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In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. It is best to study the Bible by following the simple steps like collecting together the verses on a certain topic, packaging it together with illustrations, reaching a decision point, and sharing it with other people.
Steps
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1Pray before you begin to ask for God's leading. Without God's illumination, studying the Bible is a waste of time. Pray, "Dear God, please help me to understand what you want me to learn from this book. Thank you, Amen."
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2Make a long list of people to invite. Invite three times as many people as you want to attend.Advertisement
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3Choose the topic of your Bible study. Be sure to tell your group to read which chapter & verse you will want to go over with your group before they leave for your next Bible Study group session.
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4Gather your information together. See tips for sources.
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5Write texts, stories, illustrations, etc., on cards, a written list or a document in your word processor. Make sure you identify the source and the topic.
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6Arrange the information in order: Introduction, development of topic (sometimes called "body"), and conclusion or appeal. There should be a logical progression in the study that follows and develops the theme towards the conclusion.
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7Practice the study with someone.
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8Pray for the opportunity to share what you've learned with a friend.
Study one book from the Bible
For this method, choose one book from the Bible, such as The Book of Proverbs, going through each verse.
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1As the leader: Write a question from each verse of each chapter. Leave spaces to fill in the answers.
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2Start. Each person reads one verse from the first chapter.
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3As the leader: Hand out sheets with questions on it for the first chapter and a pen for each person.
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4Have another person reads the first verse. After this reading, the group discusses the verse and the question.
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5Ask each person to write down their answer. As part of this, have them each explain what was meaningful to them from the verse.
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6Proceed with the next verse. Have the next person read it and repeat above steps until all of the chapter completed.
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan kids do this too?Community AnswerYes, just keep the topic of study appropriate to the age level.
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QuestionWhy is it hard for me to come up with a bible study? I really want to do one.Community AnswerMaybe you have problems with understanding the meaning of the words you read. Try to pray, ask the the Holy Spirit to help you. If He explains the Bible, it will become easier for you. If this doesn't really help, try to read one chapter and write down every beautiful verse you can find. Look at them every time you struggle.
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QuestionHow do I choose a topic?Community AnswerThis should be fairly simple. Choose something that interests you in the Bible, or perhaps something you don't fully understand. Even a simple topic like faith or love can be a great way to start.
Warnings
- Do not try to prove a preconceived idea from the Bible.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Don't do too much talking. Let other's share.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Don't do too little talking. Don't be afraid to lead.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Do not study the Bible without making a decision on what you have learned.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Be careful about sharing your views with those who might argue against you.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- If this is necessary, it is best to wait until you have a good knowledge to draw from.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
- Bible
- The Writings of the Church Fathers, and other ancient religious writers and historians, such as Flavius Josephus, etc.
- Bible Concordance - a book that lists the words in the Bible and will give you their basic meanings and root meanings as well as other places the words are used (sometimes found at the back of the Bible). Strong's Concordance is one possibility to consider.
- Bible Dictionary - A book that gives you the meaning of words as they were when the Bible was written. It also can give historical context to the words.
- Paper/cards
- Pencil/pen
- Journal - to record thoughts and ideas you receive as you study
About This Article
In order to create your own bible study, start by making a list of people to invite. To ensure that enough people show up, make sure to invite 3 times as many people as you would like to attend. Next, prepare your bible study by choosing the chapter and verses you want to go over with your group. No matter what chapter you choose, pray to God to help you understand the message behind each verse. Then, put together your stories, illustrations and other materials to help explain the verses. For more advice, including how to choose meaningful discussion questions for your bible study, read on.