Bible Studies

This last week, I worked on my Bible study which was due Friday morning. When we're presenting it, it should take 45 minutes to present but since this was just our first one, we didn't have to present it! The passage we did was Ephesians 5:15-21: 

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

We did a main theme, 3 teaching points, illustrations, applications, a creative idea, context, background, supporting verses, discussion questions, introduction, and conclusion. And oh yes, 3 word studies. I was so confused by the word studies but the returning students were very helpful. Take for instance, the word careful that I did. First you have to look it up in a Strongs dictionary and find the verse (Ephesians 5:15) with a number next to it. If the verse is not there under careful, you have to find the Old King James version and see what it says! In the KJV, careful is the word circumspect. So you go back to Strongs and find Ephesians 5:15 under circumspect with the number you need. Now this number will show you the proper greek/hebrew word. Flip to the back of Strongs and find the greek section with your number (Greek is New Testament - Hebrew is Old Testament). #199 says akribos. Now you have your number, word, and all you have to do is find a definition! Here's the final end:

Word Study:

Careful (Strong’s 199) vs 15 (NIV) akribos {adverb}

Akribos means carefully (Vines). It’s important to be careful in the choices you make and the lifestyles you form.

Look under circumspectly. To the right, is Ephesians and with it the number.

At the back of the book under the greek is 199, akribos!