Where Do I Start to Study the Bible? | How to Study the Bible with Joyce Meyer

In her brand-new commentaries on Ephesians and James, Joyce will help you get a more in-depth insight of the Bible. You’ll also find her approach makes it easy to understand key biblical principles that you may have overlooked before. You’ll be amazed by how practical it is for your everyday life.

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT.

IS THERE A GOOD PLACE
IN THE BIBLE TO START?

JOYCE: YEAH, FIRST OF ALL,
I DON’T THINK THERE’S ANY RULE

ON HOW YOU START BUT A LOT
OF PEOPLE RECOMMEND STARTING

WITH THE BOOK OF JOHN.

SOMETIMES WHEN WE’RE GIVING
THE BIBLE AWAY, IF WE CAN’T GIVE

THE WHOLE BIBLE OR IT’S NOT IN
AN APPROPRIATE PLACE TO GIVE THE

WHOLE BIBLE, WE WILL GIVE THE
BOOK OF JOHN IF WE HAVE TO MAKE

A CHOICE BECAUSE IT IS,
YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE GOSPEL

IN THAT BOOK AND JOHN
TALKS A LOT ABOUT LOVING GOD

AND GOD’S LOVE FOR US.

HE TALKS A LOT ABOUT–
HE EVEN CALLED HIMSELF,

“I’M THE DISCIPLE
WHOM JESUS LOVED”

AND ACTUALLY THAT SOUNDS
KIND OF PRIDEFUL AND HAUGHTY,

BUT GOD WANTS US
TO BEGIN TO THINK LIKE THAT,

THAT HE LOVES US.

AND SO THAT’S A
GOOD PLACE TO START.

PSALMS ARE ALWAYS VERY
COMFORTING, AND I PROBABLY

WOULDN’T RECOMMEND
STARTING IN THE OLD TESTAMENT,

BUT I MEAN IF SOMEBODY
WANTED TO START IN GENESIS,

IT WOULDN’T BE A BAD THING.

I MEAN, I’VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY
THAT THEY WANTED TO KNOW IF THE

BIBLE IS REALLY TRUE AND
THEY JUST STARTED IN GENESIS

AND READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

A PART OF THAT DEPENDS ON
WHAT KIND OF A READER YOU ARE,

I THINK, AND HOW
SCHOLASTICALLY-MINDED YOU ARE.

IF YOU’RE EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT,
YOU CAN PROBABLY UNDERSTAND

PARTS OF IT THAT, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE–

I MEAN, I LIKE THE
SIMPLE STUFF MYSELF,

NOT THAT I’M NOT INTELLIGENT,
BUT I’M NOT SCHOLARLY,

SO I LIKE THE–
I LIKE THE PRACTICAL STUFF.

AND THE EPISTLES
ARE REAL PRACTICAL,

THE MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE,
AND JOHN ARE THE BOOKS

THAT THE APOSTLES
WROTE, THE GOSPELS.

AND THEN YOU GET INTO THE
EPISTLES: GALATIANS, EPHESIANS,

PHILIPPIANS, AND COLOSSIANS.

AND THOSE ARE A LOT
OF JUST THE REAL PRACTICAL,

HOW TO LIVE EVERYDAY
LIFE INSTRUCTIONS, GET ALONG,

DON’T FIGHT, STAY OUT OF STRIFE,
BE GOOD TO PEOPLE.

AND I LOVE TO READ
THOSE BECAUSE THEY JUST–

THEY’RE GOOD REMINDERS FOR ME
ABOUT EVEN MY DAILY BEHAVIOR

NOW AFTER 35 YEARS
IN THE WORD OF GOD.

GINGER: AND WE
ALL NEED REMINDED.

WELL, THAT LEADS ME
TO THE QUESTION THEN,

WHEN I’M READ THE BIBLE,
DO I READ IT LITERALLY?

I MEAN, IS IT LITERAL TRUTH?

JOYCE: I BELIEVE THAT IT IS.

I MEAN, THERE ARE THINGS THAT
YOU READ THAT WERE PERTINENT

TO THE CULTURE OF THAT DAY,
AND SO IT IS GOOD TO HAVE SOME–

EVEN LIKE A BOOK THAT
TEACHES YOU ABOUT BIBLE HISTORY,

THE CULTURE OF THE TIMES
WHEN THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN.

FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MIGHT FIND
IN THERE WHERE PAUL SAID

THAT A WOMAN SHOULD NOT WEAR
PEARLS AND EXPENSIVE JEWELRY

OR HAVE FANCY HAIRDOS OR,
YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND SO THEN PEOPLE HAVE
TAKEN IT DOWN THROUGH THE AGES,

“WELL, IT’S SINFUL
TO WEAR JEWELRY

AND IT’S SINFUL
TO DO THIS AND THAT.”

BUT ACTUALLY THE POINT WAS THAT
THE ONLY WOMEN IN THOSE DAYS

WHO DID THAT WERE PROSTITUTES.

AND SO PAUL DIDN’T
WANT CHRISTIAN WOMEN

TO APPEAR TO BE LIKE THAT.

TODAY THAT’S NOT THE CASE.

IF I WEAR NICE JEWELRY,

THAT DOESN’T MEAN
THAT I’M A LOOSE WOMAN.

