Hello Friends!
Welcome Back! Let’s continue our with our series titled
“How to Study the Bible”
for our Christian walk with our Lord Jesus Christ…
How to Study the Bible (Part 2)
Reading the Bible ~ The New Testament
Last week we considered the Old Testament and our approach to
reading its content. As for our approach to reading the New Testament, it is here where we should invest the
majority of our study time…
The New Testament
The Apostle Paul says to the church in Colosse:
…of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints – Colossians 1:25-26
That “mystery”
is the New Testament revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Paul also describes himself as an apostle of that “mystery”
from “other ages” revealed by the “Spirit”
of God:
how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets – Ephesians 3:3-5
The New Testament was the major thrust of Paul’s ministry. He
constantly utilized the Old Testament – “as it is written” – to illustrate,
elucidate and support the New Testament!
The New Testament embodies and engulfs
all that was in the Old Testament. It also summarizes the content of the Old Testament and leads us into the
fullness of God's revelation to mankind. Therefore, we must invest more time studying the New Testament because it
explains the Old Testament. Also, the New Testament was written
in Greek – a particularly complex language that emphasizes abstract
concepts and subtle meanings. Therefore, studying the New Testament
demands
greater diligence. So, where does one begin? The following thoughts may be of some assistance…
The little book of
1 John
is a good place to start. To begin with, simply read all five chapters.
It will
take you only twenty to thirty minutes. Do the same thing the next day
and the next… After one month, you'll have a tremendous comprehension of
1 John! Once you have finished reading this excellent epistle, go on to a large book
in the New Testament. Since you've already become familiar with the Apostle John's writing style, the
Gospel of John is a good choice! Here is a helpful approach you may want to consider:
Divide the twenty-one chapters of the
Gospel of John into
three sections:
Read the
first seven for thirty days
Read the
second seven for thirty days
Read the
third seven for thirty days
At the end of those ninety days you will also have mastered
the content of John's Gospel!
After finishing the
Gospel of John, you might want to go back to reading a short book such as the epistle
to the Philippians. Then perhaps consider the
Gospel of
Matthew. Then move on to the epistle to the
Colossians. Then maybe to the book of
Acts...
And so on… By alternating your reading like this for thirty days at a
time,
you will complete the entire New Testament in two to three years. If
you're going to read the New Testament anyway, you might as well read it
so you can
remember it! Scripture will stick with you for life if you keep up this practice of refreshing your mind with the text…
By reading the Bible
repetitiously, you will find that your total comprehension increases dramatically. That's because the
Bible explains the Bible! God didn't write it to trip us up. He
wants us to understand His Word!
Yet invariably you'll hear people say silly things like:
"Whatever you do, don't read the book of Revelation; it's so confusing." However, the first chapter of
Revelation promises its readers:
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy – Revelation 1:3
Obviously, God intends for us to “read”
this excellent book of the “End Times” events too! However, you'll never fully understand the book of
Revelation unless you also have a good “working knowledge” of the Old Testament books
of Daniel,
Isaiah and
Ezekiel. It all begins to come together when you read the Word of God in its entirety…
Herein lies the life-long and life-changing challenge in our study of God’s Word…
Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s continued investigation
of How to Study the Bible…
May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love,
mercy and grace!
We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!
If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com
I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!
Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><
Encouraging Concepts
Truth for Today
"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"Lighthouse Publications <><
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