For those who have done bible study... How did it impact your life?

A good Bible Study from a trusted group would help you overcome your social anxiety. As a bonus, you would learn about the Bible.

We all started from the beginning.
A good teacher will welcome all questions.
A good group will encourage others to speak and listen when others are talking.
You are God's treasure. Do not share too much about yourself unless you know the hearers can be trusted.
Find a mature woman with whom you can ask the questions you did not feel comfortable asking within the group.
The only bad question is the one not asked. Again, good leaders welcome examination of their beliefs and ideas.
As you come to know the scriptures or at least where most of the books are in relation to others, begin your personal study by asking the Lord what He wants you to understand. Use a concordance or good Bible dictionary to study what He shows you.

Blessings!

P.S. There are many online Bible study tools. I use blueletterbible.org a lot as well as biblegateway.com but there are many others.

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

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My suggestion is to find a group of women close to your age to join. My daughter also has social anxiety but she has found a great group of girls in college that she’s studying with. Hanging out with them has also helped with her social anxiety. They go eat together, hiking, and everything else. Surround yourself with relationships built on Christ. As @Aaron56 said blueletterbible.org and biblegateway.com are great. Blueletterbible(BLB) app is free and very easy to use. Also don’t look at it as learning more about the Bible. Look at it as learning more about Jesus. You can learn about Him not only from the Bible but from your experiences with others and thru His creation.

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

Click to expand...

CB, welcome to CC. My testimony is quite different.

I was raised by loving, Christian (Southern Baptist) parents, who were happily married for 70 years. I attended church regularly as a child, and about the age of eight I had enough courage to walk the aisle during an invitation and profess publicly my faith in Jesus by being baptized.

My personality was rather introverted as a teenager, so I discussed my beliefs only with a few close friends. When I was a senior in high school, my favorite teacher was a former preacher turned agnostic, and in my freshman year of college, the daughter of a missionary became an atheist. My ignorance of answers to questions asked by skeptics prompted me to read the entire Bible (NEB) making notes in the margins (which I repeated with three other versions over the years).

After college and military service I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where a professor of systematic theology stimulated my thinking, while I also attended a church whose preacher's sermons also were systematic teaching. During this time I heard a debate on the radio between Christian evangelist Bob Harrington and atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Although the exchange was quite humorous, I was chagrined to concede that the atheist won the debate on substance, and I determined to seek better replies to such questions and criticisms.

Years later as a military chaplain, I encountered the Atheist Community of Austin and offered to speak at one of their meetings. I also debated atheists on an online chat site for several years. Although I cannot claim to have converted anyone, the discussions helped hone my beliefs, which in 2018 and 2019 I self-published in two booklets, The Best Belief and The Christian Creed, which are the main content I post in the threads about Apologetics and The Kerygma on CC.

The following excerpts from “Love God with All Your Mind” by J.P. Moreland expresses my experience: “I used to be afraid of witnessing... I was rather defensive and nervous... But now I understand why I believe, and this has brought me both peace and a non-defensive boldness to witness to others.” (p.20) “Sunday School should be more effective in training believers how to think carefully about their faith. Training in apologetics should be a regular part of discipleship.” (p.26) “Our discipleship materials often leave Christian young people vulnerable to atheistic college professors.” (p.28) “The apostle Paul... reasoned with and tried to persuade people intelligently to accept Christ.” (p.30)

My testimony continues in the various threads I sponsor on CC for the edification of anyone who is interested, in hopes that it will provide a spiritual boost for fellow truthseekers. LIC, GWH

Just_A__Follower said:

. Look at it as learning more about Jesus. You can learn about Him not only from the Bible but from your experiences with others and thru His creation.

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Yes! Read the Bible like an account of your family heritage.

CB,
You may not want advice from a male concerning Bible study, but I'll give it to you anyway!

I think that this is a great idea, but am a little concerned that you may be going about it incorrectly.
Pick just about any Bible topic on CC, and your first observation will probably be that all Christians do not think alike.
Wouldn't it be better to decide on which church you wish to belong to before choosing those those that you wish to be in your study group. Spend time there, make friends, and have a study with others who believe as you do.
I'm not trying to tell you what to believe, just suggesting that you surround yourself with like-minded friends to be in your group.
I mention this because your profile says that you do not currently have a church.

Good luck, and welcome to CC!

I'll share one story...

