to me and dialoguing. It  isn't too much to ask.
 So let me know how you are finding this. After all, if you don't respond I will surmise you don't need this.
 Still, I do wish to know how you are finding the ABC method, and the question and answer method, the inductive method and so on. Or do you need more depth? If so, just comment and let me know and I will be happy to flesh out the request.
  Anyway. Happy New Year every body reading this.
  May this year be one of growth for you all.

Take A Chapter At A Time

Record Your Bible Research

     Recently I have started to take a book to study. I look at how many chapters the book has, as this is how many weeks ( I use this method a chapter a week) and start in to read that chapter five times.
    I find this starts verses popping out to get my interest. Sometimes it will be on another day of the week reading it through five times that a verse pops out at me.
    I note that verse and set about memorizing it. This is the verse I have decided is useful for discussion with others. I may just feel that it in one that I will need later to meditate on. "Study to show yourself approved." "Thy word I have hid in my heart that I may not sin against God."  "There is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
     Just one chapter a week. This is in addition to the Bible reading and the sermon. Don't worry iof one week a verse doesn't pop out. That week may not be the week you need the verse. Just keep repeating the verses you have been able to glean. Be faithful to this practice. You will find your whole circumstances soothing out. You will find things don't bother you as much. What you are doing is allowing the Holy Spirit to work with the verses you have memorized.
     Start small and work up.
     Let me know how you are doing.

Timing Of Studies

If you have been reading the last two posts and the earlier postings on Bible Study Method, you may be wondering just when are you going to find the time  to do all this. After all, you still have to go to work and earn a living. You still have to shop. And so on.
   None of these methods are meant to be a 24/7 program. They all take a scheduled period of time.
   I would suggest you have a period of time set up when you can be alone with your Bible and pad and pen or pencil. You need to open with prayer.."Open my eyes that I may see what you have in this passage for me.". or something like that. Remember, it is a period of time you are setting aside to hear what God is saying to you.
    Application is the goal here. What does it say? What is going on? How can I apply it?
    Don't worry if it doesn't grab you. The idea is that you are dedicating this period of time to this discipline. It is your faithfulness God is looking for.
     Have a set portion to read. You may only be able to dedicate this time once a week. Or maybe twice a week.   If that is all you are able to do, that is all that is required. As time goes on you will find you need to spend more time on it and when that time comes you will adjust..

Devotional Study

As in the previous Bible Study Method we must prepare ourselves for the study. Clear your known sins away by starting with confession. 1John says if we will confess our sins God will be faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. .
  He is able to do this because of the cross. When we become Christians our sins are nailed to the cross with Jesus who has become our sin bearing lamb.
   Which means the best way to study the Bible and understand it is by first acknowledging Jesus as the son of God who bore our sins and the penalty of sins on the cross. He collected the wage so you don't have to. That wage being separation forever from God.
    Our first Bible study method would be the devotional method.
   The goal of all Bible study should be application. But before application we have to do some reading and questioning. So we will start out by praying for insight on how to apply the portion of scripture to our life. The next big step would be to locate that passage we want to study. Once located we should make an application and record it. Lastly we must within the passage we have selected to study and apply we should memorize a verse which we have decided is key.
   The secret to knowing the scripture is the applying of scripture.
    Application is hard work. It should be personal, practical, possible and provable.
    Let me know how you are doing.
    As I said, feedback or I won't know if you are enjoying and wanting what I can offer you.

Back on Study Mode

Bible Study

 
  It seems the readers of this blog gravitate to the section long ago concerning the Bible Study Methods such as ABC method or the chapter summery or topical.
    I need feedback and input this time around. Treat me as your guide.
    A method that I have run across is one which needs no tools other than a Bible and a notebook to jot down ideas.
    It is not completely a book study. Even if it is suggested you start this method with a book like the Gospel of John or Acts, or Romans.. maybe a psalm or proverb.
    Read a portion such as a chapter five (5) times. Maybe even once aloud to get the flow. Next you name the section.. in this case a chapter.
     John  One. beginnings .Just a suggestion. Name it so you will remember  what you read there so you can tell others in conversation the main idea of that section. And also to bring it to memory.
     Always look for a verse in that section to memorize.
     Or maybe you enjoy writing and would like to do a general narrative.
     I am doing one blog that reads like a general overview of the stories and characters in the Bible. 
     As I said, just an example of what can be done.
     In postings to come , if I can generate an interest, I can help you in your Bible Study Methods.
  

