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    The Everything Bible Study Book: All you need to understand the Bible--on your own or in a group
    The Everything Bible Study Book: All you need to understand the Bible--on your own or in a group
    The Everything Bible Study Book: All you need to understand the Bible--on your own or in a group
    Ebook433 pages6 hours

    The Everything Bible Study Book: All you need to understand the Bible--on your own or in a group

    By James Stuart Bell

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    About this ebook

    A complete package for individual or group bible study!

    Studying the Bible can be a daunting prospect—but with The Everything Bible Study Book, reading and understanding this great work has never been easier. This unique, nonsectarian guide has everything you need to study the Bible, either on your own or in the company of your peers.

    Beginning with an overview of the various methods of Bible study, this fascinating and informative book takes you step by step through the important sections of Scripture, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelations.

    Every Scripture reference includes:
    -Brief summaries of each biblical book
    -Critical historical and background information
    -Interpretations relevant to today
    -Ways to apply Bible teachings to daily life

    The Everything Bible Study Book provides fifty lessons and discussion topics designed for a full year of Bible study. The accompanying CD includes lesson plans, study guides, readings, and other ready-to-print handouts. Whether you’re studying solo or starting your own Bible study group to accompany you, you’ll be ready for the spiritual journey of a lifetime with The Everything Bible Study Book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateSep 1, 2007
    ISBN9781440524172
    The Everything Bible Study Book: All you need to understand the Bible--on your own or in a group
    Author

    James Stuart Bell

    James Stuart Bell, Jr., was director of religious publishing at Doubleday, executive director of Bridge Publishing, and executive editor at Moody Publishing. He has written or consulted for more than a dozen other Christian publishers. At present he is the owner of Whitestone Communications, Inc., a literary development agency. His roles include writer, editor, compiler, packager, publishing consultant, and literary agent. He makes his home in the western suburbs of Chicago and is married with four children.

    Read more from James Stuart Bell

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      The Everything Bible Study Book - James Stuart Bell

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      THE

      EVERYTHING®

      Bible Study Book with CD

      Dear Reader,

      Apart from personal prayer there is nothing more important in the Christian life than reading and studying the Bible. It is through reading God’s written Word that we find out what God Himself is all about, how He wants to relate to us, and what He desires from us in return.

      But when it comes to making the Bible a part of your daily experience in the faith, the question that often arises is this: How do I read and study the Bible in a personally meaningful and accurate way? It’s the key question that we have attempted to answer.

      This book is not an in-depth study or comprehensive overview of the entire Bible. Our purpose is to give you the reader some effective guidelines and methods when it comes to reading and studying the Bible, whether alone or in a group. The bulk of the book gives you examples of interactive Bible studies as we take you through it book by book: by important events, themes, and by characters. We hope the questions in the exercises will give you a richer understanding of the text and application of its truth as you grow to know and love God better.

      James Stuart Bell

      Tracy Sumner

      The EVERYTHING® Series

      Editorial

      Production

      Visit the entire Everything® Series at www.everything.com

      THE

      EVERYTHING®

      BIBLE STUDY

      BOOK

      All you need to understand the Bible—

      on your own or in a group

      James Stuart Bell and Tracy Sumner

      9781598693980_0004_001

      Adams Media

      Avon, Massachusetts

      Copyright ©2007, F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

      This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced

      in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions

      are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

      An Everything® Series Book.

      Everything® and everything.com® are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

      Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

      57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A.

      www.adamsmedia.com

      ISBN-10: 1-59869-398-0

      ISBN-13: 978-1-59869-398-0

      eISBN: 978-1-44052-417-2

      Printed in the United States of America.

      J I H G F E D C B A

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Bell, James Stuart.

      The everything Bible study book with CD / James Stuart Bell and Tracy Sumner.

      p. cm. – (The everything series) ISBN-13: 978-1-59869-398-0 (pbk.)

      ISBN-10: 1-59869-398-0 (pbk.)

      1. Bible–Study and teaching. I. Sumner, Tracy. II. Title.

      BS600.3.B45 2007

      220.071–dc22

      2007018993

      This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

      —From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

      Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translations, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

      This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

      For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

      To my daughter, Caitlin Joy Bell, make it your lifetime goal to study God’s Word.

      —JB

      To my father, Mac Sumner, for giving me life and for being a source

      of encouragement in my writing and authoring career.

