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12. Evaluate the results of your study. Take time to review the information you have gleaned from
God’s Word on your topic. Then after your presentation of that information to your class, ask
yourself some questions: Did the class seem to understand and respond to the information
presented? Was their response, if any, positive? Did they have a lot of questions? Were you
able to bring the topic to a conclusion? For example, if your topic was giving, did the conclusion
from Scripture excite your audience and did they respond? How could you have improved the
delivery of the information on that topic? What further study do you need to broaden your
understanding of God’s view of your topic?
13. Save your lesson for future presentations. Don’t discard the work you have done. Be sure to
file the lesson or lessons you have created for future use.
An Example of a Topical Study
This is an example of the process you may go through to create a Topical Bible Study.
My pastor at church said that God wants me to give 10% (tithe) of what He gives me
to the church. In the next few pages is a study I conducted from God’s Word
following the suggested steps for creating a topical study. Throughout the study, I
will share with you my thoughts as the study is developed.
1. Select a topic. I want to find what the Scripture says about giving to God.
2. Rewrite the topic into the form of a question. Of course, I have many questions about what
my pastor is teaching us. But if I wanted to limit it to one (thereby limiting my study to resolve
one question), it would be, “What pattern of giving has God laid down for me to give in the
Bible?” Answering this question should tell if what I am being taught is scripturally accurate.
3. Do a search in your concordance for verses that deal with that word or synonyms. Obviously,
the word, “tithe” would be in my search. Other words I can think of would be “money,”
“giving,”, “possessions,” “wealth,” and “riches.” As I get into the study, I may find even more
synonyms that may help.
4. Limit the search to only those synonyms which will assist you in answering the question you
created about the topic. As I begin my search, I find that there are over 2,350 verses in the
Bible that talk about “money.” There is NO WAY I can look up and study that many verses. So
my search words are way too broad. I need to limit my search to answer my question about the
tithe and my topic questions: “What pattern of giving has God laid down for me in the Bible?”
5. Look up each verse and read it IN CONTEXT. I looked up every verse in the Bible about tithing.
Here are the results of my search. I put my personal notes as I studied the verses in context in
red after the verse.
Genesis 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into
thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. In this bible verse, Melchizedek comes out to meet
Abraham, as Abraham gives him a tithe of the spoils of his victory.
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