2024 Panteg Ministries
Bible Study
The detail below is excerpts based upon Panteg Ministries "12", both leadership and Student
Leadership - Bible Study is a Process
Process
Bible study is a process and its main aim should be the sharing together of scripture so that those who are involved in the study reach a common goal of understanding based upon the text. Bible study requires that the Holy Spirit to be present, for He after all is the author, and He needs to be in partnership with you this will not happen if you have not prepared yourself with Him. Also note that He has to be welcomed otherwise you cannot achieve what God expects of you and the study.
A Plea
I hope that you have never attended a Bible study group where it was plainly evident that the required preparation time had not been taken and because of this your time in God’s word was not fruitful. Those who study in this manner and as time progresses see their numbers shrink those who attend become disillusioned, bored and critical of the studies and those who lead them. This is the direct consequence of not honoring those who attend and especially to God Himself and this behavior can turn people away from Bible study all together. On occasion I have been guilty of this approach and to my shame I have suffered the consequences described. I now endeavor to do my best when leading a group of people so they can discover the richness and blessings in God’s word. So please do not make the same mistakes that I have and ensure that you do the required preparation, this is the second time I have repeated this and I make no apologies.
The Welcome
At the start of any Bible study make sure that you welcome each other but more importantly never forget to invite the guest of honor who is the Holy Spirit. Always invite the author of the material so that you are able to examine and understand the reasons why it was written for He has penned the very words themselves. Pray that He would help and guide you and those whom you lead in the understanding of God’s word and that He would reveal to those present a portion of God during that particular session. If you do not know what to pray then say “Dear Lord, send Your Holy Spirit so that He would open our eyes, ears and hearts, we welcome Him and look forward to what He would have us to discover Amen.”
The Holy Spirit
We must take seriously and believe what it says in the Bible for without the Spirit then the word of God brings death. This means that if you are leading you must be prepared and part of this preparation is the building of your relationship with the Spirit of God.
Spending your time and effort means that you will gain the following benefits:
> Those who you lead will get the best from the material which is presented and any supplementary discoveries that you have made
> You as the leader will be on top form and blessed by God
> God will be revealed during the session and those whom are in attendance will be blessed
> His presence will be felt and all those who attend will be challenged and encouraged
> God seeks out those who pursue Him.
To achieve these benefits as a leader you have to:
1. Study each section in turn before your students
2. Pray through the material and ask God that with the Holy Spirit He would reveal what is contained within, for you and those whom you lead
Being a leader means that if you do not live by the Bible’s contents then those who attend your session will not be inspired. God will not own what you do and this means that you will struggle to provide the words of inspiration that those who attend your session need. But our God is gracious to us and He understands us and knows that while our spirits are eager our flesh can be weak He will endeavor to bless our efforts especially if we give Him half a chance and if we try to do our best.
Based upon your efforts and the material contained within this book you can then lead a group of people to discover and explore the word of God and determine what it is saying and then gain a revelation of Him who loves us. This process will mean that you will all grow one with each other and obtain a greater understanding of the word itself. This should lead to times of great challenge and even greater joy as a leader for it is wonderful and precious to see students develop and grow. Never be afraid and intimidated by those who do develop and may even outpace you for that should be your aim and goal.
Student - Part 1 "12"
Part 1 - Why should we read God’s word?
We need to hear and read God’s word not because we can but because we must. It is an act of obedience; it is an act of love and worship. It is a command from God to know Him, it is our primary purpose; the whole point of our existence is to bring pleasure to God.
The best way to get to know God is to read His word. All things flow from God’s word. Worship, prayer and other acts of corporate activity and works within a church or its fellowship are pointless unless the word is known and treasured and have the foremost place. God’s word must be preached and studied; failure to do so can bring dire consequences. During these studies of God’s word we will be examining passages from the Old and New Testaments in an attempt to establish the need for God’s word in our lives and develop tools for ourselves so that we are able to examine His word and nurture ourselves from the well of life as well as sharing and growing together. Let’s look at our first passage together which will establish this emphasis of examining and knowing God’s word.
Read Deuteronomy 32: Verses 46-47 [NIV]
It means that we have to ask a set of questions of the text to establish, the following:
> Who wrote it?
> Why was it written?
> When was it written?
> What comes before and what comes after the text?
> What was the Location?
> Who are the main characters in the text?
Always put the text into context – never use it out of context
We must ask these questions as they are very important it saves us from misunderstanding what God is saying to us. Taking text out of context is a very dangerous thing to do:
Read Matthew 27: Verse 5b
If you just read the second sentence of that verse would you do as it instructs?
We could further emphasize this text by finding another verse which says “and do it quickly”? Would you then enact what God’s word is telling you? We must put text into context if we are to understand what God is saying.
Let’s look at our Bible passage again and start to answer some of the questions which we must ask of it.
Deuteronomy 32: Verses 46-47
1. Who wrote the book of Deuteronomy? -
2. What does Deuteronomy mean? –
3. Why was the book written? –
4. When was the book written?
5. What lies before and after the text?
6. Location of the actual happenings?
The context of the text is important as it gives the text its meaning; it indicates its purpose and provides the basis of understanding of what is said inside of it and what God would like to say to us regarding it. Taking texts out of the context can distort what God is saying and mislead those who are reading or listening to it. This is especially important when God’s word is preached; many base their sermons on a text which has no relevance to what they are saying. They use the text as a vehicle for what they want to say, rather than what God wishes to communicate to us. Let us look at this text again and attempt to obtain some answers to the questions that we have to ask.
Supporting Text:
The book of Deuteronomy was written to review and explain God’s work with His people and encourages renewed commitment to God. This commitment is prompted by God’s love and blessings. It is to be expressed through loyalty and obedience. Deuteronomy explains repeatedly that God’s way is the true life and no other would do (Deut. 30: Verses 19-20).
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