The #1 Rule of Bible Study

Before the great celebration on Sunday (Easter) comes the great debate throughout the week. This is the debate on the day of Jesus’ death. Maybe you believe it was Wednesday because there were two Sabbaths, and it best explains the account of the women purchasing and preparing the spices. Maybe you believe it was Thursday because the men on the road to Emmaus said that they spoke with Jesus on the third day, and this was after He arose. Maybe you believe it was on Friday because you can’t count. While I am not completely opposed to edifying debate and study, there is a greater question this week that must be asked – “What does Calvary mean for me?” 1. Calvary is a day to remember. The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is for remembrance. We do not believe the Bible supports the false doctrine of transubstantiation (where Jesus’ body becomes a part of your body). 1 Corinthians 11:24-27 clearly states the purpose of this ordinance. It is a time of remembrance. People are forgetful creatures. Remembering takes effort. You set reminders, alarms, and put things in place so that you will not forget. We can easily get so consumed with life that we do not go back to Calvary in our minds on a regular basis. How can you remember Calvary more? -Thank God every day for saving you. -Be a faithful witness. -Sing gospel songs. 2. Calvary is a day to receive. Romans 5:6-8 says, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Are you a sinner? Are you ungodly? Do you fall short of righteousness? Then you have great news coming your way! You qualify as being one of those that Jesus died for. What a precious thought! Sin demands a payment, and the payment is a spiritual death in the lake of fire ( Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14-15 ). You cannot get away from the consequence, unless you receive the gift that Jesus gave you when He died for you. How can you receive the gift given from Calvary? It’s as simple as A – B – C! -Admit that you are a sinner. ( Romans 3:10, 23 ) -Believe that Jesus died and rose again for you. ( Romans 5:8; John 3:16 ) -Call on Jesus to save you. ( Romans 10:9-13 ) 3. Calvary is a day to reciprocate. May I remind you that the scenes of Calvary really happened? I tend to read slowly through those verses when I come to those ones that speak about Jesus’ death and the agony that He suffered on my behalf. If you realize it for what it is, it should bring you to tears. It is a bitter-sweet story. It is bitter because of what He endured, but it is sweet because of why He did it. Here's the question then – “ After all that Jesus did for you, what have you done for Him? ” Calvary isn’t just a feel good story that we think of to shed a tear or sing a song. It is an event that changes lives! It is the reason that I attend church, read Scripture, pray, tithe, seek to live a holy life, go soul winning, and much more. What we do as Christians is not a means to earn salvation, it is a response of salvation. How can you reciprocate Calvary? -give Jesus your all because He gave you His all. Charles Spurgeon said it well when he said: “My entire theology can be condensed into 4 words: JESUS DIED FOR ME.”

Throughout this series on Bible study, we have discussed a number of rules to consider as you read and study your Bible. This does not have to be a complex subject though. It doesn’t take a Bible college graduate to know how to read the Bible. Like anything else in life and more important than anything else in life, there are right ways and wrong ways to approach, interpret, and seek to understand the Bible. For this, we are going to discuss general Bible principles for my last post on this topic of Bible study. 1. The Bible is a Miraculous Book. The mere fact that we have a portion of the Bible at all, in itself, is a miracle if you study the history of the devil’s attacks against it. To look back and see how God gave us His Word is nothing short of miraculous. The books of the Bible were written over the span of approximately 1,500 years by about 40 different people in 3 different languages and on 3 continents. It is staggering to think of how that process came to give us a great story of unity, beauty, and transformative power. Nobody could do that, but God! 2. The Bible is a Heavenly Book. The Bible is not just another book. It’s not like your college textbook or your novel you enjoy. In John 6:63, Jesus said, “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life .” Most will approach the Bible with the same mindset that they use to approach the encyclopedia. Psalm 119:89 adds, “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” There is something special about this heavenly Book that you get to read, and it is nothing short of lifechanging. 3. The Bible is a Perfect Book. I don’t believe that the King James Version is just “the best we can have”. I believe that it’s perfect. How can I make such a bold statement? Because God told me so. II Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” You don’t have to be a Greek and Hebrew enthusiast to know that all means all. Jesus quoted the O.T. when He doubled down on the perfection of Scripture and our need for it when He said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How can Jesus tell us to live by every word if we don’t even know if we have every word? It is perfect because Jesus told you so. 4. The Bible is a Unifying Book. The Bible is like a car manual…but much more exciting. One section may be about the engine components. Another section may be on the interior buttons and gadgets. Then you have the dash lights, the maintenance, the features, and on and on the list goes. The sections of a car manual may vary, but they’re all about the same car. Likewise, the Word of God is all about the story of Jesus! 5. The Bible is a Powerful Book. The devil cannot stop the power of God’s Word. The Bible is easily the best selling, most distributed, most sought after, and most used book in the history of the world! And there is no close second. The Bible has been distributed into 5-7 billion copies, translated into nearly 700 languages, and the New Testament having been translated into around 1,500 languages. Books come and go based on popularity, culture, readability, and a number of other different reasons. There is no comparison to God’s Word that has changed lives in so many different centuries, cultures, and groups of people. The power of the Bible is simply undeniable! Closing Challenge- How do you view the Bible? Is it just a part of the religious way or is it a part of your heart? Don’t miss one of the greatest gifts that God has given to humanity, and don’t let any false teacher tell you otherwise. Open your Bible and determine to spend a lifetime getting to know God on a deeper level as you get to know Him through His Word.

