P.O.W.E.R. Bible Study

P.O.W.E.R. Bible Study

This method of Bible Study is developed from Robert Traina’s Methodical Bible Study, both in the book itself and from the videos from ThriveU Asbury Theological Seminary, and most important for my purposes, from his student and co-laborer, David Bauer, who was my professor during my time at Asbury.  While the original steps are:

I.            Pray

II.           Observe and Ask

III.         Answer questions (Interpret)

IV.       Evaluate and Apply

V.         Coorrelate

I find these steps to be lacking, not in the content of what they are – NO!  But lacking in my ability to remember them for myself, and also for helping others to remember them.  Although Robert Traina is no longer with us, but is with the Lord, I believe that he would encourage, in fact, did encourage, all of us to use and adapt these steps and methods for those whom we teach and minister to.  I also believe, were my professor David Bauer to read through this P.O.W.E.R. Bible study method, that though he would certainly find errors and inconsistancies, he would be pleased at my attempt, or any of his students’ attempts, at teaching people to study the Bible.

P.O.W.E.R. Bible Study is a Bible study method with 5 steps.  This is not copyrighted or owned by anyone but our Good Lord, so feel free to use this – in fact, I hope that it could be used over and over again.

1. Pray – come to the One who inspired the very Scripture that you are reading.  Talk to Him.  Listen to Him.  Ask for help.  “Open my eyes to see, Lord.”

2.  Observe – try to notice things like a birdwatcher notices a bird.  “It’s flying south.”  “It flies in a bouncy up and down way.”  “It has a thick bill.”  Begin to notice things from what you read – not noticing what others have told you about the text, but from what you yourself observe.

3. Who? What? When? Where? Why? – asking these questions turns us into children again.  Do not assume you know it all – ask questions.  If it is hard to ask these kind of questions, ask a child for help.  “Who is the Christ?”  What does the term Christ mean?”  “Why did the Christ have to suffer?”

4.  Explain – Begin to try to explain the answers to these questions from the text itself.  This may necessitate more of steps 1-3.  “Christ means Anointed One.”  The eplanations may lead to more questions.  “What does Anointed One mean?”  Eventually this can lead to being able to explain the passage – even better, the book as a whole.

5.  Relate – Relate the explanations to life here and now.  In what ways to the explanations relate to our life today?  This is truly the hope of Bible Study – that it would be for us the word of God today, and that it could be our food.

Pray

Observe

Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Explain

Relate