SOAP - BIBLE READING PRACTICE
The Explanation
As we create the habit of reading the Bible, it can be helpful to have a clear method to help move us from head knowledge to heart knowledge to application. The S.O.A.P. method is used by thousands of Christians all over the world.
S.O.A.P. stands for:
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer
The Practice
You will need a Bible and a way to take notes.
Practise the following Bible reading method:
Scripture - choose a scripture that you sense God is speaking to you as you read the Bible.
Observation - what observations can you make about the words - who, what, when and why?
Application - consider prayerfully before God how you should apply what you have read.
Prayer - begin to pray concerning what you have read and the actions that you plan to take.
S.O.A.P. in action
S: Colossians 1:5-8 (NIV) - ‘The faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.’
O: You can simply just bullet your observations - what you’re seeing at first glance when looking at the verses. For example:
When you combine faith and love, you get hope.
We must remember that our hope is in heaven… it is yet to come.
The gospel is the word of truth.
The gospel is continually bearing fruit and growing from the first day to the last.
It just takes one person to change a whole community (Epaphras).
A: Something that stood out to me today was how God used one man, Epaphras, to change a whole town! I was reminded that we are simply called to tell others about Christ… it’s God’s job to spread the gospel, to grow it and have it bear fruit. I felt today’s verses were almost directly spoken to us; “all over the world, this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.” Isn’t it fun when God’s Word becomes so alive and speaks directly where we are at? My prayer today is that all our church will understand God’s grace and have a thirst for His Word.
P: Dear God, please help me to be like Epaphras, to tell others about you and then leave the results in your loving hands. Please help me to understand and apply what I have read today to my life personally, becoming more and more like you each day. Help me to live a life that bears the ‘fruit’ of faith and love… anchoring my hope in heaven, not here on earth. Help me to remember that the BEST is yet to come!
