Prove It

A Few Ideas About Bible Study

Last Sunday was so encouraging to hear from Brice Wurdeman. Brice and his family have such an incredible story of faith and dedication to the mission God has in front of them. What he briefly mentioned towards the end of his message only scratched the surface of the trials they have faced while living out the very message he preached on. To see how far they have come and to hear the stories of how God has positioned them to make an even more significant impact in the Caribbean states is inspiring. If you would like to learn more about Brice, his family, the school they direct or the matching grant available to all donations, click here. 

Now a few ideas about bible study. This Sunday we begin a seven-week teaching series called ‘Prove It.’ At its core, this series is a book study through 1 John. 1 John is only five chapters long, so that gives you a rough idea about the pace at which we will be moving through this significant little book tucked away at the back of your New Testament. 1 John will present us with many challenges, and some of those will be in how we approach the book as a whole. 

When it comes to studying any book of the Bible, it is essential to keep in mind the authors intended meaning, or asking, why was John writing this book in the first place? What is its purpose, and what is John trying to teach/encourage these early believers to think about and do? Keeping these questions in mind as we study through any text will be beneficial for allowing us to see how a piece of literature written thousands of years ago can still speak powerful and transformative truth into people's lives today.

Here is one more idea about Bible study - context. As we study through any particular chapter and verse of the Bible (in our case 1 John), it is easy to lose sight of the broader context and narrative. One way to keep a handle on the immediate context is to examine the more general context - which is determined by the whole of the book, then even more broadly the entirety of the New Testament. Simply reading through the entire book a few times before we tackle any one verse can be very helpful in this regard.  

Let me encourage you to read 1 John a few times this weekend. We are going to focus in on a few verses, phrases, and words through our time in 1 John. Reading the entirety of the book will help us all to see that 1 John is a giant call to action, but within the confines of some of the most radical teachings he had ever heard directly from the mouth of Jesus.

Looking forward to seeing you Sunday,

Bradley