Hi. It is a bright new day. God got you up this morning and allowed you to pop open your computer and scroll to this page and read this blog which is at the moment on a series covering Bible Study Methods.
I found when I started in on the program I had to hold to some truths. First of all that the Bible is a unity. By this I mean it has a supernatural unity. It took over 1,500 years to become what we have today, using at least 35 human writers. Still it remained God breathed.
Secondly I accepted the truth that it is a book that talks of one God and contains all we need to know about Him. God is knowable. He is not silent. He has communicated and put down his communication in 66 separate books.
Thirdly I came to the Bible study accepting that it contained the story of man from God's viewpoint.. his creation, his fall, his present condition, and his future.
So I looked at this collection of 66 books and noticed in its unity it also had divisions. The natural divisions were two unequal sections I saw as the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each section had books within them. I soon learned through much study that the chapters and verses we see there were not in the original manuscripts but placed there by man to make it easier to memorize verses and sections, Which I hope those who are reading and following this series are doing. That is memorizing as you go along.
Humans are not simple. They are complex. It is my belief that God has spoken. We need to listen. In For Your Information I will be helping you with tools to do just that. Feel free to add comments. Let's make this a dialogue.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Study To Show Yourself Approved
Fine. Let's continue in this series, and it will be a series, on Bible Study Methods.
Bible study is like a treasure hunt. There is so much there. Another way to look on it is that you have a picture puzzle that you need to put together. Each piece makes it easier to see the whole picture. Of course, you are coming to Bible Study with the motivation to hear what God has to say to you. It is therefore different than that sermon on Sunday or whenever you have your church service.
There are many reason to study the Bible, I have found. They are known as study skills that need to be mastered. You won't have them all at once. It is progressive. The important thing is to study to apply it to your life.
Why study? Because study is essential to your growth. I Peter 2:2 tells us that.
Please,it will be easier for you to have your Bible near you and open to flip to these passages. I find it easier to read the passages as they are mentioned. I like to follow the flow of thought of the discussion, and sometimes I find myself stopping to question the posting.. is that really what it says? If I can't come to some conclusion I table it for later.
Also if you want a vital prayer life Knowledge of the Word is essential. And may I suggest as you continue in Bible Study that you pass on what you are learning. Maybe in a small Bible group if at all possible. At least journal what you are learning.
Stay disciplined. Don't get discouraged. You can do this by setting study goals.The way I did it was to decide to study a small passage and master it. Maybe memorizing a verse from the study. .the most imposrtant verse I found in that section. This made it easier for me to meditate on scripture.
Also if you need help don't be too proud to ask for it. You need to understand the passage and sometimes others have an insight you haven't thought about. Don't try to do it as a Lone Ranger Christian. Stay in fellowship..
This posting has covered ground. This ground will be plowed as a the postings go on.
Of course the most important factor. Are you a Christian? If not, than what I am posting should make no sense to you. You need Spiritual understanding and that comes only by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Bible study is like a treasure hunt. There is so much there. Another way to look on it is that you have a picture puzzle that you need to put together. Each piece makes it easier to see the whole picture. Of course, you are coming to Bible Study with the motivation to hear what God has to say to you. It is therefore different than that sermon on Sunday or whenever you have your church service.
There are many reason to study the Bible, I have found. They are known as study skills that need to be mastered. You won't have them all at once. It is progressive. The important thing is to study to apply it to your life.
Why study? Because study is essential to your growth. I Peter 2:2 tells us that.
Please,it will be easier for you to have your Bible near you and open to flip to these passages. I find it easier to read the passages as they are mentioned. I like to follow the flow of thought of the discussion, and sometimes I find myself stopping to question the posting.. is that really what it says? If I can't come to some conclusion I table it for later.
Stay disciplined. Don't get discouraged. You can do this by setting study goals.The way I did it was to decide to study a small passage and master it. Maybe memorizing a verse from the study. .the most imposrtant verse I found in that section. This made it easier for me to meditate on scripture.
Also if you need help don't be too proud to ask for it. You need to understand the passage and sometimes others have an insight you haven't thought about. Don't try to do it as a Lone Ranger Christian. Stay in fellowship..
This posting has covered ground. This ground will be plowed as a the postings go on.
Of course the most important factor. Are you a Christian? If not, than what I am posting should make no sense to you. You need Spiritual understanding and that comes only by a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Let's Start Studying
In sharing this with the public I realized it will take many postings. That will be fine because this blog is in the growth phase and what better way to allow you, the reader, to grow with it.
So the most important thing to consider as we start in on a study program is to find a spot free from distractions and noise. I found by my doing so it made it easier to concentrate. I would use a pencil to jot down my observations.
Next I would pray. Since this was God's Holy Book I was holding in my hands and attempting to study. I realized I needed the Holy Spirit to help me understand it. Psalm 119:18 was an appropriate prayer for me to use. "Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law."
Next I would read and look up Scripture the Holy Spirit would bring to mind. Always in context. As the posts go on we will explore this in more depth. But each Scripture has a background. When written. To whom written. What was going on at the time. read, reread, study aand think about what was read. these were steps I was taking to study the Bible.
And I jot down what I was learning. And I would apply it., Praying at all times that the Holy Spirit who was abiding within me would be my teacher.