      —TS

      Contents

      Top Ten Greatest Things about Studying the Bible

      Introduction

      1 A Bible Study How-to

      The Importance of Studying the Bible Effectively

      What You’ll Need or at Least Find Useful

      Reading Through the Bible in a Year

      Deductive Bible Study

      Inductive Bible Study

      Devotional Study Method

      Character, Event, and Place Studies

      Keyword Study

      A Final Note Before You Start

      2 Bible Reading and Study: What’s in It for You?

      The Good That Comes from Bible Study

      Finding Out More about God Himself

      Seeing the History of God’s Interaction with People

      Getting Direction—Straight from the Top!

      Gaining Practical Insights to the Christian Life

      Growing Spiritually

      Having the Joy and Peace of Knowing and Living God’s Word Daily

      3 Taking It Personally

      The Bible: God’s Message to You Personally

      Knowing How to Properly Relate to God

      Becoming More Like Jesus

      Living Within the Family of God

      Knowing the Dos and Don’ts of the Christian Life

      Knowing What to Say and How to Say It

      Knowing What Comes Next

      4 Other Uses for the Bible

      Taking It to Another Level

      Memorizing the Bible

      Personalizing the Scriptures

      Meditating on the Bible

      Praying with the Bible

      Praying God’s Word Back to Him

      The Word as a Weapon of Offense

      5 Genesis: Abraham’s Amazing Faith

      The Beginning of Something Big

      Abraham’s Early Life and God’s Calling and Promises (Genesis 12)

      Reassurances and Promises for Abraham (Genesis 15)

      Abraham’s Big Mistake (Genesis 16)

      A Confirmation and a Name Change (Genesis 17)

      The Long-Awaited Birth of Isaac (Genesis 20–21)

      Abraham’s Big Test (Genesis 22)

      6 Numbers: Standing Out from the Crowd

      Standing Alone in Believing God

      God’s Reconnaissance Mission (Numbers 13:1–24)

      It’s All a Matter of Focus (Numbers 13:25–33)

      Our Latest Polling Data Shows . . . (Numbers 14:1–10)

      What Really Offends God: It’s Spelled U-N-B-E-L-I-E-F (Numbers 14:11–19)

      Close but No Promised Land for the Rebellious Israelites (Numbers 14:20–38)

      Going It Alone, or Trying to Anyway (Numbers 4:39–45)

      7 Joshua: God Always Finishes What He Starts

      Time to Claim the Land

      Words of Encouragement (Joshua 1)

      A Hero Named Rahab (Joshua 2)

      Crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3–4)

      Taking Down the Walls of Jericho (Joshua 5–6)

      The Consequences of Not Following God’s Instructions (Joshua 7–8)

      The Conquest of the South and the North (Joshua 9–12)

      8 First and Second Samuel: The Life and Times of David

      David: A Legacy-Leaving King

      David Chosen as Israel’s Second King (1 Samuel 16)

      David Prepares to Fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:1–40)

      David Kills Goliath (1 Samuel 17:41–57)

      David and Saul (1 Samuel 18–27)

      David Takes the Throne of Israel (2 Samuel 1–5)

      David’s Sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11)

      The Consequences of David’s Sin (2 Samuel 12)

      9 Job: With Suffering Comes Wisdom

      God’s Kind of Man

      The Testings of a Lifetime (Job 1–2)

      With Friends Like These (Job 2–25)

      The Prosecution Has Rested (Job 26–31)

      Elihu: Some Angry Words (Job 32–37)

      Time for Ultimate Wisdom (Job 38–39)

      Who God Is in the Midst of All Things (Job 40–42)

      10 Isaiah: A Word Picture of Jesus

      Beautiful Reading and a Whole Lot More

      Jesus’s Own Family Tree

      What Kind of Man Is This? (Isaiah 11)

      The Miracle-Working Messiah

      The Rejected Messiah (Isaiah 49)

      The Suffering and Death of the Messiah (Isaiah 50–53)

      Isaiah’s Risen Savior (Isaiah 25:8, 53:10)

      11 Jonah: A Picture of Disobedience Then Obedience

      Jonah’s Call from God

      You’re Sending Me Where? (Jonah 1)

      I Think I Know Why This Is Happening (Jonah 1)

      A Really Nasty Place to Be (Jonah 1:17)

      A Prayer for Deliverance (Jonah 2)

      Are You Ready to Go Now? (Jonah 3)

      The Results of Obedience (Jonah 3,4)

      12 Matthew: Some Tough—and Practical—Teaching

      Another Look at the Law of Moses

      God Blesses Those Who. . . (Matthew 5:3–16)

      A New Approach to the Law (Matthew 5:17– 47)

      Doing Right for the Right Reasons (Matthew 6:1–18)

      A Heavenly Approach to Money and Wealth (Matthew 6:19–34)

      Judging and the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:1–4, 12)