Before you click that “unsubscribe” button, let me assure you that this blog will not entail serenading yourself with candles, instrumental music, all while sitting on the ground with your legs crossed. Meditation is another word for the word ponder. It is to give your mind to something. Bible meditation is, in my opinion, the long-lost art of Bible study. I would argue that meditating on God’s Word is one of the great ways that God teaches us truths by His Spirit that make a lasting and real impact on our lives. Psalm 1:2 – “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” A Question What do you think about? Throughout your day, what are the things that come to your mind? There are two ways of thinking. There is passive thinking, and there is proactive thinking. Passive thinking is allowing thoughts to permeate your mind and mulling on anything and everything that you come across. This is dangerous for many reasons and would need another blog post, or series, to address. Then, there is proactive thinking. This is thinking with purpose. Read Philippians 4:6-9 carefully. God gives us a formula for what we do with the stresses and anxieties of life. You come to God burdened and you leave with a life that pleases God. A Quandary Every Bible student will find themselves in a pickle. They’ll read a passage and think, “Does that say what I think it’s saying?”, “Am I understanding this correctly? Because that’s sounds opposite to what I’ve heard to be true.” , or “I have no idea what God means by that”. Let me give you a personal example – when my wife and I were teenagers that had a liking for each other, I learned what her life verse was. Not everyone has a life verse, or a favorite verse, but hers was Psalm 37:4 . It says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” My honest thought was, “That seems like a selfish verse”. I knew I was wrong, but that was my initial response. So, I meditated on that verse for a long time. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I saw the divine order to the verse. When we delight in God first, it is then that He will give us our desires. Why? Because your desires change when you delight in God. You learn to love what He loves. I guess that means that God probably isn’t answering my prayer for a strawberry red Ferrari…or a private jet. A Quest There are two great examples I’ve heard on meditation that illustration this truth. The first is the cow chewing on its cud. Cows have four stomachs, and food is processed differently through each stomach. However, the food returns to the cow’s mouth in between each stomach, the cow chews on it some more, and then it passes to the stomach. Gross, I know. But something amazing happens in that process. The cow is extracting and breaking down everything that food has to offer. This is what Bible meditation should look like. The other example is that of a tea bag. If you just dip a tea bag in water, that water doesn’t taste very different. However, if you leave that tea bag in the water for a length of time, that water will continue to change and absorb the contents of the tea bag. Too many Christians take a “dip” into God’s Word in the morning and then don’t take time to think on God’s Word throughout the day. Is there any wonder as to why we don’t understand and learn God’s Word. A Quorum Ok, Pastor Becker, so if I just think long enough and hard enough, I’m going to understand the Bible more? Well, not exactly. Meditation is not just about thinking hard and long. It is about giving it to God in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you God’s truths as you chew on them. John 16:13 says of the Holy Spirit – “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” How do these preachers get these truths out of the Bible when you hear them? This is the secret. It isn’t the commentaries they read, the sermons they steal (I mean, study), or the books they study. Real Bible students allow God to teach them His Word through the mind and into the heart. Closing thoughts… It has been said, “You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are.” Think about that. What do you think about? When did you give a truth to God and ask Him to teach it to you as you prayed and contemplated that thought? It seems that every year God teaches me some truth. I learn a lot during this time, but there is usually a big truth that I keep thinking back to that I’m praying that God will teach me. Bible meditation is what makes God’s Word real to you. You’ll see God teach you throughout your day and in situations you’ll face.

