Techy Bible Study

“Logos Bible Study Software”

Bible Study at the Speed of...well...your RAM

Bill Mesaeh / www.billmesaeh.com

I've gotten a few questions on how I prepare for my sermons, study Scripture, etc. Well, sermon prep is probably something each guy works through in a way that works for him. That's a process that grows with the preacher.

Seeing as how I never intend to grow up, nailing down my style is probably not possible. So, I'll simply give one timeless guideline that preachers never outgrow: start with the text and let the Bible tell you what to preach. It is dangerous to approach the Bible trying to make it fit an idea you have already decided upon in your head.

That said, once you've got a piece of Scripture that you want to work through, picking it apart and asking as many critical questions as possible is absolutely essential. Never stop asking, "why?"

• Why did he say that?
  
• Why is he standing there?
  
• Why did he NOT say this?
  
• Why is the crowd so angry with Jesus?
  
• Why is this group listening to him and the other group not?
  
• Perfect the art of being a perpetual 4-yr-old.

Where you get your answers to the endless string of questions depends on your resources. Mine: part dusty books, part Logos Bible Study software. It's a completely amazing digital library software system that catalogs and indexes thousands of books. One search properly done has the program spitting back hundreds of pieces of information coming from commentaries, topical books, original manuscripts, Hebrew/Greek grammars, maps, dictionaries, etc. A lot like drinking from a fire hydrant, the task then becomes deciding what to leave out.

There will never be a substitute for solid, deep Bible study perfected through a lifetime of devotion to God's beautiful word. But, there's no reason we shouldn't harness the power of technology to dig through Scripture. I spend approximately 15 hours in study time per sermon. Without Logos, I'd probably have to triple that if I wanted to achieve the same depth of study.

Not exactly a class in hermeneutics/Bible study, rather, this was a quick response to how I dig through Scripture each week. (4-yr-old comes separately.)

Excerpt from Logo's website:

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

in your service and His,

-bill