Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
In Matthew 15:21-28, Jesus responds to a needy woman in a manner most of us would consider offensive. He ignores her. He calls her a dog. He denies her request for healing.
How are we to understand Jesus’ words?
At the Gospel Coalition, Jimmy Agan has an excellent article addressing this question and more. Agan models good observation of the text, tracing the flow of thought from one episode to the next, considering the context, and answering interpretive questions from the text.
There is a time not to pray. In fact, there are many such times.
Stefano Corso (2008), Creative Commons
Imagine this: A coworker invites you to his house for dinner and a movie. Somewhere after the beef and potatoes, but before the surround sound explosions begin, he unrolls a few small mats. He says that before you can get to the evening’s fun, you’ll have to kneel with him and face toward Mecca to seek Allah’s favor on your evening. The expectations are heavy, and he’s not asking your opinion on the matter. How would you feel?
Let’s not forget how others would feel if we expect them to take part in our religious rituals as well.
Now, I am not saying that there are more gods than one. Nor am I saying that all religions are equally valid. I am saying, though, that love and respect should drive us to reconsider our customs so as not to set up unnecessary stumbling blocks.
By all means, let us pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). But that doesn’t mean our prayers have to be out loud. The Bible does not command us to begin every Bible study with corporate prayer.
If your Bible study focuses on reaching non-Christians, I strongly suggest not praying during the study. The gospel is already weird. Why make your attempt to reach out any weirder than it needs to be? Book discussion groups are pretty common these days. Why not have a “book discussion” group that discusses the best-selling book on the market? Most people attending such a group would expect to engage with ideas, but they would not expect to pray at the meeting.
One of the most common errors in Bible study takes place when we parachute in to a certain passage, dig around a bit, secure the asset (a nugget of truth for the day), and then pursue extraction. In other words, we study Bible verses and Bible chapters, but not Bible books. But without a larger context, the passage often doesn’t make sense, and we give up in frustration, wondering whether Bible study is something best left to the experts.
The simplest solution usually lies in a good book overview. When you see the Bible as a collection of books, and you work to understand each book within its historical context (identifying the author, audience, occasion, and purpose for the book), smaller passages within the book come alive. For example, “Rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 4:4) takes on a new light when you see it’s one step in the reconciliation process between Euodia and Syntyche (Phil 4:2-9), which itself is a prime example of the joyful unity Paul seeks for the church (the main point of the letter of Philippians).
Without doubt, the best way to become at home within a Bible book is to read the book over and over. When I preach or teach a book, I usually read the entire book at least 5 times before the first session.
But sometimes we don’t have enough time for that much reading. And sometimes, we gain useful information from other sources gathered by others. So I’m always on the lookout for good articles and resources that present useful Bible book overviews.
I recently began following the blog of Jeffrey Kranz, who has given himself to creating clear and helpful overviews of every book of the Bible. I signed up for Jeffrey’s free course, where he sends a weekly email with an overview of one book of the Bible. The first one was on Psalms, and I must say I was impressed.
I thought, “Surely he’ll ignore the fact that the Psalms are organized into 5 books.” I mused, “I’ll check this out this first article, but if he missed the fact that Psalms 1 and 2 set the tone for the entire book, I’m not sure I can trust that he really understands the book.” I wondered, “Will he realize that the sons of Korah shouldn’t even have existed apart from God’s amazing grace (Num 26:11)?” (Okay, I generally try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I’ve just seen too many “Bible overview” articles that are not really very helpful.) But Jeffrey delightfully crossed my expectations on every count. Not only did he include details I expected (always pleasantly affirming); he also gave much information I hadn’t realized, which inspired me to jump back into the Psalms!
I can’t wait to see what he does with the other 65 books of the Bible. I’m happy to recommend this resource to you. If you’d like to receive Jeffrey’s emails, just sign up on his site here.
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Other resources I recommend regarding book overviews:
Check ’em out!
Practical application often has a bad rap among Christians.
Some people read the Bible and believe they’ve done the work of applying it if they come away with a list of truths about God. “But that’s not practical,” many object. “When does the truth get out of your head and into your life?”
Others read the Bible and believe they’ve done the work of applying it if they come away with a list of behaviors to carry out the next day. “But you can’t reduce the knowledge of God to 10 easy steps,” the first group objects. “It doesn’t matter what we do if it’s not grounded in the truth of the gospel.”
And both groups are right, after a fashion.
Applying is believing. John wrote his Gospel with one purpose: “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31). Have you studied that book lately? You may find each chapter pretty repetitive, and fresh or innovative application will seem like a long-lost dream until you move to another book. I once had a guy stop coming to a Bible study in John for this very reason.
