Bible Studies - Learn from The Bible

You see it doesn’t matter how many times you read something if you don’t understand you subconsciously skip over that item. In fact sometimes you don’t even see it and then when someone else points it out you are amazed that you didn’t see it.

The Bible can be like that. Sometimes we need a preacher and I’m not just referring to the bloke behind the pulpit on Sundays.

For us one of the most important times of my life when WE depended on Bible study lessons was when WE was a child in Sunday School. WE loved the Bible stories of Daniel in the Lions Den, Shadrach, Mischance and abiding in the fiery furnace, the stories about Abraham, Joseph and the coat of many colors and so on.

Those initial Bible Study lessons gave us a taste of what God was all about. It ignited my excitement and created a thirst to know more.

We believe there is one very important point to come out of all this when giving Bible Study lessons. Keep it as simple as possible. Those amazing stories explained in simple child-like terms are awe inspiring without any complicated deep searching.

Jesus spoke in parables. In other words when He gave a Bible Study lesson he spoke to people in a way that they could understand by comparing Godly things with the stuff that they could relate to.

You don’t need a doctorate, a theological degree or any other higher learning certificate to preach the word of God or to understand it. Most of the early disciples were ignorant and unlearned men according to the religious leaders of their day because unlike these days schooling was not readily available.

Simple laborers and fisherman filled with the Holy Spirit of God could give better Bible Study lessons then any non-spirit filled individual. If you have tasted of the power of God then preaching the word becomes easy for both you and your listeners.

Nichole

Have you ever skipped over parts of a story you were reading? I’m sure there have been times when everyone has skipped to the end to find out how the story ends, but didn’t it put a bit of a damper on reading the rest of the story? How confusing would it be if you skipped around in a book, or left parts out completely? Imagine if…

You failed to read that Little Red Riding Hood had a grandmother. Why would she go to a house and have to deal with a wolf, dressed up in a nightgown, who just wanted to eat her?

? The reason Hansel and Gretel were in the woods was skipped over. Were they lost? And why would they be excited about finding an edible house?

? The tornado that swept Dorothy’s house away and deposited her and Toto in Oz was unknown. How did a girl and a dog get to such a fantastical place?

? The White Rabbit, who was always late, was omitted from Alice in Wonderland. Why would she even consider jumping into a hole?

? You skipped over the part about the Pied Piper’s special flute. How would you know how the rats went away? And how all the children disappeared?

? Peter Cottontail’s mother was left out of the story. What was the worry about staying away from Mr. McGregor’s garden or out of any other mischief?

Strange imaginings, you say? I agree, but isn’t that what we often do with the Bible? If we’ve grown up in church we’ve heard many of the Bible stories over and over, but how do they connect? If we’re new believers, we’re taught the well known Bible stories and the morals to be learned from each one, but again, how do they connect? What is the overall message of the Bible? Look at these questions:

? How does the story of Adam and Eve relate to the message of salvation? This one is easier to answer since most know that Adam and Eve were the first ones to disobey God and bring the sin nature on all mankind.

? How do Cain and Abel’s sacrifices relate to salvation? We learn about the importance of obedience to God when we hear this story, but why was Cain’s sacrifice unacceptable and Abel’s acceptable?

? How does the story of Noah and the Ark fit into the overall story of the Bible? Is it a visual for something?

? What does the story of the tower of Babel have to do with the overall message of the Bible? Was it just so that God could “confuse the language” because He didn’t want them all understanding each other?

? What would we need to bring away from the story of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar that would relate to the Bible’s overall message?

? Why would it be important for the Israelites to get out of Egypt and out of slavery? And why would God choose the tenth plague to be the death of the firstborn?

? Why are the stories of God’s provision of quail, water and manna included in the Bible?

? What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?

? Why is the Tabernacle so important in the Old Testament? Why the specific instructions for building and the furniture?

If you could answer all of these questions, then you would see the importance of knowing the whole story of the Bible. If you couldn’t answer why some of these stories fit into the Bible’s overall story, then I hope you will see the importance of knowing the whole story. When God gave His Word He didn’t randomly pick stories to be told. There was a reason. What was it?

Jessie