Way to Study
Get more out of your reading by practicing the suggested points below.
A Way to use a Life-study Message to Study the Bible
First, pray to open to the Lord and turn your heart to the Lord. Pray briefly to be poor in spirit and pure in heart, with no covering veils (Matt. 5:3, 8; 2 Cor. 3:16).
Second, read and pray-read a few key verses. In this way you will taste the Lord in His word and receive spiritual nourishment in your study (Eph. 6:17-18; 1 Tim. 4:6).
Third, read the message title and the subtitles to get an overview of the message. Turn them into questions so you can look for the answers in your reading.
Fourth, locate the main points of the Bible passage. Connect the title and subtitles with the Scripture verses. By relating the verses to the points, you will see the points in the Scriptures and also realize what are the crucial points in the passage (Acts 17:11).
Fifth, read the text of the Life-study message section by section and highlight or underline the crucial points as they relate to the title or corresponding subtitle.
Sixth, pause to pray over the crucial points as you read. Open to the Lord with these points in confession and in fellowship that He may make the essence of these points divine reality to you.
Seventh, write a few sentences summarizing the important point of each section. Writing down the important points will keep your mind focused on your reading and make sure you grasp and can recall the point of the section (2 Tim. 1:13).
Eighth, at the end of the message, compose a short summary of what has been revealed to you in the verses.
Ninth, pray with the burden of the message. This will help you assimilate the main points and make the message subjective to you.
Tenth, speak to others about what you have seen. Find a companion you can mutually speak the truth with in a regular way (Eph. 4:25). You can use your summary as a prophecy in the Lord’s Day meeting (1 Cor. 14:26, 31).