(Based on Sunday School lesson handout.  Underlined words were blanks in the handout)

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There is a whole field of study called Hermeneutics that deals with the study and interpretation of Scripture.  However, studying your Bible doesn’t need to be complicated.  I believe God has provided us His word in such a way that any generation from any culture should be able to have it, read it, and understand its meaning (to some degree). 

In this study, I want to give a basic overview of how we can study the Bible and get the most out of it.


1.  Commit to a systematic Bible reading  plan

Simply put, God’s people should be taking in God’s word, and the best way to take it in is simply to read it! (Acts 17:11,
1 Timothy 5:13-16).  We don’t have to understand bread in order to eat it, or water in order to drink it.  We just know we are thirsty!

I recommend a reading plan where the focus is on regularly reading the Bible through without stopping to study what you are reading (any further study should be additional).  As with anything, it is best to have a systematic plan and to stick with it.  Remember; commitment leads to discipline, which leads to habit, which leads to growth (Psalm 37:4-6).


2.  Compare cross references and parallel passages
     
There is a saying I learned long ago that goes, “Scripture interprets Scripture.”  How true I have found this to be.  It is no wonder that God has given us so much of the Bible in redundancy (two tellings of the Creation story, two tellings of the Law, Kings and Chronicles, prophets, four gospels, to tellings of the judgments in Revelation...).

By simply comparing these, we often find the explanation in the text.  Often, words will be defined by other words in the text (synonyms).  This is a good way to do word studies.  There are plenty of resources out there that will simply show you every time certain words are used in the KJV.  Copy and past all of those verses and then begin comparing them to each other.  You will most likely figure out what the word means without even turning to Greek and Hebrew lexicons or Bible dictionaries.


3.  Consider the Context
This is where we have to do some detective work.  Research history and archeology to find out the manners and cultures of the days surrounding the text you are studying (taking with a grain of salt, of course, as no one living today was there).
It is very important to admit to the “unknown.” It is okay if you spend your whole life considering God's words and have still not got the answers you are looking for (Isaiah 55:8-11).  This is part of having faith!  God will reveal things to us, through the Holy Spirit, in time (1 Corinthians 14:8-12).

Often I have heard my soul-winning partners tell the people to whom they are witnessing (and, ok... I've said it myself), "Well, we aren't trying to take people from their churches..." I've often thought to myself, as I hear it come from their mouths (or hear it come from mine), "Are we lying to these people?"  The truth is, I DO ultimately want people to come to our church and become a part of the work; and if the people to whom I am speaking are going to a bad church that teaches poor doctrine, I DO want them to stop going there.

So here are some points that I think we should clarify:

1.  What we really mean is, "We are here with the sole purpose of giving you the gospel.  Though we would love for you to come check out our church, let's get to the heart of why we are here."

2.  If a person hears the gospel and chooses to put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation (contrary to what they have been taught in their church), it should be pointed out that their church is probably not teaching the same thing.  Whereas it is not our goal to "take people from their churches," we don't want people to go where false doctrine is taught.

3.  If a person is saved, and their church is teaching the right gospel, I still want them to know about our church and what it teaches:

• We use the KJV Bible.
• We are big on soul-winning.
• We love preaching/teaching and are less focused on "programs."
• We encourage the family to worship together with the whole church, and though we have a "mother/baby room," we don't provide nurseries and children's classes.
  
  

Now, to some this might sound like we don't want people to come to our church at all.  However, we want to be very up front about our church and what they can expect if they visit.  It could be that some are in a church that is not a good fit for them and they are looking for a church more like ours.

I personally have no problem with someone finding another church if we aren't meeting their needs and they can serve the Lord better elsewhere.  It isn't usually a good feeling to know someone doesn't "like" our services, but it is a reality.


So, are we trying to take people from their churches?  I would have to say...no.  That isn't our goal.  If it happens, it happens; but that isn't why we go out door to door and talk to people.  We are not in competition with other churches.  We don't figure out what they are doing and try to do it better.  We don't base our programs and special events with the mindset of drawing church goers from their churches.

The Bible says "go into all the world and preach the gospel."  So, they don't have to come to us, we are going to go to them.  And if anyone is interested in joining up with us, and if they can grow and serve the Lord better with our assembly than they can were they are... come on!