We have three meetings each week at Grace Ambassadors, each with a different way to learn from the Bible.
1. Question & Answer
2. Topical
3. Verse-by-Verse
Topical sessions give opportunity to deal with doctrinal issues of the day, or to explain how a doctrine develops and changes dispensationally from one end of scripture to the other.
Question & Answer sessions are valuable in that the doctrinal needs of the congregation are made known. This is especially useful for guaging areas of interest, smoothing out rough edges, and answering questions that don’t require or deserve a lesson on their own.
Verse by verse lessons (our Tuesday nights) are the most valuable meetings for growth.
Topical lessons provide a good synopsis of important doctrines, and Q&A is audience focused, but verse by verse lessons are driven solely by the text.
Teaching a book verse by verse forces your mind to conform to that of the author and context. This means going through the parts that are dry, swampy, hard, or whatever comes next in the text.
Whatever happens you must stick to the verse. Mining jewels from scripture in the form it was written causes tremendous growth for those faithfully studying along.
After finishing a book this way comes a realization that the journey through the book verse by verse has been richer than if the topics had been dealt with individually, and if the unattractive parts had been avoided.
If you are starting out with a home or family Bible study, teaching through a book of the Bible verse by verse is a good way to practice digging. If verse by verse is too much, try chapter by chapter, or outline a whole book in one lesson.
You can find our verse by verse lessons here.
For His glory,
Justin “stick to the verse” Johnson