Dear Friends in Christ,
There are perhaps as many ways to study the Bible as there are students of the Bible, and that is perhaps the way it should be. Here are a few things I have learned about Studying the Bible over the years which may be of help to you.

READ THE BIBLE FIRST
Many of us think we know what the Bible teaches, but have never actually read all of it. When we read it, suddenly we discover that there is so much more there that we don't know and never heard of before, and so much less of what we thought was in there.

Remember that the Bible is called "THE WORD OF GOD". Interestingly, Jesus Christ calls Himself "THE WORD OF GOD" too. This means that the invisible God is trying to reveal Himself by both means of the WRITTEN WORD and the FLESH AND BLOOD LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST when He was here on earth.

The Bible is there to provide the means to renew your mind...

Rom 12:1-2 (KJV)
{1} I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
{2} And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.

(Psa 19:8-13 KJV)
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
{9} The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever:
the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
{10} More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
{11} Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
{12} Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
{13} Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me:
then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Our minds start out like an unploughed field, full of rocks and weeds (opinions, attitudes and habits from contact with the World System, the Devil, and our own sinful flesh). God wants to plant His Word, like a little seed, in our field to gain a Harvest of fruit (Christ-likeness and more souls). But first the weeds and rocks must be removed.

So as we read and study the Word, and we come across something where God says "This has to change in your life", cast it out of your heart, like a rock or a weed, and let the new attitude, habit or opinion be formed by the action of your obedience to God's Word. Gradually, this process will yield spiritual growth, and the light of Christ's life in you will become stronger and brighter through you.

And we have also been given the HOLY SPIRIT to live in our hearts, which is also called THE MIND OF CHRIST. He is there to interpret God's WORD correctly and to bring truths to our remembrance which we have learned from our previous reading of the WORD, for life decisions and for times of witnessing.

USE A GOOD TRANSLATION
There is noting wrong with using the original King James Version once you get used to the flow of the language and its vocabulary. However, if youe need a more modern version for easy reading, I recommend the MacArthur Study Bible in the New King James version for Bible reading and study. This Bible offers the completeness of the classic King James Version, and running a commentary on each page with each verse. The commentary explains almost every passage where needed plus has helps and insights of Bible history and word meanings. Most of the modern versions of the Bible have passages missing or even alltered thereby changing the meaning in a subtle way. These changes have the effect of degrading the teaching of Deity of Christ and obscuring the impact of the Rapture of the Church and the Second Coming of Christ. Some modern versions have as many as 250 missing whole missing verses as compared to the KJV, and have countless subtle word changes or word removals such as changing "Lord Jesus Christ" to just "Jesus" {For a complete expose' of the degradation of Holy Scripture by the modern translations, see the book "If the Foundations be destroyed" by Chick Salliby.

THE IMPORTANCE OF "CROSS REFERENCES"
A "cross reference" is another verse of the Bible someplace else in the Bible which explains or clarifies or amplifies the verse you are studying. The Bible explains itself in many instances, you just have to find a cross referencee that does this. Most study Bibles have a column of "cross references" down the middle of the text columns or at the bottom of the page or with the text. When you look up the cross reference it is either a quote of the New Testament verse in the Old Testament, or gives some insight from another part of the Bible on the verse you are reading. If you use a notebook and write down the content of these verses and any other notes about the text you are reading, this can give you an enriched view of what you are reading or studying.

There are 2 references commonly used for even more study of cross referenced material, Strong's Concordance and The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Strong's contains every word in the Bible listed as a topic and lists the reference for every place in the Bible that it occurs. So, for example, if you come across a KJV word you don't understand, you can find other places in the Bible where it occurs. This also allows you to do topical studies by finding all occurances of that word, Strong's also has a Hebrew and a Greek dictionary in the back so you can find out what the word meant in the original languages with nuances or shades of meaning that the writer intended which may be lost in English.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is like a concordance, but it divides each Bible verse up into phrases and then gives several cross references for every phrase. This makes it similar to a concordance but different in that it is the thought of the verse that is cross referenced rather than a word. I use it all the time in electronic form. Incidentally Both Strong's and Treasury (TSK) are available in Bible Software packages which makes them even more fast and convenient to use. They are also available free at websiites like http://achristiancounselor.com/bible.html .

SAMPLE SEQUENCE TO READ THE BIBLE

Different Bible teachers recommend reading the Bible in different ways. Of course you can read it from "Genesis to Revelation" if you want, but The Bible can also be read in any order you like. Here is the order I recommend...
1) The Gospel of John
2) The Gospel of Luke
3) Acts of the Apostles
4) Romans to Revelation
5) Psalms
6) Genesis through Judges
7) Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon,
8) Ruth through Esther
9) Isaiah, Daniel, Malachi, Revelation(again)
10) the Gospels of Matthew and Mark
11) Jeremiah, Ezekiel
12) Hosea through Malachi
13) Start over again at number 1)..

In the same way you would apply yourself to studying any adult, furthering- education subject in night school or tech school, you must dedicate yourself to furthering your Spiritual Education as well. This means dedicating large blocks of time and sufficient money to purchase books, software, other study materials as necessary to learn the Bible, although substantial materials are provided free on the internet. The rewards are eternal, of course, but will start immediately as well.

2 Tim 2:15 (KJV)
Study to show thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing* the word of truth.

{*rightly dividing = being able to rightly distribute the appropriate passages of the Word to those that need them.}

BIBLE VERSES FOR YOUR STUIDY AND MEDITATION

(Heb 4:12 KJV)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(Mark 4:33-34 KJV)
And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
{34} But without a parable spake he not unto them:
and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

(Psa 119:129-130 KJV) PE.
Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.
{130} The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

(Isa 55:6-11 KJV)
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
{7} Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him;
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
{8} For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
{9} For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
{10} For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
{11} So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

God Bless you in your study of His Truth.
in Christ....brother bob.....<><