The Book - Learn to Study the Bible
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Why I Wrote This Book This project came about after what I thought was going to be a fairly simple task of teaching a group of junior high students a few basic inductive Bible study principles that would help them to dig into the Word on a daily basis. The class wasn't forced upon them; they wanted to learn how to study the Bible for themselves. So, I agreed to share some of what I have learned about studying the Scriptures with them. I even threw in some clever (or at least I thought so) illustrations and examples that teenage minds could relate to, in an attempt to make the class fun and memorable. But to my surprise, after forty minutes they were actually worse off then when we began; all I had to show for my effort was a room full of frustrated and confused teenagers. The collective look of bewilderment on their faces was one of the scariest moments I've ever had as a youth pastor. However, the worst part of all was that I accomplished the exact opposite of what I had set out to do: instead of getting them excited about studying the Bible, they left feeling as though it was totally out of their reach. What a disaster! I quickly realized that the biggest mistakes I made were:
 I was determined to right this wrong, but first I needed to do a little research. So, I began to look for the perfect Bible study method - one that would open their young minds to the greatness of the Bible.
A personal quest began to grow out of my utter failure. Every day I searched for new study methods that would unlock God's Word. I read over thirty books (many out of print) and visited countless websites looking for the best Bible study methods. None of the ones I found were perfect, but many of them had interesting points of view and seemed like they would be fun to try. So I did. That is when I began to realize that I was onto something more than I anticipated at the start. My search resulted in not one, but numerous inspiring and challenging Bible study methods suitable for any Christian, young or old, who desires to draw nearer to the Lord through studying His Word. In the end, I had compiled a list of forty different step-by-step Bible study methods. I tested each of them myself, improving upon some in order to make them a little more efficient and to the point. As I was doing the work, a desire to share my discoveries with others began growing in my heart. I wished that everyone could read the books and websites for themselves, but I knew that wasn't very realistic. So I did the next best thing. I decided to bring it all together in this one book, Learn to Study the Bible: Forty Different Step-by-Step Approaches to Help You Discover, Apply, and Enjoy God's Word. More Bible Study Methods Than Any Other Book! No other resource provides the large variety of Bible study methods, how-to illustrations, and study aids that are available in this one book. The hundreds of hours spent researching and proving these forty methods will enable you to find one that will fit your goals and begin enhancing your understanding of God's Word, today. Whether you are a teenager or a mature Bible student, a Sunday school teacher or a pastor, a stay at home mom or a busy executive: you will find in the pages of this book, a number of Bible study methods that will add excitement and enjoyment to your study of God's Word. In addition, you will have resources at your fingertips that will help you to train and encourage others who want to learn how to dig into the Scriptures as well. Why Use a Method to Study the Bible?  Why do we need a method to study the Bible; isn't it enough to have a desire to know God's Word as we simply read the Scriptures? While a desire to know God's Word is an absolutely, necessary motivation, unless we have a plan to act upon, we are bound to fail. A Bible study method is a plan. So, each of the forty methods in this book provides a different plan that will help you to think through the passages you are reading. They will allow you to slow down and patiently and prayerfully reflect upon the Scripture you are studying. Each method provides questions to answer, charts to fill out, and a variety of other ideas on how to draw the most from your time in God's Word.
Each chapter in this book contains step-by-step instructions for a study method that you can immediately begin applying to your Bible reading. I would encourage you to try each of the forty methods at least once. They will teach you new ways to approach both difficult and familiar passages and help you to absorb more of their meaning. LEARN TO STUDY THE BIBLE will be available for purchase in March 2009.  Click here to read a sample chapter from LEARN TO STUDY THE BIBLE. For additional details, please visit the book's website at www.LearnToStudyTheBible.com. |