Pick up a quick tip to get more out of your Bible study

I've taught for over twenty years and I can help you go deeper when you open up the Word.

Study Tip: Details

There are no casual details in Scripture. Everything fits together as part of God’s greater salvation plan. If you carefully read the stories of Abraham and the Exodus you’ll gain a deeper insight into the work of Christ and the events in the New Testament. Let me give you one of my favorite examples.

The book of Exodus contains a good deal of exposition of the Law, the system of sacrifices, offerings and feasts, and the instructions for the tabernacle and its furnishings.

However, let’s focus on just the narrative of events in Exodus for a moment.

In 19:10-11, God calls for Israel to prepare themselves, to wash themselves, their clothes and on the third day they were to appear in His presence at Sinai.
In chapter 20, God gives the Ten Commandments and the basics of His law.
In chapter 24, Israel affirms the covenant God makes with them and in 24:16-18 we learn that God’s glory covered the mountain for six days. On the seventh, God called Moses and Moses spent forty days on the mountain with God.
Then in chapter 32, Moses returned from the mountaintop to find Israel had descended into sin and made the golden calf. Exodus 32:28 details that 3000 died that day as part of God’s judgment.

Did you follow the accounting of days? 3 + 7 + 40 = 50

On the third day, the law was given and then on the fiftieth day, three thousand people were lost.

Acts chapter 2 records the familiar story of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after Passover. On the third day after that particular Passover, Jesus Christ raised from the dead. Acts 2:41 notes that on Pentecost, 3000 people were added to the church.

On the third day, the law was fulfilled and then on the fiftieth day, three thousand people were saved.

Everything in God’s plans is intentional, down to the smallest details. A little careful study reveals those details and gives us a deeper sense of awe and wonder at the God who engineered it all.

Study Tip: Ten Statements, Four Verses

By Paula

New Testament epistles are often very dense. By that, I mean they pack a great deal of information and theology into a very small space. Consider Hebrews 1:1-4. In those four short verses, there are at least TEN statements about the person and work of Jesus Christ.

1. God spoke to us through Jesus.
2. God appointed Jesus the heir of all things.
3. Jesus made everything.
4. Jesus has the same glory that God Himself has.
5. Jesus is the express image of God.
6. Jesus upholds everything by His power.
7. Jesus erases our sin.
8. Jesus is seated at the right hand of God.
9. Jesus is better than the angels.
10. Jesus obtained a better rank than the angels because of His inheritance.

I can think of a few other spots in the New Testament where you can find a concise description Jesus and what He accomplished like this one in Hebrews. As you come across them in your studies, take the time to number the items in the text or list them in the margin. Then give praise for who Christ is and what He’s done.

Study Tip: Emphasizing the Resurrection

By Paula

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 1 Corinthians 15:17

In the book of Acts in nearly every sermon from Pentecost through Paul’s trials in the later chapters, the key point is Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.

Acts 2:24, 2:32, 3:15, 4:2, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40-41, 13:30, 13:33-34, 13:37, 17:31-32, 23:6, 24:21, 26:8, 26:23

Why was the resurrection such a focal point?

Keep in mind that these sermons were often preached to Jewish crowds. In their system of sacrifices, they depended on the intercession of the High Priest. Once each year, on the Day of Atonement he would take the lamb’s blood into the Holy of Holies into the presence of God and sprinkle it on the lid of the ark of the Covenant, the box that held the Ten Commandments. The lid was called the mercy seat. The High Priest was required to follow every detail of God’s instructions, from the selection of the lamb and the preparation and presentation of the offering down to his bathing routine and clothing. If every detail was correct, if every instruction followed, God would accept the offering and withhold His judgment for a year. If the High Priest failed in any point, even a minor one, he would be struck dead and the people would fall under God’s wrath.

So when the High Priest would emerge from the tabernacle and later the Temple there was great relief among the people. The High Priest lived! That meant the offering was acceptable, their sins were covered, they were safe.

Jesus is our Great High Priest, and the Lamb of God.

After offering His life’s blood, God had to signal that the offering was accepted, that it was sufficient. The High Priest had to live. But because the offering was so perfect, the judgment was stayed not just for a year, but for eternity.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that our redemption is finished.

If He hadn’t raised from the dead, then it was only a martyr’s death and not a Savior’s death. But because He lives, we know we will too.

As you read the New Testament, notice how often the resurrection is mentioned. Do you think we focus on the resurrection more or less than New Testament believers?

