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Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Bible Reading Advice for a Teenager

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In writing this advice to a teenager, John Piper has something to say to all of us:

You are right to read it every day and seek to let it permeate all your thoughts and feelings…

I think it is good to always be reading through the Bible as a whole…

In addition, it is good to focus on some unit of Scripture for going deeper, like a book or the Sermon on the Mount, or Romans 8…

With regard to prayer, this is absolutely crucial, and I am glad you are doing it. God hears our prayers and helps us be humble enough and alert enough and in-tune enough to grasp what he says.

The full article is available at Desiring God. Check it out!

Logos Bible Software, Part 1: Unlimited Power

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A core value of this blog is that ordinary people can learn to study the Bible. That means you don’t need specialized software to know God through his word. But can good software help? Absolutely, as long as you move in the right direction. Software is a tool that will accelerate your momentum. Start off in the right direction, and you’ll go farther than ever before. Shift your direction just a bit, though, and you’ll find yourself in a desert waste wondering if you missed an exit somewhere.

So when the good people at Faithlife offered me a review copy of Logos Bible Software, I was eager to try it. How much farther could it take me in my Bible study? So I’ve used it for detailed study, daily devotions, rapid reading, and sermon preparation. I was curious to see how the software would hold up in these different uses, and I wanted to know whether Logos would help or hinder OIA Bible study. And the more I use Logos, the more a single word comes to mind: power. In this post, I’ll write about the software’s power. Next week, I’ll write about how well it supports OIA Bible study.

More Power!

LogosIn order to show the power, I need to set the stage. Logos Bible software is not merely a software package; it is a digital library. Imagine hiring a research assistant who, knowing you’re studying Exodus 1 today, finds everything in your home library that references Exodus 1. And then finds everything in your church library. Then, the researcher taps into everything from 36 seminary libraries. And the Library of Congress. And Google. Now before you can say “over-realized eschatology,” you’ll have access to virtual piles of ancient Jewish texts, manuscript variants, commentaries, atlases, and dictionaries; and you can sift through them until Jesus returns. You don’t have to spend hours or weeks finding these things yourself. Your assistant beheads every possible resource and serves it up on a silver platter. That’s Logos.

And Logos goes beyond libraries; its power extends to the Scriptures themselves. With Logos, and studying Exodus 1, I can do any of the following in seconds:

  • Find every reference to the Nile River in Scripture. List everyone and everything that goes into, comes out of, or exists near it.
  • Discover two other Bible characters named Puah.
  • Identify every New Testament reference to Exodus 1.
  • Open a list of 126 cross-references—and not just references but the full text of the verses.
  • Outline the passage based on literary forms (speech, narrative, names list, etc.).
  • Search the Bible for every case of infanticide, childbirth, revolt, or slavery.
  • Learn the Hebrew word behind the translation “fruitful” (Ex 1:7) and search for every occurrence of that word in the Old Testament. Search for every use of that word, or for just particular forms or tenses of that word.
  • View artwork that portrays the Israelites enslaved in Egypt.
  • Get a word-by-word grammatical analysis of every form and part of speech.
  • Learn that, outside of Exodus 1, this very Pharaoh is referenced 8 more times in Exodus, 3 times in Acts, and 2 times in Hebrews.
  • View sentence diagrams of the entire chapter.

I could go on. I can quickly find photos of Egypt and the pyramids. I can highlight the text and create my own notes on it. I can find an infographic with the birth order of Jacob’s 12 sons. I can make a list of every time a Pharaoh speaks in the Bible, and I can order the list based on what kinds of people the Pharaohs speak to. I can generate a list of quotes or sermon illustrations for the topics within the passage. I can completely customize a reading plan for the Bible or any book in my library.

Recommendation

Where Logos shines most brightly is in its power to search resources and give historical background. Before studying Mark 13:1-37 with Logos, I had never seen Jerusalem’s temple mount from the Mount of Olives. At a few clicks, I could see breathtaking photos from multiple angles, and all I could say was, “Wow.”

Here is incredible power. The only limit to what I can seek or find is my imagination.

