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Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Looking for Ideas for “Context Matters”

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I’m on the road this week and don’t have time to write a regular full post. So it’s as good a time as any to ask for suggestions!

I’ve really enjoyed writing some sample Bible studies on verses that are easily misunderstood when removed from their context. Do you have any suggestions on other verses I could write on for this series? What are some verses you’ve seen commonly taken out of context? Or what are some verses that you’re really not sure what to do with, and you’d like to know how the context can help you make progress in understanding them?

For reference, here is a list of verses I’ve covered so far.

Please let me know your ideas for future posts. You can comment below, use the contact form, or email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com.

Or, you can even try your hand at writing your own “context matters” study and submitting it as a guest post!

Announcing our Giveaway Winners

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Congratulations to all who participated in this year’s Bible reading giveaway. We had 38 entries, one less than last year; each of you acquired a treasure greater than gold or silver.

And additional congratulations to Merian Burkett and Jono Martin, the randomly selected winners of the new reader’s Bibles.

Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors. (Ps 119:24)

 

Last Chance to Enter Drawing

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So far, I have received 22 entries for our 2018 Bible-reading giveaway. If you’re still finishing up your readthrough, you have until tomorrow night to complete it. I will then give you until Monday to contact me before we select the winners of the new reader’s Bibles (CSB Reader’s Bible and NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project). You may either email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com or submit a contact form. Just let me know that you finished, along with what you thought of the experience.

Next week, I’ll announce our two winners!

I love hearing what people think of this experience. Perhaps some of these thoughts may encourage you as well:

I love it. I’m thinking about doing it every quarter. I’m more in love with the Word than before. Thank you for the challenge.

It’s certainly not as daunting as I thought it might be.

I didn’t see before this what a big deal all the circumcision debates were in the New Testament church. Acts, and many of Paul’s letters address this controversy, but I didn’t notice that until I was rolling through a couple epistles a day in short succession.

The pace was truly exhilarating. I can’t help wondering where I go from here, this journey through the bible was truly amazing.

I heard a few patterns throughout the scripture that spanned over multiple books, that I would not have picked up normally at a slow reading pace. For example, the pattern of mountains (Eden – Ezekiel, Sinai – Genesis, and Zion – multiple references), no wonder people kept trying to make Asherah’s on the “High Places” (Judges).

I loved loved loved it!!! One of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. I really was surprised that I really enjoyed the Histories in the OT, not that I thought they should be removed at any point, but I remembered them from seminary as dry and repetitive, but this time I really enjoyed them. Also found myself seeing things I had not caught on one of my many first reads. I am now doing a slower daily reading to compliment my daily study time, I intend to do this challenge at the start of every year!!!

Happy Easter!

Access to the Full Series of Bible Studies on Exodus

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I’ve created a page to serve as a table of contents for the complete series of Bible studies through the book of Exodus. You can reach it through the menu (OIA Method > Examples > Who is Yahweh: Exodus). Or you can just click this link. If you’d like to see an interpretive outline of the book at a glance, or if you’d like to revisit any of the studies, you can easily have at it!

And now that I’ve finished the study of Exodus, I’m open to suggestions about what to blog about next. I have a few one-off posts I’d like to write on various topics. And then I’m thinking about doing an occasional series on Bible verses we’re so familiar with that we fail to understand their true meaning in context. I’m compiling a list of verses to tackle, including:

  • A bruised reed he will not break
  • The widow’s mite
  • Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
  • And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  • Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
  • We know that for those who love God all things work together for good.
  • The parable of the talents
  • The faith hall of fame
  • Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you
  • God will not give you more than you can handle

Do you have other ideas of familiar verses you suspect may be commonly misused or divorced from their contexts? I do not plan to cover Philippians 4:13, Matthew 18:20, or Jeremiah 29:11, as I’ve seen them each covered adequately many times over in other places.

And are there any other topics you’d appreciate seeing on this blog to help you in your Bible study?

Reminder: 90-Day Bible Reading Giveaway Ending Soon

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For those of you working to finish reading the Bible by March 31, remember to contact me to enter the giveaway for a reader’s Bible. Here are the guidelines for entry.

Also, I’ve realized that requiring people to wait until January 1 to begin is unnecessarily limiting. For next year’s event, I’ll probably adjust the guidelines so that you have only to complete the reading between Jan 1 and March 31, as long as the full readthrough took place within a 90-day period. That will give much more flexibility to those who prefer different schedules, or who like to get started over the December holidays.

We’ve got 7 entries so far. If you sent me a message and didn’t hear back, you may want to try again.

I’ll look forward to hearing from you soon!

Announcing Our 2018 90-Day Bible Reading Giveaway

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I believe in reading the entire Bible quickly, and I think the NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project is like reading the Bible in 4D. The CSB Reader’s Bible is also top-notch. So today we’re announcing a giveaway to encourage voluminous reading with promises of these Bibles designed for readers.