Applying is doing. James wrote his epistle to highlight the “doing” life of the scattered people of God. “Be steadfast under trial.” “Be doers of the word.” “Show no partiality.” “Do not speak evil against one another.” And so on. Theology is not absent from James, but it covers itself in thick layers of action and imperative.
Capturian (2010), Creative Commons
Let us not forget, however, that applying is also loving and cherishing. We can know the truth and still be far from God (James 2:19). We can do all the right things and yet not come to the only one who can give us life (John 5:39-40).
As we lead Bible studies, we do well if we help people to believe and do. But we must not neglect the opportunity we have week in and week out to help them deepen their love for God and be conformed to the image of his Son. Our application should target the heart.
It’s not rocket science, but it does need forethought and intention.
1. Show them how to do it. “Follow the leader” isn’t merely a game for preschoolers. Your group members play it every week. You must apply the Bible to your heart, and you must do so publicly with your group. Only then will they see how it’s done and that it’s not so scary (Heb 13:7, Phil 4:9, 1 Cor 11:1). Figure out why vulnerability is so hard for you, and repent.
2. Ask about obstacles or hindrances. When we hit a good, solid “do” application from the text, I find it helpful also to ask people, “what keeps us from doing this thing God wants us to do?” When people answer that question honestly, they’re usually cracking open the door to their heart. It often reveals what they value more than obedience, or more than the Lord himself.
3. Suggest options. Getting to the heart is not as complicated as some may think. We love something other than God, and good leaders can expose those loves and offer more godly alternatives. Are you concerned with what people think of you? What would happen if you didn’t get that [promotion, mobile device, spouse, child] you want?
4. Celebrate progress. We get more of what we reward, and we foster micro-cultures in the process. So when someone gets it and identifies character deficiencies or expresses desires for deep-seated change, I’m all over it. If I give more air time to those folks than to the folks who want to discuss their third cousin’s upcoming surgery, the latter folks learn quickly how to target their own hearts as well.
I was delighted to partner with Desiring God through a guest post entitled “Don’t Get Too Familiar with the Bible.” The article warns against the wrong kind of Bible familiarity that leads us to assume things that aren’t in the text and miss things that are. The article elaborates and illustrates what I’ve written on this blog about why familiarity is the greatest enemy of observation.
Where is Jesus in the story of David and Abigail? Name the woman who ate the forbidden fruit. How old was Jesus when he died? Remember the time when Jesus walked through a wall?
I appreciate the reflections in this article about the centrality of the Word in discipleship. When someone comes to you with a struggle, is your first recommendation to offer them a Christian book on a topic? Or are you steeped enough in Scripture that you can take them directly to that which will offer the most help?
This Christmas, may we remember the greatest gift God has given us: himself. And may our passions be renewed to know him as he has revealed himself: through his word.
San Churchill (2007), Creative Commons
‘Tis the season for reflection and celebration. So to join the fun, here are the 10 most-viewed posts of the year. Be sure not to miss them; this could be your last chance.
A Bible study on Proverbs 1:10-19 that gets specific with application.
Part of my series analyzing every explicit NT quotation of the OT. This post lists all the OT books never explicitly quoted (though most of them are certainly alluded to) by NT authors.
A recording of the sermon preached at my wedding, from Song of Solomon 2:1-3:5. I’ve been to a lot of weddings, and this remains the best sermon I’ve ever heard.
Another installment in the NT-use-of-the-OT analysis. Could this one be so popular because we like to know what the Apostles’ favorite memory verses may have been?
This post serves as a table of contents to all my posts about the OIA method. When new visitors find the site, this post shows them the way to all the nuts and bolts of OIA Bible study (observe, interpret, apply).
Who wouldn’t want to teach their littlest ones how to study God’s word?
Last year, the 2-year-old post was more popular, but this year, the post about 4-year-olds edged it out.
This post’s popularity doesn’t surprise me, as I link to it all the time. It is the centerpiece of the site, and I want to direct readers there early and often.
This post from the “how to lead a Bible study” series brought a huge surge in traffic late in the year when Tim Challies linked to it. I’m delighted to see readers willing to focus on character in addition to learning skills.
In March, I compiled this quick list of observations of Proverbs 6:24-35 about all the good reasons to avoid sexual sin. My usual blogging time had been cut in half that week due to other pressures of life, and I just wanted to get something out there for my ongoing Bible study through Proverbs 1-9. I didn’t even have time to write a proper introduction with a decent hook. To my utter surprise, though, Tim Challies, and then many others, liked the post and linked to it, and many more shared it on social media. The post quickly became the most-viewed post in the history of this blog.
May the sure promises of God’s word guide us, and may the Lord himself rescue us in those times when we consider doing something stupid.
