San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

It’s hip and cool for bloggers to post their top 10 posts of the year. And we want to be hip and cool. Our hearts tell us to do it, and the Bible says to “walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes” (Eccl 11:9). So here goes.

10. Buying a Markup Bible

This post from Ryan Higginbottom in early 2015 saw a resurgence of interest in 2016. Do you have a decent markup Bible for study?

9. Free OIA Summary Booklet

We’re tickled by how this one took off. We wanted to offer a free resource that summarizes all the key ideas in one place. It’s not the best place to start, as it has no examples or illustrations. But it makes a decent reference.

8. You Have Enough Time to Study the Bible

This post, along with #6, was part of Ryan’s series answering common objections people have to studying the Bible.

7. 10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

This post was part of my 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. This one seemed to connect with people this year. Good to know not only what’s said, but also what’s not said.

6. You Are Smart Enough to Study the Bible

This post, along with #8, was part of Ryan’s series answering common objections people have to studying the Bible.

5. Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

Many people really care about their kids! Just like Jesus (Matt 19:14).

4. Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

Many people care even more about their kids when they’re getting close to school age.

3. Top 11 OT Verses Quoted in NT

This post was part of my 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. This one focusing on verses seems to be the one people first stumble on to.

2. Summary of the OIA Method

We put this one into the top menu so people could find it easily. It pretty much explains why this blog exists, so we’re glad it gets a lot of pageviews.

1. Details of the OIA Method

See the previous post, unless you want less of a summary and more of a detailed explanation. Then see this post instead.

public domain

Last week we shared the 10 most popular posts on Knowable Word from 2015. Today, we’re sharing the 10 posts of 2015 that were the most fun for us to write.

Ryan

5. How to Ruin a Small Group Discussion in 4 Easy Steps

I wrote this post tongue-in-cheek, which was a lot of fun. This post was part of my series on attending small group Bible studies, and I wrote most of it using examples from years of witnessing (and leading!) mediocre-to-bad discussions.

4. When Bible Study Meets Real Life

Who has the time to do all of this OIA Bible study? In this post I suggest looking at your devotional life through the lens of Bible intake, making sure not to neglect Bible study entirely.

3. How to Apply the Bible in Community

I taught a Sunday school class at my church this past year on how to study the Bible. While teaching, I was struck with how much Christians need each other to apply the Bible. This post offered the “how” portion of my answer.

2. Why We Need Community to Apply the Bible

See above. In this post, I tried to put my finger on why Christianity is not a solo venture. I love it when I can draw directly on the lessons God is teaching me for my posts.

1. Don’t Forget the Gospel During Bible Study

This was a post where I was preaching to myself. Whether I feel like a success or a failure after personal or group Bible study, I need to return again and again to the central message of the Bible—the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Peter

5. 50 Observations of John 3:16

I could hardly contain my excitement when students from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania took my challenge (from page 42 of Knowable Word) to make 50 observations of John 3:16. They sent me a photo of an autographed white board as the fruit of their labor.

4. Top 10 Curses of Study Bibles

Study Bibles are like guns. They are dangerous and require extreme caution. We should have rules about how to use them safely.

3. (Almost) How the Bible was Meant to be Read

To date, my favorite book to review has been the ESV Reader’s Bible. This thing will change the way you read the Bible. Check it out.

2. Don’t Neglect the Lesser-Known Commands of God

My April Fool’s post for this year was full of fun and good cheer. To both celebrate April Fool’s Day and teach the importance of context, I could think of nothing better than ridiculously to rip Scripture from its context.

1. Why God Speaks to Job Twice

I really enjoyed all the posts I wrote on the book of Job this year. These posts came out of a sermon series at my church, and this one was my favorite of the bunch.

In severe suffering, Job has accused God of doing wrong and of remaining silent. But God arrives, speaking out of the whirlwind, to put Job in his place. Job 38:1-39:30 records God’s first speech, recounting the wildness, inscrutability, and uncontrollable power of God’s creation. Duly humbled, Job tries to slink away like an amateur diver whose loosely tied trunks slipped off at surface impact.

But God will have nothing of the sort. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not done with you yet.”

San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

It’s hip and cool for bloggers to post their top 10 posts of the year. And we want to be hip and cool. Our hearts tell us to do it, and the Bible says to “walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes” (Eccl 11:9). So here goes.

10. A Bible Reading Plan for Readers

I posted this one last year, and then just re-posted it last week. That helps to encourage people to read it more, which encourages them to read the Bible more. I think.

