Sunday 7 October 2012

THE INDUCTIVE METHOD of Bible Study (Highlights Only)

Thanks to Lorine’s kind support and understanding, I was able to attend a 10am to 5pm course in the Inductive Method of Bible Study at VOICE yesterday!
As Cameron Speer (YWAM) took us successfully through a very interactive and well planned session, I was enthralled with how much there was to learn from a small letter like ‘PHILEMON’, that we studied under Cam’s guidance!
As promised, I am leaving a few notes to my readers. I hope you will be blest too!
1: What is the difference between DEDUCTIVE and INDUCTIVE?
Deductive’ is when a person talks through his own knowledge and interpretation. (i.e. YOU HAVE THE IDEA!)
Inductive’ is when a person ‘listens’ more and learns through listening (i.e. YOU JUST WANT TO HEAR)
2: There are 3 steps to this method of ‘inductive’ study. First you OBSERVE, then you INTERPRET and finally you APPLY.
When you read the chapter, observe in particular the speaker, the listeners, who they are, the author’s logic, figure of speech, emphatic statements, progressions, things you don’t understand etc. What you’re dealing in this stage is – WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?
In the Interpretation stage, you are dealing with TIME, PLACE and CULTURE. You are interested in knowing the AGENDA of the author. In this stage you are dealing with the question – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE ORIGINAL READER?
In the Application stage, you are dealing with – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME? This is the most important stage where you will either remain a caterpillar or transform into a beautiful butterfly! Here you must promise to commit! Look in the mirror of your own life and clean all the blemishes that you see there! As D.L. Moody says, scripture is given not for information but for transformation!
Know that the Bible has an AGENDA … that of God’s plan of Redemption for us. It is with this heart that the Holy Spirit has inspired the writings of these books. Do not read it for anything else but to connect with the ‘original heart’ of the author – GOD!

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