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And for your reading pleasure, here were the next 10 most viewed posts:
11. What Frozen Taught Me About Bible Study
12. How to Lead a Great Bible Study
13. Why I Don’t Like Inductive Bible Study
14. Why Did Jesus Feed the 5,000?
15. Easy Sex Will Keep You From Being Wise
16. Sample Bible Study Leader’s Notes
17. Four Modern Versions of the Bible that are Ruining the Bible
18. How to Recognize Sowers of Discord
19. Ask Good Observation Questions
20. What Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) Taught Me About Bible Study
Please let me know if you have any ideas for topics you’d like to see in 2015. Only one rule: It must in some way help ordinary people learn to study the Bible.
At the Gospel Coalition, Steven Lee writes about “5 Common Small Group Myths (and the Truth to Help Transform Your Group).” He expands on the following 5 myths:
I certainly struggle with #3, and I feel pretty guilty if #4 doesn’t take place. Can you relate with any of them?
The full article is worth reading. Check it out!
In my effort to become all things to all people (1 Cor 9:22), I’m pleased to announce that I’ve discovered arm-twisting to be a viable strategy for persuasion. My dear friend Ryan Higginbottom has succumbed to my righteously coercive tactics and agreed to become a co-contributor to this blog.
Like Baruch, who blogged frequently with the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 45:1), Ryan may be tempted to believe the Lord has only added to his pain. Joining with me may make him weary with groaning, until he finds no rest (Jer 45:2-3). But, as with Baruch, Ryan may yet find his life as a prize of war for all his toil (Jer 45:5).
What does this mean for you, dear reader? You can expect to see regular posts from the good Dr. Higginbottom fortnightly, beginning on the morrow. If you’d like to learn more about this tall, dark, and handsome fellow, please refer to the About page. With a solid grasp of basic observation skills, you’ll have no trouble finding the relevant information you seek.
The best piece of advice I received as a beginning blogger was to make sure each post had just one main point. I’ve not always followed the advice perfectly, but I’ve generally seen greater success when I do.
The same goes for Bible studies. Have you been part of a discussion that felt directionless? Have you tried to lead a discussion without being sure how to rein things in? You know you’re there to study the Bible, but how do you balance flexible compassion (giving people freedom to speak what’s on their hearts) with intentional leadership?
The difference often lies in having a clear main point to work toward.
This isn’t the place to explain how to come up with a strong main point. I’ve done that in my series about how to study the Bible and with these 3 skills. I’ve argued that the main points are the ones worth fighting for. In this post, I’d like to show how to lead a group toward the main point.
One principle drives me: If (what I think is) the main point is truly the (biblical author’s) main point, then I should be able to trace a path from any observation of the text to that main point. Therefore, I don’t need my group to follow exactly the same path to the main point that my personal study followed. Therefore, I don’t have to force the discussion into a certain rut, exhausting the group members and guaranteeing that I will remain the authoritative guru who has all the answers. People will never learn Bible study on their own that way.
czechian (2010), Creative Commons
Let me illustrate. In a recent small group meeting, we studied Romans 2:1-16. My main point was: “God’s wrath is revealed against moral, upright people who cannot practice what they preach.”
The chief observations that had led me to that main point were:
As we got into our discussion, however, group members mentioned few of my observations. Other things in the text affected them.
One woman got particularly hung up on Paul’s claim in verse 11 that God shows no favoritism. “If he shows no favoritism,” she remarked, “then why does Paul keep saying ‘to the Jew first, and also to the Greek’!?” Others jumped in to assure her that Paul gives Jews first dibs on both reward and judgment, but she still struggled with the supposed claim to impartiality.
I could have tabled the discussion to get them back to the observations I thought most important. But the discussion was so juicy, and the members were forced to dive into the text to answer each others’ questions. I didn’t have the heart to cut that short.
But my key principle kicked in. If I was correct about the main point, I should be able to steer us in that direction even from this discussion of God’s impartiality. When I thought of it that way, I could celebrate my loss of control, and guide the group gently to the main idea. It wasn’t difficult to ask why Paul is so committed to clarify God’s impartiality. God’s wrath plays no favorites! He’s just as mad at the “good” people as he is at the “bad” people! All of them need the gift of his righteousness.
Ryan Higginbottom already covered some of this ground in his excellent guest post on asking good interpretive questions. Here are a few of the skills that have served me well.
People need you to lead them. They need your help to learn these skills. So please lead.
Don’t lead with such an iron fist that the discussion becomes an exercise in reading your mind and feeding your ego. But lead in a way that inspires them with confidence to continue their study on their own. Your leadership will thus become far more effective.
