Step 1 - Decide to study the Bible.
The first step in every action is a decision to act. In other words, Bible study doesn’t just happen by accident, it is intentional!
Impress these words of Mine on your hearts and souls, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Deuteronomy 11:18 (HCSB)
Step 2 - Deal with attitudes that might interfere with learning.
Jesus told a parable about a sower, the seed, and four types of soil (Luke chapter 8). In that story the soils represent four different attitudes we can have toward God’s Word (the seed). Attitude is a never-ending struggle. I must confess there are days when I begin my study with the thought “let me get this done so I can move on.” Every day I have to deal with all kinds of negative attitudes before my mind and heart is ready to read the Bible. The key to winning this battle is prayer.
Step 3 - Join a small group Bible study.
I cannot say enough about the importance of small group Bible study (aka Sunday School) to a believer. Here are just a few of the MANY REASONS why small group Bible study is so important. Jesus taught in small groups as did many of the apostles. There is a reason for this, small groups (groups of twelve or less) have a level of intimacy. Also within a small group there is shared interest and mutual support. Finally, small group studies have a learning dynamic not available in learning groups of thirty or more. There is a large amount of literature on this topic, email me for a list of recommended texts.
When He was alone with the Twelve, those who were around Him asked Him about the parables. Mark 4:10 (HCSB)
Step 4 - Take sermon notes.
Taking sermon notes produces positive results. Many churches today provide an outline or a “fill in the blank” guide. These are good places to start. But, even if the pastor provides a “hand out” I recommend taking one’s own notes. This allows space for the listener to write thoughts and questions that popup during the course of the sermon. It also requires a higher level of attentiveness resulting in a greater retention. With the invention of Ipad, Kendel, and other “tablets,” it is very easy to keep notes and organize them for future review.
As a matter of fact, I still have on my book shelf the notebooks containing every sermon I ever heard between 1995 and 2002 (in 2002 I began keeping electronic copies). I have referred back to some of those sermons from time to time and received a blessing from those notes. Every sermon is a commentary, just that some are better than others. (See Acts chapter 7)
When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” “How can I,” he said, “unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Acts 8:30-31 (HCSB)
Step 5 - Devote time daily to Bible study
A key factor in daily Bible study involves time. Be consistent, try to study at the same time every day. Answer the question, “When is the best time for me to study?” When I was in Army Basic Training, the answer was, “During my breaks.” For some moms, the best time is during the children’s nap time. As a school teacher, it was easier for me to get up earlier and do it in the morning before I left home for work (this is still my practice as a pastor)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes,Step 6 - Focus on quality not quantity.
Deuteronomy 17:19 (NASB)
It is good to read through the Bible in a year. Every believer should do that at some point. But I think it is better to spend a year reading and studying the Gospels. I have a study method that I call the Jacob principle. In Genesis Jacob wrestles with the Lord until daybreak. Jacob says, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:24-28)
The Jacob principle works this way. Before I sit down to study, I pray, “Lord, I’m going to read this passage over and over (i.e. I will not let go) until you bless me with comprehension. Then commit to reading that passage daily until it happens.
The first time I practiced this style of study is when I was taking a doctoral seminar on the Gospel of Mark. In preparation for the class, I decided to read a chapter of Mark every day until I finished the book. Each day at the beginning of my study time I would say, “Lord, I’m going to read this Gospel over and over until you bless me.” After I finished reading Mark the first time I thought, “Ok, that was nice, but I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything new.” So, I started over. It was during the third time through the Gospel that the Scripture literally began to explode in my brain! I think God was testing me to see if I was truly committed to reading His word.
Years later in preparing to teach 1 Peter, I applied the Jacob principle again and God blessed me in the same way. In fact, I have practiced this for every difficult passage I’ve ever had to preach / teach and every time God has blessed my faithfulness. Sometimes it is the second reading, sometimes the fourth or fifth, but He is always faithful to reveal His Words to me.
For the record, I’ve been advocating this method of study for several years and every person who has followed it has experienced similar results. Now this is nothing new, it is simply putting Scripture to practice. Now that is a novel thought!
How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. Psalm 1:1-2 (HCSB)
Step 7 - Make it a practice to memorize scripture
"Guard my words as your most precious possession. Write them down, and also keep them deep within your heart." Pr. 7:2-3Memorizing scripture can help me resist temptation. It can help me identify false teaching. It provides comfort and strength when I a troubled and discouraged. Also it helps me to witness to unbelievers.
Right now someone is reading this and thinking something like, “I can’t memorize things.” I used to be one of those people. For those who believe that they cannot memorize anything, here are two verses to read, meditate, and memorize:
I can do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (NASB)Next, memorize this verse.
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (NASB)Here are a few suggestions that may help to memorize a verse or piece of scripture:
1. Pick a verse that speaks to you.
2. Study the verse, it’s context and meaning.
3. Read the verse aloud many times. Record it!
4. Break the verse into natural phrases.
5. Say the reference before and after the verse.
6. Write out the verse on a flash card and carry it with you. (Also use your smart phone)
7. Display your verses in prominent places, like your computer screen saver, background, or home screen.
8. Put the verse to music. Write a song or learn a song already written about that verse.
9. Get a partner so you can check each other.
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