1. No Faith Do you begin your Bible time with a defeated spirit? Imagine if you went into your job that way. “Well, I know I’m not going to accomplish much today, but I guess I’m here”. Guess what? You’re not going to accomplish much, and you’re not going to get anything from God with that spirit. God can and God will help you understand His Word if you approach it by faith. 2. Unconfessed Sin Sin is a separator. If you have problems with your spouse or your parents, you find that those problems make it difficult to communicate with each other. It may even make it hard to be in the same room together. It’s been said, “Keep the account short”. You shouldn’t have to go through a laundry list with God because it’s been days, weeks, months, or years since you’ve confessed your sins and asked for forgiveness. Confess your sins daily. 3. Stubbornness We live in a debate culture. Social media has heightened that for the sake of clicks and views. How many debates have you seen where someone changed their mind? They may have even been humiliated because their point was lacking evidence or the skill set to back it up. Still, they remain convinced that they are right. You have to go to God with an open mind and heart. 4. Only reading passages you enjoy and understand. What books intimidate you? What books are less exciting for you? Genesis is a great beginning book of the Bible because it covers so much history in one book. By the time you begin Leviticus, you may be discouraged because it doesn’t have the stories and drama that Genesis has. I encourage new converts to read the Gospels, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. However, God gave us the whole Bible. Your lack of understanding a book should whet your appetite to know that book more. I have never studied a book to know it more and regretted it. Books that I use to think less exciting I see different now because I determined to know them more. Make it your mission to know the Bible completely. Take it one book at a time with books you don’t understand. 5. Reading books about the Bible in place of the Bible. This one is personal to me because I’ve written three devotional books. Devotionals, commentaries, and other Bible aids are not meant to replace your Bible. Those are all men telling you what the Bible says. When you read the Bible, you are listening to God tell you what His Word says. I made a decision a long time ago as a preacher when studying for sermons to first read through a passage and allow the Lord to work on my heart and make my notes before I open a book. Books about the Bible can be a help, but you can live without those. You can’t live without the Bible. 6. Failing to see the big picture. The sixty-six books of the Bible have different stories, themes, and were written in different timeframes. Amazingly, they are all connected by a common cord that unites their stories. The big picture is Jesus! The Old Testament is leading up to Jesus’ coming, and the New Testament is looking back and forward at Jesus’ 1 st & 2 nd coming. It’s all about Jesus. The Old Testament sacrifices were about Jesus and the New Testament church is about Jesus. Jesus is the common theme of all books of the Bible. Keep this in mind and look for pictures and truths that mirror the Saviour as you read.

In every trade, there are terms that are used among the workers in that trade. If you were to be standing in a group of fishermen, you’ll hear them use terms like jigs, plastics, spinners, and several other terms. If you’re not a fisherman, you immediately feel lost in the conversation. It’s an odd feeling, and no one likes to feel left out because they simply don’t understand the terms. This may sound academic as you read, and this may not seem like a needful article to the average Bible student. However, the systems of Bible study have terms that you are good to familiarize yourself with. You don’t have to be a pastor or scholar to know these terms, and you can be helped in understanding, not only the terms, but also the meaning and purpose of the terms that help us to be better Bible students. We’re going to look at six terms and put them into 3 groups: Group A: exegesis & eisegesis Group B: hermeneutics & homiletics Group C: exposition & topical GROUP A: Exegesis (eksəˈjēsəs) : pulling the meaning out of the text This is the CORRECT method of Bible study. Simply put, this is approaching the Bible with a heart that says, “Lord, I want to know what you meant by this truth”. Eisegesis (eis·​ege·​sis): inserting a meaning in to the text This is the INCORRECT method of Bible study. Simply put, this is looking into the Bible to find passages that you can use to match your personal beliefs. It is approaching the Bible with a made up mind and looking for God to confirm your thoughts and ideas. The little giant that separate Exegesis & Eisegesis The beginning of these fancy words give a clue as to their differences. “Ex” means to “pull out of “. “Eis” means to “put in to”. Exegesis is pulling truths out of God’s Word that God put in the Bible for us. Eisegesis is putting truths into God’s Word that God did not put in the Bible that makes you have to use spiritual gymnastics to twist the Scriptures to fit your beliefs. GROUP B: Hermeneutics: the rules and tools of Bible study Most Bible colleges will offer a call on hermeneutics. That class could be titled “Hermeneutics 101”, which sounds more collegiate and academic. But it can also be called “How to Study the Bible”, which sounds more practical, but they both really mean the same thing. Homiletics: the rules for how to write and deliver sermons Preaching is the delivery of Bible truth. This is more of an art than just simply teaching and relaying facts. Teaching is an art as well. How we convey the truths that we have learned is just as important as what we convey in our message. The little giant that separates Hermeneutics and Homiletics What separates this group can be illustrated by breathing. Inhaling air would be compared to hermeneutics. This is the study and reception of God’s Word. Exhaling air would be compared to homiletics. This is the teaching and preaching of God’s Word after you have studied and learned. GROUP C: Exposition: the explanation of a passage Perhaps you’ve heard your pastor say, “I’m preaching an expository sermon to you tonight, not a topical sermon”, and you have no idea what he means by that. What he means is that he’s going to be staying in a certain passage and going to be walking through that passage verse by verse. For example, if you were to study Genesis 1 and were to write notes under every verse as you studied the chapter, that would be the practice of exposition. Topical: the study of a topic or idea If you were to study marriage in the Bible, you could not just study Genesis 2. You would have to go to a number of various passages to learn the many truths in God’s Word about that “topic”. Topical study is practiced by comparing Scripture with Scripture on a particular topic or idea. The little giant that separate Exposition and Topical study The difference is simply the kind of study that keeps you in one passage as you learn a singular part of the Bible (expositional) and the kind of study that draws you to various other passages as you learn a specific topic or idea (topical). Now, go on and impress your fellow church friends with your knowledge of such scholarly terms!

