DEDICATION To my husband, Archie, you make this Christian walk a joy. I love you so much and am truly blessed to be your help meet. And to my beautiful children, Jonathan and Judith, whom I love more than my own life. May this booklet help you as you continue to learn the scriptures. I pray that as you increase your knowledge of the faith that you will mature to possess a faith that is your very own. 3
PERSONAL STATEMENT This is the type of booklet that I wish I had owned when I began my Christian life more than twenty years ago. My quiet time would have been more focused, more effective and I would not have had (and still cling to) so many scraps of paper and disorganized notes. I would have had practical ways to deal with the thoughts, feelings, and emotional turmoil that I encountered in day-to-day living. Most importantly, I would have had a more structured approach to retraining my mind which, since childhood had been guided by carnal thought, worldly philosophies, and plain old sinful thinking. I pray that you will have the long, rich, Christian life that comes through studying and obeying the scriptures. May this booklet, in some small way, help you as you do so. In this brief volume I wish to share with you, my brother or sister in the Lord, that which has helped me. 4
INTRODUCTION Baptism is the result of a loving God s, and a working Christian s, evangelistic instruction, but it s merely the beginning of your Christian life. You are an infant (1 Peter 2:2). How quickly you mature depends not on a chronological passage of days, weeks or years. The rate is a result of the combination of daily prayer, daily study and daily application of those truths that God reveals through the scriptures. While studying and praying can be learned, and performed as consistently as your diligence allows (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15), it is the last factor, the daily application, where you see God s word in action; where the rubber meets the road if you will, and where your faith begins to deepen (Psalm 1:1-3). Being a Christian is not something that you do; it is what you are every moment of every day. When you have a mountain of debt and don t know how you re going to pay it, you don t consider working three jobs, cutting back on your offering or stealing (e.g. logging in un-worked time, cheating on taxes, withholding from your fellow man what belongs to him). No, you attend worship service (Hebrews 10:25), you give money to God first (Malachi 3:8; 2 Corinthians 9:6) and you consistently put in an honest day s work (1 Thessalonians 4:11). You ask God to show you how to manage the blessings He s given you and to be content with them. You will go from not knowing how to pay those bills to having enough material blessings to share with others. Or, when a loved one dies, you don t mourn endlessly and beg an answer for the why. You pray to God and ask Him to help you because you know that it is He who has power over life and death (Matthew 28:18), that He doesn t make mistakes (Isaiah 55:8), and that He alone can provide the peace which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). You ll slowly go from the numbness and pain that a death brings to sharing with others the truth of eternal life. In other words, you use the Scriptures to teach you how to think and feel and act. And you can t do any of those things if you don t know the Scriptures. 5
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Personal Bible Study.........................................9 CHAPTER 2 Preparation................................................ 13 Materials Mindset CHAPTER 3 Types of Studies............................................21 Private Group One-on-one CHAPTER 4 The Devotional Hour (or 15 minutes, etc.)..................25 Structure Aspects of Resources..................................................33 Final Thoughts.............................................35 Appendices.................................................37 7
CHAPTER 3 TYPES OF STUDIES My favorite part of preparing for Bible study is deciding what to study. There is so much from which to choose, so much to learn, and the lessons are lifechanging and never-ending. Sometimes the topic you need to study will just grab you. A new job offer, an impending marriage, or the death of a loved one may send you looking for answers. At other times, you may have no idea what you want to study. Try going over the scriptures that convinced you to become a Christian in the first place. Look into specifics of the Apostle s teachings (Acts 2:42). If even those seem a bit daunting, that s OK. On Day 1, say a prayer to start your study, ask for God s help, then open your Bible to Genesis 1:1. Start reading and contemplating those first thirty-one scriptures. I guarantee you that before you reach Chapter 2, something will occur to you. Listed below are categories of several possible studies. Once you become more comfortable with the scriptures you will certainly have ideas of your own. Think about it. Pray about it. Then study! Private studies 1. Read through the Bible in a year 2. Get a general overview of a book of the Bible 3. The life of a specific Bible author a. Peter b. Paul c. Ezekiel d. Etc. 4. A specific Bible topic (the list is endless) a. Afterlife b. Angels c. Fasting d. Gender studies e. Heart of man 21
