Its about learning how to follow Jesus Christ. Its also about learning how to read the Bible and understand what God is saying to the world, both in the church and outside the walls. God inspired or breathed out his thoughts through many people over the centuries. These thoughts were recorded in various forms finally resulting in the printed and digital forms of the Bible we see today. The story within the Bible is true. It has a common theme, if we’re willing to accept it. What is this common theme? The salvation of human souls from eternal death. God made us; we rebelled resulting in separation from Him; and He made a way to save us. The Bible is the book that tells us all about it.
So….how do you read and study this book, the Bible? Consider the following tips:
It helps to dedicate time to regularly read some text each day. Developing a habit of consistent study, either in the morning or evening, will become a highlight of your day. Read the text in context. What does that mean? As you read, consider the historical, scriptural, and cultural background of the passage. Think about how it might apply to your daily life and your relationships. It also helps to seek to understand God’s message with a prayerful attitude. God reveals His truths to those humble enough to listen. Seeking community with others for discussion can also enhance your understanding as other people share what they have learned. Small groups, Sunday school classes, etc are ways to meet with others to study the Bible. A disciple of Christ will always be learning.
Key elements of serious Bible study:
- Prayerful approach: Begin and end your study with prayer, asking God for guidance and understanding. The Bible is a divine book originated by God. Ask Him for His insights.
- Contextual understanding: Read passages within their historical, scriptural, and literary context, considering the surrounding verses and the broader narrative.
- Observation: Carefully analyze the text, noting key details like people, places, events, and repeated words. Consider using topical references, concordances, and searches.
- Interpretation: Seek to understand the intended meaning of the passage based on the context and literary style.
- Application: Reflect on how the biblical truths apply to your life and current situations. Look over the section in group studies on questions.
- Research: Utilize study tools like commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and concordances to gain deeper insights. How deep you go is up to you. Listen to where the Holy Spirit is leading you.
- Community engagement: Discuss your findings with others in a Bible study group to gain diverse perspectives and insights. Group study methods and helps and a Bible based church study group will help you grow in your faith. As a children of God, you are part of the family of God. Join with other believers.
I’ve created a bootable USB Bible based Linux distribution to help you on your journey in following the Lord Jesus Christ. Getting the Bible into you is one of the keys to your journey. You can install this on a dedicated computer or simply run it live from the USB stick. Start in the A New Beginning For Your Life menu. Next look in the Biblical Discipleship menu. This Linux distribution has both dated and newer materials. Use whatever you feel most comfortable with. The dated materials were written more for the King James Bible (included). Try them with the updated World English Bible (WEB) or the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), both included. The 1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB) is also included in some of the installed software. There are currently two versions of this bootable USB distribution and another one in development. Use MX 23 for older computers. Remember, if you install it, it may overwrite everything in your computer,….so be careful. I suggest getting hold of a 10-15 year old discarded computer and trying it on it. This will easily install and run on 4 gig of RAM and a 30 gig hard drive. The following web link points to where you can download it. No support is officially provided at this time, but if you are having serious problems with the Bible based part of this, you can contact me at dhdavis.37 at yahoo.com. MX Linux support is available at their forums, but since this is an unofficial respin of MX Linux, their support techs will not help you with the Bible portion, just the MX Linux portion. :
https://sourceforge.net/projects/bible-study/
Seek the Lord in all you do! God bless! Dan
Have You Read Your Bible Today? 