FUN FACT: Did you know that the KJV is the only major English Bible that uses the word study in II Timothy 2:15? II Timothy 2:15 – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” R.A. Torrey, a contemporary and friend to D.L. Moody, said, “There is nothing more important for the development of a Christian’s spiritual life than regular, systematic Bible study. It is as true in the spiritual life as in the physical life, that health depends on what we eat and how much we eat. “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Matt. 4:4). The soul’s proper food is found in one book, the Bible.” Jesus, in his defense to Satan’s temptation, quotes the Old Testament and emphasizes that spiritual food is so important that it is MORE important than our physical food. So… WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? 1. Transformation John 6:63 – “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The Bible changes lives! Plain and simple. You can only live off someone’s else’s nourishment for so long. Study the lives of great men and women of God. The common thread is simple. They had a personal time where they fed from the Word of God daily, and the fruit of their lives are a result of it. 2. Information We live in the information age. If you want to know something, ask Siri, or AI, and you can learn anything about anything. How is it that we have the Bible so readily available, yet we struggle so much to read and study it? Challenge: Can you list 5 verses on the following topics? - Salvation - Baptism - Eternal Security - The Church - Marriage You don’t have to be in full time ministry or be a pastor to be a Bible student. Now, you may not have the time to study the Bible like a preacher, but if you have time to study sports, movies/TV shows, politics, and scroll social media funnies (I like a good laugh like anyone), then you have time to know your Bible more. We live in an age of Bible ignorance. Illiteracy is the inability to read and write. The difference is that Christians live in willful ignorance. False teachers are having a hay day because we don’t know the Scriptures. 3. Application I John 3:2 – “Behold, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Jack Hyles said, “Let your principles make your decisions for you.” As you read and study the Bible, you should ask yourself, “What the big idea?” God wants you to take what He’s given you and put it into practice. How can the Bible help you in your day-to-day life? - to be like Christ - to overcome temptation - to give godly wisdom for everyday life - to teach others - to stand for truth - to know what church to attend - to better lead your family Conclusion… Your time in God’s Word is bigger than you think. The best part…you benefit the most from your commitment to your Bible!

