How to Get the Main IDEA of a Bible Passage: Christy's IDEA Method for Bible Study
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Transcript of How to Get the Main IDEA of a Bible Passage: Christy's IDEA Method for Bible Study
How to Get the Main IDEA of a Bible Passage
Christy’s IDEA Method for Bible Study
hhh. Want to know a secret? The secret to
successful Bible study is not a five-step plan or a
rigid set of rules; the secret to successful and
satisfying Bible study is to simply follow your curiosity.
That’s right! You can toss the rules if you cultivate a
sense of curiosity and overcome our inherent laziness
(yes, we all have it). Oh come on, you know you’ve read
Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and wondered, “Where
was Corinth and what was it like?” But it’s easy to
dismiss such thoughts rather than to look for answers.
So here’s the plan:
The next time you’re reading your Bible, challenge
yourself to look up three things in your Bible dictionary.
It could be a person, a place, or a word you don’t
understand. It only takes a few minutes to follow your
curiosity, so go for it! The reward of a few minutes of
effort is a fresh new understanding and appreciation for
the text.
Get the Main IDEA For those of you who prefer a more structured
approach to things, I have a simple but effective plan for
you to follow. The approach I use is simple. I call it IDEA.
When you want to get the main idea of a passage, this is
what to do.
dentify. Look very carefully at what the passage
says—not what you think it says or what you’ve
been taught it says. Look at what it actually says.
Also, make note of what it doesn’t say (we tend to fill in
other ideas as we read).
efine. In order to understand a text, you need
to be sure you understand what it is saying.
Start with good old Webster’s Dictionary and
look up words—even if you think you know what they
mean. You can often gain surprising new insights from
this habit without even investing in other Bible
reference books. Then expand your query by looking up
people, places, and other nouns in a Bible dictionary.
This is the best way to gain Biblical background and
context for any passage. A Bible dictionary contains a
wealth of information.
xplore. Take those people and places and explore
them more thoroughly. Look up places on a map
or Bible atlas. Look up people and cultural
information in other reference books to gather a
broader understanding. In short, follow your curiosity.
pply. Be a doer of the word and not merely a
hearer of it. Consider whether there is an action
to take, a warning to heed, or an example to
follow. Keep a journal, if you like. Write down a specific
action you can take, even if it is as simple as “I will
reflect on this verse today.”
Studying the Bible doesn’t have to be a complicated
process. You can do this. Just follow your curiosity,
whether you follow specific steps or not. Bible study is
more about attitude than aptitude. You can learn how
to study the Bible if you have a desire to do so.
©2012 Christy Bower. The author grants permission to share print
or digital copies with this copyright notice intact.
www.ChristyBower.com (Photo ©iStockphoto.com / Jason Stitt)
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