How to Read the Bible 1

Overview and Purpose:

Welcome to How to Read the Bible! I’m really excited about this course. I’m excited that so many in our church have signed up for this.

Matthew 5:6 ESV

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

I believe this large group of registrations shows our church has a hunger and thirst for righteousness… for what God determines is right. And I hope you’re excited because this verse tells us two things:

When you have a hunger and thirst for God, you will be satisfied. I believe God is going to meet you here in this course.

I believe you will be blessed. That you will add things of eternal value to your life. It will be a blessing to you, your family, your friends, and your future.

A course like this is important to me (and our leadership team) because we desire to see our church family grow spiritually. To do that, we need to feed our spirit. And the word of God is food for our soul. Jesus said...

Matthew 4:4 ESV

But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

Finally, being learning to read the Bible is important because it’s the primary way God directs His people.

Psalm 119:105 NLT

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

And so it is my hope that this course will help us all in these ways.

Now, before we start, I want to mention both what this course “is” and “is not.” Let’s start with the “is not.”

What this course is NOT:

First off, this course is NOT a hermeneutics course. That’s a fancy word for “the art and science of biblical interpretation.” I will give you tools that’ll help you interpret what you read, but this will not be a biblical interpretation course.

This is not an apologetics course. While defending the faith through reason is important and interesting, that’s not the purpose of this course.

This is not a preaching course. Again, while you may gain skills that would help someone in preaching, that is not the focus of our 4 sessions.

Finally, at least for now, this isn’t even a full on “How to STUDY the Bible course.” Maybe some day we will do that.

So, if this course is NOT all of those things, what is it?

What this course IS:

Well, it is what the title says it is. It is a “How to READ the Bible” course. And the main purpose or goal of our time together is to help you “Engage the Bible so you can live DIFFERENTLY.” I hope to equip you with skills and resources that’ll allow you to personally engage the Bible. That after these 4 sessions, you will:

Have a confidence to read the Bible yourself.

Have the resources or skills to seek answers when you engage the Bible but don’t understand what you are reading. Let me EMPHASIZE a MAJOR part of this course… I want to show you how to use resources YOU ALREADY HAVE ACCESS TO RIGHT NOW.

Have the ability to read the Bible, understand what you read, and apply it to your life so that you live DIFFERENTLY. This is KEY because the Bible is not meant for information, but transformation. When God speaks to us through His word, we should be transformed by it.

Let me give you will it include....

This may sound weird, but I think it’s necessarily. This course will include fun. I’ve tried to create an interactive experience and not just a lecture. There will be videos, breakout rooms, polls, and prizes. God’s word is fun. And learning how to engage it should be a joyful experience.

It will include your participation. Don’t worry, I won’t be calling anyone out. But engaging God’s word is an active experience, not passive. You will grow the most, when you participate.

It will include a safe place. Again, this is not a classroom or graded-course. That means we’re allowed to make mistakes and ask questions. When you are in your Breakout Rooms, I want you to feel comfortable talking with your church family. There is not an expectation that every one will get everything right away. Honestly, you can’t learn to read the Bible in 4 - 60 min sessions. This will be lifelong journey. And this is an environment for all people, at all levels, to safely begin to Engage the Bible.

It will included learning a process called Inductive Bible Study. It’s a 3-step process of observation, interpretation, and application (You’ll learn what that means over the next month). While this process can be used for preaching and Bible study, for now, we’re going to use to help us “read” the Bible.

So, let me quickly show you what that looks like schedule-wise:

Session 1 will be an Introduction (what we’re doing now) and learning the Observation-step of Inductive Bible Study.

Session 2 is learning the Interpretation and Application parts of Inductive Bible Study.

Session 3 is learning how to read the Old Testament (using IBS).

Session 4 is learning how to read the New Testament (using IBS).

One last thing before we officially start. I want to honor our time by doing our best to stay within 60 minutes. So, we will start promptly and move quickly. I know many of you will have questions (because there will be times it’ll feel like drinking from a fire hydrant), but we won’t have time to stop. However, there are leaders monitoring the chat. If you have a question, you can post it there and one of them will try and help you. If it’s urgent and requires my attention, they will let me know. And if we have time, I’ll address it in-session.

