Are you looking for a way to teach your older children how to study the Bible? Let me tell you about Doorposts new Bible Study, Because You Are Strong: A Study of Godly Strength for Young Men, which we have had an opportunity to review.
Because You Are Strong: A Study of Godly Strength for Young Men by Daniel Forster is a Bible study for ages 12 and up with a focus for young men. Though it is written for young men it is also appropriate for young ladies and alternative questions are offered throughout the study.
This Bible study focuses on accomplishing two goals:
- To gain a biblical understanding of strength
- To learn and practice Bible study skills
There are ten studies included in the book which cover these topics:
- Strength for the Race
- Strength with No Limits
- Strength and Wisdom
- Strength and Temptation
- Strength to be Valiant
- Strength in Our Weakness
- Strength in the Battle
- Strength Serving Others
- Strength and Gray Heads
- Strength in the Faith
Because You Are Strong will show your child how to study the Bible on a personal level. It covers the many types of Bible study such as topical, character study, word study, verse study, and book study. It also includes many methods of which include:
- Studying original Hebrew or Greek words
- Comparing Scripture passages
- Observing repeated words and themes
- Outlining a passage
- Gathering Scripture on a particular topic
- Studying the lives of people in the Bible
Each study is divided into daily assignments which can take from 5-20 minutes. There are a total of 74 days included and ideas are given at the end for additional study. The King James Version is the primary resource, though other Bible translations may be used. The student will be required to mark words and verses in their Bible so a Bible that you don't mind marking up is also recommended
You will need some additional books to complete these studies. The two most important books needed are the Nave's Topical Bible and the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. These can be used in a digital format or book format. There is a helpful list of computer programs, apps, online Bible study tools which is included in the book.
Caleb, who is 17, worked through this book. We ran into an issue where we didn't have the Nave's Topical Bible so we had to rely on the online version. He found using this very frustrating. I eventually bought the app to put on our iPad (much to his dad's delight), and even using this was frustrating at times. For instance--the book would say:
Look up "GOD-Omnipotent" in Nave's Topical Bible. You will find about 9 verses listed... p. 11When Caleb would look this up using the app he usually had a list a lot longer than 9 verses. This usually meant that my husband or I had to become involved and try to help him find the scriptures that he could list in the book. Eventually he was able to decipher the lists by himself. I'm all for free, but having a hard copy of the Nave's Topical Bible would have alleviated a lot of frustration.
Besides that small point, Caleb really enjoyed these Bible studies and he said it was helping him learn how to do personal Bible study, which I would say is what I really like about this book. We have studied the different ways to do different Bible study methods and have done a few on a small scale, but Because You Are Strong does a fabulous job of going through different Bible study methods in depth.
I highly recommend Because You Are Strong along with having hard copies of the Nave's Topical Bible and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Your student will come away knowing what the Bible has to say about strength along with personal experience on how to study the Bible. It is like getting two for the price of one!
Because You Are Strong is available from Doorposts in a softcover book for $12.00 (through 8/31) or PDF for $10.00.
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