How to study your Bible (Part 4 of 5)- Determining the meaning of the text.

If you are still working through these posts on how to study your Bible that excites me!  Learning how to study the Bible will have life long benefits for your growth in Christlikeness.  Hopefully, you got some practice doing Observation yesterday.  My notes from observing the text are found below.  Today, we are looking at meaning.  How do you determine the meaning of the text.  A lot of the work you have already done in determining the context and doing observation will help you in this step.  Here are a few questions to ask to help determine the meaning, again taken from One to One Bible reading plan. 

1.)  How does this text relate to other parts of the book? 

2.)  How does the passage relate to Jesus?  

3.)  What does this teach us about God?  

4.)  How could we sum up the meaning of the passage in our own words?  

For the last question I would encourage you to try to sum up the passage in one sentence.  After you sum up the passage look closely to decide if your summary sentence address all the main points/parts of the text.  

Now go ahead and spend time practicing finding the meaning of the text on our passage 1 Peter 1:1-12.  Feel free to comment below with your answers to these questions.  Make sure you are always starting with prayer.  Remember, these are the words of God, so going to him in prayer to grant wisdom in understanding the Bible is the most logical place to start.  

Observing the text:  My notes from 1 Peter 1:1-12

1.)  Are there any major subsections or breaks in the text? 
      There is the initial greeting in verses 1-2 and than moves into a section on praising God for the
      salvation that we have been given.  

2.)  What is the main point or points? 
      -God is to be blessed for the salvation that he has given us (3-5).  
      -Trials and test confirm the salvation that has been given and when that happens it brings 
       praise and honor to Jesus.  (6-9)
      -This salvation was prophesied by the prophets (10-13).  

3.)  What surprises are there? 
        I was surprised by the quick jump from praising God for the blessings that we have been 
        given to talking about trials.  

4.)  What are the key words?  What words or ideas are repeated?
       -Salvation (3 times in the text) 
       -Faith/Believe (3 times in this text) 
       -Bless/worship/praise (3 times in this text)
       
5.)  What stuck out to you? 
        1.)  Was struck by how many words Peter used to describe the permanence of the inheritance 
              they have received- Imperishable, undefiled, unfading, kept in heaven, guarded by God's 
              power.  

        2.)  It was striking to note the various things that have been given to us by God:  A living hope, 
             to an inheritance that is secure, inexpressible joy, salvation.  

       

How to study your Bible (Part 3 of 5). Observation

       Hopefully you had an opportunity yesterday to look at determining the context of a passage.  My notes are at the bottom if you want to see how I answered some of the questions regarding context.  Today we are going to be looking at the O in COMA- Observation!  What is it?  Just that, observation.  It is observing the text closely, reading through it multiple times, and making observations.  Here are the questions to ask and answer in observation.  Some of these questions have been taken from the book, "One to One Bible Reading" by David Helm.

1.)  Are there any major subsections or breaks in the text?

2.)  What is the main point or points?

3.)  What surprises are there?

4.)  What are the key words?  What words or ideas are repeated?

5.)  What stuck out to you?

6.)  What questions do you have based on the text?  

Observation is simply reading the text through multiple times noting and writing down what you see and what questions you have of the text.  So go ahead and spend time practicing observation on our text 1 Peter 1:1-12.

Would love for you to share your observations below in the comments.  I will share mine on Friday (skipping posting on thanksgiving)!



Notes from determining the context
 Our passage of study was 1 Peter 1:1-12.  Here is a brief look at what I discovered in working towards determining the context and answering the questions.

1.)  What sort of writing is this?  (Letter, narrative, poem, etc).
This writing is a letter.

2.)  Who is the human author?
The human author is Peter, the disciple of Jesus.

3.)  Who was it written to?  Where do they live?  What is their culture like, etc
This letter was written to "elect exiles" of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.  All of these providences were under Roman rule at the time.  Most likely 1 Peter was written around 62-63 AD during the reign of Nero and just prior to major persecution breaking out against Believers.

