Learn More About Our Class Options
On Monday nights and Tuesday mornings, we gather together to study God’s Word together. Find out which class is a better fit for you and your needs!
Our Approach is Simple
We believe we can best discern what God is trying to teach us through Prayer, Observation, Interpretation and Application.
Prayer
We believe every time you study God’s Word, you should begin with prayer. Through scripture we learn that the Word of God is living and active, the sword of the Spirit and shows its ability to discern the attitudes of the heart. When you study the Bible, you should feel the weight of its power – the power to change your mind, heal your heart and reveal and remove sin, so that you may know God better. Before you open your Bible to study, we believe you should pray to the God who authored it and ask him for what you need to understand it, apply it and share it. He will allow your heart, soul, and mind to understand what He would have you learn.
Observation
The next step in our study method is to read the text. We want to develop the ability to see and determine what the text says – the who, what, when, where, and maybe why and how. We want to observe what God put in the text. We look for keywords, atmosphere, emotions, relationships, relational dynamics, and more in the text. In the lectures, we’ll also look at grammar, and the original Hebrew and Greek.
Interpretation
Interpretation is the way we take what we see and determine what it means. After we observe the text, we want to know how it fits with what comes before it and after it and how it relates to God’s big story. It takes practice, and our lesson worksheets and lectures guide us through this process.
Application
Once we rightly understand God’s Word, we need to rightly obey it. Knowing about God’s Word isn’t the end goal; it’s the means to an end. Our desired outcome of Bible study is to know God better. We have to apply God’s Word and that means changing things about ourselves and sharing what we learn. When you know God better because you’ve been in his presence, in his living Word, you can’t walk away unchanged!
While we thank God for Emmanuel Baptist Church allowing us to use the facilities at 2100 Noble Road in Raleigh, we want to emphasize that BAC is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry and does not associate with any one denomination.