How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Romans Chapter 10 verse 14
I love the Bible and as much as possible prefer to study what it has to say for itself however there comes a time when we all need someone to tell us something or explain or expound a scriputre for us.
Yes we all need Bible study lessons.
You see it doesn't matter how many times you read something if you don't understand you subconsciously skip over that item. In fact sometimes you don't even see it and then when someone else points it out you are amazed that you didn't see it.
The Bible can be like that. Sometimes we need a preacher and I'm not just referring to the bloke behind the pulpit on Sundays.
For me one of the most important times of my life when I depended on Bible study lessons was when I was a child in Sunday School. I loved the Bible stories of Daniel in the Lions Den, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo in the fiery furnace, the stories about Abraham, Joseph and the coat of many colors and so on.
Those initial Bible Study lessons gave me a taste of what God was all about. It ignited my excitement and created a thirst to know more.
I believe there is one very important point to come out of all this when giving Bible Study lessons. Keep it as simple as possible. Those amazing stories explained in simple child-like terms are awe inspiring without any complicated deep searching.
Jesus spoke in parables. In other words when He gave a Bible Study lesson he spoke to people in a way that they could understand by comparing Godly things with the stuff that they could relate to.
You don't need a doctrate, a theological degree or any other higher learning certificate to preach the word of God or to understand it. Most of the early disciples were ignorant and unlearned men according to the religious leaders of their day because unlike these days schooling was not readily available.
Simple labourers and fisherman filled with the Holy Spirit of God could give better Bible Study lessons then any non-spiritfilled individual. If you have tasted of the power of God then preaching the word becomes easy for both you and your listeners.