One Sunday afternoon when I was in high school, my dad and I fell into a conversation after church about the meaning of a biblical word our pastor referenced in his sermon. I don’t remember the word we discussed, but I do remember dad pulling his study tools off the shelf and teaching me how to use them. 

My father has never been a pastor. He spent most of his career as a high school math teacher, but he loves to study God’s Word. He learned some study skills in Bible college years ago, and whenever he taught Sunday school, I’d see him put them to use. That Sunday when dad showed me Strong’s Concordance and Vine’s Expository Dictionary, I was hooked. 

“Conducting a word study is many people’s first foray into deeper Bible study,” writes Davy Ellison. It certainly was for me. I trace my ongoing love of the biblical languages back to that Sunday afternoon. In two new articles, Ellison teaches everyday Christians how to and how not to conduct a biblical word study. He shows how today’s online Bible study tools can help believers grow in their knowledge of God’s Word and prepare to lead a small group or Sunday school class. 

Share these articles with lay leaders and young Christians in your church. Bible study tools have changed since my lesson with Dad, but the value of these skills for cultivating a lifelong love for God’s Word has not.

Digging into the Scriptures,