My desire for this program is that it will be used of God to encourage you the listener to read and study the Bible with greater understanding and benefit. To do this I present various study methods I have found helpful and then try to illustrate the method for you.
Whenever you attempt to study the Bible start by praying for guidance, then, as you read, observe what is being said in the text. Note the actual facts or statements. Next, try to understand what it actually means. That is, you need to interpret what you have observed. Once you’ve done this you need to apply what you learn to your life. In other words you need to answer the question, “What does it mean to you personally? What kind of changes do you need to make in the way you live to have this truth implemented in your life?” This is called an inductive study.
As an example of this study approach look at the parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13. Fortunately two of them were interpreted by Jesus Christ Himself; the parable of the sower, verses 3-9, was interpreted in verses 18-23, and the parable of the wheat and the weeds, verses 24-30, was interpreted in verses 37-43.
With Jesus’s explanation of the facts in these parables try to develop some applications to your own life. I’ll share with you some applications I came up with in our next visit. Till then, why don’t you read over these parables in Matthew 13 and try to develop some applications you can make to your life.
