Knowable Word - Bible study help

Play the Long Game When Teaching Bible Study

March 21, 2016 By Ryan Higginbottom

“You can’t win a golf tournament on Thursday, but you can lose it.”

Professional golf tournaments stretch over four days (usually Thursday through Sunday), so a strong opening round is essential. But without excellent play through the weekend, a player has no shot at the trophy. He needs a good start, but he needs more.

Stefan Waldvogel (2012), Public Domain

Indirect Instruction

A Sunday school class is a great venue for teaching Bible study skills. But direct instruction like this, while necessary, is only the beginning of lifelong training.

Imagine an aspiring novelist who attends an intense, week-long workshop, complete with all the instruction, feedback, and discussion one could want. A wise writer won’t just lean on this experience; he’ll use this learning, along with inspiration and ideas from ongoing reading, as he works toward a final product.

Over the long term, we all need reminders and examples of good Bible study. So whenever we teach the Bible, we should model and pass along Bible study skills.

How to Model Bible Study Skills

Most churches have numerous openings for Bible teaching: Sunday school classes, Wednesday night studies, even weekend seminars. To build a Bible study culture in our churches, we must take advantage of every opportunity.

When a teacher is intentional, modeling Bible study skills is neither difficult nor time consuming. Here are five suggestions.

1. Practice sound Bible study skills.

The other suggestions on this list are worthless if you’re not studying the Bible using a solid method. Teachers are an example of how to think about, understand, and apply the Bible. By God’s grace, make sure you’re an example worth following. (Start here if you need help learning to study the Bible.)

2. Choose your language.

Develop a “local language” around Bible study at your church so everyone knows what you’re talking about. On this blog we advocate the Observation, Interpretation, Application (OIA) method of Bible study, but the specific words you use aren’t important so long as the meaning is clear.

When teaching the Bible, discuss your observations about the text and use that word. Talk through the different interpretations that came up in your study. And so on. Repeating these words will remind the class about the different phases of Bible study.

3. Structure your teaching around Bible study principles.

If you want discussion in your class, use the structure provided by the different aspects of Bible study. Ask broadly for observations from the text, then start a conversation about repeated words, comparisons, connector words, etc.

On the heels of your observations, ask interpretation questions to move the class along. Having studied the passage yourself, you should be able to explain the main point.

Don’t forget application! Spur on your class by sharing how God has worked in you.

4. Recommend resources.

When modeling Bible study skills, the resources you recommend to your class are a powerful tool for Bible study instruction.

You might prepare a sheet for students to use for notes during class. Construct something simple with Bible study principles in mind. When I taught 1 Corinthians last fall, I emphasized the main point of a passage and subsequent applications. I designed my class handout with this in mind.

Additionally, consider recommending other resources on Bible study to interested students. There are many excellent websites and books on Bible study, including the Knowable Word book by Peter Krol (founder of this website). When people are looking to read and get training on their own, you can give them reliable places to turn.

5. Provide homework.

Some students in your class will be eager for extra work, and some…will not. Be careful to structure your class so no one is excluded.

Make a special effort to connect with the people who are hungry to learn, study, and grow. Your assignments may offer just the extra boost they need.

If you can work a week ahead in your class preparation, distribute a sheet of questions for your students to ponder between meetings. As they think about the relevant Bible text, your handout can guide them through the stages of Bible study.

If you aren’t this far ahead in your planning, encourage the class to study the upcoming passage on their own. Provide them with a few general Bible study guidelines, and urge those who are interested to take some OIA worksheets home with them.

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How to Coach a New Bible Study Leader During the Meeting

March 18, 2016 By Peter Krol

I’ve encouraged you to be a coach, not a lifeguard, when your apprentice begins leading Bible studies. Last week, I explained how to do this when helping the apprentice prepare for the meeting. But what does it look like to do this at the meeting itself?

John C. Baker (2013), Creative Commons

A lifeguard looks for failure; a coach encourages success.