4.)  What are the circumstances of those it was written to?
They were referred to as elect exiles, so it seems that they felt out of place where they lived: Possibly because they were fleeing from the possibility or persecution, or simply because of their faith in Jesus Christ made they feel out of place, exiled, amongst a culture that rejected Christ.  There also seems to be multiple verses throughout the book that suggest they were under some form of persecution as Peter regularly references what to do in the midst of persecution
(1:6-7, 2:12, 18-24, 3:8-17, 4:12-19)

5.)  What has happened so far? 
As the first chapter in this book nothing has proceeded it.  In the context of the whole Bible it comes after the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How to study your Bible (Part 2 of 5)- Determining the Context

        Now it is time to get into the COMA method of Bible study.  Context, Observation, Meaning, Application.  Today we are going to be looking at context.  Every passage in Scripture was written in a very specific context.  It was written by a specific person (inspired by God), living in a specific time, in a specific region, to a specific group of people living in a specific time, in a specific region, for a specific purpose.  In addition there is the context of the verse itself.  Unless it is the first verse in the chapter it has been preceded by other verses and chapters in the book, and there is the context of the whole Bible to take into consideration also.  Where does this verse, or section, fit in the entirety of Scripture?  What has come before, and what has come after?  There are lots of things to take into consideration when it comes to determining the context of the passage you are studying.

       

 Why does it matter?  

1.)   It matters because Scripture cannot mean something today that it did not mean when it was first written.  The objective in Bible study is to determine the original meaning of the passage and that is nearly impossible to do without understanding the context that the passage finds itself in.  

2.)  Much incorrect theology is the result of taking verses out of their context to say something that they did not say in their original context.  For example:  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  We use this verse to motivate us in our school work, our athletics, our exercise, when we face difficult challenges.  We use this verse at times to "Christianize" the America dream that I can do whatever I put my mind to.  However, in context the verses that come before this verse speak of Paul being content with much or with little.  So the "all things" that this verse is specifically applying to is the ability to be content in every and all circumstances through Christ who strengthens us.  Their are many more examples of this and it is is something that many of us (myself included) do from time to time.  I can honestly tell you that there have been times when I was planning on teaching a verse believing it taught one thing, and being really disappointed when I studied the context and determined that it really wasn't teaching what I wanted it to teach.  

3.)  Determining the context of a passage can bring more meaning and understanding to the passage of Scripture that you are studying.  There have been many times that in determining a context of a passage that I have been able to see the beautiful truths of God more clearly.  There have also been numerous times that determining the context of a passage have helped me to better understand the meaning of passages that seemed confusing or difficult initially. 

There are more reasons, but suffice it to say that determining the context of a passage is a vital part of studying the Bible.

How to determine the context of a passage?

The best way is to work through a list of good questions and answering them as much as possible.  While you can answer some of these from careful reading of the text there are also a number of these questions that you will need to rely on the help of a good study Bible or commentary.  So here are the questions to ask to help determine the context.  Several of these questions have been taken from the book, "One to One Bible Reading" by David Helm.

1.)  What sort of writing is this?  (Letter, narrative, poem, etc).

2.)  Who is the human author?

3.)  Who was it written to?  Where do they live?  What is their culture like, etc

4.)  What are the circumstances of those it was written to?

5.)  What has happened so far?

Those are some of the questions to ask that will help you determine the context.

Time to put it to practice.

Passage:  1 Peter 1:1-12.

Start with prayer and than read the passage (1 Peter 1:1-12)  and begin to ask the context questions to this passage and the book as a whole.  If you have time it would be helpful to read through the entire book of 1 Peter in your process of trying to determine the circumstances and setting that the recipients of the letter find themselves in.  If not, just stick with the one passage.  Would love for you to spend time working on this today and than comment below with the answer to some or all of the above questions.  Tomorrow, I will share what I discovered in working towards determining the context of 1 Peter 1:1-12 and the book as a whole before looking at Observation.  Praying for you as you spend time seeking to determine the context.  Let me know what questions you might have.

How to study your Bible (Part 1 of 5).

       Nothing has changed my life more than the Word of God.  Nothing.  I am not alone in this either. The people who have had the greatest impact on my life have all been people who consistently, and regularly spend time reading and studying the Bible.  I have read many biographies of brothers and sisters in Christ who have faithfully followed Jesus and a love for reading and studying the Word of God is a common theme amongst all of them.  If I could give people only one suggestion about how they can grow in their faith my answer would simply be, read and study the Bible regularly and consistently.  Read carefully what Hebrews 4:12 says about the word of God.  "The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart"  

       Most people who are followers of Jesus, and those who are exploring Christianity, know they should study the Bible.  However there seems to be a disconnect for many people between knowing what they should do and actually doing it.  Part of the reason for the disconnect is people simply not knowing how to study the Word of God.  Yesterday at Bethel we were looking at Mark 12:28-31, "And one of the Scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing them he answered them well, asked him, 'Which commandment is the most important of all?'  Jesus answered, 'The most important is, Hear O Israel:  The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no greater commandment than these.'"  As we looked at loving God with our minds we focused in on the importance of studying the Word of God.  In hopes to help those who have never been taught how to study God's Word, or to simply provide a refresher for those who have fallen out of practice, over the next five days I will be walking us through one method of Bible study that you can use to dig into the Word of God. 

