Lexicon*
(After choosing Greek:NT or Hebrew:OT, scroll
to bottom of page to search for a word or
Strong's number. See Strong's note below.)
Topical
Index (enter a name or use
letter index)
Bible
Study Methods or Hermeneutics (overview
of Bible study)
Other Audio
Tools:
Online
Audio/Video Teaching and Sermons (over
150 ministries)
Question
of Origins Creation/Evolution Movie
(normally choose 300k or 500k link to watch
movie)
BBN
Radio
Cyber
Hymnal (Listen
to hymns)
Online
Contemporary Christian Radio Stations
(over 350)
Online
Gospel Radio Stations (over 75)
Online
Religious Radio Stations (over 450)
Some
online tools may require something besides
Media Player such as RealPlayer or Winamp.
You will usually find information on
requirements/setup directly on their website.
Other
Tools:
Topic
Help Directory (Info on 100 main
topics from ChristianAnswers.net)
Charts,
Outlines, Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Cults,
Misc.
Jewish
Information (Alfred Edersheim on
traditions, law, life)
Archaeology
and the Bible (ChristianAnswers.net)
Religious
Encyclopedia (explains terms, history,
and views)
Church
Resources
Devotions:
Christian
News-
Truth
or Fiction (check out an email story
that you've received before passing on
an untrue story, put any unique word of the
story in the search box to find story)
Religious
Statistics-
How
to Use the Internet to Study Theology
(tutorial)
Notes*:
Strong's
Note- Be careful following the listed base
words or word origin as a definition! The
practice of using base words or word origins
to formulate a definition will usually miss
the nuance or context. See Bible Study Methods
or Hermeneutics link above.
Commentary Note- Remember that many
commentary authors have a biased theological
or denominational perspective. As
with any information that might affect your
viewpoint, always check multiple sources,
especially your pastor!
Bible
Version Notes- Be careful to understand
the differences and critiques of the version
you use. Google the version to see what
people are saying.
Not
Sure Where to Begin?
|
1st-
Understand the big picture.
Make sure you know the basic outline
of the Bible. Consider
watching the following movie.
 |
God's
Story- From Creation
to Eternity (80 min.
movie) on
ChristianAnswers.net.
(Normally click the
Windows media 256k link to
start, then right-click
movie and left-click
Zoom and Full
Screen. May have to click
bar at top and Run Active
X.) |
2nd-
Don't stop with thinking you have
the basic message of the Bible in
your head. Read your Bible
regularly to benefit from a deeper
and continuing understanding and to
protect yourself from people who
twist the Scripture. Read
below about Bible Reading.
Your first food should be God's
Word, then Bible-based preaching and
teaching.
3rd-
Go beyond Bible reading. Memorize
and meditate on verses that are
promises that you currently need in
your life.
4th-
Go beyond Bible reading. Use
Bible-based study helps and tools to
develop understanding about themes,
characters, doctrines, and how to
live from the Bible. (Use
tools from above.)
Tips:
Structure for success! Own
multiple Bibles. Place a Bible
in the bathroom, nightstand, easy
chair, and in the car. Acquire
two audio versions of the
Bible. One for the car and one
for the nightstand clock radio. Make
this web page your start page
(Tools/Internet Options/General or
Main tab/Use Current). Find a
partner where you both agree to
follow a particular
reading/listening goal. Join
structured Bible studies or classes
that naturally force you to read and
study. Avoid anything that does not
put the Word of God as the highest
authority for information.
|
Basics
of learning from the Bible: Four
essentials: pray before you start,
highlighters, commentaries, dictionaries.
It is highly beneficial to buy some
highlighters to mark verses as you read.
Maybe use one color to mark verses that you
really like, so you can skim your Bible later
to read your favorite verses. Then use
another color to mark verses you do not
understand or have questions about, so you can
later revisit these verses for further study.
Reading an online commentary (above) at the
same time will give you additional information
or reminders that may help you. You may
want to use an online dictionary whenever you
are reading about a specific person or place
to get an overview that may include other
historical records.
Never
read the entire Bible? If you have never
read the entire Bible, it is usually
beneficial to read the New Testament first,
then read the Old Testament. While
reading the Bible , you should also read the
online commentary pages for the chapters/book
you are currently reading. If you will
read the Bible chapter and the corresponding
commentary information for the chapter, you
will find it more interesting and educational.
Occasionally, you may want to use a Bible
dictionary to learn more about a person,
place, or practice.
Don't
think you can do it? If you have
tried for many years to read the entire Bible
and you feel you haven't succeeded, take the
time to highlight every verse you read so it
is easy to systematically eliminate unread
portions. Keep your Bible in a
location where you will be more apt to read
it: nightstand, bathroom, easy chair.
Keep your highlighters clipped to your Bible.
You may want to get a cd/clock for your
nightstand and buy the CEV
Bible on mp3 cd to listen to for a
short while before sleeping. If you have
difficulty reading, use a version that is
easier to read such as the Contemporary
English Version (CEV) or listen to an audio
version. Once you have found the audio
version you prefer, bookmark the page where
you choose the book/chapter for quick access.
Print this
sheet and keep near your cd player
to mark off chapters.
General
Bible reading: Many people will read a
chapter of Proverbs and a chapter of Psalms
each day along with 1-2 chapters of the Bible.
You can print this record
sheet to mark off chapters read (1
sheet).
Tips
for veteran Bible readers: You should try
to use the three major methods of Bible study
throughout your life: in-depth chapter by
chapter, straight through, and topical.
The
in-depth chapter by chapter method is a good
method to use first. This would include
reading commentary and dictionary information
while understanding the timeline (chart).
Some will follow along with an audio teacher
using a through the Bible approach for their
teaching such as J.
Vernon McGee or Bob
Davis. As with any
information that might affect your viewpoint,
always check multiple sources and your
pastor's opinion.
The
straight through method is often better to use
after you have gone through the Bible with the
chapter by chapter method above. The
main purpose of the straight through method is
to learn more about the big picture (see the
forest instead of the trees) which can be
missed when dissecting the Bible. The
average reader can read the Old Testament in
approximately 28 hours and the New Testament
in approximately 7 hours. This is
a good time to use a highlighter to mark
verses that stand out to you. The Bible
reading will go fast if you also attempt to
write a book report on the Bible as if you
were going to present the report to people
that had never heard of it. Your report
will help remind you of the big picture for
years to come.
Studying
topics where information is found in several
locations of the Bible can be very beneficial.
The use of concordances, word searches,
lexicons, topical searches, dictionaries,
commentaries, encyclopedias, and other tools
can often assist you. It is advised to
take a hermeneutics course so you are reminded
of important guidelines to formulate your
conclusions. There is a brief overview
of Bible
study methods/hermeneutics above.
Usually, it is beneficial to know Jewish
custom or laws. It is also beneficial
to understand the difference between the law
and grace. It is important to understand
the importance of context. It is usually
helpful to understand how wildcard searches
can speed things up (if allowed). Using *ites
would show most of the ancient nations (Midianites,
Canaanites, etc.). Using marr*
would show marry, marrying, married,
marriages, marriage, etc.
