How to Read the Bible, part 2

Jacob Hantla September 30, 2024

Dear Student Ministries Parents,

I have recently heard statements like the following from kids and parents:

  • “I never knew what to read in the Bible, so I just didn’t. Now I have been reading God’s Word almost every day.”
  • “Our family now consistently reads together every single day…for the first time.”
  • “I used to immediately forget what I read [in the Bible] in the mornings; now I’m thinking about it and remembering.”
  • “I started to pray when I read the Bible to ask God to help me believe.”
  • “I’m thinking about worshiping God in everything I do throughout the day.”
  • • “I never sang in church before. That has changed.”

And more. Praise God! It’s so sweet to watch God build the foundational practice of faithful Bible reading in these students. This is something the Holy Spirit loves to use to save and mature us. Honestly, teaching on this has refocused and reinvigorated my personal and family time in God’s Word.

Last night, we finished part 3 of “How to Read the Bible.” It focused on the practical steps of:

  1. Observation: What does it say?
  2. Interpretation: What does it mean (A/author’s original intent for the original audience)?
  3. Application: How must this affect me?

We also played a fun game showing the importance of observation, heard from Emet Yates about how God is using a difficult trial to make him not want to waste his life, and read a fun story about a student and a fish.

Rather than summarize it all here, I would encourage you to ask your student about it. You can check out the discussion guide and the audio/video of the message. And please follow up with your student. See what’s going well, what is hard, and how we can best encourage and help them.

This upcoming week will have a heavy emphasis on discussion groups. After that, I anticipate a few weeks of Q&A. So if you have any questions that pop up in your interaction with your students, please send them my way for Q&A or let your child’s discussion group leader know so this can be focused on in those smaller settings.

Thank you for the privilege of caring for your children and coming alongside you to evangelize and disciple those entrusted to your care. I would love to hear about how Student Ministries is impacting your student or your home, as well as any feedback, questions, or suggestions you may have.

Your servant for His glory,

– Jacob Hantla