The Value of Study Central
MATTHEW 4:4 NKJV
But he answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Psalm 119:18 NKJV
Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your Law.
The purpose of Study Central is primarily for the personal benefit of the individual contributing writers in this study group.
Our time in God’s Word is critical for the spiritual nourishment of our minds according to the Truth of God’s revelation in the scriptures.
This being so, and to the prayerful ends that our precious time devoted to Biblical study yields the greatest personal benefit, we should consider the potential value of allowing our time in the scriptures to be purpose-driven. That is; as we study and receive from God directly out of the scriptures, we can intend to share what we learn with others through educated writing—such as research papers, essays, and articles. This can benefit the learning and enrichment of others, even as we ourselves grow in our knowledge, understanding, and application of God’s Word as He reveals it to us in scripture.
Writing Biblical Research papers, essays, and articles can serve at least two purposes:
It can be a wonderful way to step into a meditative state in our minds with God as we study; a mental zone wherein we can pray and receive from God, and record our thoughts as we pursue our focused research into the scriptures.
It can provide us with purpose in our study; a guidepost to keep us honed in and on track with what it is that God wants us to receive from His Word, so that we don’t veer off into tangential reading, losing focus on receiving answers and enlightenment from God, and learning about our topics of interest.
Sharing what we receive from God can be a critical step towards receiving more from Him, so that we have more to give (II Corinthians 9.8).
The Cycle of Enlightenment
Receive from God…
Assimilate…
LIVE AND Share with Others
…this flow can be in motion through the process of prayerful study and research, and sharing what we learn with others through our written work!
EHPESIANS 4:15
But speaking the Truth in Love, may grow up in all things into him who is the head – Christ…
This is the primary value of Study Central; that the contributors have a platform to share their research and learning, and that we can receive more from God as we share.
As we prayerfully research and write, we can trust God to guide our minds and teach us new angles of understanding that we weren’t expecting to discover at the beginning of our dive into our topics!
It’s important to begin by selecting a topic or a question we seek an answer to. That way, our study is purpose-driven. But before we begin our research, we can ask God in prayer… “What do You want me to learn?” This mentality of humility will put us in a position to receive from God. We can expect Him to enlighten us in ways we weren’t expecting as we dive into our topics or seek answers to our questions.
Ephesians 3:20,21 NKJV
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
