Level Up: Growing Deep Roots

Growing Deep Roots

Lori Thomas

Rev. 22:16 Jesus is the Root

We are nourished by the Root through time in His Word!

Goals of Bible reading and study:

To Know God; to Worship & Obey Him

…he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28b-31)

Big words & some explanations

Exegesis

The careful, systematic study of Scripture to discover the original, intended meaning.

What did it mean thenandthere?

Hermeneutics

Study of the methodological principles of interpretation (includes exegesis and more).

What does it mean hereandnow?

Why we start with the author’s intent (aka exegesis)

A text cannot mean now what it could never have meant for its original readers/hearers!

Colossians 1:9- 12

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. (NIV)

KJV

NASB

RSV

Translations

Formal equivalence (literal)

Closer to the original language, may be harder to understand in English

ESV NIV

NJB Functional equivalence (dynamic)

LB Message Free Translation (paraphrase)

Attempts to put the original words and idioms into more normal English equivalents

Translates ideas from one language to another, less worried about word by word

An example: 1 Corinthians 3:6

NASB

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

ESV NIV* I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

Message I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow.

Read a book, or at least a chunk

Read 1 of the 66

Try to read a book in one sitting before starting on a study of that book to help you get the big picture

• Set aside time many can be read in 1 ½ hours or less

• Try to minimize distractions

• Keep a notebook handy—use it to jot down:

• big ideas

• repeated words or phrases

• unknown words to look up later

• any distracting thoughts/things to take care of later

Context has many forms

Literary Words

Grammar Structure, etc.

Cultural/Historical

What was happening?

How would they have understood this?

Genre

What kind of book or passage is this?

Literary Context Clues

• Don’t read just a verse in isolation—read the whole paragraph, at least, and better yet, several paragraphs before and after. Remember the verses were added later!

• Watch for repeated phrases, themes, or words. What shows up between them? What is being emphasized?

• Words like “therefore,” “because,” or “but” can be clues!

• Doing a word study

• Interpreting Scripture by Scripture – start with immediate context, then that book, then that author (if more than one book) or related texts, then the whole of Scripture

Acts 17:11

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Cultural & Historical Context Clues

Look for text clues, but we sometimes need outside resources for this category. Exegesis will help us answer: is this text culture-bound, or a principle for all times and cultures?

• Archaeology may help us understand.

• Even the geography can give us clues.

• What was the occasion for the book to be written?

• What was going on in the world when this was written?

• What can we find out about the culture?

• Individualism vs. collectivism (continuum)

Genre Context Clues

What kind of book (or section of a book) is this?

• History/narratives

• Law

• Genealogy

• Prophets

• Gospels

• Parables

• Letters (epistles)

• Psalms/prayers

• Wisdom literature

• Poetry or prose? (some versions make this more obvious)

Discovery Bible Study Method

• What does this text say? (Retell it to someone.)

• What does this text say about God?

• What does this text say about people?

• (Recheck) Where do I see that in this text?

• What do I like about this text?

Discovery Bible Study Method

• What is hard about this text (hard to understand OR hard to live out)?

• Pause and pray.

• What does God want me to do in response to this text?

• Who can I share this message with this week?

Psalm 119:11

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Active learning hacks

• Read the passage out loud

• Read along while listening to the audio of a passage

• Write out the passage long hand

• Make up some motions that help you “show” the passage (if you have kids or grandkids around, get them to help)

• Look at or make your own timeline and/or maps for the section you are studying

• Sing Scripture – many songs are based on Bible verses (I mark these in my Bible by drawing in a little musical note)

• *Bible Gateway “Scripture Engagement” under Study Tools

Cautions

Any resource outside the Bible has a bias, so check sources and be aware!

Restoration Movement slogans give us guidelines

Sample Sayings

We are Christians only, but not the only Christians.

In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love

Big essentials we can “ask” authors of resources

What do they do with Jesus?

-God & man; lived, died, arose again, went to heaven, and will return

How do they view the Bible?

Old School Resources

• Study Bibles (notes embedded)

• Bible Dictionaries

• Concordances

• Commentaries

• Bible studies and guides (by book or topic)

Tech-Assisted Resources

• Bible Apps – multiple translations, plans, etc.

• Online dictionaries, concordances, commentaries

• Videos or video-based studies

Archaeology Resources

• Erika Brown, “Just So You Know” on YouTube (and Instagram, etc.), “Bringing Biblical Archaeology to the Culture”

• Crossway’s ESV Archaeology Study Bible

• Associates for Biblical Research

• Archaeological Studies Institute (Includes Dr. Scott Stripling who led team that found Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet)

• Biblical Archaeology Society

Do you need more structure or less?

Pick a book

Pick a book or plan

Pick a plan

Less structure

Medium structure

Can read varying amounts

Digest what you can

Listen for what God is saying

Read a set amount, e.g., one chapter a day

Follow a plan but at own pace

More structure

Follow a plan (online or list)

Can do with a friend/family

Bible reading plans & apps

• Read the New Testament in a year (5x5x5 or other plan)

• Read the Bible in a year, regular/chronological/OT&NT daily

• The Bible Recap with Tara Leigh Cobble (chronological plan with daily video or audio (podcast) recap

• Bible Project (videos; plan “One story that leads to Jesus”)

• You Version (Bible app, many plans)

• Bible Gateway • Walk through the Bible

2 Timothy 3:16- 17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.