Personal Bible Study Methods By Rev.

Rick Warren

Chapter 2 The Chapter Summary Method of Bible Study Or, How to Begin understanding Chapters of a Book of the Bible
1. DEFINITION

The Chapter Summary Method involves gaining a general understanding of the contents of a chapter by reading it through at least 5 times, asking a series of content questions, and summarizing the central thoughts of the passage. 2. WHY THIS METHOD IS IMPORTANT.

It enables you to understand chapters of the Bible. Chapters usually capture a blockthought of Scripture that God wants to communicate to us. It is easy to learn - 10 basic steps It does not take much time - 10-30 minutes It does not require any resource material or Bible reference tools. It helps you to get an overview of a chapter as you rapidly read through a Book of the Bible for example.

3. TEN EASY STEPS FOR DOING A CHAPTER SUMMARY In preparation for this method, read through the chapter 5 times. Read it in a Bible without notes. Read it without stopping. Read it in several versions (NIV, KJV, NLT etc). Read it aloud to yourself. As you read, look for answers to the 10 Cs that follow. The Ten Cs Step 1 Caption Make a short caption or title for each chapter. Step 2 Contents Describe, summarize, paraphrase, outline, or make a list of the major points in a chapter. Just make observations at this stage.

Step 3 Chief People Who are the principal characters in this chapter? Why are they important? Step 4 Choice Verse Choose a key verse that summarizes or captures the essence of the chapter. Step 5 Crucial Words Write down the key word(s) of the chapter. Step 6 Challenges Write down some of the statements you cannot understand or that you would like to study further. Step 7 Cross-References Look up other verses in the Bible that deal with the difficulties you have identified, or that deal with topics you are interested to study further. Step 8 Christ Seen How is Jesus Christ seen through the chapter you are studying? What truth(s) do you learn about Him here? Step 9 Central Lesson Write down the major principles, insights and lessons you learn from this chapter. Step 10 Conclusion In the conclusion, you want to write an application to your life. Address two points: 1. How do these truths apply to me personally? 2. What specifically am I going to do about them? Adapted.

CHAPTER SUMMARY FORM

CHAPTER

1. CAPTION (TITLE)

2. CONTENTS This chapter contains four sections.

3. CHIEF PEOPLE

4. CHOICE VERSE

5. CRUCIAL WORDS

6. CHALLENGES (Difficulties I need to study)

7. CROSS-REFERENCES

8. CHRIST SEEN

9. CENTRAL LESSON(S) 10. CONCLUSION (Personal Application)