We’re talking Bible study methods this week. It’s one of my favorite topics. There are so many many ways to dig into God’s Word. My hope is to introduce you to some ideas and techniques you haven’t tried and encourage you to find the method or methods that work best for you.
The most important thing about good Bible study is this — remembering that the Bible is a book about God, not about us. Far too often, we approach Scripture believing it is about us. And when we do, we miss the the big picture.
Regardless of what method you use to study Scripture, the most valuable question you can ask is — what does this tell me about God? As we grow in our understanding of God and His character, we will also gain a more accurate understanding of ourselves and what it is that He expects from and desires for us.
Yesterday we looked at the 3Rs method. It’s a simple way I teach women to begin engaging with the Word. Today, we’ll be exploring the Reporter method. You may find this familiar, especially if you’ve helped a 5th-grader work on a report lately. ha!
The Reporter Method
The Reporter is method will help you discover an overview of books or larger passages of Scripture (like the Sermon on the Mount). This is a great tool to use as starting point for a new study and to fill in with more detail throughout the study.
- Who wrote the book? To whom?
- Who are the people in the book?
- What is the context?
- What events surround the book?
- What are the main themes of the book?
- When was the book written?
- When did the events take place?
- Where do the events of the book take place?
- Where does it fit into Bible chronologically?
- Where are the places mentioned in the book?
- Where was the book written?
- Why did the author write the book?
- Why is it directed to its audience?
- How does this book or passage fit into the big picture of Scripture?
One thing I love about this method of Bible study is that it’s a great way to help your kids learn how to study too. In fact, both yesterday’s method and today’s are great to teach your kids.
What other questions would you add to my lists above? Anything you like to discover when you are studying a book or passage? Leave them in the comments!