Can God Be Known?

This is a big question most have. Can God be known. From this we can also ask can God be defined?
Even as I contend the Scriptures to be the exact words of God to us to explain Himself to us, I realize this is not an answer to those who don 't feel God has revealed Himself.
This is where your view of the  66 books known as the Hebrew Christian scriptures comes to play. Is it what it says it is, the word of God, or is the book only another collection of so called holy writings?
two avenues to explore. And is is one area to be explored as you do Bible Study.
You will need a good translation of the writings. You will also need a concordance. You will be looking up words and phrases. Don't forget the notebook you are jotting your observations in.
First of all you must understand the Bible doesn't try to explain where God came from. God has always been and you must accept this as the first premise . Since God is He must exist. God told Moses His name is I AM.
God reveals Himself through actions. People you know reveal themselves through actions.
 God can be known by what He creates. Men are known by what they create. God created the sun, the moon, the stars,  these things seem to show that God has more power than man in the creation realm.
Can He be defined so to be controlled- kept in a box?  No, in that sense God can't be defined. But He can be defined by what He does and by what He has revealed. He is not silent. He is not way off. He did not create man and everything and then back away as the deists hold.
 --please comment and direct the discussion--

Further In And Higher Up-

 The title of this post is a phrase used by C.S. Lewis in his Chronicles of Narnia series. It meant to get to know a deeper truth better.
  For us when we study the Bible we are going further in and higher up.
   God wants to communicate and He has done that through the Bible. Those 66 books are a unit and are God allowing us to see Him.
    We, like gold hunters, must dig and pan out what is there.
     We do that through the right study techniques. I have discussed this earlier in this blog and you will have to do a bit of hunting through the table on contents.
     What ever you do and how ever you do it, you will need a good Bible translation. That you can find at  the book store I recommend. Just click on the colored words in the last sentence and you will be taken there.
       With this translation ( We don't have the orogianl manuscripts, but these translations found at the store are fine to use) you will also need a notepad to jot down insights to the reading you are doing.
   As you read you will be asking, what is this passage saying? To whom is it addressed? (Hint, we are not the primary people being addressed.)  Who is speaking?  Why is it here?  Are there other places this incident is spoken of?
    Of course you will be using Bible aids as you explore. You will need a Bible history book, a concordance, a writing instrument to write with.
   Much prayer is called for. Wait for the answer. You might not get the exact meaning. You may need to ask your pastor or gifted teacher in the fellowship to help you.. 
    Once again let me say you are digging. A good study will take time.
   Don't be afraid to mark your Bible. There may be passages you want to memorize. Please do so.. This will make it easier for God to speak to you. He only speaks what the Bible speaks since it is what He has revealed to us about Himself. He does not and has never spoken outside what is already written in the Bible. He is not revealing new truth. Be careful of people who tell you otherwise.

More On The ABC Study Method

 
    I was viewing the statistics of this blog and noticed that the ABC Method is still being looked at. So I decided to major on that subject for this posting.
     First off let me remind you why you are studying the Bible. That is: the goals.

1.      You want to learn more about Christ
2.       You wish to know how to be a more effective Christian
3.        You want to know what the Bible says about a certain subject.
4.         You want to know what does the Bible mean
5.         You want to know how does the Bible apply

      As you study you are asking yourself those questions.
      Since I am still getting a response for the ABC Method I will discuss it a bit more here. I may repeat at certain points what the earlier post has said. That is fine as repetition is good.
       The ABC method is subjective. You are the one who determines what it is doing for you. The ABC method has many variations and is very popular.  It is basicly a simplified analytical approach to the Study of the Bible.
       We work this in reverse order. d,c,b,a.