If you would like unbelievable access to oodles of historical research and search capacity, I am happy to recommend Logos to you. With this link, or the coupon code KNOWABLE6, you can get 10% off.

Next week, I’ll consider further how well Logos supports the steps of observation, interpretation, and application.

Disclaimer: If you buy Logos with the code or links above, this blog will receive a commission. Thanks for supporting this work so we can help ordinary people learn to study the Bible!

Sale on Knowable Word (and Many Titles from Cruciform Press)

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For one week only, Westminster Books is having a sale on all titles from Cruciform Press, including my book Knowable Word. Currently $9.99 on Amazon, the book at WTS costs just $8.50.

In addition, if you buy 5 or more copies, or mix and match 5 or more Cruciform titles, you’ll get each one for $6.50 until June 16.

These are great prices if you’re in the market for some short books on important topics, including Bible study for ordinary people.

Here is an excellent practical guide to interpreting the Bible. Krol has thought through, tested, and illustrated in a clear, accessible way basic steps in interpreting the Bible, and made everything available in a way that will encourage ordinary people to deepen their own study.

– Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary and author of God-Centered Biblical Interpretation

If you want to pick up some extra copies for your Sunday school class or Bible study group, these are great prices! Get them from Westminster Books.

Disclaimer: If you click the links to Westminster Books, this blog will receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible!

How to Empower Your Church for Serious Bible Study

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Last week, the blog for Logos Bible Software published a piece I wrote entitled “How to Empower Your Church for Serious Bible Study.” In the article, I explain 4 simple habits churches and ministries can pursue to foster a culture of strong Bible study among the membership.

A reader of my blog recently emailed to say, “I was never intentionally taught how to lead a Bible study, and, when the time came for me to teach others how to do it, I had no idea even where to begin.” Do you know this guy? Does your church have such people, eager but directionless? They might never go to seminary, but I assure you they can become terrific Bible students and teachers.

I present Exhibit A: my friend, who is a theoretical physicist. He wrote a dissertation about non-standard neutrino interactions and their oscillation degeneracy. You might expect such an intellectual giant to struggle communicating with mere humans. And you might not expect such an academic to thrive in relational ministry. But one night I witnessed him leading a knockout Bible study for ordinary folks. He never held church office, and his Bible training came only from his experience as a church member. Yet he got so much right:

  • He knew the text cold and could state its main point in a single sentence.
  • He asked thoughtful questions that kept us transfixed on the text.
  • He responded to the flow of the discussion without getting sidetracked.
  • He showed us the beauty of Christ.
  • He applied the text with both broad principles and specific life examples.

I’ve served in campus ministry for 17 years, and I’ve been a local church elder for more than half that time. I could recount many similar stories about regular church members—engineers, financial planners, school teachers, military officers and enlisted, factory workers, teenagers, medical professionals, accountants, artists, widows, retirees—who’ve learned to study, apply, and teach God’s word. My church and campus ministries have managed to empower people for serious Bible study.

How did we do it? By applying these four principles.

To learn the four habits, see the full post at Logos. If you’d like to hear more about the knockout Bible study led by the theoretical physicist, see my post on how to lead a great Bible study. To learn more about fostering a vibrant culture of Bible study in your church, see my post with a model for teaching Bible study or Ryan’s excellent series on building this culture.

Check it out!

The Glory of Multiplication

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A year ago, I had an assistant Bible study leader. Then he moved to another state. Now I have a new assistant, whom I expect to leave our group soon and start another one. Then I’ll be back on my own, bearing the full load of small group leadership once again. But I’ll pray and look for another assistant to help shoulder the labor and develop the skills.

Bible study is not glamorous. Training apprentices, one at a time, is even less so. We plod our way through it, week in and week out. Sometimes we see clear fruit; sometimes we don’t. But this mustard seed will grow to become the largest of all garden plants. And this leaven will penetrate the entire lump. The promises of Christ ensure it will be so.

Rich Bamford (2015), Creative Commons

Rich Bamford (2015), Creative Commons

Be Fruitful and Multiply

Having created man and woman in his image, God expected them to mass produce this image in the earth (Gen 1:28). After he undid everything and started over, he clarified that nothing really had changed (Gen 9:1). Not long after, as my friend Brian Seay put it, “God said ‘go,’ and we said ‘no'” (Gen 11:4). But who can stop the Lord? Let no men assemble whom God has called to disperse (Gen 11:9).

