Study- To know the Bible and the God of the Bible

Acts 17:10-11

10 The brothers[b] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

Only an estimated 3% of people in Jesus day were literate

Septuagint- The Greek Old Testament written in approximately 200BC

Study through listening to the scripture

Colossians 4:16-18

16 And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

1 Timothy 4:11-16

11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them,[c] so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Study through personal reading

Mark 13:14

14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Ephesians 3:3-6

3 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is[a] that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Accountability to private interpretation

2 Timothy 2:14-16

14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God[a] not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,[b] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,

Acts 8:26-32

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[d] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[b] may be complete, equipped for every good work.

James 3:1

3 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Warnings and Appliations

Revelation 1:3

3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Ephesians 6:17

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Revelation 20:4

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

    1. Do you have any questions or thoughts from this lesson?

    2. What do you think it looks like today to “receive the word with eagerness” without becoming uncritical or passive?

    3. How does knowing that most early believers encountered Scripture by hearing change how you think about Bible study today?

    4. Why do you think Luke emphasizes “certainty” for Theophilus—what kind of faith is he aiming to form?

    5. What does it mean in practice to “rightly handle the word of truth” in everyday conversations, not just sermons?

    6. How have you experienced God’s Word as something that exposes or shapes you rather than just teaches you?

    7. How do we practically apply this teaching?


  • Guided Prayer

    Pray with your group. They can pray outloud or silently, but pray all together not necessarilly taking turns, but just praying at the same time unto God.

    • 1 minute of silence

    • 1 minute of thanking God

    • 1 minute of Praying for someone else

    • 1 minute of praying for your needs

    • 1 minute of praying a scripture verse

    1. How was your emotional and physical health this week?

    2. What is a serious stressor in your life?

    3. How has your personal time with God been this week?

    4. Would you like to share your personal temptations and how can we help you overcome them?

    5. Is there anything that we need to discuss that we have not already?

    6. How can we pray for each other this week?

    Pray for one another, invite each person to pray even if it is just a few sentences.