• D Section is where you "digest" what you have chosen. You read through the passage over and over. Usually you use ten verses. If this sounds familiar it is because in the previous posts to this blog I have been putting forth the idea of reading ten verses at a time. So you are just continuing this habit.
• C Section is where you are doing "cross references" Try to find parallel passages or passage for each verse. It can be related to a word, an idea, or general teaching. You are letting the Bible explain itself.
• The B section is where you are looking for the "Best Verse" in the passage you have read. Ask yourself what is the basic verse or key verse of this passage
• A Section is where you are doing the "Application". Be sure to apply to your life the lesson of this passage. Write something like .." The Bible is saying to cast all my cares upon the Lord so I am doing this, and therefore I will not worry about...".  You shouold be able to find several; applications from the passage you are lookin gat.

     There is an E section if you wish to go deeper. The E section would be an "Extended Paraphrase."
     There you have a further discussion on the Bible Study Method--ABC Method.
     Go and may you grow deeper in the knowledge of God.

View The Word In Your Mind

   Let  me continue a series on Bible study methods.

    As I have pointed out in the past in the earlier postings, there are many ways to do Bible study.:       
   There is the ABC method and the analytical method
   These were handled earlier and you should be able to go into the directory and locate them.
   This method is to put yourself in the portion you are reading. View it through your own eyes.
    Ask yourself, what am I feeling? What time of day is it? Would I be tired or wide awake.?
   If you were one of the twelve walking with Jesus when this happened, what would you be thinking?
    For example. The feeding of the five thousand.
   These people have followed you all day. You need to rest. You are hoping that Jesus wants to rest. The people have to be fed.
   Are you the one who says send them away? Or are you one who just doesn't care? Are your tired?  
   What did you think when Jesus said to have the crowd sit down? What were you thinking when Jesus took the loaf and the fish? What were you thinking when Jesus held it out and blessed it?
    Put yourself in the situation. Experience it as if you are there at the moment.
     It will take you time to  get through the whole Bible this way but you are studying it and allowing it to get in you and change your thought pattern. And that is good.

Bible Reading Plan Through The Year

        When ever a person wants to read through the Bible.. and they should.. they can pick up a plan to do so almost anyplace in the church they attend. There is the slower plan put out by some ministers to have you read a portion in the morning and a portion at night.

        The Navigators have a plan to read three chapters in the Old and a three chapter portion from the New each day and to record what you are finding there. You go through the old once in a year and the new twice.
        There is the reading plan found in any Bible that will have you reading the Bible through all the way in a years' time.
          I am all for it--reading through the Bible. And once you do it once, start over. Use a different translation. Take notes. Do word studies. Do biographical studies. Do themes. If you are a Christian you must come to the place where you realize this Book..The Scriptures.. is God speaking. God had people He would depend upon to hear Him and transcribe what HE was saying.
          Ask what is being said? To whom is He speaking? Why is He saying it that way? Does it reveal anything about God that I should know? And once I know why he said that to those people, just what does it have to do with me? Is there an example for me to follow?  Is there an error I am to avoid?  How can I teach this to another?
            Feel free to comment and give me feedback. I will respond if it is possible.
          

Bible Study Help

     It is necessary for Christian Growth that you be able to feed yourself. You shouldn't stay with one meal a week.. that sermon on Sunday shouildn't be the only interfacing you do with God . But you should be training yourself to feed yourself.
    What I want is for you to study your Bible and get something for yourself. You need bible study help.
     My method is to have a pen and notebook along with me as I read my Bible. I stay with three chapters a day and I notice what is being said.

• I ask to whom is the writer speaking? 
• What is he saying? 
• Is there something there I should take notice of. (this I jot down in mny notebook.)
•  Is there something for me to pray about?
• Is there a sin for me to confess? 

    For those of you out there reading this who would like to try to self feed, and all should, themselves I have a recommended book for you to look at. In  fact I will even give you a link to Amazon so you can purchase it. 

  Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word

  It is a good book to purchas e and it will give you a handle on some methods that will prove very helpful.