What Bible should I give to my son or daughter?

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

I recommend the New Living Translation for students and new believers who are unfamiliar with the Bible. If one is extremely unfamiliar with the Bible and would not call themselves "a good reader," then start off with The Message Re-Mix (a paraphrase). From there advance to NLT and then once proficient add NASB or ESV into the mix.

 

A great Christmas/Easter/Birthday/Graduation/Confirmation gift is a NLT Life Application Study Bible.

What version of the Bible should I use for preaching?

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

When preaching, I generally use the New Living Translation, unless I have found that a different or literal version better illustrates or speaks to a key point based on which word is chosen. I may find that the idea in the NLT is accurate, but may feel compelled that the precise word is lacking and so go to the ESV or even NIV.

I remember one pastor preached a message and based a key point of the sermon on a word that was only in the NLT translation. He told everyone to underline that word in their Bibles. He didn't realize that it wasn't in everyone's Bible, because he had only used the NLT to study.

The NLT is great for preaching from, because it was designed to be easily understood language. As a listener who is not familiar with scripture, it is far easier to understand what is being said when it is being read from the NLT than from the ESV or even New King James.

What version of the Bible should I study from?

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

So, you're a preacher just getting started in the world of exegesis and hermeneutics and you're wanting to eschew prooftexting and eisegesis. Wonderful. You wonder "What version of the Bible should I study from?"

 

The answer is: multiple Bibles. I recommend using a good literal translation (NASB, ESV) or an interlinear (Greek/Hebrew + English) in order to be able to look up the words and their possible definitions (using Strong's Concordance). You see, in the interlinear Bible, you will see numbers above each Hebrew or Greek word. This number corresponds to a number in Strong's Concordance. Look up that number in Strong's and you'll have a list of other occurrences of that exact word.

 

Then you can look that word up (helpfully, by number) in a lexicon. The lexicon is like a dictionary of possible definitions and uses of the original word.

 

From their, you are able to assemble your notes and thoughts on what the original text meant.

 

In addition to the literal translation, I recommend using a version of the Bible that is in language you can understand easily, such as the New Living Translation, New International Version, or even the Message (a paraphrase). Use these in combination with the NASB or ESV.

Discipleship / Study Tools - YouVersion.com

YouVersion.com is a an online Holy Bible from LifeChurch.tv. Actually, let me be more specific. It is, in fact, 17 online Holy Bibles. And that's just the English version.

Platform

You can get to YouVersion.com from your web-enabled laptop, PC, Mac, or smartphone. It's a website. There are also mobile apps for various smartphones if you so desire.

Key Features

The reading plans are helpful. There are 31 different plans available. I completed the Gospels in 30 Days plan. It was simple. 89 chapters, a planned 3 chapters a day, and it was over. I managed to complete the plan in 15 days by reading an average of 6 chapters a day. It does let you read ahead. Now I'm working my way through the Psalms. There is also an accountability feature for the reading plans. With this, you can have another member of YouVersion keep you accountable for your reading. I haven't tried this.

From what I can tell, YouVersion does not allow you to create your own reading plan. For example, I would love to go through the Gospels chronologically. This reading plan doesn't exist. It seems that you have to have some pull with the developers to get that going.

You can select from any number of versions, and there is a "Parallel" feature so you can read two versions side by side for comparison. It is helpful for comparing The Message to the NASB, for example. There are no Strong's numbering, so it is not possible to look up the original language and meaning.

Users can "tag" one or more verses and take notes on them. These can be in a private online "journal" or be "community contributions." I haven't found the "contributions" all that helpful, and I turned them off from my display. The contributions I am looking for are from Matthew Henry, Wesley, and their contemporaries. For those, I'm still required to use BibleStudyTools.com.

Overall thoughts

I really like YouVersion, but primarily for the reading plan. Overall I find it very buggy. It logs me out unexpectedly, so it doesn't always save my progress. I stopped using the journal feature because after I would enter something, I would find it hadn't saved because it somehow logged me out.

YouVersion also looks very good-- which will go a long way with getting your smartphone toting students (and leaders) to use it. It's really simple to use.

I think that this would be best for having a searchable and user-friendly Bible on a smartphone, or for a reading plan. The ability to quickly scroll through scripture is fantastic, and something that is missing from other online Bibles. YouVersion has no Strong's numbering, so word studies are out entirely. Beyond that, stick with Google Docs or a notepad for your journaling.

For serious study, find your way to www.BibleStudyTools.com-- it doesn't claim all of the features of YouVersion (not they always work with YouVersion anyway), but it is far more robust. I'm hoping that YouVersion will catch on and add Strong's numbering so that I can really help students learn to look up the original language and understand that intent. In the meantime, maybe its simplicity will increase Bible literacy.

If you don't have a notebook, get one

If you don't have a paper notebook, get one. The benefit of seeing your thoughts written out serve to reinforce those ideas in your memory, as well as give you a place to reference your ideas in the future. Write down your thoughts on ministry, events, and prayers. Write down whatever is on your mind. In the future you can transfer these to a computer note taker so that you can search, or just leave them alone.

Notebook tips:

• Use a small notebook so that it's portable.
• Always have a pen with you too. You can't write without a utensil.
• Date your entries.
• Re-read your entries.
• Don't lose it