By Frann Wohlers
For the Speaker Notes (Power Point Presentation) on the Holy Spirit, click HERE.
For the Discussion Questions, click HERE.
To complete the Spiritual Gifts Assessment, click HERE.
Bible Study
Have you ever had the desire to "go deeper" into the meaning of a scripture? There are several "tools" you can use to expand the meaning of a particular scripture. Some of the tools available are:
1. Concordance: An alphabetical index of Hebrew and Greek words used in the bible. The concordance will give the Hebrew or Greek meanings of a particular key word in a scripture verse and will give clarity and help expand the meaning. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance is a good, commonly used concordance and can be found online as well; also Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance is good for NIV bible versions.
2. Bible Dictionary: Another excellent tool which gives in-depth definitions of both Greek and Hebrew words used in the bible. Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary or Vine's Expository Dictionary are two good bible dictionary choices.
3. Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Renner: In this very unique book, Renner does an excellent job of making Greek words come alive. There are 365 daily devotionals which include more than 1,000 in-depth Greek word studies.
4. Bible Commentaries: Although I do not personally use bible commentaries, they also can be useful tools in gaining deeper understanding of the scriptures. After doing some research, I found that Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible has been accessed 2,476,268 times since September of 2006. This may be a good one to start with.
5. All scripture is context dependent. As you are reading a passage, ask the following questions: who was the scripture written to? who was the scripture written by? what was the purpose of the scripture? what was going on at the time? It is extremely important to consider context to get true meaning of a particular scripture passage.
6. Always remember that the Holy Spirit is our best teacher. As you begin to study, ask the Spirit to illuminate, teach and give you revelation.
Next week we will take a scripture and use the above tools to get a richer and more in-depth meaning.