Soon I began to realize that the more I knew the more I was responsible to live up to it
More later..
Church Attendence
I just want you to know it is important for you to be in a church somewhere on Sunday. Not just any church now, but a Bible believing and Bible preaching group.
Let me tell you what I mean.
The church is not the building but the people gathered. When I say a Bible believing I want to point out that there is only one authority that should be used to teach the people.. If the Bible is not being taught from, the truth is not being transmitted.
Why go? Because it is a duty. "Do not forsake the assembly of yourselves together",God says. But not only a duty. It is a privilege. Where else can you go and be in the presence of a Holy God? You can't see Him. No. But you can hear what He has to say and you can respond in worship through songs and action. And you can serve. That is a part of worship too.
And you can listen to what the preacher says. As long as he is saying what God says, he is okay. But you must test what he says. As long as what he says squares with what God has said in the Bible the test has proved him true. Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is true.
The church is not the building but the people gathered. When I say a Bible believing I want to point out that there is only one authority that should be used to teach the people.. If the Bible is not being taught from, the truth is not being transmitted.
Why go? Because it is a duty. "Do not forsake the assembly of yourselves together",God says. But not only a duty. It is a privilege. Where else can you go and be in the presence of a Holy God? You can't see Him. No. But you can hear what He has to say and you can respond in worship through songs and action. And you can serve. That is a part of worship too.
And you can listen to what the preacher says. As long as he is saying what God says, he is okay. But you must test what he says. As long as what he says squares with what God has said in the Bible the test has proved him true. Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is true.
Friday, August 26, 2011
How to Memorize
We should all learn how to feed ourselves. The pastor can only do so much and then only on that Sunday or whenever your church group meets. Plus the Bible says "Your word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You". Psalm 119:11.
Each Christian is given at the moment of becoming a Christian the Holy Spirit. That is the third person of the Godhead who comes to dwell inside you. You become a temple of the Holy Spirit. He is your teacher/counselor. He it is who brings to your memory what God has said in the Bible. Remember, my position is, that God communicates and He has allowed His communication to be recorded. The Bible was given for us to read and study and memorize.
I am not going to dogmatically state here just where you should memorize. Memorize according to your need. But do memorize scripture. You won't always have a Bible with you and you will want to quote scripture when you talk to people. Believe me. You will.
So, how do you begin?
Choose a verse. One that you need. Read the verse a few times.. oh, say, five. Pay attention to the word order and the words used. You want to memorize exactly as it is written in the translation you are using. Always use the same translation in all your memorizing.
Memorize in small chunks until you have the whole verse or verses down in your memory. Later you can do sections or paragraphs. But to start your program one verse will do. Now having read it that number of times, look away and repeat to yourself the verse. Check from time to time. Get it exact. Hook the location with the verse as I have done above with Psalm 119:11. This will help you when you talk to others and they ask where is it located.
Each Christian is given at the moment of becoming a Christian the Holy Spirit. That is the third person of the Godhead who comes to dwell inside you. You become a temple of the Holy Spirit. He is your teacher/counselor. He it is who brings to your memory what God has said in the Bible. Remember, my position is, that God communicates and He has allowed His communication to be recorded. The Bible was given for us to read and study and memorize.
I am not going to dogmatically state here just where you should memorize. Memorize according to your need. But do memorize scripture. You won't always have a Bible with you and you will want to quote scripture when you talk to people. Believe me. You will.
So, how do you begin?
Choose a verse. One that you need. Read the verse a few times.. oh, say, five. Pay attention to the word order and the words used. You want to memorize exactly as it is written in the translation you are using. Always use the same translation in all your memorizing.
Memorize in small chunks until you have the whole verse or verses down in your memory. Later you can do sections or paragraphs. But to start your program one verse will do. Now having read it that number of times, look away and repeat to yourself the verse. Check from time to time. Get it exact. Hook the location with the verse as I have done above with Psalm 119:11. This will help you when you talk to others and they ask where is it located.
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.
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.
Monday, August 22, 2011
New Birth
It is exciting to be in on the ground floor of a new church plant. On the 27th we are having a baby shower for the new venture. As I have posted earlier some person will be walking away with a new IPad2. But that is not the reason a person should get excited. A person should get excited because God is at work.
Lots of prayer will be needed. Prayer is important. The fervent prayer of a righteous man is very powerful.
The mother church is Acts. Pastor Joe wouldn't be backing this venture if he didn't know the new pastor he was backing. Pastor Daryl has worked under him for twelve years, most of these years getting trained. Daryl is a graduate of Biola University and presently is attending Talbot Theological Seminary. Pastor Joe, the pastor of Acts, feels that when God saves you He gives you a gift. Also when God calls you to the minisrty it is a call to prepare.And once a person is prepared God will open doors.
Lots of prayer will be needed. Prayer is important. The fervent prayer of a righteous man is very powerful.
The mother church is Acts. Pastor Joe wouldn't be backing this venture if he didn't know the new pastor he was backing. Pastor Daryl has worked under him for twelve years, most of these years getting trained. Daryl is a graduate of Biola University and presently is attending Talbot Theological Seminary. Pastor Joe, the pastor of Acts, feels that when God saves you He gives you a gift. Also when God calls you to the minisrty it is a call to prepare.And once a person is prepared God will open doors.
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