A lifeguard is vigilant, on edge; a coach inspires.

A lifeguard demands attention; a coach demands excellence.

A lifeguard rescues; a coach stays on the sidelines.

What does this mean for you, the coach, during the Bible study?

1. Follow the Leader

Let the apprentice decide when to make transitions (for example, from mingling to beginning the discussion). If the apprentice looks to you to signal a transition, just sit there patiently looking back. Respond quickly to the apprentice’s leadership; don’t drag your feet if you would have done it differently.

2. Plug Some Gaps

If the apprentice asks a question that meets with silence, suggest a possible answer. Don’t revert to “teaching mode”; just offer an answer to help reignite discussion. Don’t sit there like a sack of potatoes; take part just like everyone else.

3. Clarify When Necessary

If the apprentice asks a confusing question, respond respectfully with a clarifying question. “When you ask how this applies to our lives, are you asking about Jesus’ parable or the disciples’ response to it?”

4. Be Okay with Silence

Participate, but don’t dominate. If the apprentice asks a poor question, and the discussion falls flat, don’t rephrase the question or ask a different one. Let the silence sit, and let the apprentice figure out how to recover. Moments of awkward silence generate terrific coaching opportunities later when you meet to evaluate the meeting.

5. Act Normal

It’s okay if group members know you are coaching the apprentice. But they shouldn’t feel excluded, as though you and the apprentice have a secret, non-verbal code between you. Avoid too much body language or conspiratorial collusion in the corner of the room. Just act normal; you’ll have plenty of time to evaluate and instruct when you meet with the apprentice one-on-one.

If you want the apprentice to learn to lead, you must give the apprentice room to lead. Go ahead and call the plays in advance. But once it’s game time, you get to watch your team do its thing. You could be the sort of coach who shouts and gets mad during the game, but why would you want to? Better to simply let the games reveal what to work on in practice.

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Don’t Apply the Bible?

March 16, 2016 By Peter Krol

Crossway’s blog has a provocative article by David Mathis, who argues that practical application can sometimes be a red herring that distracts us from careful Bible study.

So then, is it right to think of “application” as an everyday means of God’s grace? Is this a spiritual discipline to be pursued with every Bible encounter? The answer is yes and no, depending on what we mean by application.

Good teachers have claimed that every encounter with God’s Word should include at least one specific application to our lives—some particular addition, however small, to our daily to-do list. There is a wise intention in this: pressing ourselves not just to be hearers of God’s Word, but doers. But such a simplistic approach to application overlooks the more complex nature of the Christian life—and how true and lasting change happens in a less straightforward way than we may be prone to think.

Mathis goes on to argue that Bible study doesn’t always produce specific additions to our daily to-do list. Often, it should produce astonishment at who God is, and worship. Such astonishment and worship change us on the inside. And we will see specific change on the outside after only long periods of reflective astonishment.

Mathis makes some important points, and I don’t disagree with him. However, terminology can trip us up. Mathis argues against daily “application,” which he considers a red herring, but he narrowly defines “application” to include only detailed behavioral changes. He offers the substitute of astonishment and worship as a better daily practice.

But in the process he almost replaces one kind of application (hands) for another (heart). He argues against overly ethical application (too much focus on the hands), but seems to suggest an overly pietistic application (too much focus on the heart). I humbly suggest both approaches are imbalanced; we should regularly do both. In addition, let’s not forget also to apply the Bible to our heads. Remember the application matrix, which enables us to stretch our application into every category.

So I’m happy to recommend Mathis’s article to you. But when he writes of “the red herring of Bible application,” hear him describing, not application itself, but “the problem with focusing exclusively on hands application.” Don’t ever remove “application” (hands, head, and heart) from your Bible study. And with this clarification, the article is right on target.

Check it out!

