How to PrepareBible Studies
Dr Daniel Duda
Trans-European Division
Relay – TED Youth Institute of Evangelism
Veljefjordskolen
29 June – 3 July 2009
How do we know that what we know is true?
• Three foundational sources:
- Reason
- Experience
- God’s revelation
Why is the Bible important?
- The record of evidence
- The norm to judge other modes of revelation
•The difference between studying and reading
- Information
- Communication
- The Bible exposes (Heb 4:12-13)
- The Bible enlightens (Ps 9:7-11)
- The Bible equips (2 Tim 3:16-17)
The challenge of Bible Study
- The Bible has a divine element
- The Bible has a human element
•This makes the Bible:
- Eternally relevant
- Culturally conditioned
Both at the same time!
How do we deal with this tension?
How?
1) Answer Three Foundational Questions:
- What is the text saying?
- What does the text mean?
- How does the text apply?
2) Construct Five Foundational Parts:
- What is the topic? (Theme) [What?]
- To whom it is addressed? [Define your target group – Who?]
- Why do I want to talk about it? (Goal) [So What?]
- What do I want to say about it? (Create an Outline ) – [How do I reach my Goal?]
- How does it apply? (Application) [Now what?]
What does the text say? – OBSERVATION
A. The question of translation
- The original: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
- Psalm 23:1-2: LORD my shepherd, not I shall lack. In pastures of green grass he me lie makes down. To waters of rest He leads me. [literal]
B. Three types of translation:
- Literal (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NIV, NASB)
- Dynamic equivalency (NEB, TEV)
- Paraphrase (TLB, The Message)
Four parts of delivering the Bible Study:
1) THE HOOK (Present)
Introducing the lesson
2) THE BOOK (Past)
Clarifying the meaning of the passage
3) THE LOOK (Present)
Discovering the relationship to daily living
4) THE TOOK (Future)
Responding in faith to varied life situations
1) THE HOOK (Present)
Introducing the lesson
- Gains attention – Starting Question
- Surfaces a need
- Sets a goal
- Leads into Bible study – Smooth transition
N.B. In order to teach the Bible well,you have to start where people are!
2) THE BOOK (Past)
Clarifying the meaning of the passage
1) To understand the meaning, you have to the study the Scriptural passage!
- There are two ways of doing it:
Authoritarian (Let me tell you what is the truth)
Participatory (Let us find together)
Which models reflects better the New Testament model of spiritual gifts? (Acts 17:11; 1 Cor 14:29; Jude 3)
2) Clarify the meaning of the passage:
What was the author trying to say to his original audience?
Why is this important?
What it means here and nowmust be connected with what it meant then and there!
3) Communicate the general and transferable principle from the passage
Distinguish between a principle and an application!
Principle is eternal
Application is temporary
3) THE LOOK (Present)
Discovering the relationship to daily living
-Relates truth to every-day life
-Provides opportunity to explore general implications of passage to life
-Motivates the students to action
How?
• Be crystal-clear in your goals:
Goals should be:
Cognitive (know, learn)
Emotional (experience)
Volitional (choose, decide)
How does it apply?
A) APPLICATION
What difference does it make? – So what?
Seek meaningful connection between the passageand contemporary living
– Why should I know these facts?
– How can I use this information?
– What am I going to do about what I have just learned?
Application is not:
- Information
- Concepts (Doctrines)
- Illustration
Application focuses on biblical answers to common issues. Application should be regarding:
1) GOD
What have I learned about?
- His character
- His resources
- His promises
- His expectations/requirements
2) MYSELF
What have I learned about?
- What am I like?
- What does God want me to become?
- How can it happen?
3) OTHERS
What does this passage teach about relating to others?
What are my duties toward others?
4) THE TOOK (Future)
Responding in faith to varied life situations
-Provides an opportunity to identify anapplication of truth to real life situations
-Leads the students to specific actions or life change
-Allows meaningful completion of the lesson
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B) IMPLEMENTATION
What must I change? – Now what?
From application to action – highly individual and concrete in order to transform us
Do not approach the Word of God as information to be learned, but as life changing truth meant to transform us
Develop Christ-likeness, growth in maturity
1) Identify what you need to change
What does this truth mean for me?
Where and how might this truth apply in my life?
- Home
- Work/School
- Church
- Neighbourhood
- World
2) Lay out a plan to make the change
- How should I adjust my priorities, values, beliefs, attitudes?
- What about my thoughts and motives?
- What does God want me to do about this?
- What steps will get me to that goal?
- What should be my first step? How can I get started?
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)
The most important purpose of the Bible is to reveal the truth about our heavenly Father that we may be won back to Him in love and trust.
This truth, this everlasting good news, is to be found in every one of the sixtysix books. To discover this truth we must learn more than just what happened to Moses, Gideon, David, Peter or Paul. The allimportant question is:
What Does This Tell Us About God?
If one does not ask this question, much of the content of Scripture may seem unrelated to the overarching story of salvation, greatly perplexing, sometimes even contradictory.
But when one learns to view the Bible as a one story, there emerges a consistent picture of an allwise and gracious God, who is willing to go to any length in order to teach His people, to stoop at their level and reach them where they are, to speak the language they can understand and that can even be misunderstood.
The further one reads, the more is moved with love and admiration for a God who would be willing to run such risk, to pay such a price, in order to reveal Himself to His wayward children.
The Bible testifies that God will save all who trust Him. But He does not ask us to trust Him as a stranger. The Bible – all of it – is a record of God's revelation and a powerful demonstration that God is worthy of our unweaving trust.