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Discipleship One
Lesson 3
The Bible: Where Do I Start?
What God has said isn't only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword. His word can cut through our spirits and souls and through our joints and marrow, until it discovers the desires and thoughts of our hearts. (Hebrews 4:12 Contemporary English Version)
Understanding what God's word is to believers:
1. It is our anchor of Truth. The Bible is a Christians everything book. It has the answer to every problem we face in it. It teaches us how to live life as a child of God. How else will we understand God, His kingdom and His ways? This world is full of ideas, thoughts and opinions that may or may not be true. The Bible is our source of truth. It never changes and it is eternal.
2. It is God's covenant with His people. Covenant means a contract, or a compact. It implies a binding agreement or a promise. A covenant is sealed with blood and is considered a done deal, broken only by death. The word testament means covenant.
Our Bible is divided into what we call the Old and the New Testaments or covenants. Our New Testament or covenant is sealed with the blood of Jesus; therefore, it is our promise book or binding contract with God. God is willing and able to keep his covenant or promises to us. The Bible is filled with God's promises to us as His children. Shouldn't we want to know what He has promised us?
Every word in the New Testament is still in effect for today.
3. Reading God's word will help us to mature spiritually, it is our spiritual milk and food. It will help us be more like Christ and equip us to do the work of the ministry. God expects every Christian to do His work in one way or another.
All scriptures is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
4. The Bible is like God's love letter to us. It is a love story between God and His beloved man, with God working out a plan of redemption for man and most often man rejecting God's plan. The entire Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the New Testament. In other words, the entire Old Testament prophesies and the New Testament fulfills those prophecies. We can learn and gain much from both Testaments.
5. The Bible is full of the benefits that come along with being a child of God.
To get your mind going and to help you begin to comprehend what the Bible is to us, let us pretend for a moment that your very wealthy uncle has purchased for you a lifetime membership in an exclusive club. This club has unbelievable benefits. You know nothing about this club or its benefits. A manual comes with the membership describing all the benefits and how you might enjoy them. You have a choice, you can let all these benefits go unused or you can pick up, read the manual, and enjoy the benefits.
When we become born again, we become an heir of God and joint heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) We become the child of the creator of the universe. We were born into the richest family in the world. All the riches of this family belong to us now!
The benefits that come from our relationship with God are endless. (See psalm 68:19, Psalm 103:2 and Psalm 116:12) However, the only way we will ever receive these riches into our life is by reading and understanding our manual, the Bible. Once we know of and understand our benefits, we simply receive them by faith; which is the way we receive everything from God. We had to have faith even to become born again.
Receiving the benefits of our covenant will help make us complete in Christ, living the good life we are expected by God to live, walking in happiness, peace, health, prosperity, taking full authority over Satan and his demons, being strong and full of the wisdom of God.
In review, I want to list some of the reasons we must study God's word.
1. God's word teaches us truth in a world full of deception, illusions and half-truths. It is our anchor for truth.
2. It teaches us about God and His kingdom, causing us to grow and mature spiritually. It is our food and our nourishment.
Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " Matthew 4:4
3. The Bible teaches us how to overcome darkness. See Ephesians 6
4. It helps us not to fall prey to temptation, so that we will not sin against God.
5. It gives us direction for our life.
6. It gives us God's wisdom. Wisdom is extremely valuable for a successful life. Colossians 3:16
7. It enables us to receive God's many benefits. We cannot receive unless we first hear that they exist for us.
8. It builds our faith. Faith comes from hearing God's word. Romans 10:17
9. To please God, how can we please Him if we do not know what He expects from us?
10. When we read the Bible ourselves, we learn spiritual truths first hand. Someone may teach us something that is incorrect. It is important that we know for ourselves what God's word says.
11. It prepares us to overcome every storm of life, to have the good life God intends for us to have.
12. God's word makes us clean. It washes our hearts, just the same as water cleans our body when we bathe. Ephesians 5:26
What version or translation of the Bible should I use?
First, you must realize that no English Bible is the original Bible. All Bibles written in English are translations of the original Greek and Hebrew. The Kings James Version is a trusted version. However, it was written six hundred years ago and much of the words are not found in today's English language. Some of the meanings of words have also changed. Some people find it difficult to understand. King James has updated versions that are easier to understand.
Choose whichever English translation you prefer and the one from which you can get the best understanding. The Bible is not much good to you if you spend all your time trying to get across language barriers and fail to understand what the author is saying. A modern translation is best for easiest understanding.
