Bible Study Guide

How to Prepare a Bible Study
This is a simple method for pastors or lay leaders to prepare a Bible study. The primary tool is the Bible.
Secondary resources can be useful but are not necessary. Some free useful websites will be listed at the end.
There is a difference between a sermon and a Bible study:

Sermon Bible Study
• One direction: speaker to audience • Participatory: interaction between teacher &
students
• Delivery: Exhortation • Delivery: Question and interaction
• Preacher is the expert • People self-discover the truth
• Answers are given • Answers are discovered
1. Pray: The first step in studying the Bible is to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you study the
Bible.
2. Choose a passage: This may be a chapter or section. Most modern Bibles are divided into sections and
paragraphs. If you choose too much, you will not be able to focus the study well.
3. Read the passage: Read the passage five to ten times. Read the chapter in which the passage is found. If
you have not read the entire book of the Bible, do so as well.
4. Identify the key theme(s): Most passages will have 1-3 key themes. Look for themes related to salvation,
our relationship to God, or our relationship to other people (the two greatest commandments). There may
be other themes also since the Bible is complex and speaks to every need we have. Identify the key theme
for each paragraph or set of verses. Summarize the passage by giving your study a title that becomes the
focus of your study.
5. Develop an outline of the passage based on the key themes.
6. Ask Questions: Base these questions on the contents of the passage. The questions may be: who, what,
when, where, how, or why. Choose the questions that help reveal the key themes and are answered by the
passage.
7. Connect to the needs of your group. Ask questions that highlight and explain the theme and also help
apply this theme to your group. Why and how is this passage important to your group? Prepare stories and
locate other Bible passages that help illustrate the themes of your passage. Use a concordance to find other
verses.
8. Prepare: If you want to create a handout (optional), provide the outline and key questions you have
already identified. Limit questions to no more than 5-10, depending on your time limit.
9. Pray: Ask God to work through the study to speak to your group. Pray for each person in your group by
name and for visitors.
Two helpful websites for Bible study are

• http://www.biblegateway.com
• http://www.blueletterbible.org
Example Study
1. Pray: “O Lord, speak to my heart as I look into Your word. Help me to find ways to apply it to my life and
the life of my group.”
2. Choose a passage: Colossians 1:3-9
3. Read the passage:
4. Identify the key theme(s):

Major Theme: The Benefits of the Good News
What happened to the Colossians when they came to believe
5. Develop an outline of the passage based on the key themes.

1. The Reason for Thanks (v. 3)
2. The Qualities of the Colossians (vv. 4-5)
3. What the Gospel does (vv. 6-8)
6. Ask Questions (you can give verse references if you want to help the group):
• Why did Paul give thanks for the Colossians (v. 3)?
• What spiritual qualities did the Colossians have (vv. 3-5)?
• What does the Good News bring to us (v. 6)?
• What did the Colossians do when they heard the Good News (v. 6)?
• What are the character qualities of Epaphras (v. 7)?
• What did the Holy Spirit do for them once they heard and believed the Good News (v. 8)?
• Additional Bible verses can be cross-referenced that touch upon the themes above.
7. Connect to the needs of your group.

• What impact has hearing the Good News made in your life? Can you share a story?
• What should be our response to hearing the Good News?
• Why should we respond this way? What are the benefits to us?
• What is required of us to respond this way?
• What keeps people from responding to the Good News?
• What resources does God give us to help us when we respond?
8. Prepare: A simple handout could be prepared with these questions or the leader can use his or her own
notes. Everyone should have a Bible to use and study.
9. Pray: Pray for each person who will attend the study.
This Bible study should be included with other elements during the meeting. Here is a suggested outline:
1. Fellowship
2. Praises through song
3. Sharing of praises and concerns, testimonies, accountability
4. Prayer for one another
5. Bible study
6. Closing prayer with time of response and commitment
Total time: 60-90 minutes

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How to Prepare a Bible Study

There is a difference between a sermon and a Bible study:

5. Develop an outline of the passage based on the key themes.

Two helpful websites for Bible study are

2. Choose a passage: Colossians 1:3-9

3. Read the passage:

4. Identify the key theme(s):

5. Develop an outline of the passage based on the key themes.

7. Connect to the needs of your group.

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