        Read carefully this passage from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."  The Bible contains the very words of God, Scripture is breathed out by God, they come from Him, and it is the primary way that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.  When we read the Bible we are actually reading the words of God.  Notice how these two verses ended... "that the man (and woman) of God may be compete, equipped for every good work."  That is how important the Bible is.  The Bible functions in our life for the purpose of making us complete and equipped for every good work. Everything we need to know about God, ourselves, Jesus, faith, and following Him are in the Bible.  Do you want to grow in your faith?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to love God more?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to know how to treat others?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to trust God more?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to know God more?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to know the Holy Spirit more?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to better understand grace?  Be in the Bible.  Do you want to know how to fight sin and temptation?  Be in the Bible.  My hope for you, my prayer for you, is that in the coming days, weeks, and month you would come to drink regularly from the Words of God and through that you would see yourself becoming complete and equipped for every good work.  

       The path ahead.  We are going to be looking at the COMA method of Bible study (terrible name, I know) over the next four days.  In this method we will begin to learn how to determine the Context of the text, make Observations about the text, determine the Meaning of the text, and Apply it to our daily lives.  For each of the next four days we will explore each of these one day at a time.  In addition, we will be studying through a specific text together.  So tomorrow we will explore how to determine the context of a passage and you will be given a passage to begin applying what you are learning about determining the context of a passage. 

       I hope you will join us this week as together we look at how to study the Bible.  

Ballons Pop

       Balloons!  The joy and laughter that can fill a child at the sight of balloons is remarkable!  Big ones, small one's, ones shaped like hats, hearts, ninja turtles, swords, water filled balloons, or the simple round balloon!  A couple weeks ago had the opportunity to go with my kids to see "Mr. Twister:  The Balloon Guy!"  Leaving the show with a balloon hat brought joy and excitement to all five of my kids that within 60 seconds came crumbling down for one of them.  As Ty, my three year old, was walking back to the van filled with joy and excitement playing with his balloon hat he accidentally rubbed it agains the brick exterior of the building and POP!  Every parent knows what is coming next...  Yep, the tears!  The passionate tears of sadness and disappointment combined with a three year old who was quickly approaching his nap time resulted in a couple minutes of an inconsolable little boy whose balloon popped.  While life eventually moved on and his balloon was eventually forgotten about and the rest of the balloons popped, deflated, or were simply forgotten about as they moved onto the next big thing I was struck with the thought of how foolish it is to put one's hope and joy in a balloon.  They are fickle, they are temporary, they face numerous dangers, and they are guaranteed to not last forever.  They pop, they deflate, they can float off into the sky when the string slips through a child's hand, they are popped or destroyed by others.  It is foolish to put our hope and joy in balloons but I wonder how many balloons you and I put our hope and joy in.  Not literal balloons, but none the less things that like balloons prove to be temporary, fickle, guaranteed not to last, are surrounded by numerous dangers, any one of which could make them go "POP" and so goes our hope and joy.  

       What is your hope and joy in today?  What is my hope and joy in today?  It is futile to put our hope and joy in balloons.  So let's stop doing that.  Instead let's fix our hope and joy on Jesus Christ alone.  Our only Hope.  Our Only Joy.  Our Only Guaranteed to never die HOPE and JOY that we have is in Jesus Christ.  Praying the prayer that Paul prayed for the believers in Ephesus for you and me.... Ephesians 1:18, "Having your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the HOPE to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great."  Balloons pop-  Let's stop putting our hope and joy in them.

Stop trying to change the world!

