What has helped you the most to grow your Bible knowledge?

[HappyGrace]

A helpful resource? A learning tool? Just reading it a lot?

 

I really want to grow more in my knowledge but I feel like as I get older I can't retain as well. I understand it and enjoy it as I read it, but then I lose it. (ie-I've been reading and loving Romans, reading a commentary along with it, and journaling some-love doing study this way-but a week later I haven't retained much. It's nothing wrong w/ me-just a lot on my mind plus getting older (45).

 

I was talking to an older man the other day and his knowledge of the Word inspired me so much to get to that level by that age.

 

I want to find a way to really ingrain what I am reading, and I want to read and understand deeply. (It's really important that it be ingrained because I have a chronic illness where I am incapacitated for hours sometimes where I am sick and can't hear or see well, but I can think, and I want to have the precepts in my mind to think about during those times. I'm not talking memorizing though-more conceptual understanding.)

 

What have you done to grow in the Word?

[jrn]

I have a lofty goal of reading through the books in my church library.  It should take a while, we have fairly reasonable sized library.

 

I attend Bible classes during the week and after church on Sunday.  I've really learned from the discussions that always come up.

 

I need to put more time into memorization.

[PeachyDoodle]

I think for me it has been learning to see the Bible as one, long, interconnected story instead of disconnected vignettes. That shift in perspective made so many things fall into place that hadn't before.

 

If you are looking for more mechanical knowledge (grammar, history, etc.), I have really enjoyed the materials from the Koinonia Institute. You can take classes online where you participate in discussion via chat room, or just get the mp3's and do them on your own. FYI, it does skew conservative/evangelical, in case that's an issue for you.

 

Overall, though, I don't think you can beat prayerful reading with the help of the Holy Spirit. :Angel_anim:

[Staceyshoe]

I have been so discouraged by my own retention.  Honestly, I stopped being motivated to study because I lost any insights/understanding that I gained so quickly.  Last year, I happened across this blog:

[Staceyshoe]

Hmmm . . . my post seemed to get cut off with the link I posted.  Here's the rest of what I wanted to say:

I made my own Bible study journal using topics and book/chapter notes (*very* plain compared with the bloggers).  Wow!  Not only has my retention improved (or I can at least quickly find what I need to), but my understanding has deepened as I started piecing together the Bible according to themes.   My motivation has improved so much, and I have learned more in the past year than in the previous several years.  The great thing is that this works with whatever I'm doing--a sudden insight during prayer, a formal Bible study program, reading through the Bible, whatever.  Different things work for different people.  I'm very thankful that I found something that works so well for me.

The blog is The Red Headed Hostess

[speedmom4]

I've learned so much in the past year by taking classes at my Church. It has helped to have someone teaching the material. Being able to ask questions and have discussion with other people was helpful as well.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[PrincessMommy]

scripture set to music.  I still remember scriptures verses from songs I learned 30yrs ago.  I'm fortunate that I go to a church now that almost exclusively uses music in the service.. and lots of scripture this way too.  So, I'm retaining more now than I have since those days 30yrs ago.  

 

In terms of just having a good feel for the big picture and knowing a lot of the stories (big and small), I prefer listening to the Bible.  I listen to it as often as I can remember :closedeyes:.  But, it is a nice way to always have it going even when I'm just sitting around or driving in my car.

 

I like the KJV read by Alexander Scorby... it's like listening to LOTR.  I don't normally *read* KJV, but listening to it read by a Brit makes a difference.

[mlbuchina]

I grew up in church, and have attended many Bible studies, but I am like you in that I didn't seem to retain much.  A few years ago, I learned about dispensational study, and the Bible has come alive for me.  I am understanding things that I have heard all my life in a new and vibrant way, and it makes me excited to get in the Word.    A lot of things that never made any sense to me now are easily understood.  I love it!

[Ottakee]

A friend and I are doing http://www.explorerbiblestudy.org/category/Adult We have done lots of different ones, starting with the easier ones and we just did Revelation. These are very good and take you section by section/almost verse by verse through a Book of the Bible.

