G'day everyone, my name is Dave. Welcome to my channel ... and in today's
video, I'm gonna share my top 5 tips on how to study the Bible. And whether
you're new to faith, if you've been following Jesus for a while, or even if
you're just kicking the tires and trying to figure out what this whole Christian
thing is about, these tips will help you get the most out of reading the Bible.
And trust me number 5 is going to be your favorite. Intro.
Well if this is your first time on my channel, this is the place where I like to do short videos
that help you take the next practical step in your faith journey. So make sure
you hit that SUBSCRIBE button and the bell icon so that you never miss an
episode. Well, we've got a lot to talk about today so I'm not even gonna put
two minutes up on the clock ... and I mean, let's be honest I never really stick to
it anyway. Am I right? Okay, so tip number 1 on how to study the Bible is: Be consistent.
Now consistency matters because reading
the Bible is a lot like erosion. See, erosion happens when there's a constant
steady force on an object causing it to be changed or transformed. Anyone who has
seen a shoreline like this one, which is in my hometown of Melbourne, Australia,
has seen the impact of erosion. Now, believe it or not I'm no geologist, but I
do know that erosion is not caused by one giant wave. It's actually the steady
and constant pressure of the tides that transforms the hard stone. And it's the
same when it comes to studying the Bible. God doesn't teach us all the spiritual
truths we'll need throughout our lives in one giant splash. Instead He
transforms us over time using a consistent stream of studying the Bible
to shape us into who He wants us to be. It's like this great old rabbinic
teaching that says: "Just as rain water comes down in drops and forms rivers, so
with the Scriptures. One studies a bit today and some
tomorrow until in time understanding comes like a flowing stream." Man I love
that saying! So being consistent with studying the Bible allows a steady
stream of God's Word to transform and change us over time. Ok, tip number 2 is:
Read the four Gospels. Whenever people ask me what they should read when they
first start studying the Bible, I always tell them the same thing; you should read
all four Gospels every month for a year! See, in Jesus's day, a disciple was with
their rabbi 24/7. So they were able to watch how their rabbi treated the poor,
how they handled their money, how they ate their food, what they were like when
they were sad, or angry, or happy. And every activity was an opportunity for
them to learn from their rabbi. And likewise, if you want to be like Jesus
then you have to spend time with Jesus. Which is why I suggest people read
Matthew, Mark, Luk,e and John every month. Week 1, Matthew. Week 2, Mark. Week three,
Wuke. Wuke?? What is a Wuke? It's week and Luke
joined together. Wuke! What was a up to? week 3, Luke. And week 4, John. And I
always suggest this because a rabbi friend of mine who was teaching me about
discipleship in the Jewish context, once challenged me by saying; "if you can't
find the time to read all four Gospels every month, then you can't call yourself
a disciple of Jesus because you're not spending time with your rabbi." Wow!
Now his point was that reading the four gospel stories helps you understand the
example that Jesus set, so that you can live a life that honors God. See, we need
to make sure that we're not just learning about Jesus, but we're learning
to be like Jesus. So I wonder, how many of you would be willing to take up this
challenge to read all four Gospels every month? If you're in, I promise you that by
the end of this year, you will know more about Jesus and be closer to God than
you have ever been! Tip number 3 is: Read with a friend. I think sometimes
most of us assume we're only supposed to read the Bible on our own as part of our
quiet time. Now yes, the Bible tells us that Jesus often got up early in the
morning to spend some alone time with God, but we forget that Jesus had a small
group as well! In fact, one of the virtues of first century Jewish culture was the
"dibuk chaverim", which literally translates as; "be glued to a friend".
Now, not in a practical joke sort of way. Although that would be kind of funny. The
idea of the dibuk chaverim is that like Jesus, all of us should have a couple of
close friends who we read the scriptures with, and who encourage us. I mean
personally, a big part of my spiritual growth has been discussing and debating
the scriptures with a couple of close friends who encourage me on my faith
journey. So I would encourage you to always make sure that you're studying
the Bible with a friend. Tip number 4 is: Read a devotional. I mean let's be
honest, sometimes the Bible is hard to understand. And with all those
genealogies and laws, sometimes it's hard not to get bored when reading it. Am i
right? And that's why it's good to have a devotional or reading plan with you.
Devotionals can help you see things in scripture that you never saw before, and
open up a whole new world to your faith.
Was that was dumb? That as dumb. And the great news is that a good devotional doesn't even have to
cost you anything. The YouVersion Bible app has some great devotions and reading
plans—some of which I've even written myself. And if you want something a
little more convenient, I post daily devotions on my Instagram account, so you
could always follow me @AussieDave. And you know what, if you'd prefer a physical
copy of a devotion , ust leave a comment down below and I'll pick a couple of
people at random to send a physical copy of my devotion book "Chasing The
Light". Now my last suggestion is probably the most important and it's this: Take it
slow and ask questions. By take it slow, I mean don't feel like you have to read
the whole Bible in one sitting for it to count. This is what I used to think, and
eventually I got so frustrated by it that I stopped reading the Bible
altogether. But like I said earlier, erosion happens by constant drops, not
one big splash. So I started reading just a single verse every day and built on
that. And when I say ask questions I mean ... ask questions. If something you read
while studying the Bible leads you to have a bunch of questions, write those
questions down. I mean we're taught that it's a book of answers to all of life's
questions, but did you know that first century believers actually saw the Bible
as a book of questions to all of life's answers! See, they believe that people
grew in their faith when they honestly wrestled with a question rather than
just being handed an answer. Maybe that's why Jesus was asked 183 questions
throughout the Gospels, but he only answered 3. Meanwhile, he asked 307
questions of his own! Our faith doesn't come from being spoon-fed all of the
answers ... instead I think God wants us to ask questions and to wrestle with things
in order to develop our faith. In fact, the word "Israel" means "wrestles with God"
because we're supposed to ask questions about the things we read in the Bible.
God's people aren't meant to find their faith in shortcut answers, but in
wrestling with their questions. So take it slow and ask questions. So there you
have it, five tips to help you study the Bible. But before you go off and start
reading, I want to add one more thing. We're not supposed to read the Bible in
order to just check a box, we study the Bible to understand who God is. And we
don't read it so that we can be informed about God ... but so that we can be
transformed by God! So I wonder, which one of these tips was most helpful to you, or
do you have your own tips on studying the Bible? If you do, why don't you tell
us all in the comment section down below. Well, I really hope this video was
helpful for you. If it was, make sure you give it a thumbs up, hit that subscribe
button if you haven't already. And I will see you next time.