Let me say this too… Breakout sessions are great places to ask questions. My intention is these groups and group leaders will be people you can go to with questions, even after this course. Of course, as your pastor, I’m available to you throughout the week. And, I will stick around afterwards to help you.

Since today is the 4th, Isaac, it is my understanding that all of our Zoom squares are aligned differently, so pick the 5th square in your screen. They just won a $5 giftcard to RaonJena! See, I told you this course was FUN!

Okay, let’s get to one of the most common questions when it comes to reading the Bible...

What translation should I read?

Let’s start with a Poll. Answer the following poll: What’s your favorite translation?

Take a look at this chart. This shows common Bible translations on a spectrum based on three categories:

Word for Word - meaning, the translators interpreted directly from the text, which is written in a different language (Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek). As much as possible, they considered the word and sentence structure, and translated and attempted to be as literal as possible (which can be difficult because Hebrew and Greek words don’t always have an English equivalent).

Thought for Thought - instead of word for word, the translators communicated the thought expressed instead of a direct translation.

Paraphrase - A little less precise than thought for thought, but still accurate to the Bible text. Meaning, you’re not going to read heresy or a change in doctrine by reading paraphrase. It’s not something you’d study from, but it’ll likely help our modern understanding.

Most of you know that I use the ESV during Church. It’s the translation I prefer because it’s both faithful to the original text (which is necessary when I study to preach and teach), but it’s also readable. However, you’ve probably noticed I also use the NLT. I love the NLT! When I gave my life to Christ, my first Bible was an NLT. Reading the NLT helped gain an understanding and confidence withe Bible.

And that would be my answer to all of us taking this course. You want to read the translation that helps you understand the BEST! Many times, I flip between different translations because they will all help me get a better grasp on what is being said!

YouVersion Bible App

And here’s where I’m going to point you to resources YOU ALREADY HAVE ACCESS TO… If you have not yet downloaded the YouVersion Bible App, you need to do that today. It is free; and, you will have access to all of these translations. Furthermore, I’d trust any of the translations for “reading” that are on YouVersion. Because there are certain translations you can’t trust; for example, the Watchtower translation or Mormon Bible. Those are NOT trustworthy.

With that said, let’s watch our first video...

Right Now Media/Bible Project:

Our first video for today is from The Bible Project. They are a great organization that helps people understand the Bible through really creative videos. And their resources are ALREADY available to you for FREE directly from their website (bibleproject.com) or YouTube. However, you can also access many of their videos through Right Now Media.

Most of you already know that The River Church pays for every person in our church (or friends of people in our church) to have their own personal account to Right Now Media, with unlimited access. If you haven’t signed up for your account, you can do that today:

Go to our website: riverchurchct.com

Scroll down the front page and signup there. Be sure to download it on your mobile devices as well!

Once you do, login and you can either search Bible Project… or… you can click on “The River Church” tab, and you’ll see I’ve placed Bible Project videos under our “recommendations.”

Coincidentally, our first video today is from The Bible Project’s “How to Read the Bible” series. We won’t use all of their videos in this series, but feel free to go back and watch these as you continue your Bible reading journey.

Let’s watch the “How to Read the Bible.” (6 min)

Bonus Questions:

What is the name of the Hebrew/Jewish Bible that’s based on an acronym? [Tanak]

Why did the Jewish people put all the prophetic writings (inspired by God) together into one book? [They tell an epic story of how God is working through these people to bring order and beauty out of the chaos in of our world and a hope for a new leader who come and renew all creation.]

What was Jesus’s claim or part in the Tanak story? [He was carrying it forward and fulfilling it].

With that foundation on what the Bible is, let’s move to the first step of the Inductive Bible Study process.

Observation:

This is an extremely important part of learning how to read your Bible. One main reason is - as the video just mentioned - the Bible is an ancient book, written thousands of years ago, thousands of miles away, by many different authors, to different people and cultures. That means many times we can’t pick up the Bible and instantly understand what is being talked about.