[mamajudy]

Teaching Sunday School. I have found that the best way to learn something, for me, is to teach it.

[FriedClams]

Point blank asking someone to disciple me.

 

It felt weird, but I knew a godly slightly older woman who had been with the Navigators for years. She's amazing and humble and LOVES God's Word.

 

I asked her if she would meet with me weekly. We added a second friend about a year in. The three of us have met weekly for years now. They are true sisters to me. We inductively study a chapter a week; cover memory verses, pray. It's more study than social though we're all very, very close now.

 

I'd ask again in a minute!!

[GSOchristie]

BSF. I have been a member for years and am a leader for the first time this year. It has deepened my understanding of the Bible so much. For scripture memory, Awanas :). I put my kids verses to songs and it's stuck in there forever.

[Twigs]

Precept Upon Precept Bible Studies. You can do them on your own, but it's best to be in a group with an experienced leader.

Check out the Precept site for their toll free number and call to find a class near you.

 

Having a study where I have to do the "work" is what made the difference for me.

 

Best wishes.

[Freckles]

Marrying a pastor. ;)

[TechWife]

Studying the Bible using Precept by Precept studies changed my life! See Twigs' post for links!

[SKL]

Reading the Bible and the notes, all the way through (I have a Scofield Reference Bible).  In English.  Then in Spanish (side-by-side with English).  Then in French.  Then in German.  I was starting the New Testament in Hindi when my kids came along . . . .

 

Having to figure out the meaning in another language forced me to really think about the intent behind the words.

[Mary in VA]

BSF. I have been a member for years and am a leader for the first time this year. It has deepened my understanding of the Bible so much. For scripture memory, Awanas :). I put my kids verses to songs and it's stuck in there forever.

:iagree:  :iagree:  :iagree:

We are big BSF (Bible Study Fellowship International) fans here.  My husband and I have completed the 8 year series and he has continued on as a leader.  Our dds also each completed about 8 years of the childrens'/school program.  BSF follows on average 32 weeks over the school year and goes in depth.  They have a program for kids that mirrors the adult program.  I believe my Bible knowledge/understanding grew exponentially through my study in BSF.  There are many different good Bible studies available but I believe you learn the most if the study is regular; you have to really look at how it applies to you and dig deep; you are accountable to complete it and stay on track; and you are studying the Bible itself, directly, not some book about the Bible. 

 

Blessings,

Mary

[Goldilocks]

I also am learning a lot through BSF - Bible Study Fellowship.

[milovany]

The Bible has become much more precious to me through attending church; as PrincessMommy said above, our services include a lot of sung Scripture and theology.  As I've gotten older, my goal has become less to master the Bible through knowledge and understanding, and more to live it and pray it and read it and honor it. 

 

We heard a comment in our schooling the other day; that prior to the Renaissance the guiding idea was "We believe, therefore we understand" (whereas after the Renaissance, it was "We understand, therefore we believe").  My heart is going back to the pre-Renaissance ideal.  My understanding (of the Bible, of life) will come through my beliefs, and my beliefs come from the ancient church's teachings.  So going to church gives me understanding the of Bible. 

[KrissiK]

I will also say Bible Study Fellowship. The combination of individual study, group discussion and the lecture really helped me grow in Biblical knowledge. I'd love to go back, but this is not the right season of life.

[LostSurprise]

Journaling...but doing it in a way which speaks to you. 

 

That can mean drawing, cartooning, graphic organizers, narrations, traditional note-taking, highlights, scrapbooking, short stories/fan fiction, doodle .

 

That can mean audio notes (with a mini tape recorder), songs, audio sermons or readings. 

 

Share it. Teach it. Discuss it. Research it. Read about the culture

 

At the end of each chapter or section, reflect and record one thing that really caught your attention. At the end of the book read over your notes and do a summary in a way that is meaningful to you. Keep these notes/recordings together and refer to them when you feel uncertain. Sometimes having that handy summary can bring back the experience you had with scripture. The idea is to experience scripture in the way which is most meaningful to you, then keep a crib sheet which will help you recall that experience. 

