ambassadors for the risen Christ ministries

by Shawn Brasseaux
Published in The (Opelousas, Louisiana) Daily World

There are so few Bible students in this day and age. Sadly, most churchgoers would rather listen to a weekly “feel good” sermon than draw wisdom from God’s Word on daily basis. No one cares to correctly teach the Bible, which is such a tragedy because we have no Scriptural knowledge to combat the false teaching. For anyone who is interested in studying the Bible on his or her own, here are some useful tips that I would like to share:

• PRAY. Before you open a King James Bible, please pray for wisdom (2 Timothy 2:7; James 1:5). In order for you to get the most profit from the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit must open your understanding (1 Corinthians 2:13). The Lord will not reveal His Word to you if you show no interest in learning.

• RIGHTLY DIVIDE SCRIPTURE. “Contradictions” in Scripture arise when people do not “rightly divide the word of truth.” God designed His Word to be studied in a specific way. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Old Testament, the Four Gospels, and Hebrews through Revelation were written to Jews. Only 13 Bible books were written to us Gentiles: Romans through Philemon (Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles; Romans 11:13). I encourage you to read the Old Testament and the Four Gospels, as they contain background information (Romans 15:4). However, I strongly encourage you to separate Jew and Gentile teachings (confusion begins when you mix the Mosaic Law with Grace; Romans 6:15). Refer to the first chapter of the specific Bible book, to see who is writing (Moses, Paul, Isaiah, Luke, et cetera), and to whom was he writing (Jews under Law, or Gentiles under Grace). This is vital to your keeping Law separate from Grace.

• EXTRA STUDY TIPS.
  • Use a Bible concordance (like Strong’s), comparing passages that focus on specific topics.
  • Study your Bible, compare Scripture with Scripture—reading just one verse a day is not what God expects from Christians.
  • Ask questions as you read, and try to find answers in the Bible.
  • The best place for anyone new to the Bible to begin is the book of Romans, which is the most basic book of Christian living today.
  • May you learn from the Bible, as God intended!