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TAKE THE PLUNGE! Join a LIFE Group at RIV!   A LIFE Group  meets regularly, with its main purpose to learn more about God by studying His Word through a wide range of levels. LIFE Groups help you put 'feet on your faith', get to know your brothers and sisters at RIV, and are a safe place for you to find out more about Jesus and grow.   Join one of these LIFE Groups or start in a new one...  Monday 7.00pm - 9.00pm Young Adults Bible Study Life Group for 19-30 year olds @ Frank & Barbara Robson's home in Belmont - Ph. 9277 2142.  Tuesday 6.00pm - 9.00pm  Celebrate Recovery Life Group @ the church - contact Stuart Templeton.  Dinner Provided. �A place for support and dealing with life�s struggles.� Wednesday 1.30pm KYB Study Life Group (Know Your Bible) @ Peggy Edward's home in Belmont - Ph. 9277 3359. Wednesday 7.15pm FuelUp Youth Bible Study Life Group for years 15-18 @ 1 Mercato Court, Kewdale. Info: Speak to Kate 0422 017 467.  Wednesday 7.30pm - 9.00pm Parent's Bible Study Life Group @ the church. Men & Ladies week about. Contact David & Leanne Wilkes 9277 8748.  Wednesday 7.30pm - 9.00pm Bible Study Life Group @ Archie & Marie Beer's home in Kewdale - Ph. 0409 370 053. Wednesday 7.30pm Bible Study Life Group @ John & Betty Fabry's home in South Guildford - Ph. 9277 1029. For more info contact the study coordinator listed above or the RIV church office for new LIFE Groups being planned.

Bible Study

There have been hundreds of books written on the subject of the evidences of the divine inspiration of the Bible, and these evidences are many and varied. Most people today, unfortunately, have not read any of these books. In fact, few have even read the Bible itself!  Thus, many people tend to go along with the popular delusion that the Bible is full of mistakes and is no longer relevant to our modern world.

Nevertheless the Bible writers claimed repeatedly that they were transmitting the very Word of God, infallible and authoritative in the highest degree. This is an amazing thing for any writer to say, and if the forty or so men who wrote the Scriptures were wrong in these claims, then they must have been lying, or insane, or both.

But, on the other hand, if the greatest and most influential book of the ages, containing the most beautiful literature and the most perfect moral code ever devised, was written by deceiving fanatics, then what hope is there for ever finding meaning and purpose in this world?  If one will seriously investigate these Biblical evidences, he will find that their claims of divine inspiration (stated over 3,000 times, in various ways) were amply justified.

 

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Before You Study Your Bible

_____ Approach God's Word with an Attitude of Seeking
Read Proverbs 2:3-6. The word "discernment" means the ability to know right from wrong. The word "understanding" refers to the sensitivity to see life as God see it.

Read Proverbs 2:4. What are some of the attitudes of a person searching for hidden treasures?

Read Psalm 119:162. Remember: God's wisdom comes from intense and sincere study of His Word.

_____ Confess Your Sins & Have an Attitude of Humility
"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you" (James 1:21). The words "get rid of" convey the idea of stripping off filthy clothes or removing dirt from our bodies. The word "filth" refers to any thought or conduct that is displeasing to God. When you are going to see someone who is special to you, do you put on your dirtiest clothes? The word "humbly" reminds us to come before God with the attitude of a child who wants to learn from Him (the author of the Bible). A teachable spirit shows God our willingness to allow Him to mould us.

_____ Have an Attitude That is Ready to Obey
Read James 1:22 and Luke 11:28.

_____ Pray Before You Begin
Always pray before you study the Bible. Confess your sins (1 John 1:9). Ask God to empower your life (Ephesians 5:18), open your eyes (Psalm 119:18), and guide your study (John 14:26).

_____ Study With an Attitude of Expectancy
"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." Ezra 7:10 (NAS). Notice that Ezra's desire was to "study ... practice ... and teach." That is the proper order of things. When it comes to the Bible, you cannot just study and teach. We must remember that "practice" always comes between "study" and "teach."

 

 

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How to Study Your Bible

_____ Observation
Ask the following questions as you read.

Who?  is speaking / is being spoken to / is involved
What?  is happening / led up to this / resulted
Where?  Where does this take place?
When?  When did this occur?
Why? Why is this being said or done?
How? How did it affect the people involved? How was this accomplished? How did the people at the time view or interpret this?

_____ Interpretation
This is the step of determining the author's meaning. Interpretation is the step of clarifying the meaning and helping you understand why the Holy Spirit included this portion in Scripture.

One way of interpreting a verse or passage is by paraphrasing it. Read the verse and then write it in your own words. Use Scripture to interpret Scripture. If you do not understand why something happened, then refer to other passages of Scripture that shed light on the matter.
                                                                    
_____ Correlation
This is the process of relating the passage under consideration to the rest of the paragraph, chapter, book, and other portions of Scripture. This step helps you understand the passage and keep it in proper context and perspective.

_____ Application
Application means putting God's Word into practice. Scriptural truth and principles must be put into practice if we are to benefit from our study of God's Word. Read Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 11:28, and James 1:22.

Ask yourself the following questions as you study.

Is there an example for me to follow?
Is there a sin for me to avoid?
Is there a promise for me to claim?
Is there something I should make a matter of prayer?
What does this passage teach me?
Is there something I am commanded to do?
Is there a verse I should commit to memory?
 

Source: Omar C. Garcia   BibleTeachingNotes.com