Studying Scripture Together

For the past 6-ish months on Tuesday nights, three churches come together to study 1 Timothy. The main goal of this group is to learn the act of studying the Bible. Not to just read that specific text, but to learn how to learn.

It’s a lot like learning to drive. You study the rules and take a written test, but at some point, you have to get behind the wheel and actually drive. Studying the Bible is similar. The theory is good, but practice is better.

One of the most rewarding parts of our group study is the process of reading and discussing Scripture together. Many of us read the passage beforehand, so we have a general idea of what might come up in the discussion. But more than half of the group reads the text mainly during our weekly time together. While this might limit how much someone can study on their own, I think it adds a lot to our time as a group. Some questions that come up during our first or second read-through aren’t things I would have thought of on my own. Different questions arise because we have a mix of ages and maturity levels, and sometimes, even simple questions spark really interesting conversations. At the very least, it teaches me how to walk others through the text in a way that’s helpful for them.

Most of us, myself included, haven’t studied anything in a group setting since high school or college. But these past few months have reminded me how fun and valuable it can be to learn in a group. Give it a try, you might enjoy it too.