22 f. Heaven g. Hope h. Marriage i. Praying j. etc. 5. A specific person in the Bible a. Abraham b. Moses c. Ruth d. Esther 6. Specific character traits a. Love b. Hate c. Greed d. Contentment e. Etc. 7. A specific book of the Bible 8. A specific chapter of the Bible 9. A specific word in the Bible a. Righteousness b. Forgive c. Need 10. A specific story in the Bible a. Adam and Eve b. David and Bathsheba c. Elijah and the ravens d. The Transfiguration e. Etc. 11. Study a new psalm for each year of life 12. Bible lands 13. Concerning a specific struggle you re having a. Depression b. Bereavement c. A particular sin 14. Concerning your stage of life a. Singleness b. Married c. Parenthood d. Widowed
15. Concerning the area in your life you would like to grow 16. For general familiarity and pleasure 17. Encouragement for self 18. Questions of life for which you want a biblical answer (Why was I born?) 19. General questions you have of the Bible (e.g. what does the Bible say or not say about different churches?) 20. Notes from morning or evening Sunday sermons (see center spread for sample note-taking templates) Whatever topic you choose, make a commitment to stick with it for a little while, or you ll end up all over the place. Don t bite off huge chunks, trying (in vain) to learn everything at once. Instead, savor the scriptures, like you would a good meal. Enjoy the Word for the good food that it is (Matthew 5:6; Hebrews 5:12, 14) and like a well-cared for infant, you ll find your growth consistent and healthy. Group/class studies Group studies are essential to growth and often enjoyable. These are the times when you can ask questions (something you don t do in a service of worship) and digest Bible truths in a methodical and well-informed way. They are usually led by a minister, his wife or another mature Christian who has been active in the body for a long time. Experience is a good teacher, and a good teacher has many experiences which he/she can share. This is also a time when you re able to fellowship with and get to know the members of your Christian family on a more personal level. The examples given below are based on my personal experience and may vary from congregation to congregation: Large groups 1. Mid-week Bible classes held in the church building 2. Sunday school classes 3. Specialized classes held in the church building (e.g. parenting class, couples class, family class, new converts class) 4. Zone groups 23
Small groups You may also enjoy a small group study. They are easy to start, can be set around various schedules, and are wonderful ways to build lasting relationships. Though these types of classes are usually fun, interesting and challenging (topics are usually more personal and questions more pointed than in a large group) they do not replace private study. They do, however, help you get to know an intimate group of your brothers and sisters on a deeper level. They are best led by a mature Christian. 1. Singles classes 2. Young ladies 3. Young men 4. College students 5. Widows/widowers One-on-one studies When you first become a Christian, it is a blessed experience to have regular private studies with a mature Christian. You can ask questions and develop confidence in the new truths you learn. The ultimate goal is to train you so that you can study and grow on your own. Yes, my brother or sister, eventually you will be the mature Christian, sitting down with another person and teaching him or her the ways of the Lord! Once you decide you re ready to sit down and formally study the Scriptures with another person, always, always work to convert that person first if he or she isn t yet a Christian. As you know, becoming a Christian is the most important thing that one can do. If a person doesn t believe the Scriptures unto salvation, then rest-assured there aren t many other lessons that he or she will accept wholeheartedly. Besides, many of the scriptures will neither help nor apply to the person who hasn t obeyed the truth. 1. Evangelism classes (converting others by sharing God s plan of salvation) 2. Discipleship classes (helping a new convert learn basic truths, building his/her foundation) 3. General sharing (helping a new convert to learn how to study the scriptures for personal growth) 24