How to effectively study the Bible II

Dear children of God, welcome to „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”! Our God is alive and He wants His children to be made alive through the truth of His Word and prepared for every good work. Yesterday we talked about different approaches to the Bible study. We pointed out several of them: a) the study of biblical characters, b) the topical study of the Bible, c) the study of miracles and supernatural manifestations described in the Bible. Today I want to name some other approaches that help us to study the Bible more effectively and earnestly since it is the storage of God’s wisdom and love for us. d) The study different words in the Bible. Sometimes one word in the Bible can be followed as a thread throughout all of the pages of the Book. I once sat down to write a letter to a brother. I prayed and asked God to help me write not just words, but to make it a blessing for this person. As I was writing, I noticed that I had started preaching in the letter. Later I put it aside, because one word had totally consumed my attention. I began to study this word in the Bible. I began studying the phrases like “God is able” and „God can”. I started reading all the verses that contained these phrases. It was so interesting that I totally forgot about the letter. The study of particular Bible words can be very interesting and profitable. e) The study of the sayings of Jesus. f) The study of biblical prototypes. Prototypes are proverbs and allegories; the things that are hidden. Some time ago I spoke of the parables about redemption. Let’s look at the story of Moses and the bronze serpent. For many, it is just a story, but when you study it in depth, you began seeing that it is the allegory of Jesus and His sacrifice on Golgotha. When you study the Bible in such a way, you discover true meaning of different stories. There are quite many of them in the Bible. For example, the manna from heaven is Jesus; the rock that Moses struck and the water also is an allegory of Jesus. It is quite interesting to study the story of how Moses struck the rock twice; afterwards God told him that He wouldn’t enter the Promised Land. There was a time when I did not understand the significance of this event. I could not grasp why God got so angry with Moses, even though Moses was an obedient and meek man and only made this one mistake. But when we understand what this story really is about, we are not surprised at God’s response. What Moses did had prophetic nature. When He first struck the rock, he prophetically spoke of Jesus’ sufferings. Afterwards God told Moses to speak to the rock, but he struck in the second time. By this Moses started prophesying of another Gospel in which Jesus would suffer again, and it was a false one. That is why God got so angry with him. We cannot preach another gospel. Moses had to proclaim that Jesus was to suffer once. When God revealed this to me, it was a very enriching experience. There are many different ways to study Bible. You should choose the one that fits you. You’re your Promised Land and possess it! The Bible study will become an adventure for you. There is a book called Concordance that is a great helper in our Bible study. We can also use the books of different authors on Bible topics. The Bible is tremendous treasure God has given us and it depends on us what we will do with it and how we will treat it. Let’s pray: «Father, in Jesus Name, I thank You for the Word. Lord, work in our lives and make the Word profitable in us. In Jesus name, I pray for the Word to be enjoyable and fun for its readers. Lord Holy Spirit, give them inspiration. Give us revelations from above, as we read the Word; open our eyes so that we can gain from it and grow in our salvation. Dear Lord, in Jesus Name, help every person be established and rooted in Your Word. Help us, Lord, to be filled with Your Word. Multiply our desire to dwell in Your Word. Give us hunger for it, because it is profitable for doctrine, reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness and makes us – Your children – complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Thank You, Lord our God!» May God abundantly bless every one of you! Pastor Rufus Ajiboye