Spice Up Learning With Adult Elective Events

ADULT STUDY

Learning to Read the Bible
(It's easier than you think!)

As important as the Bible is to Christians, there are plenty of people in our churches who feel intimidated by it. Some people are new to the faith, and do not have a background in Bible study experiences. Others have been in the church for years, but have never taken the time to really think about the way they approach reading their Bibles.

In our modern culture, the Bible remains a very unique book. Entering a bookstore today, it’s easy to find books that contain history, poetry, advice, biographies, first-person accounts, and more. But it’s nearly impossible to find one book that contains all these genres. The Bible, of course, contains all of these, and more. So, how do we read it?

This study takes a non-threatening approach (spiced up with a light-hearted attitude) to help people approach the Scriptures with more confidence and insight. The goal is for participants to do more Bible reading and also to get more out of their reading.

Learning to Read the Bible (It’s easier than you think!) is a study that can be shaped across as many as 4 weeks, although you may prefer to approach it in 6 weeks. Below are suggested outlines:

Four-week plan:
• Week 1 – If Jesus Told a Joke, Would you Laugh?
Discuss chapters 1 & 2
• Week 2 – Parables, Proverbs and Poetry
Discuss chapters 3, 4 & 9
• Week 3 – Promises, Stories, and Letters
Discuss chapters 5, 7 & 8
• Week 4 – History & Prophecy
Discuss chapters 16 & 10

Six-week plan:
• Week 1 – If Jesus Told a Joke, Would you Laugh?
Discuss chapters 1 & 2
• Week 2 – Parables, Proverbs and Poetry
Discuss chapters 3, 4 & 9
• Week 3 – Promises, Stories, and Letters
Discuss chapters 5, 7 & 8
• Week 4 – History & Prophecy
Discuss chapters 16 & 10
• Week 5 – Genealogy, Theology and Myths
Discuss chapters 13, 12, & 17
• Week 6 – Hymns, Sermons and Quotations
Discuss chapters 6, 15 & 14

Of course, not all sessions must be used, nor must they be used in the order listed. The study is built upon the book, The Bible Doesn’t Have to Be Hard to Read, by Michael McGehee, which has 18 chapters. Feel free to adjust the study plans to best match your group’s needs.

Resources available:
The book, The Bible Doesn’t Have to Be Hard to Read, by Michael McGehee, is available for purchase at: http://www.helwys.com/books/mcgehee.html or by calling 800-747-3016 (quantity discounts are available).

Tips:
• Promote the study in ways that help people understand that the study is easy to attend and easy to understand. Many of the book’s chapter titles make great poster or article headings: “Did People Look at Their Sundials During Ancient Sermons?,” “Does Poetry in the Bible Have to Rhyme?,” “If Jesus Told a Joke, Would You Laugh?”
• Make books available in advance, and encourage participants to read the chosen chapters before each meeting. Some of the chapters pose ideas that may be new to readers. Having read the chapters before a meeting will make discussions more interesting and productive.
• Select a leader for the study who has a strong background with the Bible, and who has a gift for taking complex ideas and making them simple.