Bible Study Procedures

1. 2. 3. 4. Prayer Narrative Expositive Data Gathering

Prayer
Clear your mind of all preconceived ideologies and opinions. Even if (Especially if) you are dealing with a passage you are familiar with and have read many times. A teacher of God must allow the Spirit to guide him in all understanding. God will reveal things unto us that we never saw before and you will be blessed in ways you never expected through your studies. Ask God to show you his truth and he will He that seeks shall find Matt 5

Narrative
Read the entire chapter. Id recommend reading the chapter before and after or the entire book if possible. This will give you a narrative of what is going gone in the text being researched. This will assist you with understanding the context of what is being said.

Expositive
The process of exposing the scripture for what is truly being said. This stage is where the most of your time will be spent. I have broken this into several stages as it pertains to the data sources I reference to get additional insight to the passage. 1. Strongs Concordance This gives you Greek and Hebrew word definitions as you need to look up certain key words in your text. Also a great tool to find passages where you only remember a portion of a passage. You can look up the word and it will provide every scripture where that particular scripture was used. Every Hebrew and Greek word is given a identifying number. 2. Vines This is a great tool when looking up a particular Greek word in your bible. It will give you a summary of the use of the word in scripture and will also provide the scriptures where it was used. It would be helpful have the Strongs reference number so you can pinpoint the exact word in the vines (Most of the Study helps are linked to the Strongs word numbering system). This is important because sometimes words used as nouns, adjectives etc. could have a different meaning or application to the text. 3. Interlinear Bible This is a bible that has the actual Greek and Hebrew word shown above the corresponding English word used in the passage. It also provides the Strongs number to facilitate cross referencing capability.

4. Thayers Greek Lexicon This is another Greek word study reference tool. It provides a concise summary of the greek word being referenced and is not too wordy. 5. Matthew Henry Commentary This is a reliable commentary. Although it is sometimes wordy, it is a great resource to give additional insight into cultural influence and customs that might help in understanding what is being said in the text. 6. Barnes Commentary This is another reliable 7. Bible Encyclopedias Good when looking for information on a subject (Faith, Sacrifice, Love) or a person (David, Mary etc.) 8. Manners and Customs By James M Freeman 9. Study Bible Preferably NIV NOTE: All of these tools are just thattools. They will assist you in understanding the word of God more perfectly. Never allow them to replace the word. The men who wrote or put these tools together are great scholars but they are not God. Therefore, use these tools with discretion and always be on guard. Some commentaries have a catholic influence behind them and that should be taken into consideration. FREE WEBSITES THAT HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED 1. Go to www.BibleStudyTools.com 2. Go to www.BlueLetterBible.org These site are great resources. Try them and become familiar with them.

Study Notes
Text: Matthew 25:1-13

WHO
Speaking?

Audience

WHEN
Age/Culture

Social Inpacts

WHERE
City/Country

Cultural Setting and Influences

WHAT
Content What was said

Commentary/Dictionary:

Word Study Select major words in the text to research their meaning NOTE: www.BlueletterBible.org has a great word study feature that is easy to use.