      Praying Effectively and Persistently (Matthew 7:7–11)

      The Narrow Gate and Strong Foundations (Matthew 7:13–28)

      13 John: The Apostle’s Account of Holy Week

      Fulfilling What He Had Predicted

      A Triumphal Entry (John 12:12–19)

      A Heart-wrenching Scene (John 13)

      Some Final Words to the Disciples (John 14–16)

      A Final Word to the Father (John 17)

      Jesus’s Arrest and Trial (John 18–19:15)

      The Crucifixion (John 19:16–37)

      The Resurrection (John 20–21)

      14 Acts of the Apostles: Paul’s Life and Ministry

      Empowered from Above

      Time for a Change in Direction (Acts 9)

      Paul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:1–15:35)

      Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36–18:21)

      Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:22–21:16)

      Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17–23:22)

      Paul in Caesarea and Rome (Acts 24:10–28:10)

      15 Romans: The Basics of the Christian Faith

      The Upshot of Romans

      What Happens to All Sinners (Romans 1:18–2:10)

      The Lowdown, Dirty Truth: We’re All Sinners (Romans 2:11–3:20)

      Now for the Good News! (Romans 3:21–31)

      Justified Through Faith (Romans 3:29–5:1)

      The Benefits of Being Made Right with God Through Faith (Romans 5:1–5)

      A New Life in Christ (Romans 6–7)

      Power for Godly Living (Romans 8)

      16 Ephesians: Engaging in Spiritual Warfare

      The Look of the Church (Ephesians 1–5)

      Belt and Body Armor (Ephesians 6:10–14)

      Wearing the Shoes of Peace (Ephesians 6:15)

      A Shield of Faith (Ephesians 6:16)

      The Helmet of Salvation (Ephesians 6:17)

      God’s Word: The Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)

      Don’t Forget to Pray! (Ephesians 6:18–19)

      17 Philippians: Real Joy in the Midst of Suffering and Adversity

      What the Bible Really Says about Suffering

      There Is Joy in Jesus Christ, Even When We Suffer

      Joy in Our Relationship with Christ (Philippians 2)

      Joy in Being Made Truly Righteous Before God (Philippians 3:1–11)

      Joy at Looking to Future Perfection in Christ (Philippians 3:12–16)

      Joy in God’s Provision (Philippians 4:1–7)

      Joy in Focusing on the Right Things (Philippians 4:8–9)

      18 Hebrews: The Betterness of Jesus

      Encouragement Toward Maturity

      Jesus: Better Than the Angels and Other Created Beings (Hebrews 1:5–14)

      Jesus: Better Than Moses (Hebrews 3:1–6)

      A Better Rest in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:7–4:11)

      Jesus: A Better High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–5:11)

      Jesus: The Bringer of a New—and Better—Covenant (Hebrews 8:1–9:10)

      Jesus, a Better—Perfect—Sin Sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11–10:18)

      19 First Peter: The Look of the Christian Life

      The Importance of Gladness

      Growing in the Faith (1 Peter 2:1–11)

      A Life Worthy of a Priest (1 Peter 2:4–11)

      Properly Responding to Authority (1 Peter 2:13–17, 3:1–7)

      Patiently Endure Wrong Treatment (1 Peter 2:18–25)

      Living for God So That Others Will See (1 Peter 4:1–6)

      Serving the Body of Christ (1 Peter 4:7–11)

      Glorifying God in Our Suffering (1 Peter 4:12–19)

      20 First John: A Life of Love

      John’s Central Message: Love

      Why We Obey God’s Commandments (1 John 2:4–6)

      Why We Are Called Children of God

      The Proof That We Are Really Born Again (1 John 3:10–15)

      Jesus: A Perfect Example of Love (1 John 3:16–17)

      God the Father: Another Perfect Example of Love (1 John 4:8–12)

      Living and Growing in God’s Love (1 John 4:17)

      21 Revelation: How It All Ends Up

      John’s Prophetic Message

      Christ and the Seven Churches (Revelation 1–3)

      Christ’s Throne and the Seven Seals (Revelation 4–5)

      The Breaking of the Seals (Revelation 6–7)

      The Trumpets (Revelation 8–11)

      The Arrival of the Antichrist (Revelation 12–14)

      The Bowl Judgments (Revelation 15–18)

      The Rider to the Rescue (Revelation 19–20)

      A New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21–22)

      Appendix A: Help for Studying the Bible

      Appendix B: Description of the Books of the Bible

      Appendix C: How the Bible Came to Be

      Acknowledgments

      Special thinks for the leadership of Lisa Laing, who believed in the vision for this book and introduced me to the Everything® series, and for Tracy Sumner, who has been part of my team at Whitestone Communications for the last five years and has done excellent work.

