Overview

Observation

What do I see? pg. 39

4 keys in observation

Terms

It is not just a word it is a key word

It is a word that unlocks meaning

Example of John

Believe is used 79 in the book off John. it is always used as a verb and never a noun. John uses that word purposefully and it unlocks mean to what he is saying.

Structure

It is a library of carefully constructed book that display to those who look for it 2 basic kinds of structure

Grammatical Structure

What is the subject, the object, the main verb. you will be able to get so much more out of your bible study if you are looking for these things

Literary Structure

Look for questions and answers, cause and effect, climax and resolution

Literary form

Don’t ignore the genre of the text you are reading. you cant approach every book and even every verse the same.

Are your reading poetry, an epistle, narrative, love poetry, apocalyptic writings, comedy, tragedy.

atmosphere

Put yourself into the setting of the text. What is the author feeling when he is writing?

Rejoice in the lord always and again i will say rejoice. Phil 4:4 that is written from prison

Put yourself in the seen,if there is a sunset see the sunset, if there is an order, smell it, if there is a cry of anguish feel it.

Interpretation

What does it mean? pg. 40

Questions

If you want to understand the bible you have to bombard it with questions. The bible is not embarrassed to be asked questions, it wont always answer them, but you still need to ask them so you can find out if they can be answered.

Answers

If you ask questions you are going to have to look for the answers. where will you find them? in the text! observation is the foundation for finding the answers. the more time you spend observing the text the less time you will need to spend on interpenetrating it.

Integration

Not only do you need to ask questions and then look for answers, you also need to put it together into a meaningful whole.

Integration is the stage where you reconstruct the meaning of the passage after you've taken it apart to inspect the details.

Application

How does it work? pg. 40

How does it work for me?

This is the personal side of things. this is where you get to take the observation, the interpretation and everything you just learned and look to see how it effects your life. How is it designed to work in your life?

How does it work for others?

If it has application for you then it is going to have application for others also. The point of bible study is not just to keep it to yourself. look for ways you can take what you are observing, interpretation and applying to you life and share it with others.

Implementation

What do I do?

This is an even more personal question. Remember the reason we are studying the Bible is not just to get head knowledge but to change our lives. This is where we take all three aspects and rap it up. You take your observations, that leads to interpretation, then taking what you have learned you need to ask the question what how does it apply and then, what do you do with it

Big Picture

Observation: What do I see?

Interpretation: what does it mean?

Application: How does it work?

Implementation: What do I do?