TITUS

How to Read the Bible

HOW TO READ THE BIBLE – GET STARTED:

Pick a translation that is easy to read like the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT).
Select one book to start. If you’re new to the Bible, it’s best to start with one of the Gospels like Mark or John. These books are eyewitness descriptions of Jesus of Nazareth and the climax of the Bible. You might also enjoy Genesis or Acts to learn about the beginning of the world or the beginning of the church.
Read several chapters of the book at a time. (Don’t worry; Bible chapters aren’t as long as most novels!) If you only read one page of a novel per day, the story wouldn’t make much sense or be very fun. Same with the Bible.
Pay attention to the plot and characters. If there are things you don’t understand, set them aside for now and keep reading. Be on the lookout for humor.
Notice how what you’re reading makes you feel and the questions it raises. What do you learn about God and how he relates to humanity? How might God be speaking to you and your life
These tips are taken from https://howto.bible/content/get-started

READING CHALLENGE:

Read Titus in 1 sitting this week.
Not a reader? How about listening to Titus? My Bible app will read the Bible to me. Or you can use the Streetlights Audio Bible – a great way to listen to Scripture. Check it out here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon Everyday Bible Studies by Scot McKnight
- An accessible easy-to-read commentary
How (Not) to Read the Bible (messages)
- A 2023 teaching series where we dove into mistakes we make reading the Bible. We asked if the Bible was anti-science, anti-women, what do with the difficult passages in the Bible, and more…

HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE: OBSERVE, INTERPRET, APPLY

OBSERVE
- Context and background: who wrote it? what comes immediately before or after the passage?
- Read the passage with fresh eyes, as if you’ve never read it before
- Look at what the passage is saying: do you notice repeated words or phrases?
- Does the circumstances of the author or the original audience make a difference in how you read the passage?
- What questions do you have about the passage?
INTERPRET
- What is the context? Why is the author bringing this up? What is God saying through this passage?
- From your list of questions, lean in to the “why?” questions – and see if you can glean the answers from the text.
- Write a 3 sentence summary: what happened? what does it mean? how does it inform how we live as Jesus’ people?
APPLY – It can be easy to breeze through a passage, especially if it’s familiar. But slowing down long enough to consider its implications is what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
- How should I live my life in light of this passage?
- How does this truth compel me to be transformed?
- What does it look like to put this into practice?
- How can my/our thoughts, actions, relationships, everything be aligned with God?

MORE RESOURCES FOR HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE: