The Gospels

The Bible teaches us that we cannot be disciples of Jesus Christ if we do not have a regular intake of the Word of God. On one occasion Jesus said to his followers, “If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32 KJV). As we look back through the history of the Christian church, we find that the common denominator of every great man and woman of God is that they knew the Scriptures and spent consistent, regular time with the Lord in his Word.

Never before in history has the Bible been more available to the Western world. Yet never before has there been such a famine of God’s Word. We have Bibles in hotels, motels, doctors’ offices, libraries, and most homes in America, yet most people are ignorant of what the Scriptures have to say. We live in a day of biblical illiteracy, even among many people of God.

Each study method in this book is presented in such a way that any believers in Christ can follow the steps suggested and be able on their own to get something out of their study of the Scriptures. I trust that your reading, study, and use of this book will make you into a biblically literate disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ—useful as a worker in your local church in reaching the lost with the gospel and training believers in discipleship.

The claims of discipleship include a call to commitment by men and women who want to follow Jesus. They grow as disciples by getting into the Word as a habit of life and applying it consistently to their daily lives.

George Mueller, the director of a series of orphanages in Bristol, England, during much of the 19th century, was known as a man of faith and prayer. It is amazing to read the answers to prayer this man had during his long life. What made him a man of faith and prayer? During his lifetime he read through the Bible over 200 times, and more than half of those readings he did on his knees, praying over the Word and studying it diligently.

When you know the Word of God that well, you are going to know the will of God for your life. When you know the will of God, you will be able to pray specifically and get specific answers.

If we were to ask in a church meeting, “How many of you believe the Bible from cover to cover?” probably everyone would raise a hand. However, if we were to ask, “How many of you read it regularly from cover to cover?” we might not get much of a response. It seems we are often guilty of being more interested in defending God’s Word than in studying it.

On a typical evening an average Christian may sit and watch TV for three hours, but only read his Bible for three minutes before bedtime. Is it any wonder many lack spiritual maturity? Many Christians are more faithful to the Dear Abby column or the sports pages than they are to the Word of God. I have known non-Christians who would not leave their homes in the morning until they had read their horoscopes. What would happen if Christians committed themselves with equal vigor to reading their Bibles each morning before they left for work, school, or shopping? It would change their lives and the lives of those around them.

The apostle Paul said something important about the Scriptures. Writing to Timothy, he declared:

  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righ teous ness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:14–17).

Paul gives us two reasons why we should know the Scriptures. The first purpose is that we might come to know Jesus Christ and receive his salvation (v. 15). We learn about him and redemption through the Word. The second purpose of Scripture is to help us grow spiritually that we might be equipped for whatever God wants us to do (v. 17). The means to that growth are teaching (doctrine), rebuking, correcting, and training (v. 16). Teaching shows us the path on which we are to walk; rebuking shows us where we got off the path; correcting tells us how to get back on the path; and training in righ teous ness teaches how to stay on that path. This means that the Bible is the comprehensive guidebook for living the Christian life.

Near the end of Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish leaders were trying to trick him with complicated questions about their Law. To one question the Sadducees had designed to try to trap him, Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). Jesus gives here the two basic reasons for false doctrine, or error. People get off base doctrinally because they know neither their Bibles nor the power of God. All error comes from these two things.

With the current rise and popularity of cults, false teachings, and nonbiblical philosophies, it is imperative that we Christians be grounded in the Word of God so that we can discern error from truth.

Why is it that most Christians do not study the Word of God? Probably many reasons could be given, but three seem to be most common. The first reason is that people don’t know how. This was my situation for many years. I would go to a Bible conference, retreat, or revival and hear great preaching. I would often leave the meeting amazed at the scriptural insight the various speakers possessed. Then I would think, Why didn’t I see that? and I would try to study on my own. But because no one had shown me how to study the Bible by myself, I was unable to do it and felt frustrated. I knew God wanted me to study his Word, so I committed myself to learning how and to teaching others how it could be done.

If I were to meet a starving man by the side of a river, lake, or ocean, I could do one of two things: I could get my fishing rod and catch him a fish, thus satisfying his hunger for a few hours; or I could teach him how to fish, thus satisfying his hunger for his lifetime. The second option is obviously the best way to help that man. In the same way, hungry Christians need to be taught how to feed themselves from the Word of God.

The second reason why people don’t study their Bibles is that they are not motivated. This is because they have not experienced the joy that comes from personally discovering truths from the Word of God. Past efforts at Bible study have been unfruitful, so they have given up. They have become satisfied with getting all they need for their Christian lives from somebody else rather than finding it out on their own. At this point, I must warn you about this book: If you get serious about studying the Bible on your own, you will never again be satisfied with a mere secondhand knowledge of the Scriptures. Dr. Paul Little once compared personal Bible study to eating peanuts. Once you get started doing it, you’re hooked! When you discover how good Bible study “tastes,” you will find yourself going back for more and more. Personal Bible study can be habit-forming!

The third reason why people don’t study the Scriptures is that they are lazy. Bible study is hard work, and there are no shortcuts to it. It is just like anything else in life that is truly worthwhile: it takes time, effort, concentration, and persistence. Most great truths of the Word of God do not lie on the surface; we have to dig for them. Just as gold might be found at the bottom of a mine or a pearl at the bottom of the sea, so the deeper truths of God must be searched out with great diligence.

Howard G. Hendricks, well-known conference speaker and Christian education expert, has spoken of three stages of attitudes toward Bible study:

    •      The “castor oil” stage—when we study the Bible because we know it is good for us, but it is not too enjoyable.

    •      The “cereal” stage—when our Bible study is dry and uninteresting, but we know it is nourishing.

    •      The “peaches and cream” stage—when we are really feasting on the Word of God.

In the Western world we live in a society that prefers to have other people do our thinking for us. That’s why TV and other forms of entertainment, including professional sports, are so popular. We want to relax and be entertained without having to think or exert any effort. In Bible study, however, we have to learn some techniques, some methods, and then concentrate on digging out the messages God has for us.

Warren, Rick. 2006. Rick Warren’s Bible Study Methods: Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.