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A Divine Conversation
A Divine Conversation
You are in a divine conversation with God. He talks to you through Scripture, you talk to him through prayer. And when God speaks something into your heart, it will never contradict Scripture.
The Bible is personal and is evidence of a relationship with God. 1 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that Scripture is breathed out by God. That through it, God prepares us for the life we are meant to live. He teaches us what’s right (such as loving God & people). And should we believe in something bogus, Scripture can set things straight, contradict us when we’re wrong, prevent us from following lies, living like idiots, and even from following some nutjob false teacher. We don’t make Scripture, Scripture is making us.
We worship God. not the Bible. But we love the Bible because it’s God’s letter to us. And because of that, we study it.
There are two ways to look at Scripture:
1) You stand in authority over it. You sit as judge and jury. You cut and paste what you like.
2) Scripture stands in authority over you because it’s God’s word. It is your supreme court. You are shaped by it.
There’s one throne.
Who sits on it?
You or Jesus?
I encourage you to search your heart and see who sits on that one throne. That center from which you live your life.
If Christ is the center of your life, and if Scripture truly contains the very words of God to us, then it changes everything. We study Scripture not because we have to but because we get to. To not just know about God but to know God. That’s huge!
As you pursue God through Scripture, I urge you not to read it for information- study it for transformation! As you do, you might just find that it is God who’s been pursuing you.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a starter kit to become a good Bible student. I hope you find it helpful in your divine conversation with God.
Essentials
- Humility (Okay, this isn’t a resource but it is crucial. If we don’t humble ourselves under Scripture, then our studies will be in vain.)
- A good Study Bible (ESV or NIV) If you get nothing else, get this.
- A good notebook (I prefer a Moleskine) and a writing utencil.
Other Resources
- Word-for-word (ESV, NASB), thought-for-thought (NIV), and paraphrase (NLT, The Message) versions of Scripture. In that order.
- An Exhaustive Bible Concordance (Helps to dig into the original meaning of words in Scripture)
- A Bible Dictionary (So you can look up words like wormwood)
- A Topical Bible (Naves NIV Topical Bible is a good choice)
- Bible Handbook (Good info about culture of time, geography, etc. paints a picture of the context)
- Commentaries from trusted and theologically-sound writers (Here’s just a few)
- Solid systematic theology books (ones by Grudem, Packer, & Sproul are sound and readable)
Some Free Online Resources
- YouVersion (Great Social Bible Study Tool from our friends at Lifechurch.tv)
- BibleGateway (Straight Forward, good for multiple translation)
- E-Sword.net (Downloadable resource with concordance, commentaries, and more)
- StudyLight.org (Lots of resources like dictionaries, atlases, articles, and much more)
- CCEL.org (Christian Classics from Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, Edwards, and tons more)
- TheResurgence.com (theological resources from our friends at Mars Hill Church in Seattle)
Where to Start
- Start in the book of John
- Commit to read at least one chapter a day or you can follow a read plan here or here.
- Helpful study/devotional method: S.O.A.P. (by Wayne Cordeiro in The Divine Mentor)
S-Scripture: Write out the verse(s) that stood out to you.
O-Observation: What is this verse(s) saying? Why did it pop out to you? Write it down.
A-Application: What do you think God wants you to do with this verse(s) today? Write it down.
P-Prayer: Write out your prayer to God.
The Best Question
When reading Scripture, always be asking this question: “How does what I just read point to Jesus?” That’s the key to studying and understanding Scripture. Jesus said it was all about him. (Luke 24:27, John 5:39)
Community
Scripture is not meant just for us alone but also for us as a community. None of us know it all, but others can help shed light or ask questions that cause us to dig further. For Project Church, we have Missional Communities where, among other things, we explore Scripture together.
A Promise
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” – GOD (Jeremiah 29:13)
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