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How to Help Someone Plan a Bible Study

March 11, 2016 By Peter Krol

Studying the Bible and leading a Bible study are not the same thing. Though they’re composed of the same raw materials, the order of events makes all the difference.

When I study the Bible on my own I follow the steps (roughly) in order:

Observe
Interpret
1. Ask questions
2. Answer questions
3. Determine the main point
Connect the main point to Jesus
Apply

Of course, it’s organic and cyclical. But the workflow generally moves in order through these steps (see the OIA infographic).

Ian Ruotsala (2010), Creative Commons

But when I lead a Bible study, I arrange the same steps in a different order:

Launching question introduces the main point.
Opening application.
Observation and interpretation questions are all mixed up.
Determine the main point.
Connect the main point to Jesus.
Application questions.

When Bible study apprentices are ready to begin leading studies (the “You do; I help” stage of training), I make sure to help them see the difference. In our private study, we begin with a blank page. But in public teaching (including small group discussions), we begin with a nudge in the right direction. In all settings, public or private, we listen to the text and don’t presume upon it. And as leaders, we can help group members also to listen carefully to the text.

So when I meet with an apprentice to prepare the next Bible study, I have a few goals. The preparation meeting usually follows this agenda:

Study the passage together and reach agreement about its main point.
Come up with specific applications for ourselves.
Come up with some application questions for the group.
List a few observation and interpretation questions that will help the group reach the main point.
Craft a strong launching question that will plant the seeds of the main point in the study’s opening minutes.

By the end of the meeting, I want the apprentice to have enough material to create a set of leader’s notes. I offer much direction to make this happen. But after doing this for a few months, the workflow passes through a series of phases:

Phase 1 (should have happened by now): I create the leader’s notes, but we meet to discuss them before the study.

Phase 2: Apprentice and I meet to create the leader’s notes together.

Phase 3: Apprentice creates the leader’s notes without me, but then we meet to discuss them.

Phase 4: Apprentice creates the leader’s notes without me, but emails them to me for feedback before the study. In this phase, my regular meeting with the apprentice focuses on shepherding the people (discussing how they’re doing, next steps, etc.).

Phase 5: Apprentice leads the study, and I never see the notes. I now give feedback on the study itself, only after the fact.

The point here is for the apprentice to have a steady increase in responsibility, along with a steady decrease in oversight. The details may look different for each person, but the key is to keep moving forward. And this movement should be gradual. If you go right from Phase 1 to Phase 5, most apprentices will feel abandoned and disheartened.

As the apprentice masters each phase of responsibility, we move into the next one. Such visible progress inspires and builds trust.

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Help With Teaching Through a Book

March 9, 2016 By Peter Krol

I’ve been digging a podcast from The Gospel Coalition called “Help Me Teach the Bible.” In this podcast, Nancy Guthrie interviews proven Bible teachers who have expertise in a particular book of the Bible. The interview’s goal is to help other Bible teachers to teach through that book.

Because each podcast episode typically focuses on one book of the Bible, you don’t have to listen to every episode to find something you want to hear about. I’ve been jumping around, listening to episodes on books I’m studying: Mark, Ephesians, Daniel, Job.

I’ve been impressed, and I’ll be checking this resource when I get ready to study a new book of the Bible.

Check it out!

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Teach Bible Study in Sunday School

March 7, 2016 By Ryan Higginbottom

MikeDKnight (2007), Creative Commons License

Like the smell of garlic sizzling on the stove, a Bible study culture within a church is evident and attractive. It seeps into everything from the sermon to the conversations over coffee. But how does a church create such a culture?

Culture change begins with individuals, and a large number of Christians have never been trained to study the Bible. A well-advertised class offers an efficient, straightforward way to point everyone in the same direction.

Take Advantage of Sunday Morning

Instead of a weekend seminar or mid-week workshops, churches should consider using the built-in time on Sunday mornings. A Sunday school class will catch most regular attenders in their weekly pattern. And when the training happens over a stretch of six or eight or twelve weeks, the repetition will help students retain the material and build Bible study habits.

