Good question! There are a lot of methods, just like there are a lot of ways you can study for a math test. Is there one right way? Not really. Is there a wrong way? Well...yes? Sort of? Maybe not wrong as much as "less right"? No...incomplete. Incomplete is better.
Incomplete way #1:
Keeping your Bible on the shelf and never looking at it or opening it. And also never going to church or youth group or listening to church services online (which yes, is a valid way to "go to" church, but that's a whole other blog post). You can't study the Bible or learn about God just by being in the same room as his Word.
But, owning a Bible is a good first step. You don't have one? Message me your address and I will send you one from Amazon. Or there are MANY Bible apps that allow you to carry around different translations in your pocket. Personally I do enjoy the app as my favorite translation to study from happens to weigh several pounds in print and is definitely not practical.
Incomplete way #2:
Relying on other people to study for you. Let's stay with the math test metaphor. Assuming your math teacher did at some point study math and know what they are talking about, they then tell you, maybe even show you, how math works. Is listening to your math teacher bad? No. Just like listening to a pastor/youth leader/Sunday school teacher/etc. isn't bad. You should listen to these people (again, assuming they know what they are talking about). But only listening to other people tell you about the Bible doesn't give you the whole picture, just like only listening in class and never taking notes or doing your homework probably won't get you an A. Side note, you should also ask these people questions when they say something you don't understand or maybe don't agree with. I'm not saying you should stand up in the middle of the sermon and yell "I THINK YOU'RE WRONG" next Sunday, but maybe after the service approach the preacher/teacher with respect. A good one will answer. Beware of the ones that either don't answer or just say "because I/the Bible says so." But again....different post.
Incomplete way #3:
Reading straight through a passage, thinking "go me, I read my Bible today," then putting it back on the shelf and picking your phone back up (or, if using the app, just going back on [insert your favorite app here]). Remember how I said the Bible wasn't written in English? Some of it is straight foward and not up to much interpretation. BUT even those passages are surrounded by context and require further study to actually get the full meaning. Like I said, it isn't wrong. Reading your Bible is good! It is simply incomplete.
What, then, is a complete way? Like I said, there are many. I'm going to teach you one because it isn't complicated or hard to remember, and is a good starting point. You don't need a notebook or something to write in, but it does make studying a lot easier (again, just like math class 😂). And yes, a phone note app works fine. BUT if you are also using your phone for the Bible, it can get a little complicated. It also makes distractions very easy...
All you gotta do, is use some SOAP.
S - Scripture
O - Observation
A - Application
P - Prayer
Let's do it together using a verse you probably know, John 3:16.
S: Write out the scripture
"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life." - John 3:16
O: What do you observe about the passage? Who wrote it? What does it tell us about God, or about ourselves? What is the context (surrounding verses - context is ALWAYS very important)? What questions does it bring up?
Who wrote it: John (duh). The passage comes during John's Gospel, and tells of a conversation between Jesus (the speaker of the passage) and Nicodemus (a Pharisee/Jewish ruler). Nicodemus had questions about what he had heard Jesus teach about, specifically the concept of being "born again". Jesus share that God loves the world and sent His Son (Jesus) to save the world through him, and that belief in this concept allows the believer to be born again and have eternal life. The following verses go further into the idea of believing and the consequences of not believing.
note: "judged" means a guilty verdict - condemned to eternal death (Hell)
A: How can we apply this passage to ourselves/our lives?
For God so loved ME that he gave his one and only Son. If I believe in Jesus and trust his as my savior I will live with Him for eternity.
P: Pray to thank God for his teaching and to help you apply it to your life
God, I know I am not always the easiest to love, but you do it anyway. If I was the only person on the planet you still would have sent your Son to save me. Help me believe in this truth and to live my life according to your purpose. Amen
See, that wasn't so hard, right? One way I like to "level up" my study is to use different translations. For ease of reading I will often use the NIrV (New International Reader's Version - what I will probably pull the majority of the scripture references from in the blog). When I study myself I like the use the Amplified Bible, which is kind of like a Bible with a thesaurus built in. I'll use others to, but those are the two most common for me.
And for today's song...you might even hear this one in church at some point. It was new to me but it's a good one!
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