Due to the generosity of Zondervan and Holman Bible Publishers, we have a copy of each of these reader’s Bibles to give away. And we assure you: The odds of winning this drawing are not impossible. If you enter, you will not be up against hundreds or thousands of entries. Last year, we had 2 winners selected from 39 entries.

Rules:

  1. You must have a United States mailing address to win one of the reader’s Bibles. Residents of other countries will receive a $30 Amazon gift card via email.
  2. You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but I’m trusting you to be honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
  3. You may not begin until January 1, 2018, and you have until March 31, 2018 to finish. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
  4. To enter the drawing, you must email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com (or contact me through the web form) with the date you finished and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
  5. On or around April 1, 2018, I will randomly select 2 winners from those who have emailed me their entries. And there’s no April Fool’s joke here; I’m just giving everyone a fair 90 days to enter. I will email the winners to get valid shipping addresses.
  6. The first prize winner (if US) will get their choice of the NIV Sola Scripture Bible Project (4-volume set) or the CSB Reader’s Bible (one volume). The second prize winner (if US) will get whichever one the first prize winner didn’t choose. Any winner outside the US will receive a $30 Amazon gift card via email.
  7. Unfortunately, missionaries with DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the contest.

I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you have as much fun with this sprint as I do, and may the Lord draw us all nearer to him through it!

Bible Study and Board Games

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My wife Erin and I just returned from a lovely 4-day trip to celebrate our anniversary. Our favorite thing to do together is get some peace and quiet to play board games. So in honor of 13 years of marriage, we played 13 board games.

Since the trip leaves me with less time than usual to write, I’ll link you to another, more edifying, post. We did a similar trip to celebrate our 10th anniversary, after which I reflected on what board games taught me about Bible study. The lessons from that post remain just as pertinent to me today. However, I respectfully decline to divulge who won this year’s series.

For those interested in the board gaming hobby, here is what we played:

  1. Bruges
  2. The Castles of Burgundy
  3. Firefly
  4. Innovation
  5. Freedom: The Underground Railroad
  6. Innovation (again)
  7. Lost Cities
  8. Lords of Waterdeep (with the Scoundrels of Skullport expansion)
  9. Love Letter
  10. Alhambra
  11. A Feast for Odin
  12. Pandemic (with the State of Emergency expansion)
  13. Through the Ages

Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links. So if you click them and buy stuff, you’ll help to support our campaign for “50 games on the 50th” to celebrate our golden milestone in 2054. And this at no extra cost to yourself. Technology is amazing.

Your Turn to Study Exodus

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For many weeks, I’ve let you in on my study of Exodus. Last week, I got to the end of the specific case laws in Exodus 21-23; but there remains an epilogue, which gives the people a vision for entering the land of promise.

Since I’m on vacation this week and don’t have time to write, it’s your turn. Why don’t you try to study Exodus 23:20-33 on your own?

For help with your study, you can refer to the Basic Bible Study Skills booklet on the resources page.

  • Just observe the words, grammar, structure, genre, and mood.
  • Ask some interpretive questions, and answer them from the text.
  • Determine the author’s main point and connect it to Christ. See what you can come up with before you look at any study notes or commentaries.
  • Then apply it to yourself, your family, and your positions of influence with others.

I’d love to hear what you come up with. Comment below with your guess at the main point of Exodus 23:20-33, and I’d love to interact with you!

Table of Contents for Exodus Series

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In Exodus 5:2, Egypt’s Pharaoh asks a fateful question that the book of Exodus endeavors to answer in three acts: “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice?”

  • Act I: Yahweh Demolishes the House of Slavery (Ex 1-15)
  • Act II: Yahweh Prepares to Rebuild (Ex 16-18)
  • Act III: Yahweh Builds His House in the Midst of His People (Ex 19-40)

I created a table of contents page for my series of sample Bible studies on Exodus. If you missed anything, or if you want to get a bird’s-eye view of the series, including what’s to come, check it out!

You can also find it anytime from the site’s menu bar: Hover over OIA Method, then Examples. Then click on Who is Yahweh: Exodus.

 

Last Chance to Win an ESV Reader’s Bible, 6-Volume Set

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If you’ve been working on reading the whole Bible since January 1, you have only two days remaining to finish and email me to enter the drawing. Reminder: We’ve got two copies of the ESV Reader’s Bible, 6-Volume Set to give away. I will select and email the two winners this weekend. So far, I’ve received 21 entries. Though only two can win, I believe those are better odds than most online giveaways!

Please see the official contest rules for how to enter. I have responded directly to everyone who has entered so far. So if you tried to contact me and didn’t hear back, please try again.