themselves? These are a few an swers to that question which may apply to group Bible study as well as individual study: Encourage teens to read Bible versions in modern-day English and to use special study Bibles. Suggest that students compare Bible lessons in the King James Version with one or more o f the following reliable translations: Norlie, Olaf. Norlie’s Simpli fied New Testament, 1961 Phillips, J. B. The Four Proph ets, 1963 Phillips, J. B. The New Testa ment in M odern English, 1958 Taylor, Kenneth. Living Psalms and Proverbs, 1967 Taylor, Kenneth. Living Gos pels, 1966 Taylor, Kenneth. Living Let ters, 1962 Taylor, Kenneth. Living Proph ecies, 1965 The Amplified Bible, 1965 Verkuyl, Gerrit, editor. The Berkeley Version in Modem English, 1945, 1958 Way, Arthur S. The Letters of St. Paul, 1921 Young, Robert. Literal Trans lation o f th e H oly Bible, 1877; reprinted 1953 The works of Phillips and Tay lor are especially appealing to teen-agers because o f their con temporary expressions. One par ent commented that her teen-age boy, a Christian, had little inter est in Bible reading until he be gan Kenneth Taylor’s Living Let ters. A number o f study Bibles can be examined in Christian book stores. These Bibles — with ex planatory notes, cross references, concordances, dictionaries, topical indexes — can aid teens in their understanding o f the Bible. Have teens search the Scrip tures right in class. I f a teacher simply tells his students what the Bible says without giving them opportunity to search the Word in class to discover what it .says and means and implies for their lives, he can hardly expect them to search the Word during the
YOUTH in B IBLE STUDY
b y L lo yd ü f . P e r r y
T eachers of young people face the task o f how to get teens interested in Bible study. eens do not appreciate being threatened or driven to study the Word. Sometimes young people can be encouraged to read the Bible by holding contests, requiring regular reading reports, and hav ing projects such as reading the Bible through each year. One soon learns, however, that such tech niques do not necessarily guar antee that the teens have actually learned Bible content or found information which will be of as sistance in daily living. The best way to come to know the Bible is by studying it. Bible study includes searching, meditating, understanding and applying. “ Search the Scripture . . . for they . . . testify o f me” (John 5:39). This verb “ search” means
to investigate and to explore. The Bereans in Acts 17:11 searched the Scriptures daily. Meditating on the Scriptures means seriously contemplating the meaning and implications of the Word. “But his delight is in the law o f the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psa. 1:2). Wise students o f Scripture seek to understand what they read. “Which things also we speak not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spir itual things with spiritual” (I Cor. 2:13). The next step in Bible study is the willingness to apply the Word of life. Being a hearer and not a doer of the Word brings self- deception (James 1:22). But how can a teacher get teens to follow these steps, to actually enjoy study ing the Bible for
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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