Word Center Ministries' Observation Bible Study Guides are perfect for you to use in asking the text many, many questions which will unveil what each book of the Bible is saying. Many people have difficulty in one of the most essential parts of the process of Bible Study—Observation. If you are one of those people, the OBSG will help you tremendously. Each chapter is divided into three sections: READ AND OBSERVE, READ AND ANSWER, and READ AND REASON.
In Word Center Ministries' Observation Bible Study Guides we do some of the work for you. In the first section of each chapter of the study, called READ AND OBSERVE, you will be asked to identify and mark key words and phrases, and you will be given suggestions of how to mark them. What symbol you choose to use is up to you. The reason we offer examples is because we have found many people have difficulty coming up with ideas of their own; if you have an idea for a symbol—go for it!
The second section of every chapter in the Observation Bible Study Guide is called READ AND ANSWER. The bulk of each chapter’s work is done here. We will methodically ask you questions for every verse of the book you are studying.
You may think of other questions to ask the text. This is great! As you become more comfortable in asking the text questions, jump right in! The only real rule is to only ask the text questions it can answer. How can you know what questions it can answer? It will tell you! Just start and you will catch on—guaranteed!
Writing down the answers is imperative because it gives your mind a chance to think through what God is saying.
The third and final section of every chapter of the Observation Bible Study Guide is called READ AND REASON. It is designed to help you reason through what you have learned in the chapter and/or help you to reason through a truth about God and His ways.
Again, you may have many other thoughts to reason through—go ahead! Just make sure your reasoning lines up with what you have seen and heard in His Word.
Various helpful POINTS are given during each chapter, mainly in the READ AND ANSWER section.
- POINT OF DEPTH Information concerning the point of the verse you are observing in order to take you deeper into its meaning.
- POINT OF CONNECTION Cross-reference to another point in the Bible which is connected chronologically to the verse you are observing.
- POINT OF REFERENCE Cross-reference to another point in the Bible which clarifies the verse you are observing.