At one time I attended a church that emphasized a certain quasi-biblical practice. There were frequent testimonies of the efficacy of this practice (always one-sided), but in my own life I did not find this "blessing" that was promised. I started digging, found and examined every single Bible reference to this topic, read several articles and maybe a book or three, prayed at length, and came to the conclusion that this particular practice was not sound according to Scripture.

I summarized my findings in a ten-page essay, which I shared with the pastor. Needless to say, he didn't take it well. Because of some comments he made subsequent to that, I lost respect for him and left the church.

Ideally, study should bring us together, because it brings us into line with Christ. On this occasion, it rightly divided, because truth cannot cohabit with error.

Dino246 said:

I'll share one story...

At one time I attended a church that emphasized a certain quasi-biblical practice. There were frequent testimonies of the efficacy of this practice (always one-sided), but in my own life I did not find this "blessing" that was promised. I started digging, found and examined every single Bible reference to this topic, read several articles and maybe a book or three, prayed at length, and came to the conclusion that this particular practice was not sound according to Scripture.

I summarized my findings in a ten-page essay, which I shared with the pastor. Needless to say, he didn't take it well. Because of some comments he made subsequent to that, I lost respect for him and left the church.

Ideally, study should bring us together, because it brings us into line with Christ. On this occasion, it rightly divided, because truth cannot cohabit with error.

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Excellent post!
That's exactly why you should have a study with like-minded people. Otherwise, you may not be comfortable in a study surrounded by those who believe differently.
I don't know how many times I have heard a visitor say “Liked the church, just wish they would practice believer baptism.
Never choose a church hoping that you can change it to suit your needs!

Bible study can be a great and productive time spent together as long as the person leading the Study is Born Again ---Holy Spirit indwelled and relies on the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction for the bible Study ----so your getting the right Spiritual knowledge from the Study ----

If the person is not Born Again then they are leading the study by their own intellectual mindset and will not be giving the right Spiritual knowledge from the Scripture they are basing the Study on -----

So it all depend who is giving the Study whether it is a Good reliable Study or a bad study -----that is my view on that

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

Click to expand...

its story time: about 4 years ago, i was driving from home to an errand & i noticed an elderly lady having trouble with her push lawn mower. the day twas quite hot, about 90 degrees at least. so i stopped & assisted her. i discovered the lawn mower was half broke, it kept stalling. so i called my friend who is a small engine repairman, brought it to him & he fixed it. i brought it back to the lady. i told her i would mow the lawn. she certainly agreed to that. i started mowing & the mower broke again. i brought it back to the mechanic & he said that he figured it might not work properly but he didn't want to keep fixing all the problems because people would start complaining about the bill so he wisely fixed the worst problem. so he fixed the 2nd issue, i went back & mowed the rest of the lawn for the lady. i told her, "i live right down the street". we enjoyed a chat. then i asked her about the Bible class sign in the window. she said her husband is a pastor, has taught Bible school in the past & is a born again Christian. & i said, "i am to" we talked further. so i went to the Bible class, there was about 8 people there. it went alright, no intense teaching, but not bad. the 2nd time i went, 1 of the subjects was eternal salvation. & the lady's husband had said that he didn't believe in eternal salvation. so i pointed him to 1st John 5:13: "these things have we written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW you have eternal life & that you may believe on the name of the Son of God"! also, i recited to him, John 3:36: "he that believeth on the Son of God hath eternal life, he that believeth not on God shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him". i explained to him the verses with quite a breakdown on their meanings & he would not obey God's word. wow! think of this, this guy is a born again Christian for 50 years, teaches Bible class but doesn't believe in eternal salvation! his wife told me she didn't believe in eternal salvation either. she said, "i can get saved any time i want" to which i replied, "even in your sleep"? she didn't say anything. so i said, "what's the sense in getting saved if you never know you are saved. "when will you lose your salvation'? "who's going to tell you that you lost your salvation"? 'what if you were in the hospital dying & the doctor said you have 1 week to live, what are you going to do then"? yes, you have the picture on that one! i attended other Bible classes none of them were anything to remember. i remember another class where a guy became a pastor by online methods. he stole the show by talking incessantly. just over & over. he was selfish with his excessive talk. never went again. so around here which is mid N.Y., there isn't anyone i would recommend. i wouldn't go to Bible class unless there was someone like Adrian Rogers, Charles Stanley, Michael Uceff, Robert Jeffress, Vernon Magee, Noah Hutchins, Chuck Smith, Kenneth Hagin, Chuck Swindall or Chuck Colsen peaching. blessings to you.