There are many good versions or translations. Personally, I like the New Kings James Version for memorizing and studying. I like The Living Bible for reading and comparisons. I have and use many different versions for comparison sake.
In warning, not every translation is created equal. Some are much better than others are. Have a literal translation as well as a paraphrased if you like. Make comparisons, but if ever in doubt of the correct translation of a verse or passage, rely on the literal translation.
How to get the most from God's word:
1. Begin your Bible study time by inviting your teacher (the Holy Spirit) to come and teach you. Ask Him to help you understand what you read and how you might apply it to your life.
2. Simply read: Gather facts and learn the stories. You would be surprised at how many Christians don't read their Bible!
3. Meditation - Carefully consider or think about what you read. During this time, the Holy Spirit will talk to you, teach you and give you understanding of how you can apply God's word to your life. God will teach you during times of meditation.
4. Study: You may do a word study, a topic study or a personality study.
Word study:
To do a word study, you conduct a search on a specific word of which you want to gain a biblical understanding. One tool you can use is a complete concordance. It is similar to a dictionary. Look up the word you are studying the same way you would in a dictionary. It will give the definition of the word and it will give you the scripture reference for every instance the word is used in the bible. Studying the different ways the word is used in the Bible will give you a full biblical understanding of the word.
I prefer using either a Bible program or a Bible study tool that can be used on line free. You can type any word into the Bible tool and it will pull up every scripture in the Bible using that word. To find an on-line bible tool, type the words "Bible tools" into your search engine. You also can use a bible dictionary or encyclopedia to get further understanding on your word.
Topic study:
Study of a particular topic, for example, "the second coming of Christ". Think of key words having to do with your topic. Look those words up in a concordance, topical Bible or Bible encyclopedia. You also could use your Bible's cross reference tools. Cross-references take you to other scriptures in your Bible that discuss the same topic.
Another way to learn more about your topic is to read other books besides the Bible that discusses it. Be sure to check the author's information with the Bible to be sure their information is biblical. Just because something is written in a book, does not ensure that it is the truth. Even added information you find in a study Bible may not necessarily be the truth. Be discerning, always rely on the actual Bible for final authority and your teacher the Holy Spirit. If it is truth that you are seeking, truth is what you will find. God will see to it.
Personality study:
We can learn a lot about God and His kingdom by studying the lives of Bible characters. Use a concordance to find every instance of their name mentioned in the bible. A Bible encyclopedia may also prove helpful.
You can also do an in depth study of a book of the Bible, a certain chapter or a passage. The Holy Spirit will lead you in your study of the bible.
There are many helpful Bible study tools that can be found in a Christian book store or on-line. However, in depth Bible studies will come later for most new Christians as their hunger for God's word increases. Reading, meditating, memorization and application are where most new Christians begin.
5. Memorization: Scripture memorization is very important. It gets God's word on the inside of us and equips us powerfully. If we don't memorize scriptures word for word, we need to at least become very familiar with key verses. I encourage you to discipline yourself to memorize key scriptures for the different topics that relate to your own life circumstances. If God's word is hidden in your heart, no one can ever take it away from you. It will guide you through life safely.
6. Application: As you read and study God's word, think of ways that you can make your life better line up with it. How can you apply it to your life? Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's work in your heart.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at himself in the mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22
Where do I start reading?
Because the Bible is made up of many books, with many different authors you can begin anywhere you wish to. I would suggest, if you are newly born-again, begin in the gospel of John. When you have finished John, back up to Matthew and read straight through the New Testament. Then start at Genesis and read all of the Old Testament.
If you have been saved a while or have a good understanding of the new birth, begin in Matthew and read all of the New Testament, then begin in Genesis and read all of the Old Testament. Some people prefer to read a chapter out of the old and the new every day until they finish. However you prefer is okay. The main thing is to be faithful to reading daily. Establish a habit of feeding your spirit.
Conclusion: We never get to the place where we know all about the Bible and can stop reading it. The Bible is multi-leveled. Every time we read it, it is fresh and new. We can always learn something new from it. We should read all of it many times in a lifetime. We also should spend time reading and meditating on parts of it all of our life. It is our food, our direction, our wisdom, our source for truth. It is our very lifeline. A day should not pass without reading from it.
Weekly Challenges:
Read a chapter from John and a chapter from Proverbs each day.
Pray for at least 10 minutes daily.
Operation L.O.V.E. : This week do a random act of kindness for a stranger. Hold open a door, offer to take the buggy back for them at the grocery store, etc. Be creative.
Scripture memorization:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy. 3:16
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
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