While I am on the subject of Christendom...I wanted to share what I have learned in the last couple of years about how to study the Bible. It used to be that for my "devotions" or "quiet time" or whatever you call it in your Christian circle, I would read a little out of the Bible, usually from the New Testament or a Psalm, and then think about it for a few minutes and come up with an application to my life. Then I would close my Bible and feel good about putting in my Daily Devotional Time, like a good Christian girl should. But these last couple of years have challenged my way of "study." I've been attending a discipleship group led by my pastor's wife, and have learned so much that I had to share.
What I’ve learned about myself and Bible Study:
1. When I study as if I were going to teach the material to someone else, I learn far more and go more in depth than when I study to just “put in my time.”
2. Journaling what I learn and what questions I have helps me to focus and gives me a starting point for the next time I sit down to study. It also helps me to remember what I’ve learned. (And when I date the entries, I can see how long it has been since I last studied…good accountability!)
3. Sitting down to study can mean sitting for 5 minutes and reading a chapter or looking up the definition of a word, or it can mean writing down a list of observations and questions for an hour. Once I realized that “studying” could be done in as little as 5 minutes, I’ve been far more consistent about spending daily time in the Word. And usually I end up studying for a lot longer than 5 minutes!
Here is what I’ve been learning about studying from my discipleship group:
1. When you are studying, write down any questions that come to mind. Don’t move on until you have answered all of your questions.
2. Write down your observations, especially if you are studying a passage that tells a story. Find out Who, What, When, Where, and Why in the passage.
3. Write down repeated words and contrasts/opposites.
4. Definitions are important. When you see a word repeated in a series of verses, look it up! Don’t assume you know what it means.
4a. You can look up the word in Webster’s dictionary.
4b. Another way to find the definition for a word is to go on rabbit trails, following the tiny numbers to the corresponding verses (you have to have a good study Bible with cross-references in order to do this). Keep reading and trailing until you feel like you have a good understanding of what the word means. Then write your own definition.
4c. A third way to find a definition is to look it up in Vine’s. Or, look it up in Strong’s Concordance and then read other verses that use the same word (this is another way to do the rabbit trail study).
5. If you are studying a whole chapter, look at the repeated words, contrasts, and your observations to come up with a theme.
6. Don’t forget the application. Always be thinking about why the verse/passage was written. Who was the audience? Why did they need to hear this message? Are there similarities between their situation and our lives/society today?
Obviously there is much more you can do to study a passage, but this gives you a good starting point.
I just finished a word study on “Rest” where I learned that rest is tied to obedience. I looked up a bunch of verses that I found in Strong’s that had to do with one meaning of rest, and then I wrote my observations of each verse (this took several weeks). Sometimes I compared and contrasted verses. Other times I found a specific application to finding rest in my own life as a new mom. After I had looked up all the verses, I went back and looked for similarities. Then I wrote a summary outline of what I had learned, so that if I choose to teach the material one day, I will have a focus.
My new study is on the concept of Heaven. I started in Strong’s, and saw so many occasions of the word that I was overwhelmed. So I decided to focus my study by finding out what Jesus had to say about heaven. (That will keep me occupied for awhile, just the references in Matthew alone!)
What I’ve learned about myself and Bible Study:
1. When I study as if I were going to teach the material to someone else, I learn far more and go more in depth than when I study to just “put in my time.”
2. Journaling what I learn and what questions I have helps me to focus and gives me a starting point for the next time I sit down to study. It also helps me to remember what I’ve learned. (And when I date the entries, I can see how long it has been since I last studied…good accountability!)
3. Sitting down to study can mean sitting for 5 minutes and reading a chapter or looking up the definition of a word, or it can mean writing down a list of observations and questions for an hour. Once I realized that “studying” could be done in as little as 5 minutes, I’ve been far more consistent about spending daily time in the Word. And usually I end up studying for a lot longer than 5 minutes!
Here is what I’ve been learning about studying from my discipleship group:
1. When you are studying, write down any questions that come to mind. Don’t move on until you have answered all of your questions.
2. Write down your observations, especially if you are studying a passage that tells a story. Find out Who, What, When, Where, and Why in the passage.
3. Write down repeated words and contrasts/opposites.
4. Definitions are important. When you see a word repeated in a series of verses, look it up! Don’t assume you know what it means.
4a. You can look up the word in Webster’s dictionary.
4b. Another way to find the definition for a word is to go on rabbit trails, following the tiny numbers to the corresponding verses (you have to have a good study Bible with cross-references in order to do this). Keep reading and trailing until you feel like you have a good understanding of what the word means. Then write your own definition.
4c. A third way to find a definition is to look it up in Vine’s. Or, look it up in Strong’s Concordance and then read other verses that use the same word (this is another way to do the rabbit trail study).
5. If you are studying a whole chapter, look at the repeated words, contrasts, and your observations to come up with a theme.
6. Don’t forget the application. Always be thinking about why the verse/passage was written. Who was the audience? Why did they need to hear this message? Are there similarities between their situation and our lives/society today?
Obviously there is much more you can do to study a passage, but this gives you a good starting point.
I just finished a word study on “Rest” where I learned that rest is tied to obedience. I looked up a bunch of verses that I found in Strong’s that had to do with one meaning of rest, and then I wrote my observations of each verse (this took several weeks). Sometimes I compared and contrasted verses. Other times I found a specific application to finding rest in my own life as a new mom. After I had looked up all the verses, I went back and looked for similarities. Then I wrote a summary outline of what I had learned, so that if I choose to teach the material one day, I will have a focus.
My new study is on the concept of Heaven. I started in Strong’s, and saw so many occasions of the word that I was overwhelmed. So I decided to focus my study by finding out what Jesus had to say about heaven. (That will keep me occupied for awhile, just the references in Matthew alone!)