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Each One Teach One Discipleship Lessons
Part Two:
FAITH THAT GROWS UP:
Growing in Your Faith in God
LESSON SEVEN:
The DISCIPLINE of STUDY
II Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.
Bible teachers who want to point out the importance of Bible Study often use this scripture to establish their
point, because it uses the word “study.” Actually, the passage does support the need for knowing the Word of
God, but not because it uses the word “study.” In this case, the old King James English doesn’t mean what it
appears to say. In the 1600’s, “study” meant to “be diligent” in any matter. So in the modern New International
Version this passage reads:
II Timothy 2:15 (NIV)
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
In any case, we really do need to be “diligent” (and disciplined) in study of the Bible, the written “word of truth”!
In this lesson we will consider what the scriptures have to say about the value of knowing what the Bible
contains. As you go through this lesson examine yourself and see how you measure up.
If you see that you fall short, realize that you need to begin to develop more self-discipline in this area.
At the beginning of His ministry, when Jesus was led into the wilderness to be faced with the greatest
temptations from the Devil, He didn’t need a “fresh revelation” from his Father to resist the Evil One. He simply
said, “It is written…”
[Matthew 4:3-4]
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus
answered, “It is written: `Man does not live on _____________________, but on every __________ that
comes from the mouth of God.’”
***** “It is written” where? In the scriptures that were available at the time Jesus walked this earth– what we
now call the Old Testament:
[Deuteronomy 8:3]
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your
fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on ____________________ but on every
__________ that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
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***** How can you “live by every word” of God if you have never even read all of the written record of God’s
words available in the Bible? Many Christians are waiting for some “personal prophecy” to give them guidance
for daily life and answer their questions, when the answers to almost all of their needs is already available in the
Bible gathering dust on their coffee table!
The Latest in Study Bibles:
Bible Lite
* Fewer Commands
* Less History
* Less Guilt
“Tastes Great, Less Filling!”
Christians sometimes joke about incomplete versions of the Bible like the “Lite” Bible above. (Yes- there really
IS a Reader’s Digest Condensed Bible!) Some Christians condemn any such concept that would leave out any
part of the scriptures, even for a special purpose such as introducing young people to the Bible. Yet many of
those same Christians have effectively “condensed” their own Bible– by failing to read and study all of it!
***** Many Christians seem to believe that there are “unimportant” parts of the Bible that they can ignore. Not
understanding the whole gospel, they discount parts they don’t understand, parts that seem boring, even parts
they disagree with! But the Bible is clear that there is a purpose for all of the record of God’s dealings with
mankind as recorded in both Old and New Testament:
[II Tim 3:16-17]
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly ______________________ for every
_______________________.
[I Cor 10:11]
These things happened to them [ancient Israel] as examples and were written down as
__________________ for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
[Romans 10:17]
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the
_____________ of Christ.
[II Tim 3:15]
From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you _____________ for
____________________ through faith in Christ Jesus.
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***** One of the purposes for knowing the scriptures well is often ignored in some “Charismatic” circles. Many
immature Christians accept every new “prophecy” they hear at “miracle campaigns.” But what does the scripture
say about such prophecy?
[I Cor 14:29]
Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should
____________________________________________ what is said.
***** What does the scripture mean when it says “weigh carefully”? Too many think it means to see how it
“feels” based on some “emotional,” supposedly “spiritual” internal response. But what does the Bible say?
[Acts 17:11]
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message
with great eagerness and _________________________________________ every day to see if what
Paul said was true.
[Isaiah 8:20]
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak _____________________________ this word, they
have no _______________ of dawn.
***** Modern “prophecies” and preaching that is truly “inspired” (which literally means “God-breathed”) will
never contradict the clear teaching of scripture!
One of the most important reasons for personal Bible Study is so that you may be sure you are standing on a
firm foundation.
Have you felt a conviction of the need to improve in this area? If you are seeing clearly that you are falling short,
then the second step to becoming disciplined will be to …
commit yourself to developing a personal strategy
to break out of old habits of neglect of study.
In the same way a “prayer partner” can be of help to you in the growth process of becoming disciplined in prayer,
a “study partner” can help you establish a new habit of regular study. (Although your study partner and your
prayer partner might be the same person, they can just as effectively be two different people.) You can study
together and discuss scripture together, and encourage each other to grow up in faith in God through becoming
disciplined in Bible study.
In our next lesson we will consider
THE DISCIPLINE OF TIME
REVIEW:
1. Faith grows through knowing the written word of God.
2. The written word is part of our defense against Satan.
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3. The written word is part of a solid foundation of faith.
4. Knowing the written word requires personal effort.
5. Effective Bible Study requires self-discipline.
6. Effective Bible Study will include ALL of the Bible.
MEMORY VERSES:
LESSON SEVEN MEMORY VERSE:
II Tim 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed
and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
LESSON FIVE MEMORY VERSE:
I Corinthians 9:27: I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize.
LESSON SIX MEMORY VERSE:
Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests
to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
QUESTIONS:
1. How did Jesus use the scripture to resist the Devil?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is it necessary to “weigh carefully” modern “prophecies”?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Why didn’t Paul criticize the Bereans for doubting his word?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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4. Are there any parts of the Bible you find yourself avoiding? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
5. What would you tell someone who says “Reading the Bible is boring.”
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. Write II Timothy 3:16-17 from memory:
All scripture is
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
7. Recite I Corinthians 9:27 & Philippians. 4:6-7 from memory.
(I beat my body…)
(Do not be anxious…)