Written by Paul J Bucknell on December, 05, 2020

Teaching Bible Books: Part 1, Getting Ready — Discover the Power of Teaching God’s Word

In my numerous decades of Bible teaching, I have discovered one particular niche, which I will share with you: Bible book studies. A Bible book study can be extremely beneficial for our students as well as ourselves!

I greatly benefitted from the special training that a university student group (IVCF) gave me for studying Bible books. From 1973 onwards, I have worked through numerous Bible books, some of them multiple times. I hope when public opportunities for service slow down, I can catch up and complete the task!

The Importance of Bible Book Studies

Bible book studies, like a fortress, are a fantastic place to build solid teaching from God’s Word. Although these studies begin as self-study projects, they end up providing formidable reserves for ongoing teaching sessions from God’s Word. Pastors and teachers can get petered out, but these studies create all-new exciting resources to share.

On the other hand, when they enter the sanctuary, believers are instantly reminded of the powerful purpose of God’s Word, as seen in that Bible book’s context and content. I remember numerous times hearing about next week’s message. Like the aroma of a pleasant meal, it made me eager to return and listen. Although I served in various churches on Sunday mornings, I took the opportunity to walk to Moody Church to hear Warren Wiersbe at night, often in Chicago’s blistery and cold weather.

As teachers of His precious Word, we possess the rare opportunity to obtain broad overviews of God’s Word, including their specific teaching points. A teacher can be superficial, as a topical sermon allows, but Bible book studies demand deep roots. When we weekly build from the same root system, God can easily stir up His people by God’s purposes and words. According to a teacher’s gifts, he nicely presents these truths—like a beautiful flower arrangement.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The easiest way to present the fruit of one’s study is to teach through the Bible book. I do not mean preaching eight select sermons from Isaiah or four from Philippians. The temptation is to speak on the well-known, catchy verses, hovering above the book’s surface and relegating untaught portions to the void of darkness. Instead, our faith lives by the truth that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching.” We are committed to “all Scriptures.”

Only by going deep into the fabric of a Bible book can we identify its purposes and secure the treasures hiding in the most obscure passages. By daring to dive off the high board, we get to go deeper and discover fresh rewards from God’s Word. Even if we choose to preach a limited number of messages from a Bible book (sometimes we have no choice), I suggest that we first dig deep and unveil God’s plan for the whole Bible book. The personal study should precede before the preparation to ensure integrity to God’s purposes.

I remember once volunteering with my young children to work on a lakefront path. Later on in life, I liked hearing my grown children retell the good memories from those who worked on this project with me. We hauled stones, drove sticks and rods into the ground, and dug new paths where the old was disappearing due to erosion. Some tasks are more manageable, while others require more time, planning, and effort. What good is a pathway if it stopped partway through? Likewise, a good Bible book study faces difficult times, but we must endure to reap the final rewards.

When diving into Bible books, the preacher or teacher will learn better why the Author (i.e., God) and the Bible book writer introduced various events or constructed a sentence in a certain way. The commitment to master a book releases us into a new world of study. We must remain committed and, according to our ability, embark on this assignment with the Spirit’s illumination. We will complete the task, no matter what difficulties we encounter.

Building a path takes time. If I rush, I lose the joy of hunting, discovering, researching, simple meditation, compiling, and application. For instance, when finding “dead” passages, those that don’t readily connect with my life, instead of focusing on my frustrations, I allow these passages to provoke within me the question of why the Lord included them. These challenging parts contribute their particular helpful insights, always causing thankfulness for delving into the deeper waters.

Allot plenty of time. By exploring the book well before any teaching responsibilities from that book, we can protect a rich learning atmosphere, absent from time pressure. Like Leviticus, where time seems absent before God’s presence, we can abide in Christ storing His Word in us (John 15:1-6). Three to six months is probably a fair amount of time if we don’t procrastinate.

I’ve also had fun doing a book study for preaching with others in a team. We each take a section. I am fascinated by the number of approaches to a specific Bible book. But this, fun as it is, admittedly becomes more oriented to presentation rather than individual studies.

You can conduct these studies in a much faster, neater way with a computer and the internet. I started such Bible book studies long before that when only pen and paper were available. There is a particular benefit of using pen and paper, though. Sketching diagrams and crossing out words is much easier (if you don’t mind a mess).

Below I include two book summaries of Colossians from 1974 and 1982. The first, interestingly, was written when the Lord called me out of university into full-time ministry. I wrote the latter when stationed in Taiwan to study Chinese for missionary work.

The Heart for Bible Book Studies

As much as I love to dive into these Bible book studies, the mastering of the Bible book is not my main goal, at least it shouldn’t be. Knowledge is not my goal (1 Cor 8:1). Any true student of God’s Word must have the book’s message master them. Like clay, I’m ready to be transformed by God’s masterful hands and words.

After embarking on many of these book studies, I find the need to prepare my heart more than my schedule or mind—as much as they are critical. I anticipate, though yet clueless to the book’s strong points, those which God uses to make radical changes in me. After a Bible book study, I am not the same.

There are longer and shorter Bible books, some more naturally applicable (i.e., Philippians) than others (Joel). However, a proper Bible book study builds on the faith that God desires to speak to one’s life through His precious Word (2 Tim 3:15-16). Like a miner, my hope for discovery drives me to dig deeper. Otherwise, I will come up in a short time, discouraged that I have not found anything.

Because the Bible book continues on, line by line, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter, the challenge to one’s heart becomes increasingly demanding, even more than to the mind. Some textual difficulties, however, can indeed challenge the best student! One can study a Bible book without these ambushes on one’s heart, but then that person would miss how the Divine Author drives us closer to Himself through the book’s words. A good Bible book study, then, deepens one’s ability to identify and process profound spiritual truths.

The Bible book study is precisely the exercise needed to develop the crucial skills connected to developing good preaching, counseling, and teaching. However, to reach this fruitful place, we must be ready for the journey and remain steady on this pathway in His Word before God’s presence.

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The second part of this study on teaching Bible book series provides practical ideas on conducting a Bible book study.

Like clay, I’m ready to be transformed by God’s masterful hands and words.

Study Questions on Teaching a Bible Book

Have you ever been able to enjoy someone teaching through a Bible book? What did you most enjoy?
Did you ever do a thorough study of a Bible book? Take a quick look back to any notes and share one thing you enjoyed the most from that time.
How can a preacher/teacher teach through a Bible book and yet miss the book’s main purpose?
What is the most challenging part about doing a thorough study of a Bible book?
Why does the author state that the preparations of our hearts is the most challenging part of these studies?
Read 2 Timothy 3:16. What does the verse declare about “all Scripture?”
The author feels that skipping over some seemingly irrelevant passages hinders God’s purposes for putting them there. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.
Why are these studies like a person looking for a treasure?
Share one Bible passage that God used in your life to stir you up in your pursuit of Him.