[Joanne]

Anger.

 

No, really. I was angry about "things" in life, in Christianity, in theology, in Christian culture. Over the years that anger fueled the most passion and study.

[Pawz4me]

An unconventional answer, and probably not helpful to you, but -- Leaving organized religion years ago.  At that point I took responsibility for my own Biblical education instead of relying on a pastor or Sunday school teacher's opinion.  I learned more in two years than I'd learned in the previous 35.

[VaKim]

Simply reading the Bible, over and over and over. Repetition. I have also read other books about the Bible, but the repetitive reading of the Scriptures themselves is what I think has helped most with knowing what is "in there."

[Chris in VA]

At first, going to a liturgical church where the bible is read thru every 3 years.

 

Then, leading/participating in Beth Moore bible studies. Her goal is bible literacy, and boy, it works.

 

THEN, going to Education for Ministry (EfM), a 4 year study from University of the South (Sewanee Seminary--Episcopalian)--I'm in Year 3, Church History. But it wasn't just those materials--they inspired me to do my own research, because they teach from an extremely liberal perspective, though it's often rather hidden--they won't quite go there in rejecting the historical church's teachings, but just about. So I have to take it all with a grain of salt (a whole dang box of salt, sometimes) and that leads to better understanding on my part.

 

Holy Spirit does say He will help you understand, too--can't beat that. ;-) But I try to always stay within the bounds of orthodoxy because I find it to be very wise, as I am apt to want the scriptures to conform to my own ideas and comforts. YMMV.

[Zebra]

An unconventional answer, and probably not helpful to you, but -- Leaving organized religion years ago.  At that point I took responsibility for my own Biblical education instead of relying on a pastor or Sunday school teacher's opinion.  I learned more in two years than I'd learned in the previous 35.

My experience exactly.  

[Mango]

After watching my kids work through the Switched on School House grade 3 Bible last year I have been tempted to do that for myself! 

[Susan in TN]

Systematic theology (i.e. Westminster Confession of Faith or Heidelberg Confession or similar).  It's astounding how studying something otherwise thought of as "dry" really helped my understanding and love of scripture by (primarily) helping me understand who God is.

[mytwomonkeys]

Good question :) I agree with so much of what has been shared! Really, it is not one thing but many things that help me & seasons really look different sometimes.

 

If I had to share just one thing though that has impacted *me* the most, I would say scripture memorization. Not just a verse, but whole chapters. Literally studying it, memorizing it, reciting it, speaking it daily from memory. It is deep in my heart and serves me even when I am not able to reference a bible. It encourages me. I can use it to encourage others.

[Saddlemomma]

Listening to podcasts by Greg Koukl of http://www.str.org

[ScoutTN]

1. Teaching it to others! When teaching Sunday school I try to use one or two theology books for enrichment to help me go deeper. 

 

2. I am an audio learner, so I often retain better from lectures than from reading. (and I can cook, fold laundry, etc. while listening.) Many seminaries and Bible colleges have free courses. i Tunes U is excellent! I am Reformed in theology so I choose from offerings at Reformed Theological Seminary, Westminster, Knox, Covenant etc. One great aspect of this is that they have courses from past professors as well as current ones and that makes the selection very rich indeed. 

 

3. For memorizing, definitely music. We use the SCM memory system and the frequent, systematic review is so helpful. 

[mamajudy]

I think part of the reason why teaching is so effective for learning is that I anticipate questions that may come up. This forces me to dig deeper into the study while preparing a lesson in order to answer those questions. It's amazing to me how many times the Holy Spirit gives me some insight into a lesson, and then during church the same morning the sermon will reinforce something that I said during Sunday School! Pray and ask God to help you to understand the scriptures when you are reading the Bible. There's always something new to learn!