And so Abram’s people were to bless all nations (Gen 12:3). God’s people were always to be a kingdom of priests (Ex 19:6), so the prophets longed for the day when God would collect his scattered people (Zech 8:7-8) and draw in citizens from every nation on earth (Zech 8:20-23). This house would be a house of prayer for all peoples (Is 56:7).

When Jesus arrives to fulfill what was written, we see the same goals at work. The lingo shifts from “being fruitful” to “making disciples,” but the mission stays the same. God wants to fill the earth with image-bearers. And now they can see and smell and touch that image in the person of Christ. His people become like him and move out from Jerusalem to help more people become like him. And when outsiders don’t know what else to call them, they coin the term “little Christs”—Christians (Acts 11:26).

But notice how God works among his people. He adds to their number so they can multiply his influence. His people gather so they can disperse. They draw people in so they can send people out. This community has always been a growing community. Sometimes you see it; sometimes you don’t. But the growth will happen one disciple at a time.

See the Unseen Glory

As I wrote, training apprentices will not be glamorous. But that can’t stop it from being glorious. I’ve done it one at a time over the years. And I can’t take all the credit, as most apprentices have multiple trainers. I’m never—by God’s grace—the sole influence in someone’s life.

But that guy who moved to another state? His wife already leads the women’s ministry at their new church. Together, they’re teaching more people to study the Bible for themselves.

And I could tell you of others. There’s one in Japan, working with missionaries and church leaders to put the Scriptures into the hands of the people. There’s another one in Texas, who just emailed me to say that his church asked him to teach more people good Bible study skills. I know some women who have infiltrated the leadership of a popular women’s conference, because they shine like stars when it comes to faithful handling of the word.

It’s worth it to teach people OIA Bible study. And it’s worth it to teach people how to teach people OIA Bible study in small groups. May the Lord strengthen us by his grace to press on.

How Technology Affects Worldwide Bible Translation

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Back in December, Wycliffe Bible Translators published a short post called “The Changing Face of Bible Translation,” where they explain how mobile devices and audio technology are making the Bible more accessible to illiterate people groups. It provides a marvelous testimony to the effective use of technological trends to spread the gospel more effectively.

Reading the article reminds me that most of the Bible’s original audience would not have had personal written copies of the text. We have a tremendous luxury in our day, which I know I take for granted.

Perhaps a more frequent use of audio Bibles could help you see the text you study in different ways. Sometimes we need to hear the words, and not just see them written on a page.

Check it out!

Keep in Touch

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When we train apprentices or delegate tasks, sometimes we’re too slow to hand things off. I’ve written about this danger over the last few weeks, but we must consider another danger as well: being too quick to hand things off.

Yee Leng (2009), Creative Commons

Yee Leng (2009), Creative Commons

When we hit stage 4 for training new Bible study leaders (“You do; I watch”), we may feel tempted to simply send them out and commend their souls to God. We might even be relieved to have someone to take on some of our responsibility. We have complete trust in the person to serve and full confidence in God to work. But sending out new leaders must not flick like a standard light switch, on or off. It should transition more like a dimmer switch with increasing shades of brightness.

So when you send out your apprentice to lead a new group, you’re not yet finished as a trainer. You still should check in with that person from time to time to see how things are going. You’ll want to encourage the leader with evidence of God’s grace. You’ll want to expose areas of potential blindness. You’ll want to stimulate the leader’s thinking about ways to excel. And you’ll want to make sure the new leader considers finding his or her own apprentice to train and launch.

We can see this approach in the Apostle Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles. Paul’s chief aim on his first missionary journey was to appoint and train leaders for fledgling churches: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23). But he didn’t merely set them up and forget about them. Notice the impetus behind his second missionary journey: “And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:36). That second trip covered the same ground before going farther and deeper into Rome’s empire. His third trip then revisited the same places as the second trip.

