How To Study & Teach The Bible With Power!

10 SIMPLE STEPS FROM 2 TIMOTHY 2:15 THAT REALLY WORK!
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Introduction: Let’s Get Ready to Learn

Welcome to this guide. This guide is for you. It is about a very special book. That book is the Bible. The Bible is a big book. It has many words. Sometimes, big books can be scary. They can be hard to read. But do not worry. We will make it simple. We will look at one special verse. It is found in the book of 2 Timothy. It is chapter 2, verse 15.

This verse is like a map. A map shows you where to go. This verse shows you how to use the Bible. God wants you to know His words. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to be smart about His book. Think of yourself as a builder. A builder needs tools. The Bible is your best tool. But you must know how to use it. If you use a hammer wrong, you might hit your thumb. Ouch! If you use the Bible wrong, you might get confused.

We will break this verse into ten parts. Each part is a step. We will take small steps. We will go slow. By the end, you will know how to Study & even Teach the Bible to some degree. You will feel proud. You will be a good worker (student & teacher) for God. Let’s start our journey together.

1. Look At The Bible Carefully & Closely (Study)

The verse starts with the word “Study.” What does it mean to study? It means to look very close. Imagine you lost your keys. You look everywhere. You look under the couch. You look in your pockets. You look very carefully. That is what we do with the Bible. We do not just read it fast. We read it slow. We look at the words. We think about them.

Many people read the Bible too fast. They rush. They want to finish quickly. But studying is different. Studying is like eating a good meal. You chew your food slowly. You taste it. The Bible is food for your heart. If you eat too fast, you might get a tummy ache. If you read too fast, you might miss the good parts.

When you open your Bible, stop. Take a deep breath. Ask yourself questions. Ask, “Who wrote this?” Ask, “Who are they talking to?” Look at the details. Maybe the verse talks about sheep. Think about sheep. Sheep need a shepherd. Sheep get lost easily. When you think about the details, the story comes alive. Do not rush. Take your time. God is not in a hurry. He wants you to see everything.

Try this: Pick one verse today. Read it three times. Read it in the morning. Read it at lunch. Read it before bed. Think about it all day. This is studying.

2. Do Your Own Bible Studies (to shew thyself)

The verse says “to shew thyself.” This means you must do it. You cannot always ask someone else. It is good to have a teacher. It is good to go to church. But you must also look for yourself. Imagine if someone else ate your lunch for you. You would still be hungry! You must eat your own lunch. You must study your own Bible.

God wants to talk to you. Yes, you! He does not just want to talk to the preachers, elders, and deacons. He does not just want to talk to smart people on TV. He wants to be your friend. Friends talk to each other. When you open the Bible, God is speaking to you. And that’s very special.

Do not be afraid. You might think, “I am not smart enough.” That is not true. God wrote the Bible for everyone. He wrote it for farmers. He wrote it for moms and dads. He wrote it for you. You have a brain. God gave it to you. Use it to read His words. When you study by yourself, you grow. Your faith gets strong muscles.

Try this: Do not wait for Sunday. Open your Bible daily. Read a story about Jesus. Ask God to help you understand. And He will help you.

3. Find Out What God Wants You To Know, & Do (approved unto God)

Next, the verse says “approved unto God.” What does approved mean? It means God is happy with you. It means you passed the test. Think about a job. If you do a good job, your boss is happy. God is like the best boss ever. He wants you to do a good job. He wants you to know the truth.

How do we make God happy? We listen to Him. The Bible tells us what God likes. It tells us what God does not like. It is like a rule book for a game. If you play a game, you need to know the rules. If you break the rules, you cannot win. The Bible has the rules for life. It tells us to be kind. It tells us to love others. It tells us to tell the truth.

When we study, we find out God’s plan. We stop guessing. Many people guess what God wants. They say, “I think God likes this.” But they do not check the book. We must check the book. We want God to say, “Good job!” We want Him to smile at us. When we learn His words, we know what to do. We know how to live.

Try this: When you have a problem, ask “What does the Bible say?” Try to find a verse that helps. When you do what the verse says, you are pleasing God.

4. Apply The Bible In Your Life Quickly (a workman)

The verse calls you “a workman.” A workman is someone who works. They do not just sit around. They are busy. They are active. Reading the Bible is good. But reading is not enough. You must do what it says. You must put the words into action. This is called applying the Bible.

Think about a recipe for a cake. You can read the recipe. You can look at the pictures of the cake. But you do not have a cake yet. You must go into the kitchen. You must mix the eggs and flour. You must bake it. Then you have a cake. The Bible is the recipe. Your life is the kitchen. You must get to work.

Do not wait. Do it quickly. If the Bible says “forgive your friend,” do it today. Do not wait for next week. A good worker does not do lazy. A good worker starts now. When you learn something new from God, use it. If you learn about patience, try to be patient in line at the store. If you learn about giving, give a gift to someone.

Try this: Read a verse about love. Then, do one nice thing for someone in your house. Do it right away. Be a good worker.

5. Use It To Meet Your Needs (that needeth not)

The verse says “that needeth not.” This means you will not lack anything. You will have what you need. The Bible is full of help. It helps with sadness. It helps with fear. It helps when you are lonely. It is like a medicine cabinet. It has something for every hurt.

Everyone has needs. Sometimes we need comfort. Sometimes we need wisdom. Wisdom means knowing the right thing to do. The Bible gives us wisdom. When we study, we fill up our hearts. We become full. We do not feel empty anymore. We do not need to look at the world for answers. We have the answers right here.