[Ellie]

For me, it was first the fact that the Bible was used *so much* in church: The choruses we sang (back in 1974) were primarily Scripture songs; the pastor held his Bible in his hand and preached from it; the Sunday school teacher held his Bible in his hand and taught from it; Wednesday night Bible study at church was taught directly from the Bible; we went to a college-group Bible study after that and, well, studied...the Bible. IOW, it wasn't something that I purposed to learn on my own; I was immersed in Bible in my spiritual community.

 

Some years later, when Mr. Ellie and I were no longer attending a church that had such Bible-rich studies, and there was no Sunday school, I found Precept Bible studies. Awesome. I attended a couple of those, then took the training to be a Precept leader and taught several studies. Awesome.

[Orthodox6]

scripture set to music.  I still remember scriptures verses from songs I learned 30yrs ago.  I'm fortunate that I go to a church now that almost exclusively uses music in the service.. and lots of scripture this way too.  So, I'm retaining more now than I have since those days 30yrs ago.  

 

 

:iagree:   Hearing the Psalms sung during every service made that book jump to life for me!

 

Another boost for me has been reading patristic commentary on the Holy Bible.  I can trust these commentaries because they are not individuals' opinions, but are the shared beliefs of the worldwide Church.   

[HappyGrace]

Thank you so much to everyone-so many great ideas here. It's amazing how the Lord helps us all to learn about Him!

 

I've wanted to do BSF for years, but there isn't one near us. Precepts seems closest to it, but there's no class here-I'd have to do the materials on my own, which might work out. I'm praying about what to do. I'm going to look into the options mentioned on here, so thanks!

 

May the Lord bless our studies in His Word!

[JudoMom]

Reading, reading, reading.

This is a great service by Ligonier Ministries (RC Sproul).  For $9/month, you get access to 45 courses.  We're going through some as a family.

[mytwomonkeys]

Reading, reading, reading.

 

This is a great service by Ligonier Ministries (RC Sproul). For $9/month, you get access to 45 courses. We're going through some as a family.

I really like RC Sproul! Thank you!! :)

[6packofun]

Having my dh go back to school for a religion degree (and now Master's in Religious Education)!  He always wants to bounce ideas off of me, talk through theology, discuss the papers he must write, etc. and we have so many great conversations!  I think being forced to work through some of the difficult issues of faith has been good for us.  It really lit a fire under me even though I'm not going to school myself.  (For example, I think the book that set me off into more study was Four Views on Divine Providence--there are others in this Counterpoints series from Zondervan that are so good!)

 

I'd really like to do the Theology Program from Credo House:    http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/what-we-do/the-theology-program/  But I will say that both dh and I can get caught up in reading books *about* the Bible and fall behind on good, rigorous, plain ol' Bible study itself.  We have to watch that we don't give up the Word itself regularly when we're really interested in a topic like apologetics or predestination.  LOL

[Ellie]

I've wanted to do BSF for years, but there isn't one near us. Precepts seems closest to it, but there's no class here-I'd have to do the materials on my own, which might work out. I'm praying about what to do.

 

Precept is *far* more into Scripture than BSF. :-)

 

Precept has some on-line courses now that you can take to learn how to study the Bible inductively. I haven't seen them. There are also a number studies you can do on your own, which are not as in-depth as a Precept Upon Precept course, but they are still good.

[TechWife]

 

I've wanted to do BSF for years, but there isn't one near us. Precepts seems closest to it, but there's no class here-I'd have to do the materials on my own, which might work out. I'm praying about what to do. I'm going to look into the options mentioned on here, so thanks!

 

 

Precept is much more in depth than BSF. You can find the online Precept courses listed here .

[Rose in BC]

I really like RC Sproul! Thank you!! :)

Me too! I have considered this in the past. It seems like a great deal.

[momee]

Not sure if you all are aware but Precept offers online courses through their online community.

 

As a Precept teacher for three years now I can say studying the bible inductively has taught me more than listening to any pastor's take on a section of scripture.  I love the accountability of a Precept group and when I'm not doing it, I miss it terribly.  We also study the bible verse by verse at church. 

