When I became a Christian, I learned the Bible from experts. I listened to ministers, bible study teachers, and reputable pastors on Christian radio stations. But when I sat down to read the Bible on my own, I didn’t trust myself to interpret it correctly. No one in the church taught me how to get beyond reading the Bible to studying the Bible.

Photo Courtesy IStockPhoto.com/VladisChern

I learned how to study the Bible in seminary. Sadly, there are many in the church today who lack of confidence to interpret the Bible on their own. If this is you, I want to encourage you with some tools so you can start gaining confidence in your study skills.

Some believers may be satisfied listening to the experts and not want to study on their own. Others may simply feel stuck. Here’s my analogy. I don’t cook, but my Mother was a fantastic cook! Our family looked forward to her meals and we were never disappointed. My Mother tried many times to help me learn how to cook, but I had no interest in learning. I didn’t see the fun in cooking. Most importantly, I had no incentive to learn how to cook because Mother was still going to feed me. When I became responsible for my own meals as an adult, I had two choices. I could buy a cookbook and fumble through recipes to eat at home, or I could eat out. To this day I prefer to eat out because I don’t feel confident to prepare my own meals.

I think a similar scenario occurs in the church. Many of us depend on strong teachers and preachers to feed us God’s word. Going to church is like coming to Sunday dinner at Mother’s house and enjoying a tasty feast with our family. No one is going to miss that opportunity! Similarly, why not come to church and hear a great sermon? We all want to listen to a pastor who feeds us well. But what happens for the next six days? Those who lack confidence in studying the Bible avoid reading it and wait for next Sunday to roll around to hear another good sermon.

I believe this reality presents a challenge to the church. If I could make one change in the church, I would ask God to burden all pastors to offer a training course teaching us how to study the Bible. I realize that some don’t want to learn how to study the Bible in-depth. There will always be people who don’t want to “cook.” That’s okay. But until pastors equip their congregations with bible study skills, let me offer some starter ideas to help you progress:

1. Here are some robust websites that give you access to many free resources:

a. http://www.biblestudytools.com/ You will find a library of commentaries, bible dictionaries, bible encyclopedias, and reading plans. If you need a daily devotional, click the “Bible Study” tab and then click “Devotionals.” They offer a plethora of devotionals to choose from. It’s worth your time to explore this page.

b. http://www.blueletterbible.org/ If you want to delve into word studies, this site is for you. You can see Scripture in its original languages and review the definitions to interpret the meaning effectively.

c. http://www.biblemap.org/ This is a fun site. You can type the book and chapter of the passage you’re studying, and every location referenced in that chapter is not only pinned for you on the map, but you can click the pin and get a quick history lesson about the city.

2. If you are an auditory learner, then tune into Hank Hanegraaff at http://www.equip.org. People nickname him, “The Bible Answer Man.” Listeners around the world call into his radio show to ask questions about the Bible. Hank has tremendous Scriptural knowledge, and I love his humility as he addresses each question. I download his daily podcast onto my iPod. You can also listen to his archived broadcasts through your computer.

3. If you already feel confident interpreting the Bible on your own, let me offer four process questions to help you listen for a clear message or theme from the Spirit as you read a particular passage:

a. Why is this message important to me?

b. What’s at stake if I don’t internalize this message?

c. How am I in this story?

d. Why do I need to hear this?

I hope the above sites will help you grow your desire to study the Bible. I thank God for my seminary education, because it changed my life. I fell in love with studying God’s word and gained confidence in handling Scripture. Now I have the honor of planting God’s Word into the hearts of my Sunday school class members. It’s okay if they want me to feed them. In this arena I’m happy to cook!

Are there other websites or courses that you can share with those who want stronger bible study skills? I’d love to hear how they helped you grow in your Bible study skills.

Blessings,

Lee Ann