A bible study about “How to study the bible

1. First of all, everyone is capable of studying the Bible. The Bible is not a
   

   

   scientific book written for scientists and is what Paul meant when he says in 1Corinthians 1:26-27:

Brothers [and sisters]... Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. (NIV)

This reminds me of the words of Abraham Lincoln “God must have loved the common man, because He made so many of them”.

2. Secondly, the Bible is not a manual. Manuals are scientific books for dummies. The problem with manuals is that they are apparently objective and removed from the object and subject at hand. When I put a closet together I use a manual, but I don't have to. I can put the closet together the way I want to and when there are a handful of screws left the company is not going to take the closet back or through me in jail for violating their manual. No, the manual is only a specialist suggestion, but actually removed from the real activity or reality. I can even use the wood to make a nice fire outside and they would not have a problem. This brings us to the next point.
   
3. The Bible is the Reality, not just about the Reality, we are all participating in. The story of the Bible begins at creation, progresses through the Fall of mankind, reaches its climax in Christ and ends at the restoration of God's presence back into this world. We're all participating in this story/Reality. In short, Bible study is to read ourselves into the Biblical narrative. By doing that, we become the Bible the world is reading and Bible study the discipline to internalise the Biblical narrative. Paul says in 1Corinthians 3:2-3:

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (NIV)

Mission is the heart of the Bible.

4. The Norm of the Bible is the presence of God. That simple means, the glasses we have to wear, when doing Bible study, are the presence of God. Adam and Even lost the presence of God when sin expelled them from the Garden of Eden. The rest of the Bible is the story of how God wants to restore His presence back into the world. Every covenant served and serves this purpose. That was the case, firstly, in the Sinai covenant in the Tabernacle and then in the Temple. When this covenant failed, God sent His own Son to be with us. When His own Son had to go back to heaven to intercede for us, He sent the Holy Spirit to take His place. The last few chapters of the Bible bring the narrative to a close, this is when God will come back to this earth and the Fall of mankind will be reversed.
   
5. The Bible is a book of testimonies of how people interacted with the presence of God, in different cultures and contexts, and is therefore not a book that should scare us. Bible study is to figure out how the presence of God crystallised and reacted in every given circumstance. Even the prophesies, in the Old Testament, were only (inspired) sermons in a given context. They are not manual-like inscriptions.
   
6. The Bible was breathed/inspired by the Holy Spirit, but stays a dead book until the Holy Spirit inspires the one reading it. How many educated 'practical atheists' don't know the Bible better than the most common people and still are not saved yet? Bible study, in the continues inspiration of the Holy Spirit, should be done in and through prayer and in an openness for the Holy Spirit to scrutinise us:

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV)

7. Lastly, Bible study is a communal endeavour. It is the community, the body of Christ, that is being filled with Holy Spirit and not the individual, per say. This illustrates why most heresies are individual arousals (God's preferred way is not a 'Lone Ranger' way). The community includes study material like different translations, commentaries, dictionaries, word studies etc. Use them, if you can put your hand on them.

A New Testament women's bible study on the Beatitudes (Read Matthew 5:1-12)

Have you ever felt like you are forgotten by God? That God's blessing follows everyone around, but

carefully steps past your door? Well I have great news for you; God's blessing is there for everyone.

EVEN FOR YOU!!!!!

(The rest of the bible study follows the pattern of questions and answers, first answer each question, by yourself, before you turn to the answer)

Can it be that you have a wrong perception of what it entitles to be blessed?

Nowhere in the Bible God promises no hardship, but rather that He will be with us in the tough times. In beatitudes 8^th and 9^th we read:

Those who are treated badly for doing good are happy, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. "People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do, you will be happy. Rejoice and be glad, because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did the same evil things to the prophets who lived before you. (Matthew 5:10-12 The Message Bible)

Jesus spells it out that for His sake we'll be treated badly. A Christian attitude of love and meekness will always be misused, but Jesus says, in the above text, that we should rejoice and be glad since our reward/blessing is in heaven. Who wants a spectacular house in this world, if you can have a mansion in heaven?

