Beginner’s Guide to Studying the Bible

How to Study the Bible – Week 1

Scripture References

• Ezekiel 4:12

Overview

Pastor Craig opened a two-week crash course on Bible study.
Most believers own a Bible but feel lost when they open it; these messages aim to replace confusion with confidence.
Today’s focus: five practical steps—illustrated through the little New-Testament letter of Philemon—that turn “I tried and quit” into a daily, life-giving rhythm with God’s living Word.
When you grasp context and slow down long enough to listen, Scripture moves you from “formerly” to “but now,” just as Paul’s letter moved Onesimus from useless runaway to beloved brother.

Main Points

1. Choose a translation you understand

• The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek; translators pick the best current-language words.
• English has shifted since 1611; the King James can feel foreign (“the bowels of the saints”!).
• Recommended modern, reliable translations: NIV, NLT (more conversational); NKJV, ESV (tighter to word-for-word).
• Goal: comprehension, not confusion.

2. Choose a consistent time, place, and plan

• Habits need a slot on the calendar. Morning is ideal—let truth shape the day—but any protected window works.
• Pick a spot: favorite chair, kitchen table, commute earbuds.
• Tools: paper Bible, audio Bible, the YouVersion Bible App (32,000+ plans), a devotional, or a reading plan through a single book.

3. Seek to understand the context

• The Bible is a library – 66 books, 40 authors, three continents, 1,500 years.
• Always ask:
  1. Who wrote it?
  2. To whom?
  3. Why?
• Philemon example:
  • Author: Paul, writing from a Roman prison.
  • Recipient: Philemon, wealthy believer hosting a house church.
  • Purpose: Persuade Philemon to forgive and welcome back Onesimus, his runaway slave, now a brother in Christ.
• Context matters: without it, a photo of Craig eating with his daughter looked like scandal; with it, it’s a sweet memory.

4. Read slowly and ask questions

• Two core queries for every passage:
  • What does this reveal about God?
  • What is God saying to me?
• The S-P-E-C-K questions help dig deeper:
  • Sin to avoid?
  • Promise to claim?
  • Example to follow?
  • Command to obey?
  • Knowledge about God?
• In Philemon 8-11 Paul plays on Onesimus’ name (“useful”):

  “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful…”
  Craig’s note:
  “You can’t have the denuni without the pote.”
  Formerly / But-now is the pattern of redemption.

5. Pray and apply what God shows you

• Ask the Spirit to turn information into transformation.
• Application is personal: forgive a wrongdoer, set a daily study alarm, see your own “formerly…but now” story (addicted → free, sick → healed, lost → saved).
• God writes new chapters as we live in His Word.

  “God’s Word is truth, and it’s the truth that will set you free.”

Key Truths

• Scripture is living, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.
• Most believers lack Bible engagement not from apathy but from uncertainty about how.
• Right translation + consistent habit + context = understanding.
• Context protects us from misusing verses and unlocks deeper meaning.
• God specializes in turning “useless” into “useful”—formerly into but-now—through His Word.

Response

• Pick one modern translation this week and stick with it.
• Block a daily slot and designate a study spot.
• Before reading, ask who wrote the book, to whom, and why.
• Work through a short book (Philemon) using the S-P-E-C-K questions.
• Pray for insight, then obey the first nudge God gives.
• Invite a friend and return next week for part 2.

Closing

Pastor Craig invited the church to be “students of the Word” for the next seven days, promising that God will rewrite their stories as they engage Scripture.

“Formerly you were one thing, but now—by the grace of Jesus—you can be made new.”
Hands went up across locations committing to daily study and, for many, to new life in Christ.

Prayer

Craig prayed that the Holy Spirit would illuminate the Bible, conform listeners to the image of Jesus, and turn every “formerly” into a redemptive “but now.”

Resources

• YouVersion Bible App (free plans, multiple translations)
• A study Bible (e.g., NIV Study Bible, ESV Study Bible)