(Although there is no longer a Temple or a system of sacrifices, the Day of Atonement is still observed by Jews today. You may have seen it on your calendar – Yom Kippur. This year it begins at sundown on October 3.)

Resource: How to Mark Your Bible

By Paula

The Study Tip Tuesday posts have been on hiatus for quite some time, and frankly, I’ve been looking for a way to bring them back.

This summer we’ve been working on putting together some Bible study resources. In them I’ll share the methods I use when I study, or when I’m trying to find an answer a character in one of my books desperately needs. (And characters can get into some real pickles.)

This week I have a guide to help you get started marking your Bible. In it, you can discover

the benefits of studying using this method
some easy steps to get you started
plus a list of the best pens to use.

Grab the guide here and please share this resource.

Study Tip: Concordances

By Paula

We've spent a few weeks talking about resources that can help out as you study. Today let's talk about concordances. A concordance is an index of occurrences of a specific word throughout Scripture. The back of your Bible may have one. In fact, my old Scofield Bible had a great one that I really missed when I switched Bibles.

There are three main types of concordances.

The English dictionary kind – This type lists all the occurrences of a key word with a snippet of the verse referenced. Cruden's Complete Concordance is an example. It's perfect for those times when you can remember part of verse but have no idea where it is. Look up one of the key words and use the verse snippets to track down the one you need. One note on Cruden's – it is based on the King James, so if you don't have a good idea how the verse is rendered in that translation you may strike out on your search from time to time.

The other types are original language concordances. They differ in how they are indexed.

Arranged by original language word – THE STANDARD is Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. First published in 1890, it assigned a number to every Hebrew and Greek root in the entire Bible. Every single one. You can find Strong's Concordances for KJV, NAS and NIV. Mine has the Biblical text with the numbers as superscripts. In the back, there is a Hebrew and Greek dictionary arranged by number. Other editions of the concordance just have the dictionary part. I've also seen "concise" editions that are just the English language dictionary like Cruden's. If you get a Strong's make sure you're getting the kind you want, otherwise it will probably end up as a door stop.

Arranged by English word – The other original language concordance isn't as popular, but in some ways, it's more intuitive. Young's Analytical Concordance is arranged by the English word. Look up the word servant, for example, and you'll find a dozen or so different words have been translated into one English word. Each one gives an extra insight.

So, why would you want one? After all, they weigh twenty-five pounds each and they are full of stuff that's not even English.

That's just it. While the translators do their level best, they can't tell us everything the original text does. Over 12000 original language words end up as around 6000 English words. A concordance can help you dig down and discover some good stuff.

Let me give you an example. When Noah built his ark, God told him to coat it with pitch. The Hebrew word is kaphar. That's the very same word God uses later to tell us the blood of the sacrifices covers sins. There it's translated atonement. It's also translated as mercy, reconciliation, purged, cleansed, forgiven, pacified, appeased and pardoned. All those ideas are carried in that one word. When you know that, and then read Christ our atonement, it gives a richer, fuller idea of Christ's work on our behalf. That's why I use a concordance (or two).

Do you use a concordance? What have you learned?

Study Tip: Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods

By Paula

We've been looking at resources to help you in your Bible study. Today, I want to highlight one of my favorite how-to manuals – Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods. (Our church even developed a quarter-long class on Bible study methods using this book as a guide. I still have the Powerpoints.)

Warren gives easy to follow guidance on 12 different approaches to Bible study. You're sure to find at least one that fits your reading and study style.

The methods he covers include: Devotional, Chapter Summary, Character Quality, Topical, Chapter Analysis, Verse-by-verse, Word Study and 5 more.

One of the things I like is his constant emphasis on the changes that our study should bring about in our lives. He encourages us to include action items in our notes and commit to tangible growth. After all, if our Bible study isn't transforming our lives, we may as well be studying algebra.

(Again, I don't get any special goodies for recommending this particular book. However, I've used it and I think it's pretty handy.)

Have you read Bible Study Methods? What did you think? What other study manuals would you recommend?

Study Tip: Details

However, let’s focus on just the narrative of events in Exodus for a moment.

On the third day, the law was given and then on the fiftieth day, three thousand people were lost.

On the third day, the law was fulfilled and then on the fiftieth day, three thousand people were saved.

Study Tip: Ten Statements, Four Verses

Study Tip: Emphasizing the Resurrection

Why was the resurrection such a focal point?

Jesus is our Great High Priest, and the Lamb of God.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that our redemption is finished.

Resource: How to Mark Your Bible

Grab the guide here and please share this resource.

Study Tip: Concordances

Study Tip: Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods

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