Finding the Reference

What my friend experienced can happen at any age level in a church or Bible study setting. As teachers, we want to be sensitive to students who aren’t familiar with the Bible. Some may not know how a Bible reference is written or how to find it. And students of any age don’t like to be singled out for help.

Like any skill, finding a Bible reference takes practice. What follows are some ways to provide instruction and encouragement for students to open their Bibles (or Bible apps) and confidently find a passage. This skill will help them not only in church settings but also in personal devotions.

Ideas for Children

For younger students, Answers Bible Curriculum has an optional activity (in Unit 1, Lesson 1) called Reading the Reference. This script can be adapted to any memory verse or scripture passage in a lesson. It reviews how a Bible reference is written (book, chapter, colon, and verse) and how to find a reference using the Table of Contents to locate the book’s page number. With this activity, everyone learns together, and no one feels singled out.

I like helping each of my students find the passage and say the first word of the verse. Then I have them close their Bibles and see how fast they can find the same passage again (by either remembering the page number or the general area of the Bible).

The explanation from Reading the Reference can be used or reviewed anytime until students gain confidence finding passages on their own. Try a simple question like, “Who remembers the page that can help us find any book of the Bible quickly?” When they answer, “Table of Contents,” have everyone turn to that page in their Bibles and find the page number for the book you’ll be reading from. Also remind students that the number after the book’s name is the chapter, which is typically in larger print in the Bible, and numbers after the colon are the verses, which are the smaller numbers within each chapter.

Encourage students that learning to find Bible references takes time and practice. Also consider using the Books of the Bible Poster (included in all Answers Bible Curriculum Teacher Kits for the children’s age-groups) and cards to help students learn the names and locations of the Old and New Testament books. I use the song “Now We Know” by Seeds Family Worship to sing the books of the Old Testament with my class.

For fun, you can introduce the Bible sword drill: holding their Bibles up by the spine, repeating a verse reference, then bringing their Bibles down to race to a verse. The first student to stand and say the correct first word gets to read the verse. I have also set a timer and had the whole class or teams of students race to find a reference. This encourages students to help each other.

Ideas for Teens and Adults

Teens and adults may be more reluctant than children to admit they need help finding a Bible passage. Try to create a welcoming space where students feel comfortable asking questions and learning. The same explanation of how to find verses from Reading the Reference can be used, in shorter form, with these age groups. You could display the Bible passages for the day’s lesson on a whiteboard or slide. Then when it’s time to turn to the first one, you can refer to the reference and say, “Today we’ll be reading in Genesis chapter 3. Genesis is the first of the 66 smaller books that make up the Bible, so you’ll find it at the front. Chapter 3 is a large number, and we’ll begin reading in verse one. Let’s turn there together now.” Also remind students that it’s okay to use the Table of Contents to find a book of the Bible and get the page number.

Teens and adults may prefer Bible apps or websites like Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway for their reading and study. You can give a short explanation of where to “scroll” to find a book if students are using apps or what to type into the search box on a website to find a passage.

It’s also helpful to introduce the book categories, such as the Pentateuch (books of the law), minor prophets, or Gospels, if you have time to review these whenever you turn to a certain book. For example, you can say, “Let’s turn or scroll to the New Testament Gospel of Luke. Luke is the third of four Gospel books that start the New Testament. It’s after Matthew and Mark.”

Teens enjoy competitions, so teaching them how to do a sword drill can be fun and add some individual or team competition to a lesson where there are multiple passages to be read. Do a practice run to make sure everyone will be ready to participate.

As teachers, let’s equip students of all ages to find a reference and read the Word of God for themselves—for we know it will not return empty (Isaiah 55:11)!