Allow the Word of God to Come Alive and Transform You
There are many other types of Bible Studies you can use to grow your spiritual life.
1) Personal Application
• Read the scriptural passage
• Write out the verse or verses in your own words
• Give a specific illustration from the recent past (of how you have failed to abide by this scripture)
• After asking God for His wisdom, make a “plan of attack” to begin to obey this verse.
2) AEIOU #1 Bible Study Method (Each vowel stands for a step)
• A = Abide in Christ (Spend time in silence focusing on God; offer him your heart & mind during this formation time)
• E = Examine (Using your senses, take in the scripture. Visualize the situation; Is there any thing you could smell, any thing you could touch, anything you could hear?)
• I = I (Personalize scripture by putting your name in it & read it outloud that way)
• O = Open heart (After reading scripture, sit in God’s presence with an open your heart allowing God’s Spirit to speak and reveal what he chooses to say to you)
• U = Use It (How were you affected by this scripture today? What did you hear in the heavenly Whisper? Pray back your response to God.)
3) Verse Study
• Read the entire chapter
• Read the specific verse you are concentrating on (in several versions of the Bible)
• Write out the verse in your own words (paraphrase)
• Use bible study tools to help you better understand the verse (concordance, study bible, commentary, Hebrew/Greek word study, bible dictionary, etc.)
• What do you understand this verse to mean?
(Try using the online Bible Study tools on www.Crosswalk.com for this study)
4) Fifteen Minutes a Day with God
• Relax (One minute) Be still and quiet and prepare your heart
• Read (Four minutes) Pick a book of the Bible and read through it until the time is up OR pick a passage and read it over slowly several times
• Reflect (Four minutes) Pick out a verse or two and meditate on it’s meaning
• Record (Two minutes) Write out a personal application that is practical and measurable
• Request (Four minutes) Conclude your time by talking to God about what He has shown you. This may also include some time of silence.
5) Praying the Scriptures
Choose a passage that is simple and fairly practical.
• Come quietly and humble to the Lord.
• Read slowly a small portion of the passage of Scripture you have opened to. Plunge into the very depths of the words you read until revelation breaks out upon you. (Do not move from one verse to another until you have sensed the very heart of what you have read.)
• Take a portion of the scripture that has touched you and turn it into a prayer.
6) AEIOU #2 Bible Study Method
Read the scripture.
• A = Ask questions
• E = Emphasize words (Say the sentence a number of times, emphasizing different words each time you read it.)
• I = Investigate (Look for the answer to one or more of your questions)
• O = Other scriptures (Read some cross references/other scriptures about this subject)
• U= Use it (How can you use this verse in your life?)
7) Topical Study
This study seeks to study a topic by looking at all the passages that deal with a particular topic. A topical Bible and a set of cross-references will help you in this type of study.
8) Word Study
This type of study looks at all the references to a particular word in the Bible. An exhaustive concordance is required for this type of study. Decide which word you wish to study (e.g. “love” or “forgive”) and look this word up in your concordance. Then look up each reference to this word and ask yourself what each reference teaches you. A more serious word study will use a concordance of the original languages.
9) Biographical Study
An examination of the life of a particular person in the Bible. Here, we seek to see what we can learn from the life of a man or woman in the Bible. What mistakes did he make and how did it affect him? A concordance should be sufficient to do a biographical study.
10) Character Trait Study
Instead of looking at a person, we could look at a character trait such as pride, humility or faithfulness. A concordance will be useful in this type of study.
These types of Bible Studies can engage both your head and your heart (mind and emotions). Make sure you also take time for some quiet meditation so that you are listening to God as well as studying and talking.