SO THERE ARE THINGS IN THERE,
EVEN LIKE HEAD COVERINGS

AND EVEN SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT PAUL SAID ABOUT WOMEN

AND HOW THEY COULD OR COULD NOT
BE USED IN SPIRITUAL THINGS,

A LOT OF THOSE THINGS
WERE CULTURAL THINGS.

WOMEN, IN THOSE DAYS, WERE VERY
UNEDUCATED AND SO PAUL SAID,

“IF YOU GOT A QUESTION,
ASK YOUR HUSBAND AT HOME.”

I MEAN THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS
THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.

EVEN THE MEN SAT ON
ONE SIDE OF THE CHURCH,

WOMEN SAT ON THE OTHER.

SO HE DIDN’T WANT
WOMEN YELLING QUESTIONS

ACROSS THE AISLE
TO THEIR HUSBANDS.

SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT,
THE TRUTH THAT’S THERE IS STILL

A TRUTH BUT YOU HAVE
TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE

IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN.

AND EVEN THINGS THAT WE
READ IN THE OLD TESTAMENT,

YOU HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE

IN THE OLD COVENANT
AND THE NEW.

SO THANK GOD THERE’S
LOTS OF BOOKS THAT ARE STILL

THE WORD OF GOD THAT
HELP US TO UNDERSTAND

THE WORD IN A MORE
PRACTICAL WAY.

AS, YOU KNOW,
MANY PEOPLE KNOW, I’VE WRITTEN

OVER 90 BOOKS MYSELF,
SOME OF THEM ARE LARGER BOOKS,

SOME ARE SMALLER BOOKS.

WE HAVE SO MUCH INFORMATION
AVAILABLE TO US TODAY.

NOW, NOT EVERYTHING
THAT EVERYBODY WRITES

IS SOMETHING THAT YOU
CAN AFFORD TO BELIEVE

BECAUSE ANYBODY
CAN WRITE A BOOK.

SO YOU WANT TO HAVE–ESPECIALLY
IN THE BEGINNING OF YOUR WALK

WITH GOD, IF YOU’RE NOT
ACCUSTOMED TO STUDYING

AND YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE YET
TO RECOGNIZE TRUTH FOR YOURSELF,

IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO GET
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

FROM SOMEBODY.

BUT LIKE I COULD SAY,
FOR EXAMPLE–

OF COURSE I’M GONNA
RECOMMEND MY OWN BOOKS,

BUT, YOU KNOW, I RECOMMEND–

ANDREW MURRAY HAS JUST
BEEN AWESOME FOR ME.

I MEAN, HE’S BEEN HOME
WITH THE LORD FOR A LONG TIME.

HE WAS AN AFRICAN GENTLEMAN
AND HE JUST–HE WROTE SO MANY

AMAZING BOOKS AND HE HAS THEM
IN 31-DAY DEVOTIONAL TYPE BOOKS.

I’M READING
ANOTHER ONE RIGHT NOW.

I JUST STARTED ONE
A COUPLE DAYS AGO CALLED

“THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST” AND
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

IN OUR EVERYDAY LIVES.

WELL, I KNOW THAT,
BUT IT’S JUST BRINGING IT FRESH

TO MY REMEMBRANCE AGAIN.

AND SO IN 31 DAYS, I CAN
GO THROUGH THAT WHOLE BOOK.

AND HE HAS ONES THAT ARE SMALL.

HE HAS ONES THAT ARE BIGGER.

WE HAVE SEVERAL
DEVOTIONALS OUT THAT GIVE YOU

A LITTLE MINI TEACHING
IN THE WORD OF GOD.

THERE’S SO MANY DIFFERENT
STUDY TOOLS AND STUDY AIDS,

AND WE’RE GONNA
GET INTO THAT AS WE GO

A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO DEEPER.

BUT I RECOMMEND
GETTING A BIBLE TRANSLATION

THAT YOU FEEL
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND.

GINGER: IS THERE
ONE YOU SUGGEST?

JOYCE: WELL, I USE THE
AMPLIFIED BIBLE ALL THE TIME.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT
OPINIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS.

THERE’S THE NEW KING JAMES
IS GOOD.

THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
IS GOOD.

THE AMPLIFIED TAKES SOME OF
THE GREEK TEXT AND AMPLIFIES IT

SO IT’S A LITTLE
BIT LONGER TO READ

AND THIS HELPS ME
TO UNDERSTAND SOME THINGS

THAT I MIGHT NOT
UNDERSTAND OTHERWISE.

LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, FAITH.

THIS TELLS ME THAT FAITH IS
THE LEANING OF THE ENTIRE HUMAN

PERSONALITY ON GOD, AND
ABSOLUTE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

IN HIS POWER,
WISDOM, AND GOODNESS.

SO IN ANOTHER TRANSLATION, I
MIGHT READ “HAVE FAITH IN GOD.”

IF I READ THIS IT SAYS,
“HAVE FAITH IN GOD”

AND THEN IT TELLS ME
WHAT THAT FAITH IS.

IT’S ME LEANING ALL
OF MYSELF ON GOD BELIEVING

THAT HE KNOWS WHAT TO DO,
HE’S GOOD ENOUGH TO DO IT,

AND HE WILL DO IT IN THE
RIGHT WAY AT THE RIGHT TIME.

SO THAT’S KIND OF THE
DIFFERENCE IN SOME OF THESE