 As a child, I was taught that my attitude was just as important as my actions. Obeying with the wrong spirit is hardly pleasing to the Lord. It’s been said that “attitude determines altitude”. Getting into the study methods, tools, and tips for Bible study is pointless without developing the right spirit before you even open your Bible. Allow me to submit to you a simple prayer to pray before you open God’s perfect Word. I read a list like this from a preacher when I was either a teenager or in college, and it has stuck with me. To the best of my ability, I have tried to pray a similar prayer to these points before I read the Word of God. When my attitude is hungry, tender, and right, it has paid tremendous dividends in my personal time with the Lord. I don’t recall the author that gave me these truths, but the truths made an imprint on me, and I pray that it will help you to “set the table” for your time with the Lord each day. 1. “Lord, I want to get something out of my Bible today.” Jeremiah 15:16 – “Thy words were found, and I did eat them…” Standing in front of the pantry with food on every shelf, I’ve often thought, “We have nothing to eat”. That wasn’t the truth. The truth was that I didn’t want what we had. I was hungry, but I was hungry for what I wanted, not for what was available to me. Are you hungry for God to speak to you? If you are truly hungry, you’ll consume what God has given to you. Let me tell you that His pantry is full and you will be glad to take what He has for you. 2. “Lord, I believe that you can show me something today.” Isaiah 55:11 – “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Sadly, many will open their Bible with a defeated mentality. They may not say it with their lips, but with their heart they say, “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand this”. That is the way of unbelief. Jesus passed through towns in His ministry and did nothing, not because He wasn’t able, but because they didn’t believe that He was able. God can help you if you have faith in Him and His Word. 3. “Lord, I will immediately receive what you show me today.” Acts 17:11 – “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind…” Our society programs us to be critical. You know that every promotion and advertisement usually has a catch and you are prepared to find the fine print before you go forward. “Do your homework”, you are told or you may make a terrible decision. God’s Word is perfect. God’s Word has no flaws. God’s Word has heavenly wisdom above anything this world can provide. God’s Word shows you the mind, the heart, and the way of the Lord. Knowing this, and more, you can and should receive what God shows you without hesitation. 4. “Lord, I will determine to put in to practice what you show me today.” James 1:22 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Hypocrisy is the definition of a Christian who shouts “AMEN!” in the church house but lives for the world in their own house. Put into practice what God gives you. After all, this is the purpose of your Bible time. You and I are wasting our time if we are reading for knowledge but fail to put in to practice what God tells us. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but I would challenge you to see the drastic effects that a prayer like this would have in your personal time with the Lord if we approach His Word this way.

 1. Set a time. Schedule it. I realize that words like plan and schedule might give an aneurism to some. Setting a plan is really saying, “This is a big priority in my life and I want to make sure that I get it done. I don’t want it to fall through the cracks, so I better set aside time to do this.” Choose a time of day that is best for you . Morning is a great way to start the day. Some say, “Bible before breakfast”. Maybe you are at your best at night. Let me encourage you to focus more on the quality of your time in the Word than the time of day. You’re not a better Christian because you read your Bible at 5 a.m., and you are not a lesser Christian because you read your Bible at 8 p.m. once the kids are asleep. 2. Choose your weapon. Remove distractions . Turn on that “do not disturb” setting on your phone. You’ll be amazed at how many things will come to mind during this time to distract you. Make a conscious effort. Choose your weapon . What “Sword” will you use? Your family Bible or an iPad? I’ll admit that I have changed in recent years. Because of the “do not disturb” setting, I read more digitally now than with my physical Bible. 3. Set a goal. Don’t “wing it”. If you don’t have a goal of what book you want to read or how much you want to read, then you are setting yourself up for failure. A friend of mine use to tell me that he just opened the Bible every day and whatever page it landed on determined what he would read. Can this be good? Sure. Is it best? No. Choose a starting and stopping point. If your goal is to read and study a book, set a time frame that you’ll dedicate to that study so you can move on to another book at some point. If your goal is to read the N.T. or the whole Bible in a year, then there are plans for this. For newer Christians, I’d advise reading the Gospels and the New Testament. Another good practice is to read a chapter in Proverbs every day, but I think you’d benefit from reading this in addition to the former readings. For most Christians, I’d advise reading the Bible through every year. The old way works. I love the practicality of the N.T., but there is still much to glean from the O.T. Personally, I love reading through the Bible by reading a couple chapters in the O.T. and reading a chapter in the N.T. each day, along with Proverbs and Psalms for wisdom and encouragement daily. Reevaluate often . This is YOUR walk. You can change it up and alter your plans whenever you’d like. Do you want to read more prophecy? Do you want to study the life of Elijah? Do you want to read through the Bible in 90 days? Make it your own. 4. Be accountable. Choose someone close to you. Your pastor or some speaker that you know is probably not the best person. Be accountable to your spouse, a sibling, a close friend, a Sunday School teacher, or someone that you are close to. Choose someone that sharpens you. It would not be wise to be accountable to someone you just led to the Lord. Maybe you offer yourself as an accountability partner to them, but you need someone that you know that sharpens your walk with the Lord. 5. Carry the Bible with you. What the “big idea”? Every time you spend time with the Lord, He is trying to make you to be more like Him. Do you remember what you read today? Have you thought about it? Did God bring someone in your life throughout the day that is connected to some truth that you read? There is a purpose in your walk and it is to be carried with you in your life. Carry it in your heart. Do you really expect me to bring my Bible to every appointment throughout the day? Proverbs tells us to take the truths of God with us in our hearts. Ask yourself, “What did I read today? What stood out to me? What encouraged me? What is something I need to study more? What can I think about throughout the day?”

Renewing Your Love