      —JB

      It didn’t take me long in the publishing business to see that a book doesn’t just happen. It takes the combined efforts of many different people with many different skills and talents to make it happen. I’d like to thank those people here. Thanks to the good people at Adams Media for investing their time and energies in this project. Thanks to Jim Bell, my partner and co-author on this project, for his direction and patience with me during some stressful and busy times during the writing phase. And thanks most of all to my heavenly Father, first for sending my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to give me eternal life and also for giving me the gifts and talents he has given me for his own use.

      —TS

      Top Ten Greatest Things about

      Studying the Bible

      1. The Bible is not just God’s way of speaking to you, but also His way of blessing you with every gift He wants you to have.

      2. You learn what the Christian life is all about, what it looks like, and how you can practically live it out in every day and in every way.

      3. When you read the Bible, you are reading the words and messages of God Himself.

      4. It is something God encourages—even commands—His people to do.

      5. It enables you to tell others about your faith because now you have a better idea of what you’re talking about.

      6. You hear and interact with God as you read His words.

      7. You get all the things you’re really seeking from God—love, comfort, forgiveness, wisdom, hope, security, and so on.

      8. You learn the details of stories you may know the basics about now— for example, Noah and the ark, Jonah and the whale.

      9. You can fully understand the Good News of the salvation message— that Jesus died for your sins and will give you eternal life.

      10. There are hundreds of promises from God to you that you can count on if you believe and obey His Word.

      Introduction

      1 ONE OF THE MOST DOMINANT THEMES in the Bible—Old Testament and New Testament alike—is the importance of reading, studying, memorizing, knowing, and meditating upon God’s written Word. For example, God told Joshua, the man charged with the responsibility of leading the Jewish people into the Promised Land, Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do (Joshua 1:7–8).

      There is a theme running throughout the Bible, and it’s this: A huge part of being a believer is spending time reading, studying, meditating, and personally applying God’s written Word. Still, the problem for many Christians is that they don’t know how to approach reading and studying the Bible. Do they just start at Genesis and work their way through to the end of Revelation? Do they just start with a book whose name sounds good to them that day? Or do they just concentrate on the New Testament?

      Answering these questions by providing ways you can easily follow to read and study the Bible is the reason for this book. As you read through it, you will learn some of the methods of reading and studying the Bible, some of the benefits of Bible study, some of the uses for Scripture, and, of course, some actual Bible studies.

      As you learn to study the Bible for yourself, you will find that just making the effort can be quite challenging. But as you figure out what method works best for you, you will realize that reading the Bible is not just challenging (you should always feel challenged and even provoked when you read God’s Word) but also enjoyable and enlightening.

      One final thing we want you to understand about the Bible before you launch into your own personal study: When it comes to the big picture of the Bible, the following anonymous quotation sums up what the Bible is all about: In the Old Testament we have Jesus predicted. In the Gospels we have Jesus revealed. In Acts we have Jesus preached. In the Epistles we have Jesus explained. In the Revelation we have Jesus expected.

      From In the beginning . . . on, every word in the Bible points to the fulfillment of God’s promise and plan to bring salvation to all humankind through His Son, Jesus Christ. So as you learn to study the Bible for yourself, keep in mind that every word you read—every promise, challenge, and story— between its covers is about Jesus and what he means to you.

      The first four chapters provide a background to the Bible and how to study it. The bulk of this book, Chapters 5–21, presents what we consider to be among the most important sections of the entire Bible. If you want to study the Bible comprehensively you won’t want to neglect these. We try to provide the background, meaning, and potential application to life that you will need to truly profit from what is important in Scripture.

      So as you read this book, allow yourself to learn to read and study the Bible! As you do, you’ll find out that it is in every way a great book—the greatest!

      Special Note about the CD

      The accompanying CD contains sheets that you can print out for use in a Bible study group. You’ll find an informational form for participants to fill out stating what they would like to get out of the study group, a handout for each chapter including additional resources and study questions, an outline of the book, and a final survey form for participants. Feel free to use these forms in any way that best suits your particular study group.

      Chapter 1

      A Bible Study How-to

      Like just about anything else, if you want to effectively read and study the Bible and apply it’s principles to your own life, you’re going to have to have a plan. In this chapter, you’ll find some techniques for Bible reading and study—all of which are tried and true over the centuries— that will help make it easier for you to become better acquainted with what God’s Word has to say to you personally.

