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- 1). Teach youth members that the Bible must be understood in the way it was understood to the original audience. Cultural context, language, government, purpose and a host of other considerations must be considered to fully interpret scripture correctly.
- 2). Instruct your youth that reading the Bible should be regular and systematic. Greg Koukl, in his work "Never Read a Bible Verse," states that we should not pick and choose through the Bible in fortune-cookie sized snippets, but instead "read a paragraph, at least. Always check the context. Observe the flow of thought. Then focus on the verse."
- 3). Demonstrate the process. Pray for wisdom and understanding with them. Gather a Bible dictionary, Bible encyclopedia, some language translation helps and a solid commentary and show the process in action.
- 4). Discuss your teaching with and, if necessary, disciple the parents of the youth in a respectful and loving way. It is not the job of a youth minister to be the primary Bible teacher for a young Bible student -- it is the parents' responsibility.
- 5). Purchase some basic resources on hermeneutics. Hermeneutics, the art and science of interpreting scripture, systematizes these concepts in a way that makes them even more accessible to a young Bible student.
- 6). Offer your assistance on a regular basis. Be available. Studying Scripture and rightly understanding it is challenging and occasionally frustrating. Some concepts take years to fully grasp.
- 7). Discuss Biblical salvation with your youth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." Understand that without being born again (John 3), the complete application and understanding of the Bible is impossible.
Preparation
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