Bible study does not have to be perfect. You don’t have to finish. You can participate in a group study without doing the homework and still be blessed by the fellowship with friends. You can skip the lessons now and go back to them later. What matters is that you show up and carve out some time to study in a way that works for you.
Photo by Carolyn V
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
Matthew 7:13-14
New year, new jam
As we kick off the New Year, I (Kristin) want to share few Bible studies that have rocked my socks!
Let me confess that I’m still on the last two lessons of the first study, and that both studies have taken me YEARS to complete. Studies meant for 8 to 12 weeks seem to take me, on average, 7 years to finish. I’m going at a slow (crawling) pace, but Bible study does not have to be perfect. You don’t have to finish. You can participate in a group study without doing the homework and still be blessed by the fellowship with friends. You can skip the lessons now and go back to them later. What matters is that you show up and carve out some time to study in a way that works for you.
With a fresh, new year ahead, we encourage you to just start!
Pick up an old study or a new study (we’ve included a couple studies we love below). Read the Bible cover to cover even if it takes 10 years. Develop a discipline of daily Bible reading (or audio). Do a daily devotional. Commit time to journaling.
Find your three
Our heart at three strands is studying the Bible in community and knowing God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit better! If you don’t meet regularly in a small group, life group of Bible study, or even if you do, the idea is to find three people you can study the Bible with who can help keep one another accountable to learning and growing in the Word. We believe the best way to really know God is to read His Word; whether you are new to Bible study or have been at this for a long time, we know you will be blessed by having a cord of three strands to grow with! We have seen personally how growth accelerates when you study together and pray for one another. We encourage you to pray about who your three might be and then go for it!
God’s dwelling place at Shiloh
Five years ago, when a friend asked me if I wanted a kitten from a new litter, I declined twice — until the third ask which came with a picture. From the moment I saw her face, she was Shiloh kitty. And she’s been my buddy ever since she arrived at my apartment covered in factory dirt with bright, beaming, blue kitten eyes. She was 8 weeks old.
As I was reading through the Bible on my (turned out to be) 7-year reading plan (true story), one day I landed on Joshua 18:1:
“Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.”
At this point in the book of Joshua, Israel is literally taking possession of the promised land and God has subdued it and given it into their hands. Since I have a Shiloh kitty, my attention was piqued and I dug a little deeper.
The tent of meeting was a holy place of worship that moved with the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness. It is the place where the priests of Israel met with the Lord, and it is also the place where the Lord’s presence dwelt (including the Ark of the Covenant). Until a permanent tabernacle could be built, God dwelt in the tent of meeting, which literally means “dwelling place.”
Shiloh is significant because it is the first seat of the government of Israel’s invading forces as they take possession of the land, according to Abarim Publications. Shiloh comes from the root verb shala, which means to “be at prosperous rest”. The word Shiloh is also translated as “He Whose it is”.
Study #1: Knowing God by Name
You guys!! God’s dwelling place is a place of prosperous rest, and it is a place of belonging. The tent of meeting at Shiloh is literally the place where God’s name dwells, and all of the characteristics, attributes and promises given in the names of God are ours to know and to live by; it is the place where we can find peace and prosperous rest in His promises.
Did you know there are over 100 different names for God in the Bible?
Mary A. Kassian has written a beautiful study called Knowing God by Name, which walks you through 35 different names of God. It is rich with scriptures that show where each name appears in Hebrew, and learning the Hebrew names is like unveiling a hidden layer of insight that is woven into the scriptures.
God is.. GOD! He is too awesome and holy for us to fully know, but this study is an incredible resource for knowing God in a deeper way than you have ever known him. His many names are promises to us that he is faithful, mighty, sovereign, merciful, gracious, and abounding in love — to name just a few.
Study #2: Sermon on the Mount
Do you ever wonder why Jesus says in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” or why Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt? What is the meaning of salt?
Salt is a purifying agent and instrument of preservation. It is also the only thing that remained after a burnt offering was made.
God even gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant.. of salt (Numbers 18:19).
Ultimately, salt is symbolic of the presence of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives.
I wouldn’t know any of these things without the deep dive on the Sermon on the Mount that Jen Wilkin guides you through in the Sermon on the Mount study*, which is truly so rich that I consulted my notes to refresh myself on the significance of salt as I was writing this.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lays out the path for us to walk in, shatters the conventional wisdom of his time, and explains the Law, anger, lust, divorce, loving our enemies, charity, and living free from worry. He also gives us the Lord’s Prayer.
You may have read Matthew chapters five to seven many times in your life, but this study unpacks every passage with precision and teaches us how to sincerely apply Jesus’ teachings to our lives, helping to make sure we don’t miss the enormous message under its simplicity: The Sermon on the Mount is a bold admonishment to live differently than the world, as hard is the way that leads to life:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
Matthew 7:13-14
*note: This study has video presentations and is designed for group study, and you will want to have access to the videos to get the most benefit from the study. If you are interested in listening to the videos online or on DVD, please contact your church, as the videos may be available through your church for free.
Just start!
Whether you check out either of the above studies, pick up an old study or find a new one, we hope that you will incorporate a new rhythm of Bible study into your daily lives and experience the wonder and adventure that is knowing God more deeply through a deeper understanding of his character and his Word. Bonus if you do it with a cord of three strands, as we’re confident you will grow faster and deeper together!
Blessings and love,
three strands
A final note
We recognize that some of you may not have a Bible or be in a position to purchase a Bible study book right now. We do have grants available and we would be honored to mail you a Bible and/or Bible study FREE! Just contact us to request a Bible or Bible study and include your mailing address- and we’ll ship them directly to you! We love you all, and we believe everyone should have access to Bible studies.