Do you think the blessed of God will be high-spirited the whole time?

When Jesus says

Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! (Matthew 5:4 The Good News Translation)

He encourages you to find comfort in God. When last have you poured out your heart before God in tears, because of you sorrows? Someone once said “tears are the spiritual windows of our souls”.

When you pray the Lord's Prayer “Let thy Kingdom come”, what do you expect?

Jesus says

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6 NIV).

The prayer of God's Kingdom should be for righteousness in your own life. That will saturate your desires not to look over the fence to 'keep up with the Joneses'. Keeping up with the Joneses will never fill you, but rather suck you dry form inside.

Have you ever considered that more people have less than you than more than?

This should motivate you to kindness towards the ones with less than you.

Happy are those who have mercy: for they will be given mercy. (Matthew 5:7 The Bible in Basic English)

Mercy is to do to others what they don't deserve. The tramp on the street corner might not deserve anything, since he or she is too lazy to work, but mercy should be when you anyway give him or her something.

Do you confuse meekness with humbleness?

Jesus says:

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5 KJV).

Meekness is the same word being used for a tamed animal. A tamed horse would obediently take his owner into a fierce battle without shunting away. So we should be like tamed animals in the hands of God, taking the good and the bad God sends or allows our way (see The Complete Word Study New Testament). The new heaven and new earth belongs to the meek.

When Jesus says that we have forsaken ourselves to follow Him, what does He mean?

To forsake ourselves is to do things for God, because God is God, and not with the hidden agenda to actually do it for ourselves to earn God's favour somehow. Jesus says:

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”. (Matthew 5:8 RSV)

Purity of heart is single mindedness – a single mind for God. This will bring us into the throne room of God.

Does it take guts to be a peacemaker?

Yes, especially if the other part is actually on the wrong side and you have to take the blame to bring the peace, but that is what a Christian attitude is about. Many moms know that bringing peace between the children is to through your life on the line. Jesus says:

Blessed are those who make peace. They will be called God's children. (Matthew 5:9 GOD'S WORD Translation)

What beatitude is missing?

"Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them”. (Matthew 5:3 GOD'S WORD Translation)

This beatitude is actually the heading of all the others. All the other beatitudes are only possible when we are in 100% need of God.

For a Prayer and Fasting Guide you can have a look at my Hub dealing with it. 

A businessman's bible study on Prayer – 1Timothy 2:1:

Have a look at my Hub about A Thinking Prayer

First, I tell you to pray for all people, asking God for what they need and being thankful to him. (New Century Version)

Take time and ponder on the far reaching commitment this verse is asking for:

1. Who are all the people?
2. What demand is placed on time, should a fraction of prayer be given for each person we know?
3. What is a plan of action to obey this call?

I know, “Where shall I find the time to pray for everyone?” and secondly, “Will it really change things for better for those I pray for?” Firstly, if you want to find time, you will find time. But that you already know, “Give me something new” you'll say. Your problem is not time, your problem is either the lack of faith in prayer, or the lack of a required personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you don't know/believe what God can do, you will not pray to him to do what you ask. But if you know what God can do, the almighty creator of the universe, you will pray. You will find time to pray, because you will realise that human effort doesn't match up with what God can do.

“What about my business?” If God can't bless your business without investing all your time into it, leaving you with nothing to pray, then you're in the wrong business. The psalmist says:

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain... (Psalm 127:1a NIV)

To be honest, the picture of the bible is not that you should add prayer to you business, but rather business to your prayer life. Your business should be steeped in prayer. Since God builds the house, you can only plot along in prayer. Remember it's God's house, not yours. Would time be an issue on the builder's demand? I don't think so. I would certainly enjoy it when my boss tells me to leave my classroom, and my students, and take time out for her. To sit in her office and talk about the work and other people and the students etc.

Who are the 'all people' you have to pray for? Easy, that's everyone you cross paths with. From the cleaning lady in the kitchen to the CEO in the boardroom. Prayer equips us with Godlike spectacles, to see the world through God's eyes, and reshape the landscape of reality. Prayer teaches that