      The Importance of Studying the Bible Effectively

      There once was a story of a man who needed to buy a new family car. Since he was a man of prayer who often went to the Bible when it was time to make big decisions, he opened his King James Bible at random and pointed to one verse on the page, hoping to find some kind of direction for his decision. That verse was Acts 1:14, which reads:

      "These all continued with one accord . . ."

      The very next day the man went to the local Honda dealership, where he purchased a brand new Honda Accord. Never mind the fact that he and his wife had four children—three of them teenagers—and that this particular car was much too small to meet their needs. As far as he was concerned, the Word of God had spoken to him very clearly.

      While most believers know that God can certainly give direction by guiding people to specific passages of Scripture—and by other means— more often than not, the open-and-point method of Bible study isn’t going to yield the kind of results, knowledge, or direction needed to make sound decisions. Taking that a step further, God wants each of us to be ready and willing to make a commitment when it comes to studying our Bibles.

      The topic of this chapter is how the individual believer/reader can more effectively study the Bible. If you’ve been wondering about that in your own life, then it shows you are ready—or getting ready—to make the kind of commitment it takes to make Bible reading and study a regular, everyday part of your Christian life.

      This chapter includes a list of things you’ll need as well as some ways to use those things in order to learn and apply not just what the Bible has to say but also what it has to say to you. And you can bet that it’s well worth the time and effort it will certainly take!

      What You’ll Need or at Least Find Useful

      There are several items—all of which are readily available for purchase or download—that can help make Bible study both easier and more beneficial to the one who wishes to take the time to make studying the Bible a life priority. While some of these items are essential for good Bible study—for example, you can’t very well study the Bible unless you have one—some of them aren’t absolutely necessary but can be very helpful.

      Here are the things you will need or will find helpful:

      Study Bible

      You can’t very well study the Bible without your very own copy. Fortunately, there are hundreds of Bibles in dozens of translations available today. Some of them, those we refer to as study Bibles, include mini concordances (lists of words) and dictionaries, and some include cross references so that you can better understand a verse or passage and put it in context with the entirety of the Bible.

      2

      What is the best time of day to study the Bible?

      There is no bad time of day to study the Bible, but the Bible itself implies that we should begin each day in God’s Word. The practical element of starting the day that way is that it makes it easier to commit time to Bible study.

      There are study Bibles for different age groups, different ministries, and different life stations, so if you take the time you can find a study Bible that best meets your needs.

      If you can afford it, purchase more than one translation of the Bible. It would be useful to have a copy of the King James Version and a copy of a version that uses more modern English, such as the New American Standard, the New Living Translation, or the New International Version, just to name a few. The Scripture you’ll find quoted in this book is from the New Living Translation.

      Bible Concordance

      Most of us aren’t experts in the original Biblical languages—Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic—so a good concordance is a great help to those of us who want to study the Bible in depth. A Biblical concordance is a published list of keywords in the Bible text, and it includes thumbnail definitions and the context in which all those words are used. A concordance is especially useful when it comes to finding keywords and phrases in the Bible.

      There are several concordances in both printed and electronic form— some you can even use for free online. The best known are Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible.

      3

      When you go to purchase a concordance, it is helpful to buy one that is compatible with the version of the Bible you are using. For example, Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is regarded as a companion to the King James Version of the Bible. A few minutes of research or shopping will help you to buy the right concordance.

      Bible Dictionary

      Like concordances, there are many quality Bible dictionaries in both printed and electronic form, and most of them are readily available at your local bookstore or as downloads from the Internet. You can use some of them for free by simply going online. Try the Holman Bible Dictionary at www.studylight.org/dic/hbd/ or the Smith Bible Dictionary at www.study light.org/dic/sbd/.

      Bible dictionaries are different from concordances in that they cover topics, events, places, and people rather than keywords. For example, if you wanted to study personal salvation, the Bible dictionary would give you the scriptural basics on that subject, while the concordance would direct you to passages in the Bible where that word (or variations of it) is used.

      Bible dictionaries are also important in that they give the reader easier access to the different contexts of what they are reading. For example, any Bible dictionary will tell the reader the time and historic context of the writings of the Old Testament prophets as well as the target audiences of the New Testament writings of the apostle Paul.

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      There are several Bible commentaries available today that are considered classics in Christian literature. While these commentaries offer excellent insights to the Bible, some of them are, because of the outdated English used, difficult to understand for the modern reader. Read a sample of a commentary before you buy.

      Bible Commentary

      Over the centuries, many men of God have taken the time to write detailed Bible commentaries, some of which have withstood the tests of time. Renowned Christian figures such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, and John Wesley have all penned Bible commentaries. While there may be differences between them in the interpretation and applications of

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