https://content.lessons.church/files/bundles/pcJyARCa0DZ/Study Files.zip?dt=1661521838492

Study Files

Session 4 Video

Without a context, words are meaningless. 

Session 4

Discern the author’s flow of thought. (Literary Context)

Free video resources for you and your church. Designed for use in these environments: Adult Studies, Student Ministry, Leadership Training, Personal Growth.


The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.

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Lesson Outline

https://content.lessons.church/files/study/Qo8NsOO8ZpM/UjdCyA6ENL4/How to read the Bible (Michael DeFazio) 2016.pdf?dt=1661521744365

In this series, Michael DeFazio offers guidance on how to read the Bible more effectively to hear God's voice. It begins by setting the right goals and emphasizes the importance of reading with humility, arguing that character is as crucial to understanding the Bible as the method. The series then advocates for meticulous attention to detail and understanding the author's flow of thought by studying the context. Additionally, it stresses the value of familiarizing oneself with the historical background and reading each passage in light of the entirety of Scripture. Recognizing the relevance of genre sensitivity, the series also underlines that all principles apply to each genre, albeit not always in the same way. The final lesson emphasizes the necessity of living out what is learned from the Bible, stating that spiritual maturity is not gauged by knowledge alone but by how well one lives.

How to Read the Bible

 Michael DeFazio's series offers comprehensive guidance on effective Bible reading, focusing on goal setting, humility, detail attention, context comprehension, historical awareness, overall Scripture coherence, genre sensitivity, and the importance of applying learned teachings to life.

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Lesson

**Discern the author’s *flow* of *thought*. (Literary Context)**

- We’re going to play a little game.

    - “Give him a *hand*.”

    - “That’s the largest *trunk* I’ve ever seen.”

- Without a context, words are **meaningless**.

- *Discern the author’s **flow** of thought.*

    - In interpreting texts, what we’re talking about is typically called “literary context.”

    - Literary context is the words and paragraphs *surrounding* our text.

- *This is the single most **important** aspect of sound interpretation.*

    - Psalm 14.1 – “There is no God”

    - Ephesians 4.24 “Put on the new man”

    - Matthew 18.20 – “Where two or three are gathered, there I am with them.”

    - Philippians 4.13 – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

    - Philippians 2.12 – “work our your salvation with fear and trembling”

- So let’s get practical – what are you supposed to do?

    - *When studying individual verses, read the surrounding verses and ask how the context clarifies what your verse means.*

    - *When reading paragraphs or larger sections, ask how they relate to what came before and after.*

        1. Divide the text into sections (typically paragraphs or events)
        2. Summarize each section as best you can
        3. Look for connections

- As we like to say at Ozark Christian College, context is king.

Discern the author’s flow of thought. (Literary Context)

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