Bible Study

Paul wrote to Timothy; "Give diligence to present yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth." We study the Word, in order to obtain God's approval. He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us in our study.
Jesus taught that His Holy Spirit would remind us ("bring to remembrance") His Word. How can we be reminded of something that we do not first know?

Have you ever thought what it must have been like to sit among The Twelve, being taught by Jesus Himself? Four of His followers (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) have shared with us that very experience. For that reason I recommend that every follower, every Disciple, of Jesus get a plain language, red letter edition of the Bible. Spend some time "sitting at Jesus' feet." Study His Words (the words printed in red).

In my opinion Jesus' teachings are the heart, the central point of all Scripture. The Bible exist to Showcase the Good News that Jesus taught; The simple message of our universal guilt ("for ALL have sinned") and His redemptive sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus taught that salvation comes ONLY through Him.

People asks; "Which version, which translation, is best? is it the KJV or the NIV or the NKJV or some other?" My answer is that the Word written in YOUR HEART is the best version. The Good News that has changed your life. The message that your friends, neighbors and co-workers see in your daily walk... THAT is the scripture that counts.

So let me lay out a framework for the Believer's Bible study.

First, as I said above; there are the teachings of Jesus, the Good News, the Gospel.

Second, there's the context of those teachings; the four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These tell of the life of our Lord.

Third, the story told by Luke in the book of Acts. Here is a history of that first few years showing us how Jesus' followers (disciples), guided by His Holy Spirit, applied those teachings.

Fourth, you study the various letters ("epistles") written by these same disciples. The address the day to day issues found in the daily life of those first congregations.
This includes the 13 letters written by Paul to 7 churches and 3 friends, as well as 8 letters written by various leaders of the early church to deal with various doctrinal and congregational issues.

Finally, in the New Testament, we have the monumental book of prophecy: The Revelation given to John, the last survivor of the Twelve.

So then what of the Old Testament?
The Jewish Bible, the collection of writings which they call the "Law and the Prophets."

Well, at first look, one cannot ignore the fact that the early Church was primarily a Jewish Church. In fact this is an issue dealt with repeatedly by the leaders of those first congregations.
More importantly; your Savior, Jesus Christ, was a Jew. He preached to the Jews. The Twelve were all Jews. So to fully understand the New Testament you need to understand the Old Testament.

Keep in mind that when Jesus or His followers refer to "Scriptures" they are talking about the Old Testament. When Jesus said to satan " it is written..." He quotes the Old Testament.

Just as in the New Testament; the Old Testament begins with a chronological/history.

Genesis covers the first 2000 years of mans history (from Adam & Eve in The Garden of Eden to Joseph in Egypt)

Then there is a 400 year gap while Jacob's (now named Israel) family, twelve sons, their wives and kids and kid's kids, etc, hang out in Egypt.

Exodus begins at about 1500BCE with Moses leading Israel out of Egypt towards the "Promised Land"

The first 5 books of the Old Testament are called the "Torah" by the Jews. This is their Law, found specifically in the last part of Exodus and includes Leviticus & Numbers, then is recapped in Deuteronomy.

There is a pattern throughout these books of a series of Covenants, legal agreements between God and various people. Many of the covenants are promising the arrival of Jesus as a descendant of Abraham who will save the world. The remainder of these covenants can be summed up in the concept: God says Obey my laws and things will go well with you, ignore them and you will suffer.

The chronological history continues thru the Book about Esther

Jesus, in His teaching, makes many references to the Jewish Law.
He also refers to various prophecies (mostly about Himself) that can be found throughout the Old Testament.

The Story of Job has no chronological reference. It is generally considered a book of wisdom, illustrating God's interaction with mankind.

Psalms is a collection of Poems and songs, mostly written by King David.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes(Sermons) and the Song of Solomon were written by the last ruling monarch of United Israel; King Solomon.

The remaining books of the Old Testament are the records of the various Prophets who served in the period Covered by the Books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.

The last Prophet(Malachi) wrote approximately 400 years before the birth of Christ

A word about prophets;

Prophets are spokesmen of God. They say whatever God tells them to say. SOMETIMES their messages foretell future events, other times they bring words of Correction or comfort. It is important to understand the difference between a prophet and a preacher. The preacher speaks from his knowledge and understanding of God and God’s word. The prophet is simply a mouth-piece, speaking whatever God puts in his mouth. I call this Speaking by revelation (i.e.; speaking what God has revealed).

You may hear of the terms “Major Prophets” and “Minor Prophets” This terminology is bogus, it simply refers to the SIZE of the book recording the ministry of a particular prophet. NO prophet of God is more or less than any other, as they ALL speak from the same source; Revelation from the One True God.


The things that can be learned from the Old Testament;

• Prophecies of Christ Coming
• History of God’s Chosen People, Israel
• God’s Law given to govern Israel
• God’s interaction with People
• The Old Testament Law, specifically the system of sacrifices,
  is a fore-shadowing of Christ and the Church era.
• Wisdom of Godly men (primarily; King Solomon and King David)

It is also useful as a reference, because the writers of The New Testament
frequently refer to the Old Testament, that being the only “scriptures” they had