First and foremost , if u r reading the Bible regularly for yourself that is the best start . That way u will get a bit of self confidence and not feel as if u don't know anything and everyone else is much more knowledgeable than u . Read your Bible every day by yourself . Find out which books u love the most and why , build your confidence .
Once u join a group , don't stop reading by yourself , the most important relationship u will ever have is with your God , not with other people in the group . And yes , b aware that all Christians r not robots , they r not like the Stepford wives, at least I hope they aren't ! They will have different personalities , different opinions and different levels of understanding and even faith . U have to b kind and patient with them all , especially the ones u don't like ! .
Reading the Bible regularly , by yourself and thinking about what u have read , by yourself is very important . There is nothing in there that u cannot understand for yourself , as long as u want to understand and u keep reading , God will reveal His Truth to u , personally . Never take what anyone tells u about God or the Bible , as a fact unless u have read it for yourself . Everyone makes mistakes , u will too but , if u r reading for yourself hopefully , u won't b lead astray by someone else's mistake . Faith is a very personal journey , there is just u and Jesus walking on the road to Emaus . Listen to him he will teach u everything u need to know .

Regarding Bible study one scripture comes to mind:
[2Ti 2:15 KJV] 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Your post is an inspiration. I guess your realize that your mother never stopped praying and Jesus never let you go, to the glory of the Father. I would suggest that your might profit from reading the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11 - 32.

Welcome home.

rrcn said:

Regarding Bible study one scripture comes to mind:
[2Ti 2:15 KJV] 15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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Amen. After about 11 years of denominational confusion for me, God Leading me to that
verse, then the Confusion started do Disappear. BIG impact! Hallelujah!! Praise His Name!!!

And, precious friend, Please Be Very Richly Encouraged and Edified
In The Lord Jesus Christ and In His Precious Word Of Truth, Rightly
Divided:

The Bible: The BIG Picture

Amen.

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

Click to expand...

God simply loves us all. Get that in you and grow new in God's Love and mercy of Son for you. John 16:33
My walk after a long journey in rebellion, a drunk, druggie, partier
I did not care if I die, and still do not, yet a different care now.
It started with me, when my youngest sister died on an overdose at age 18, I was 14 and did not understand and went astray, not caring whether I lived or died after my youngest sister's death took place.
Then many more troubles happened as well.
My dad, then my eldest brother died also.
My eldest brothers words were "God just Loves me" And then three days later he died, was found on Campus Crusade for Christ in San Bernardino, Ca. leaned against a boulder, two miles above the sanctuary, with a Bible in his hand, found by hikers
This, hit me, when I heard from the Autopsy, on his death certificate, no physical cause of death found. put on his death certificate. I guess a low flying angel dropped by and took him home, safe and secure.
I was 21, now 69. I stood in belief ever since, Only to see how messed up my life as a drunk was and could be again if I do not stand in God's love and mercy for us all, not just a few, now for all. thank you Father
Knowing all things are okay for me to do. Now seeing to learn what is good for me and what is not good, I now do differently.
Col 1:21-22, 23

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

Click to expand...

As in all things related to teaching the only two questions that matter, IMO are, who is teaching? And what are they teaching? Whenever I hear "Bible study" I have tons of questions but those two are the most important. Its like announcing, "I studied communism".

CherryBaby02 said:

Hi all!
I was raised in a Christian family but led myself astray for around 10 years before being saved by the love of Christ and I haven't looked back, I feel so blessed and more whole than i ever have in my life with a sense of peace i haven't experienced before.

My mother whom i share a very close relationship with, was over joyed when i shared the news about becoming a Christian and finding the Lord after all my troublesome youth of rejecting religious ideologies and such. - after the New Year i voiced the fact that i would like to learn more about the Bible and grow closer to God. - she suggested bible study, an all female group who gathers to pray, speak about God and primarily learn more about Gods word. - Even when i was atheist i studied and knew a decent chuck of Christianity but i still want to expand my horizons with more people who also live by it (possible social/friend group) - but i do have some social anxiety.

So basically i want o hear some of your positive or (negative) - to hopefully further persuade me to go with it.
Much love, and God bless!

Click to expand...

Sister, my advice is to do the bible study if you can find a good group. Pray about it.

