The Best Way to Learn and Teach God's Word

David Hawkins

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781098071936
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Bibles

An effective method for learning God's Word is to use a systematic strategy that involves seven consecutive steps. A good way to remember the order in which these seven steps should be taken is by referring to the acrostic PRIME AT. When you PRIME AT God's Word, you are preparing to better understand and use God's Word. The seven steps outlined in the acrostic are: Pray; Read, Interpret, Meditate, Explore, Apply, and Teach. You should: Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide your learning of God's Word, Read-different versions of the Bible, Interpret-scripture in your own words, Meditate-on the meaning and purpose of the scripture, Explore-commentaries, study guides, and other biblical references, Apply-God's Word to your life, Teach-others what you have learned.An effective way to teach God's Word is to engage people in active learning. This is best done by designing a pedagogical method that addresses the following questions: What do you want people to be able to do when they have finished the lesson?What will they need to know in order to do what should be done?How can you facilitate their learning? How do you assess learning?Establishing a set of learning outcomes is required to answer the first question. To answer the second question, one must identify the body of knowledge that must be acquired to accomplish the learning outcomes. This requires identifying a set of learning objectives that must be achieved. The best way to facilitate learning is to provide guided learning materials that address both learning outcomes and learning objectives and ask probing questions. And finally, some type of quiz or test needs to be developed in order to properly assess learning.

Introduction to Part 1: How to Actively Learn God’s Word

Before discussing the steps you can take to learn God’s Word, it is important to point out the reasons for learning the Bible in the first place. The Bible contains all the information you need to live a good life, to discover how you can receive the gift of eternal life, and to determine what you need to do to glorify God. Here are seven reasons for learning God’s Word:

1. To get to know God
2. To draw closer to God
3. To have a personal relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
4. To understand God’s Word and God’s will
5. To learn how to love God, please God, and serve God
6. To develop the spirit, the mind, and the heart of Christ
7. To remain filled with God’s Holy Spirit

The only way to know God is to study and learn his Word. The Bible reveals who God is, his commandments, his power, his love, what is in his heart, and what he expects from each one of us.

Drawing close to God helps you understand his thoughts, his desires, his ways, and his will. God loves you, and the closer you draw toward God, the more you will love him. God expects you to obey him, to accept his Son as your Lord and Savior, and to become one with him, which can only be done when you are in him, and he is in you.

To have a personal relationship with God, his Son, and his Holy Spirit requires you to be willing to sacrifice your life for them, deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow them wherever they lead you.

One of the primary reasons for learning God’s Word is to acquire the knowledge and guidance of God and to come to know his will in your life. Acquiring the knowledge of God requires a lot more than simply reading the Bible or hearing Scriptures being read by the pastor or teacher. To understand God’s will in your life, you must dig deeply into God’s Word, study diligently, and listen to the Holy Spirit as he provides you with divine instruction.

If you develop the spirit, heart, and mind of Christ, you will learn how to love God, please God, serve God, and glorify him in all that you do. You will also remain filled with the Holy Spirit.

There are seven steps to take when you are trying to actively learn God’s Word. One way to remember all seven steps is to refer to an acrostic that reminds you of each step. An acrostic is a list of words in which the initial letter of each word forms another word that is used to remember the steps that you need to take. The list of steps for learning the Bible is comprised of the following words:

1. Pray
2. Read
3. Interpret
4. Meditate
5. Explore
6. Apply
7. Teach

The acrostic is PRIME AT—prime at God’s Word. The word prime means to make ready for use. When you follow the seven steps laid out in the acrostic, you are preparing to use God’s Word to Apply what you learn to your own life and to Teach others the lessons you learn.

Step One: Pray

The first step in learning the Bible is to pray. When you pray, ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit as your mentor so you can better understand the passage of Scripture you are studying. The Holy Spirit will reveal to you the meaning of Scripture as you study God’s Word. Proof of this can be found in 1 John 2:27 where it says,

But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (1 John 2:27 NLT)

It is impossible to maintain being filled with the Holy Spirit without a consistent pattern of daily confession and repentance. It is important to realize that you must confess—both known sin, hidden, and unconfessed sin—in your life. Potential unconfessed sins may be in your thoughts, attitude, speech, and relationships. Ask God to reveal to you any unconfessed sin in the way you think, act, speak, or relate to others, and then confess those sins and repent and ask for God’s forgiveness.

You should also ask God to help you acquire the mind of Christ. Paul taught the Philippians how to think when he wrote,

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8–9 NIV).

If you have the mind of Christ in you, understanding God’s Word will be greatly enhanced.

When you pray, you are communicating directly to God. It is only though prayer that the power of God is released in you. And it is only through prayer that God speaks to you. So stand firm in the Lord and listen carefully to his instructions and his spiritual directions. Remember, through prayer, you can develop a close personal relationship with God.

Step Two: Read

You should read the Bible every day. Take time to choose the translation of the Bible that resonates best with you. The six most popular translations of the Bible are:

1. New International Version
2. New Living Translation
3. English Standard Version
4. New King James Version
5. New American Standard Bible
6. Revised Standard Version

The table below illustrates the difference...