KEYS FOR BIBLE STUDY:

PRAYER

    Seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit

FAITH

    1. The Bible is a whole

    2. The Bible is God's revelation

    3. The Bible is inspired

    4. The Bible is truthful

PURPOSE

Remember, the bible was not written to be studied ---it was written to change lives!

WHY DO WE WANT TO STUDY THE BIBLE, WHAT IS OUR GOAL?

To know God and to strengthen our personal relation with Him.

Bible Study is essential to our spiritual growth 1 Pet. 2:2

    It enables us to conform to Christ's image

    It enables us to transform our lives

    It is God's primary too to develop you as an individual

Bible Study is essential to our spiritual maturity. Heb 5:11-14

    To enable you to distinguish good from evil

"The mark of spiritual maturity is not how much you understand, but how much you use. In the spiritual realm the opposite of ignorance is not knowledge but obedience." (Hendricks, Living by the Book, pp. 20-21)

Bible Study is essential for spiritual effectiveness. 2 Tim 3:16-17

    Teach, rebuke, correct, enable to become an effective servant

FOR EFFECTIVE BIBLE STUDY YOU NEED TO FIRST BE A FAMILIAR WITH WHAT YOU ARE STUDYING.

The Bible is a whole containing 66 books, written over a period of about 1600 years, by 40 different human writers, with a single purpose. (John 1:45; 5:46; Lk. 24:44; Acts 28:23)

SET GOALS

What are you after, what are your needs?

BE REALISTIC

Bible study is a life long process.

TOOLS

Though all of theses are not absolutely necessary the are valuable helps.

Study Bible, Bible Handbook, Concordance, Bible Dictionary, Bible Atlas, One-volume Commentary 

METHODS

    Observation - What do I see

    Interpretation - What does it mean

    Application - How does it work

STRATEGIES FOR STUDYING THE BIBLE:

READ PRAYERFULLY

READ THOUGHTFULLY

READ REPEATEDLY

READ PATIENTLY

READ IMAGINATIVELY

READ MEDITATIVELY

READ PURPOSEFULLY

READ ACQUISITIVELY

READ TELESCOPICALLY

ASK QUESTIONS AS YOU READ

WHO?

WHAT?

WHERE?

WHEN?

WHY?

SO WHAT?

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN THE TEXT:

THINGS THAT ARE EMPHASIZED

THINGS THAT ARE REPEATED

THINGS THAT ARE RELATED

THINGS THAT ARE ALIKE

THINGS THAT ARE UNLIKE

THINGS THAT ARE TRUE TO LIFE