How to Read the bible

Summary

Jose Gonzalez commenced the meeting with an opening prayer and announcements, including that the session would be recorded as part of the "How to Read the Bible" class. He explained the expository study method, emphasizing the importance of Genesis 1-11 as a template for understanding the Bible and shared personal study practices like listening to "soaking music." Jose Gonzalez detailed meeting logistics, including a cut-off time and feedback forms, and explained that the entire Bible revolves around Jesus, with individual stories intertwined and interwoven, all pointing to Christ and anchored by one general theme. He introduced the concept of identifying "bones" in scripture, such as repeated words or phrases, using Ezra 7:10 and Romans 1:15-17 as examples, and also demonstrated how to identify "bigger bones" or phrases in Joshua 1:6-9. Jose Gonzalez showed how to use Bible Hub for deeper word studies, connecting Old and New Testament concepts, and explained that New Testament writers were deeply "saturated" in Old Testament scriptures. He cautioned against reading isolated verses without context, using 1 John 4 as an example, and highlighted contrasting ideas in Genesis 11 through repeated phrases.

Details

Opening Prayer and Announcements Jose Gonzalez opened the meeting by welcoming attendees and inviting prayer requests for family members, health, and comfort during times of grief (00:00:00). He led a prayer asking for God's presence, comfort, blessing, and guidance, also requesting an open mind for learning during the class (00:02:51). Jose Gonzalez also announced that the session would be recorded with captions and mentioned that this was the third or fourth week of the "How to Read the Bible" class, which began as a one-time session (00:03:46).

Expository Study Method Jose Gonzalez explained that the class focuses on expository study, which involves exposing the material already present in the Bible and reading scripture in its proper context (00:04:46). He emphasized the importance of Genesis chapters 1-11 as a template for understanding the entire Bible, noting that grasping its details helps to unfold biblical patterns and melodies (00:05:33).

Personal Study Practices Jose Gonzalez shared a personal study practice of listening to "soaking music" or "pad worship pads" to create an atmosphere conducive to studying and prayer. He specifically recommended artist William Austoto for ambient textures that help in concentration and spiritual reception (00:06:20).

Meeting Logistics and Feedback Jose Gonzalez outlined the meeting schedule, mentioning a cut-off time of 7:55 PM and two links to be shared by his wife: a contact list for reminders and a feedback form (00:08:15). He encouraged attendees to use the anonymous feedback form for questions, suggestions, and to highlight beneficial aspects of the class, stressing the importance of this input for future sessions (00:09:12).

Connecting Biblical Stories Jose Gonzalez explained that the entire Bible revolves around Jesus, with individual stories intertwined and interwoven, all pointing to Christ and anchored by one general theme (00:10:02). He used the analogy of a painting, like Van Gogh's "Starry Night," to illustrate that biblical imagery reveals truth from the authors' perspectives, not necessarily scientific facts, but still conveying true meaning (00:12:09).

Identifying Word Patterns and Structures (Ezra 7:10) Jose Gonzalez introduced the concept of identifying "bones" in scripture—repeated words or phrases that connect ideas, like "to" and "for" (00:15:57) (00:17:44). Using Ezra 7:10, he demonstrated how Ezra "set his heart" as the main idea (rooftop), supported by pillars like "to study the law of the Lord," "to do it," and "to teach" (00:16:51).

Word Patterns in Romans 1:15-17 The discussion continued with Romans 1:15-17, where participants identified repeated words such as "also," "for," "faith," and "gospel" (00:20:41). Jose Gonzalez illustrated how "eager to preach the gospel" serves as the rooftop idea, supported by pillars like "not ashamed of the gospel," "power of God for salvation," and "righteousness of God is revealed" (00:22:37). He noted that each pillar offers further "rabbit holes" for deeper study, such as exploring phrases like "Jew first and also to the Greek" or the meaning of "salvation" and "power of God" (00:24:25).

Identifying Big Bones and Phrases (Joshua 1:6-9) Shifting to "bigger bones" or phrases, Jose Gonzalez highlighted the repetition of "Be strong and courageous" in Joshua 1:6-9, appearing in verses 6, 7, and 9 (00:27:51). He emphasized that these repetitions connect different ideas, such as the giving of land, adherence to the law, and God's presence (00:29:51).

Deeper Word Study using Bible Hub Jose Gonzalez demonstrated how to use Bible Hub for word studies, specifically with "terrified" and "dismayed" from Joshua 1:9 (00:30:38). He showed how to access the "Interlinear" section to find root Hebrew words and their definitions, explaining that comparing different uses of a word reveals its full meaning (00:33:31). He noted that such in-depth study could take weeks for a single text (00:34:38).

Connecting Old and New Testaments (Ephesians 6:10) Jose Gonzalez then connected the Old Testament concept of "be strong and courageous" from Joshua to the New Testament's Ephesians 6:10, which states "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (00:35:26). He explained that this New Testament perspective reframes the idea of strength as originating from God, not oneself, encouraging a fresh look at older scriptures through new insights (00:36:18).

Biblical Writers and Saturation in Scripture Jose Gonzalez explained that New Testament writers were deeply "saturated" in Old Testament scriptures, influencing their thought processes and writing styles (00:38:10). He emphasized that these writers often connected new ideas to older biblical narratives, offering fresh perspectives on familiar concepts (00:38:56).

Reading in Context (1 John 4) Jose Gonzalez cautioned against reading isolated verses without context, using 1 John 4:4 and 4:15 as examples (00:40:01). He demonstrated how reading the entire chapter (1 John 4:7-21) reveals "love" as the main repeated idea, showing that confessing Jesus is connected to loving others (00:41:44) (00:43:53).

Contrasting Ideas (Genesis 11) In Genesis 11, Jose Gonzalez highlighted the repeated phrase "Come, let us," used first by humans planning to build a city and a tower reaching heaven, and then by God deciding to confuse their language (00:46:51) (00:50:06). He explained that this word pattern contrasts human attempts to "make a name for ourselves" apart from God with God's ultimate sovereignty and intervention (00:49:07).