 

Precept offers courses where you have homework each day.  For me, I had to learn the discipline for personal study.  I wanted quick and easy.  Precept made me slow WAY down and see

1)  what does it say

2)  what does it mean

3)  how does it apply to my life...asked another way, what do I do/what changes now that I know this

 

I cannot recommend studying the bible for yourself strongly enough.

 

 

[momee]

I am interested in the site mentioned above.  Why would they charge though?  Sorry, but that just bothers me.

[6packofun]

Something I found recently, which I'd already sort of been doing on my own, is to read through a passage of scripture--preferably an entire chapter--and then reread with specific questions in mind.  This is the list of questions I found which I think are EXCELLENT!  Keeping a notebook handy and answering these has really boosted my study time.

 

10 questions for better Bible study

1. What does this passage tell me about God? (Theology)
2. What does this passage tell me about myself/humanity (Anthropology)
3. How does this passage fit into the story of the Bible/the story of God redeeming His people? (Redemption History)
4. How does this passage lead me to Jesus? (Christocentric reading)
5. Based on this passage are there things I need to repent of?
6. Based on this passage are there things I ought to do/change?
7. How does this passage reveal the beauty of God and his gospel, and lead me into worship and adoration?

 

Bonus questions
2.5 Are there things I don't understand in this passage that I need to ask about/research further?
6.5 What can I do today to apply this passage?
7.5 How can I share the attractiveness of Christ in this passage to people in my life?

 

Sometimes I don't have an answer for every single one, but that's OK!  (This is from here:  http://jeltzz.blogspot.ca/2013/09/10-questions-for-better-bible-study.html )

[Ellie]

I am interested in the site mentioned above.  Why would they charge though?  Sorry, but that just bothers me.

 

If you do a Beth Moore study, *someone* has to pay for the materials and the DVDs and all that, yes? Well, just because this is on-line does not mean that there are not expenses involved. Furthermore, it is not unbiblical to charge a reasonable amount, even for "ministry." The apostle Paul talks about this.

[momee]

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[dirty ethel rackham]

For me, the best resource in my growth in love and understanding of Scripture has been weekly Bible study at parish using the Denver Catholic Bible Study (we took 7 years to go through a 4 year, college level course.)  I had a much better understanding of the times in which it was written, who the original audience was, allusions and references that would be unfamiliar to modern audiences, etc.  After we finished this course, we went on to do topical studies like the Wisdom books, Bible Best Sellers (the famous stories of the Bible from a much deeper look.)  Due to the needs of my children this year, this is the first year in 11 years that I have NOT been at weekly Bible study and I really miss it.  I need the discipline of homework and the fellowship of others. 

[abacus2]

Bible classes at my Christian college greatly increased my Bible knowledge. I think Old Testament Survey and New Testament Survey were the most helpful. Do you have a local Christian college where you could take or audit a class? I haven't looked into it previously, but I wonder if any of the free college classes that are available free online now would be helpful.

[DB in NJ]

This: http://www.amazon.com/The-Quiet-Time-Companion-Through/dp/0830811893

 

This: http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Warrens-Bible-Study-Methods/dp/0310273005/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382017747&sr=1-1&keywords=how+to+study+your+bible+rick+warren

 

And these: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=gaebelein%27s+expositor%27s&sprefix=gaebel%2Cstripbooks%2C668

 

I also use bible.org and blueletterbible.com a lot. If you click on the NET Bible at bible.org, you can read commentary, articles, and look up words in their original languages (vital imo).

[milovany]

Wanted to add that reading the Bible through the lens of the Church that it had been given to has been tremendously helpful too; life-changing in fact. This study Bible helped with that, as did taking a good honest look at church history and the role the Bible played in the ancient church. As one example, I'd always believed that communion was symbolic; but learning that the apostles and early church didn't view it as symbolic, but as the actual Body and Blood of Christ, meant something pretty big. They had already been partaking of the Eucharist as the Body and Blood of Christ for hundreds of years when they compiled the Bible in the 400's or so. The words "This is my Body and this is my Blood," couldn't be interpreted as it being a symbolic act, then. Not sure if that makes sense, but it's things like that that I'm referring to.