He kept visiting the same places to strengthen and correct the leaders. He didn’t control them or take those churches back over. He let the leaders lead, but he made sure to check in and offer help. There’s much for us to learn from this approach.

First, don’t forget your apprentices, even after they’ve gone to lead their own groups.

Second, you don’t need a curriculum or detailed training agenda. Just visit occasionally to “see how they are.” You might want to ask about what’s going well and what could be better. You may also want to make your own observations.

Third, decrease your involvement as they continue to develop.

Fourth, make sure your former apprentices take note of potential new apprentices they can train.

Fifth, rejoice in the Lord, who is multiplying your ministry and your influence before your eyes. Keep those eyes fixed on Christ so you can represent him well.

Bible Study Magazine

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I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m happy to say it again: Bible Study Magazine is just terrific. If you don’t mind print magazines, and you’d like to be challenged more by your time in the word of God, this magazine is well worth the investment.

It publishes 6 issues per year. Each issue focuses on a book of the Bible. Many short articles tackle different issues regarding that book.

For example, the current issue is on the book of Mark. Sample articles deal with:

  • Why Mark portrays Jesus as hiding his Messianic identity.
  • Why the disciples are such bumbling ignoramuses in Mark.
  • How Jesus’ interaction with the legion of demons launches a campaign to reclaim the nations for his glory.
  • How the demon-possessed boy (Mark 9) helps us understand why some of our prayers go unanswered.

The best part of each issue is this “special section” on a book of the Bible. There are headline articles interviewing famous Bible teachers, but I can take them or leave them. And the suggestions for 8-week Bible studies sometimes get a little tedious and tunnel-vision-ed. But the 10 or 12 one-page articles on Mark (or other featured book) always stimulate and stretch.

Check it out!

The 3 Laws of Launching New Leaders

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Fighter Jet LaunchIn the life of every Bible study apprentice, there comes a time for independence. A time when trails must be blazed and sunsets must be ridden off into. New small groups must be formed, and new leaders must be set loose to form them. And when this time comes, three laws will inevitably take effect.

The Apprentice Will Not Be Ready

Nobody perfects a skill without first trying and failing. And an apprentice who stays close to the trainer, who is eager and capable to correct every misstep, can’t really fail. The goal, of course, is not merely to fail, but to fail in the right direction. Like major league sluggers, we need to be okay with high volumes of strikeouts. Each one teaches something about timing, bat speed, or pitch count expectations. Few apprentices will ever feel ready to lead their own groups, but that shouldn’t stop them from trying.

The Trainer Will Not Be Ready

Nobody likes to see a protege struggle. No decent Bible teacher wants a short-term decrease in ministry effectiveness. But eyes of faith see dormant glory. This mustard seed will become the greatest of all garden plants. This bit of leaven will penetrate the doughy lump. This jar of clay proclaims the surpassing power of God to grow his church. And this frail limb may eventually become a mighty oak of righteousness.

The World Will Not Be Ready

Do you remember how Hebrews speaks of our faith heroes, that the world was not worthy of them (Heb 11:38)? Then remember also that those folks, though commended, didn’t receive what was promised. God provided something better for us: Jesus, seated at God’s right hand (Heb 12:1-2). But before he took his seat, Jesus committed to sending his Spirit to empower his followers to do greater works than Jesus himself had done (John 14:12-14). So we ought to expect generation upon generation of new heroes who proclaim faith in Christ and trust in no other. The world cannot handle such titans.

In training your Bible study apprentice, perhaps you had a part in shaping one of these heroes.

Two Kinds of Bible Study

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At her blog Brown Sugar Toast, Christa Threlfall quotes an interview with Kelly Collier to explain two kinds of Bible study: by plow and by trowel. Both kinds should be part of your study diet.

Plow Bible study “moves through large portions of Scripture more quickly, looking for specific themes.” Trowel Bible study is “taking a passage or verse of Scripture and settling in to dig for a long time.” When we write about Bible study at Knowable Word, we normally refer to trowel Bible study. However, we also try to remind you regularly of the need for plow Bible study. For example, see the post on a Bible reading plan for readers.

Threlfall’s/Collier’s explanation of the two types of study will encourage you to press on. Check it out!