need some advice

[dreamcatcher]

i am a "new christian" and i am trying to study the bible.

what i need is some suggestions on what to do to make studying easier and more in depth/meaningful.or basically any study tips.

                           thanks!

 

[nomad]

Matthew 16:19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.” 20

John 14:26 But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative—and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.

Matthew 6:32 and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet

Romans Chapter 7

Memorize these and always ask God to Help you understand His word.  Then ask Him to Help you apply what He has shown you.

 

[dreamcatcher]

thank you very much Nomad.i really appreciate your help.

 

[Gerry]

As a new Christian, I would suggest that you use a good solid translation, such as the KJV or the NKJV, and add to that a good comparative study Bible, like the JB Phillips, which you can find here: http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm

I would also suggest you spend a lot of time in the Books of St. John to learn exactly what Jesus says He expects of us. Also spend some time in the Book of Love, 1st John!

Always remember to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit BEFORE you begin your studies.

Also very very soon I would strongly suggest you get a copy of Strongs exhaustive concordance. There is no way to tell you the value of this study tool. They are very inexpensive and if you go to a Religious Book Store, someone will gladly show you how to use it.

God bless you in your studies.

 

[Didymus]

Halleys Bible handbook is good too. but the best way to learn is to read a verson that you can undrstand. if the king james is just gibberish to you you won t learn a thing. read a little at a time even a chapter can be too much. after you read a passage see if you can put in your own word what was said in it.

 

[Gerry]

If you read the a chapter in the KJV and then read the Phillips, you will see that the Phillips reads like a story book and makes clear the meaning of the KJV. The Phillips is very easy, pleasant and enjoyable reading and is widely acclaimed by most Bible Scholars/translators. The only problem is, once you start you won't want to put it down, if that is a problem, lol.

 

[reeann]

thanks for the link, i'm really struggling this week with understanding Paul's message, except to say that God called Him to proclaim the Gospel. Then again, I had many distractions while trying to study this week, even after I gently ask the family members not to disturb me!
I have this link to Phillips bookmarked.

For a new Christian, i ALWAYS suggest doing the New Christian Survival Guide Bible Study. Its very awesome, helps your Bible skills, provides for scripture memorization, and is on a level, ifyou like me, that starts at the basics.

Welcome to the family dreamcatcher. You have already done the right thing in accepting Jesus, now just trust and obey and the Holy Spirit will do the rest!! Blessings to you

 

[nomad]

Yesterday at 02:01 PM Gerry said this in Post #4

As a new Christian, I would suggest that you use a good solid translation, such as the KJV or the NKJV, and add to that a good comparative study Bible, like the JB Phillips, which you can find here: http://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/JBPhillips.htm

I would also suggest you spend a lot of time in the Books of St. John to learn exactly what Jesus says He expects of us. Also spend some time in the Book of Love, 1st John!

Always remember to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit BEFORE you begin your studies.

Also very very soon I would strongly suggest you get a copy of Strongs exhaustive concordance. There is no way to tell you the value of this study tool. They are very inexpensive and if you go to a Religious Book Store, someone will gladly show you how to use it.

God bless you in your studies.

Thanks for the correction Gerry especially the "Always remember to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit BEFORE you begin your studies." part.  I'm always afraid of blowing new christians away with to many suggestions.

 

[Arkaris]

This might help as well.  I'm not sure how much this is taught across America anymore, but it was one of the first doctrines I learned. 

Psalm 66:18
    If I regard wickedness in my heart,
          The Lord will not hear;

This passage is talking about when we pray and praise, God will not hear us if we hold have sinned against Him.  So if He cannot hear us praise and ask Him, then that would cut Him off from being able to really speak to us.  Because we know where God is, there can be no sin.  (And yes, we have been forgiven of our sins at our salvation, I do believe in eternal security as Ephesians 4:30 says 'sealed with the Spirit' but none the less, we continue to sin against Him even after our salvation, or else Paul would not have written to Timothy saying 'I am the chief of sinners') But much like the psalmist, David, wrote many times, that he confessed his sins, and the sins of his people daily, we are called to do the same in

1 John 1:9
  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

The word confess there, and all the studiers of the Greek correct me if I'm wrong, means to cite or name a crime, it does not mean to declare something guilty or not guilty, it was a lawyers term. Another term to note is the word faithful, it means that God must forgive us.  Whenever you read the word that God is faithful to do something, it means that He will always complete that promise no matter what we do.  All we must do is confess the sins in our lives that we are aware of and then all the sins that we do not know we've commited, God will cleanse us of those as well. This then restores us to the Light (1 John 1:1-10) and our walk with God. 

I highly recomend that you do confess your sins, before you read or pray or praise, and I even recomend that you confess your sins hourly if you can.  I grew more in two months after I learned this  than most Christians I've known. 

 

[dreamcatcher]

Yesterday at 02:24 AM nomad said this in Post #8




Thanks for the correction Gerry especially the "Always remember to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit BEFORE you begin your studies." part.  I'm always afraid of blowing new christians away with to many suggestions.

don't worry nomad, when i asked for advice it was because i need all the help i can get.so suggest away! but i Do appreciate your concern.  

 

[dreamcatcher]

Yesterday at 11:06 AM Arkaris said this in Post #9

This might help as well.  I'm not sure how much this is taught across America anymore, but it was one of the first doctrines I learned. 

Psalm 66:18
    If I regard wickedness in my heart,
          The Lord will not hear;

This passage is talking about when we pray and praise, God will not hear us if we hold have sinned against Him.  So if He cannot hear us praise and ask Him, then that would cut Him off from being able to really speak to us.  Because we know where God is, there can be no sin.  (And yes, we have been forgiven of our sins at our salvation, I do believe in eternal security as Ephesians 4:30 says 'sealed with the Spirit' but none the less, we continue to sin against Him even after our salvation, or else Paul would not have written to Timothy saying 'I am the chief of sinners') But much like the psalmist, David, wrote many times, that he confessed his sins, and the sins of his people daily, we are called to do the same in

1 John 1:9
  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

The word confess there, and all the studiers of the Greek correct me if I'm wrong, means to cite or name a crime, it does not mean to declare something guilty or not guilty, it was a lawyers term. Another term to note is the word faithful, it means that God must forgive us.  Whenever you read the word that God is faithful to do something, it means that He will always complete that promise no matter what we do.  All we must do is confess the sins in our lives that we are aware of and then all the sins that we do not know we've commited, God will cleanse us of those as well. This then restores us to the Light (1 John 1:1-10) and our walk with God. 

I highly recomend that you do confess your sins, before you read or pray or praise, and I even recomend that you confess your sins hourly if you can.  I grew more in two months after I learned this  than most Christians I've known. 

arkaris,

    thank you that is extremely helpful.confessing my sins is something i AM going to do.that would help me out ALOT.