For example: Think about the word “fire.” If I were to say, “That’s fire!” you may not instantly know what I’m talking about.

I may be teaching my son about what fire is.

I may have just been asked, “What is that light and heat coming from the other side of the kitchen door?”

Or… I could be referring to a song I really like!

Context (or understanding the circumstances of the event/statement) makes a big difference in understanding. Especially with the third statement! Because that statement is connected to culture and generation. 2,000 years ago, people may understand the 1st & 2nd statement based on context, but they would have no natural ability to understand the third statement. They would need to observe the culture and its use of language. That’s what the Observation-step helps us begin to do with the Bible.

And this is important because many times, instead of reading the Bible, we read “into” the Bible. Meaning, we force our culture and thinking onto what we are reading and can completely misunderstand what’s trying to be said. Let’s watch a video that can help us understand this...

Video: Moonwalking Bear (3 min)

So, at the end of the video, it says, “It’s easy to miss what you’re not looking for.” That’s true with Bible Reading too! But the inverse is also true, “It’s easy to see what you’re looking for.” You ever been car shopping for a particular car and all of a sudden you see that care everywhere?

In Bible reading...

We don’t want to miss what we’re supposed to see.

We don’t want to see what we WANT to see.

We want to observe what the Scriptures are saying.

Observation helps us do that!

What is Observation and How do I do it?

Let’s talk about how to do this step; and then, I’m going to give you a chance to practice it in your Breakout Groups...

In Observation, you are just observing. This is harder than it sounds. Because many times we try to interpret while observing. Do your best not to do that. Just observe. Think about this: What does the passage in the Bible say? Again, not what does it mean; but, what is it saying?

Let me give you a few ways to do that:

First off pray. That may sound passive, and not active, but it’s actually very active. The Bible makes it clear that we need the Holy Spirit’s help to properly understand God’s word. Ask God, “Please help me see what You want me to see.”

Read the passage SLOWLY and multiple times (even use different translations).

Look for repeated words or phrase. Highlight, circle, or write them down.

Ask questions. If there is something you don’t understand, write yourself a question. Write, “What does this mean?” Remember, no answering the question - not yet. You are simply observing.

Look for conditional or descriptive statements:

Does the passage include time reference (After this, later, once again…)?

Does the passage include conditions (if/then, so that, but, for this reason)?

If it does, write them down. Again - let me stress. No interpreting at this point! Just observe.

Okay, you guys want to try this? I’m going to break you guys out into groups and I want you to observe the following familiar verse:

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

As a group, do the observation-step on this process. Try your best not to interpret.

Pray together for understanding.

Look for repeated or key phrases.

Write down any questions you have.

Look for conditional or time-based statements.

I’m going to give you 8 minutes with your group and then we will come back.

Group leaders: Please write down the observations of your group because I will ask some of you to share your findings.

Breakout Room: Observation (8 minutes)

Brief sharing of group observations...

Final Observation step:

Let me give you one more observation step. As you observe, remember the Big Story/Main Point/Purpose of the story. When we do this, we are able to “observe” better.

Video: Bible Project - What’s the Story of the Bible? (6 min)

Poll: What’s the Story of the Bible?

A purely historical account of the Jewish people.

The story of human choice and God’s plan to save the world.

How sinful men can follow God’s rules and earn their way to heaven.

So, now that you’ve watched that last video, let’s break into groups again and see if that changes any of the observations you made from the first time. We’ll stay in these groups for 5 mins and then share our thoughts.

Final Breakout Group (5 mins).

Group leaders: Share final observations.

Final Bonus Question:

Who caught the Hebrew word for “humanity”? [Adam - NLT Study Bible?]

Closing thoughts:

Next meeting is Thursday, March 11th. Same time, same Zoom link.

Don’t forget to download YouVersion or signup/download RightNow Media, if you have not already. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your group leader or me! I’ll also stay logged on for a bit to answer any questions!

Prayer to close.