"How to Read the Bible" Course
Introducing these free online Bible Courses with GROW YOUR LIFE ministries, we can study together, share our thoughts, ask questions, and encourage each other. What better way to start off than with this course, "How to Read the Bible"? Please go ahead and sign up as a student and go through the course, then come back here and share your insights.
Lets get started....
So if you've gone through the course "How to read the Bible", you will know that they suggest a reading plan, starting with the gospel of Mark, using the OBSERVATION, INTERPRETATION, AND APPLICATION pattern. We are encouraged that if we read the gospel of Mark in this way, we will never be the same!
That is a bold statement to make and something I thought we could journey on together. I will share my thoughts using this pattern as I read Mark, and I hope you will too! Sharing is a great way to build confidence and faith, and to bless others. My prayer is that the Lord will make this a 'safe space' where we can feel free to share our insights as the Lord leads.
As the course suggests, read at your own pace, and when sharing here, feel free to use one word or many! Remember, it's not so much about getting it right, it's more about sharing your heart.
Mark 1: 1-8
The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”
And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
OBSERVATION - ( What is the text about? Who, What, How, Why, When & Where) -
This tells the story of John the Baptist, whose purpose was to prepare people for the coming of Jesus. He is described as a messenger and was a fulfillment of a prophecy that is written in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. It describes John as a wild-looking man who lived in the wilderness and who preached of the need for repentance for the forgiveness os sins. He was a man who baptised people in the Jordan River. It says the whole Judean countryside and all of the people of Jerusalem went out to him, so that sounds like a lot of people! He preached a humble message that he was not of much worth, and that after him would come One more powerful and who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit.
INTERPRETATION - (What is the message of the text? What is the context?) - John's location and appearance echo the prophet Elijah. He is described as the 'new Elijah'. John's ministry was prophesied in the book of Isaiah as the forerunner who would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. This also connects the arrival of Jesus to the Old Testament prophecies in Isaiah.
APPLICATION - (What does it mean for me personally? What needs to change in me?) - This means I can be thankful that this prophecy came to pass and that I have access to Jesus and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I am reminded that being a disciple of Jesus is a humble walk, and no matter what Jesus calls me to, it is always to bring glory to Him and to what He can do for those He has called me to minister to.
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