What I think you should do regardless of your bible study group is to commit to reading the entire bible from cover to cover every year. I have been doing this for the past 6 or 7 years? It is very important to read it all for yourself. Remember, when we read the bible, the bible is reading us, I kid you not. Have you ever been reading scripture and one passage sounds like hey that's you! It's talking to me! That is called receiving a Rhema from the Lord. The "Logos" is God's written word, and Rhema's are the spoken word of God. He authored the bible so He has spoken every word of it. When we read the bible we are bringing ourselves into God's presence. The Bible will talk to you. It is the primary way that the Lord speaks to His people. It is the Holy Spirits job to lead us into all truth and He will do it when you reading it yourself.

Nedsk said:

As in all things related to teaching the only two questions that matter, IMO are, who is teaching? And what are they teaching? Whenever I hear "Bible study" I have tons of questions but those two are the most important. Its like announcing, "I studied communism".

Click to expand...

the eyes are the light to the soul. Trust God, learn from God and be Wise as a serpent and remain humble as a dove. Not easy once aware of the evil all around you, that God has redeemed you from in your soul to see truth and be aware, yet harmless at the same time

The most important thing is prayer.
Pray that God will place a desire to know and understand that is greater than anything.
Learn how to study. Most people do not know how to study.
What I do---
Put aside all that you think you know and allow the Scripture to teach you.
Get a good Hebrew and Greek dictionary so you can understand the original meaning of every word that is used.
Understand proper grammar----Who is speaking? Who is being spoken to? What is the subject being discussed? Why is the one speaking discussing this subject with these particular people at this time? What is the time frame, past present or future?
Understand the parts of speech and how each is properly used. Pay close attention to pronouns. Who do they refer to. To misunderstand who the pronoun is referring to will lead to a misunderstanding of the Scripture.
God gave us His Holy Word so we can know. It can be understood. It is easier for some than for others.
The more you properly study and learn the less difficult it becomes. Don't give up!!!
It takes time, effort, and a lot of prayer.
Take advantage of others. Study with them and learn with them and from them.
What I find useful is to understand the history of the time. What were these people dealing with, Political, society, economy, religious.

GWH said:

CB, welcome to CC. My testimony is quite different.

I was raised by loving, Christian (Southern Baptist) parents, who were happily married for 70 years. I attended church regularly as a child, and about the age of eight I had enough courage to walk the aisle during an invitation and profess publicly my faith in Jesus by being baptized.

My personality was rather introverted as a teenager, so I discussed my beliefs only with a few close friends. When I was a senior in high school, my favorite teacher was a former preacher turned agnostic, and in my freshman year of college, the daughter of a missionary became an atheist. My ignorance of answers to questions asked by skeptics prompted me to read the entire Bible (NEB) making notes in the margins (which I repeated with three other versions over the years).

After college and military service I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where a professor of systematic theology stimulated my thinking, while I also attended a church whose preacher's sermons also were systematic teaching. During this time I heard a debate on the radio between Christian evangelist Bob Harrington and atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Although the exchange was quite humorous, I was chagrined to concede that the atheist won the debate on substance, and I determined to seek better replies to such questions and criticisms.

Years later as a military chaplain, I encountered the Atheist Community of Austin and offered to speak at one of their meetings. I also debated atheists on an online chat site for several years. Although I cannot claim to have converted anyone, the discussions helped hone my beliefs, which in 2018 and 2019 I self-published in two booklets, The Best Belief and The Christian Creed, which are the main content I post in the threads about Apologetics and The Kerygma on CC.

The following excerpts from “Love God with All Your Mind” by J.P. Moreland expresses my experience: “I used to be afraid of witnessing... I was rather defensive and nervous... But now I understand why I believe, and this has brought me both peace and a non-defensive boldness to witness to others.” (p.20) “Sunday School should be more effective in training believers how to think carefully about their faith. Training in apologetics should be a regular part of discipleship.” (p.26) “Our discipleship materials often leave Christian young people vulnerable to atheistic college professors.” (p.28) “The apostle Paul... reasoned with and tried to persuade people intelligently to accept Christ.” (p.30)

My testimony continues in the various threads I sponsor on CC for the edification of anyone who is interested, in hopes that it will provide a spiritual boost for fellow truthseekers. LIC, GWH

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Where's CB? Do you still want to learn more about the Bible?