Imagine going on a long hike. You need a backpack. You need water. You need food. The Bible packs your backpack for life. It gives you strength. It gives you hope. When you know the Bible well, you are ready for anything. You are prepared. You do not need to be scared of the future.

Try this: Make a list of things you are worried about. Then, try to find a Bible verse for each worry. Write the verse down. Keep it in your pocket.

6. Use It To Become Bold In Doing Whats Right (not to be ashamed)

The verse says “not to be ashamed.” Shame is a bad feeling. It makes you want to hide. It makes you look down at your shoes. God does not want you to hide. He wants you to be bold. He wants you to stand tall. When you know the Bible, you are confident.

Have you ever been wrong in an argument? It feels bad. You feel silly. But when you know the truth, you feel strong. You know you are right. The Bible is the truth. When you build your life on the Bible, you will not fall down. You will not be embarrassed.

Sometimes people will say the Bible is silly. They might laugh at you. But if you have studied, you will not care. You will know the truth deep inside. You will be proud to be a Christian. You will be proud of God’s word. A workman who does a good job is proud of his work. He shows it to everyone. You can show your faith to everyone too.

Try this: If someone asks you why you go to church, tell them. Do not be shy. Tell them it helps you learn how to live a good life.

7. Start Teaching The Bible Accurately (rightly)

Now we see the word “rightly.” This means to do it the right way. There is a right way and a wrong way. You can hold a knife by the handle. That is the right way. You can hold a knife by the blade. That is the wrong way! We must handle the Bible the right way. We must be accurate.

Being accurate means telling the truth exactly. We do not add our own ideas. In Romans 16:16 the Bible says… “The Churches Of Christ salute you.” It does not say The Churches of Paul or Peter. It does not say The Catholic Church, or The Baptist Church salute you. Sometimes people read into the Bible, whats not there. Or they change it to fit their ideas. This is dangerous. This is adding to the scriptures (Proverbs 30:6). It is like changing a road sign. If you change a Stop sign to a Go sign, cars will crash.

We want to be honest & safe. We want to help others be safe & honest. So we teach exactly what is written. We respect the words. We treat them with care. We check our facts. We make sure we understand before we speak. This is being a careful teacher.

Try this: When you tell a Bible story to a friend or child, use the Bible. Read it from the page. Do not just use your memory. This keeps it accurate.

8. Start Teaching It One Lesson At A Time (dividing)

The verse uses the word “dividing.” Think about a loaf of bread. You cannot eat the whole loaf at once. It is too big. You will choke. You must slice it. You cut it into pieces. You eat one slice at a time. The Bible is a big loaf of bread. We must slice it.

When we learn, we take small bites. We do not try to learn everything in one day. That is too hard. We take one lesson. We learn it well. Then we take another lesson. This is called dividing the word. It makes studying easy. It makes it fun.

Also, the Bible has different parts. It has an Old Testament and a New Testament. It has laws for people long ago. It has rules for us today. We must know the difference. We divide the parts correctly. We do not mix everything up. We keep things organized. Like sorting laundry. We put socks with socks and shirts with shirts.

Try this: Focus on just one word in a verse. Maybe the word is “Peace.” Think only about peace for a few minutes. Do not worry about the other words yet.

9. Start Teaching The Bible Step-By-Step (the word)

The verse talks about “the word.” The word is the message. It is the whole story. We need to learn the story step-by-step. Think about building a house. First, you dig a hole. Then you pour concrete. Then you put up walls. Then you put on the roof. You cannot put the roof on first. It would fall down!

We learn the Bible in order. We start with the basics. Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is sin? These are the foundation. Once we know the basics, we can learn harder things. We do not skip steps. We build our knowledge brick by brick.

When you teach others, do the same. Do not confuse them. Start simple. Teach them A, B, C before you teach them X, Y, Z. Being a good workman means having a plan. It means knowing what comes first and what comes last.

Try this: If you are new to the Bible, start with an easy verse or passage that you really want to know about. Ask all the questions that come to mind. Look up the words you don’t understand. The easy verses help you learn how to study the the hard verses… not the other way around!

10. Teach Only What Can Be Found In The Bible (of truth)

The last part says “of truth.” The Bible is the truth. The world has many lies. People say many things that are not true. But God’s word is always true. It never changes. It is like a rock. It stays the same.

When we share with others, we only share the truth. We do not share our guesses. We do not share rumors. We point to the Bible. If it is not in the Bible, we should be careful. We stick to the book. This keeps us safe. It keeps us on the right path.

Truth is powerful. Truth sets people free. Lies make people trapped. We want to help people be free. So we give them the truth. We love the truth. We protect the truth. We are workmen of the truth.

Try this: If you hear something about God that sounds strange, check your Bible. See if it is there. If it is not there, do not believe it.

Final Words: You Can Do It!

You have made it to the end of our guide. Great job! We looked at one verse. We broke it into ten pieces. Now you have a plan. You know how to be a good student. You know what to expect out of a Qualified Bible Teacher, and how to become one yourself!

Remember, this is not a race. You have your whole life to learn. Start small. Start today. Open your Bible. Read a little bit. Think about it. Do what it says. Pray and ask God for help.

God loves you very much. He gave you His book because He loves you. He wants to talk to you every day. When you study, you are spending time with your best friend. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Just keep trying. Keep reading. Keep learning. You will be a workman that God is proud of. You will be approved. You will have the truth. Go and enjoy God’s big book!