Old Book Review #1
June 30, 2008
“Dynamic Bible Study Methods’ – Rick Warren (pre “Purpose Driven” days) – I like to refer to this as “Purpose Driven Bible Study”
1. Devotional – select a short “portion” of your Bible and prayerfully meditate on it until the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply the truth to your life. Write out a personal application.
2. Chapter Summary – Read a chapter of a Bible book through at least five times and then write down a summary of the central thoughts you find out.
3. Character Quality Method – Choose a character quality you would like to work on in your life and study what the Bible says about it.
4. Thematic Method – Select a Bible theme to study. Then think of three to five you’d like to have answered about that theme. Next study all the references you can find on your theme and record the answers to your questions.
5. Biographical Method – Select a Bible Character and research all the verses about that person in order to study his/her life and characteristics. Make notes on their attitudes, strengths, weaknesses. Then apply what you have learned in your own life.
6. Topical Method – Collect and compare all the different verses you can find on a particular topic. Organize your conclusions into an outline that you can share with another person.
7. Word Study – Study the important words of the Bible. Find out how many times a word occurs in Scripture and how it is used. Find out the original meaning of the word.
8. Book background – Study how history, geography, culture, science and politics affected what happened in Biblical times. Use Bible reference books to increase your understanding.
9. Book Survey – Survey an entire book of the Bible by reading it through several times to get a general overview of its contents. Study the background of the book and make notes on its contents.
10. Chapter Analysis – Master the contents of a chapter of a book of the Bible by taking an in depth look at each verse in that chapter. Tear each verse apart word by word observing every detail.
11. Book Synthesis – Summarize the contents and main themes of a book of the Bible after you have read it through several times. Make an outline of the book. This method is typically done after “Book Survey/Chapter Analysis” study.
12. Verse-by-verse – Select one passage of Scripture and examine it in detail by asking questions, finding cross-references, and paraphrasing each verse. Also try recording a possible application of each verse you study.