9. Top 11 OT Verses Quoted in NT

This post was part of my 2013 series analyzing every Old Testament quotation in the New Testament. This one focusing on verses seems to be the one people first stumble on to.

8. How to Encourage Heart-Oriented Application

This post does just what you might expect it to do from the title.

7. Don’t Be a Commentary Junkie

Just don’t do it, okay? Your Bible study will be so much better for it.

6. Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

Many people really care about their kids! Just like Jesus (Matt 19:14).

5. Summary of the OIA Method

We put this one into the top menu so people could find it easily. It pretty much explains why this blog exists, so we’re glad it gets a lot of pageviews.

4. Details of the OIA Method

See the previous post, unless you want less of a summary and more of a detailed explanation. Then see this post instead.

3. Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

Many people care even more about their kids when they’re getting close to school age.

2. Main Points for All 66 Books of the Bible

This just isn’t fair. This, my most read post of 2015, barely contains any original content! I copied it all out of the NIV Proclamation Bible. I suppose there’s something deliciously humbling about this post’s popularity.

1. Teach Your Child to Have Devotions

And what’s even more delicious is that the #1 post belongs to Ryan, not me. This post was not only the most popular of 2015; its publication spawned the most heavily trafficked day in this blog’s history. I praise God for Ryan’s partnership! Best line: “When your child is old enough to read, give him a Bible and train him to use it.”

San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons

‘Tis the season for reflection and celebration. So to join the fun, here are the 10 most-viewed posts of the year. Be sure not to miss them; this could be your last chance.

10. How to Honor God with Your Money

A Bible study on Proverbs 1:10-19 that gets specific with application.

9. 10 Old Testament Books Never Quoted in the New Testament

Part of my series analyzing every explicit NT quotation of the OT. This post lists all the OT books never explicitly quoted (though most of them are certainly alluded to) by NT authors.

8. The Best Wedding Sermon Ever

A recording of the sermon preached at my wedding, from Song of Solomon 2:1-3:5. I’ve been to a lot of weddings, and this remains the best sermon I’ve ever heard.

7. Top 11 Old Testament Verses Quoted in the New Testament

Another installment in the NT-use-of-the-OT analysis. Could this one be so popular because we like to know what the Apostles’ favorite memory verses may have been?

6. Details of the OIA Method

This post serves as a table of contents to all my posts about the OIA method. When new visitors find the site, this post shows them the way to all the nuts and bolts of OIA Bible study (observe, interpret, apply).

5. Teach Bible Study to a 2-Year-Old

Who wouldn’t want to teach their littlest ones how to study God’s word?

4. Teach Bible Study to a 4-Year-Old

Last year, the 2-year-old post was more popular, but this year, the post about 4-year-olds edged it out.

3. Summary of the OIA Method

This post’s popularity doesn’t surprise me, as I link to it all the time. It is the centerpiece of the site, and I want to direct readers there early and often.

2. 3 Disciplines to Develop Wise Speech

This post from the “how to lead a Bible study” series brought a huge surge in traffic late in the year when Tim Challies linked to it. I’m delighted to see readers willing to focus on character in addition to learning skills.

1. 10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality

In March, I compiled this quick list of observations of Proverbs 6:24-35 about all the good reasons to avoid sexual sin. My usual blogging time had been cut in half that week due to other pressures of life, and I just wanted to get something out there for my ongoing Bible study through Proverbs 1-9. I didn’t even have time to write a proper introduction with a decent hook. To my utter surprise, though, Tim Challies, and then many others, liked the post and linked to it, and many more shared it on social media. The post quickly became the most-viewed post in the history of this blog.

May the sure promises of God’s word guide us, and may the Lord himself rescue us in those times when we consider doing something stupid.

———————–

And for your reading pleasure, here were the next 10 most viewed posts:

11. What Frozen Taught Me About Bible Study

12. How to Lead a Great Bible Study

13. Why I Don’t Like Inductive Bible Study

14. Why Did Jesus Feed the 5,000?

15. Easy Sex Will Keep You From Being Wise

16. Sample Bible Study Leader’s Notes

17. Four Modern Versions of the Bible that are Ruining the Bible

18. How to Recognize Sowers of Discord

19. Ask Good Observation Questions

20. What Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) Taught Me About Bible Study

Please let me know if you have any ideas for topics you’d like to see in 2015. Only one rule: It must in some way help ordinary people learn to study the Bible.