       Change the world.
       Leave a mark.
       Leave a legacy.
       Make A difference.
       Be a World Changer.
       Be a history maker.
       Make your life count.
       Make a lasting impression
       Be the generation that changes things.
       Change a life
       Rescue a life
       End poverty
       End sex trafficking
       End domestic abuse
       End _______________

   
       It all sounds good doesn't it.  It all sounds really, really, good, and it speaks to us at a deep level.  We want to change the world, we want to leave a mark, we want to be a history maker, we want to be a part of ending slavery, poverty, sex trafficking, domestic abuse.  Who wouldn't want to be apart of providing homes for orphaned kids all across the globe.  All of the rhetoric above seems to be common place within western evangelical Christianity and especially in ministry towards youth and young adults.  I have used the above phrases numerous times with various groups of people.  I have taken students on multiple short term mission trips with a great organization called, "World Changers" where the first day of the trip we learn the theme song...
"You can be a world changer.
Shinning your light for those in danger.
Sharing the love of our Lord and Savior.
You can change the world.
Go out and change the world."
       However, the more I think about this common rhetoric the more I see several dangers.
First, it is easy to picture ourselves as the hero, the godsend, the rescuer, the one who is going to sweep in and save the day.  As that thinking seeps into our minds we lose sight of the Gospel, we lose sight of Jesus, we lose sight of the Biblical truth that we are not the hero's, the godsends, the rescuers.  Instead we are the ones who need a hero, who need a godsend, who need to be rescued and Jesus alone is the God-send, the hero, the rescuer who swept in and saved the day.  As we forget who the only hero is we tend to over-emphasize our ability to make a change and under emphasize our desperate need upon God to change people's lives.
        Secondly, the above language has the ability to downplay the importance of everyday faithfulness to God in the mundane, routine, ordinary tasks of life.  The vast majority of our lives our not lived in the "world changing, history making, ending sex trafficking realm."  The vast majority of our lives are spent in the ordinary tasks of life.  You will spend countless hours at work during your life and most people cannot easily connect how their day to day work is "world changing" in our common understanding of the phrase.  However, if we understand that we have not been called to be world changers but instead we have been called to be faithful it changes how we go about work.  Faithfulness to God in work comes through doing our work in order to serve and bring glory to God, and doing our work to serve our neighbors.  This shift from "world changer" to faithfully following Christ not only applies to work but to every area of life.  It applies to marriage, parenting, being a neighbor, and being apart of the local body of believers.  It applies to mowing, doing laundry, making dinner, changing diapers, and washing dishes.  We must be careful to not speak in such a way that the vast majority of our life is seen as unimportant, because in every area of our life God desires us to be faithful to Him, to serve Him, and to bring glory to Him.  It is also in the mundane areas of life that God desires to use to make us more and more into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.  If we don't emphasize faithfulness to God in all of life we will send countless people running from "high to high" of Christian world changing activities and all the while missing out on the countless daily opportunities to bring glory to God when we are faithful in the small, ordinary, mundane things in life.
       Lastly, the above language undermines what we have been most called to.... and that is to know Jesus Christ.  We have been called to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We have been called to know Him, Love Him, to be like Him.  Our calling first and foremost is to a person, it is to a relationship, it is to our savior Jesus Christ.  That is our calling first and foremost to Jesus and everything we are called to be and do is the result of that relationship.  We are called to be salt and light but our salt and light is a result of us being in a relationship with Jesus.
        We are not called to change the world.... we are called to a relationship with Jesus Christ.  To love Him, to serve Him, to bring glory to Him.  We are called to be faithful.  We are called to love our neighbor.  As you pursue Christ, as you bring glory to Him, as you serve Him, as you strive for faithfulness in the big and the small, and as you love your neighbor you just might find the world around you changing because you are in a relationship with the one who changes people's world.

Not even sure what title to give this one....

       A while back on a Sunday evening I was sitting in my comfortable recliner, in my comfortable house, scrolling through my twitter feed on my iPhone 5 when the news of 21 Christians being beheaded comes across the feed and as I read more and learn more about what happened I was saddened, I was hurt, I was broken-hearted for what had happened, and I prayed...

      Than an hour later I was eating a DQ blizzard in my comfortable recliner, in my comfortable house, with my wife and my parents.  The next day my life goes on filled with comforts and relative ease.  It doesn't seem right.  It seems shallow.  It seems costless.  It seems unfair.  Where is my persecution?  Where are the ones who are going to hate me?  Where is my cost?  Where is my sacrifice?  How do I harmonize that my brothers and sisters in Christ are being martyred, beheaded, persecuted, and hated around the world, and I am eating a blizzard?  Saying a quick prayer for my persecuted brothers and sisters seems shallow, giving 10% of my absurd amount of wealth seems shallow, being a nice person and maybe occasionally sharing Jesus seems shallow.  All the phrases and quotes that those of us who are Christians in America who are privileged, filthy rich, and have filled our lives with comfort and entertainment, seem offensive.  

       I'm restless.  I'm confused.  I'm processing.  I'm divided.  I'm torn.  I'm discontent.