Many people within the church need this direct, intentional training. New believers need these skills. Many Christians who’ve been in churches for years don’t study the Bible on a regular basis. And as children grow and mature in the faith, they need an opportunity to learn and practice the Bible study skills they will use for a lifetime.

Barriers to Bible Study

Sadly, not everyone in your church will be excited about a Bible study training class.

Church members who have been through a similar class might resent the repetition. As with riding a bike, they find additional instruction unnecessary.

Others don’t think they are smart enough to study the Bible. They think Bible study is only for professionals and academics. Reading the Bible for inspiration or devotional purposes seems to be working just fine.

Try to anticipate these objections. Exult in the fact that the Bible is for everyone. Remind people that studying the Bible is less like learning to read than learning to paint—we all have lots of room to improve. Plan to discuss why we study the Bible in the first class session.

Seven Tips

If you’re thinking of coordinating or teaching a course in Bible study skills, here are some suggestions.

Sharpen your skills — Review the Observation-Interpretation-Application method of Bible study. I used the Knowable Word book as the core of my curriculum when I taught a class at my church last year.
Pick a book of the Bible — In a cooking class, students don’t learn to crack eggs and use a whisk in the abstract—they learn these skills as they make real food. In the same way, we should teach Bible study skills while studying the Bible. (I suggest a book of the Bible instead of a chapter or long section so the class can discuss a book overview.)
Make the class active — For your class to pick up Bible study skills, they need to dive in. So turn up the participation and dial back the lecture. I suggest loading up on supplies (colored pencils, pens, highlighters) and handing out printed copies of the Scripture you’ll be using.
Arrange the room — If possible, teach the class in a room which encourages an active audience. Tables will give your class adequate space to work and a whiteboard will provide a place to record observations or interpretive questions generated by the class.
Provide other resources — Consider using the Knowable Word book as a textbook. Make a generous stack of OIA worksheets for the class to use on Sunday mornings and throughout the week.
Assign homework — For eager students, suggest follow-up exercises each week. Point them to the next section of the passage and ask them to practice the Bible study skill you just learned. Structure the class so students will still benefit if they don’t complete the homework, but they will grow all the more if they do.
Go slowly — Learning the OIA method will take time, so don’t rush through the material. Spend several weeks on each of the observation, interpretation, and application steps of the process, practicing as you go. Guide the class toward the main point of the passage and dig deep into applications. Be careful that you don’t lose or discourage any students in your class.

Teachers Wanted

Do you want a Bible study culture in your church? Does your church need a class like this? Why not volunteer to teach it?! Teachers are always needed, so if you approach your elders with a goal and a plan, they will likely be eager to sign you up.

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Passing the Leadership Baton

March 4, 2016 By Peter Krol

As you raise up a new Bible study leader, the time will come for you to enter the third stage of training: You do, I help. At this point, you hand over the meeting’s leadership and let the apprentice have at it. Because your apprentice has demonstrated much faithfulness and readiness to advance, you may be tempted to jump too quickly to the fourth stage (You do, I watch). Or, you might suddenly feel greater fear of failure and be tempted to clamp back down.

noheadlights (2012), Creative Commons

So this transition needs some delicacy as you hold competing values in tension.

1. Take risks, but don’t be foolish

Face it: You don’t know how the apprentice will do. That’s okay, and that’s the risk of training. It would be simpler to continue leading yourself, but you know it’s not worth it. Handing over leadership is scary and relieving at the same time, so we should prepare for the risk.

However, we’re not jumping off a cliff, blind-folded. If the apprentice is not ready, don’t do it. If a moral failure or clear incompetence comes to light, deal with it. Riskiness may sometimes feel like idiocy, but the two are as different as Jacob and Esau.

2. Be present, but don’t take over

You’re not turning the whole thing over just yet; your apprentice needs you to continue attending the meetings. And as you attend, people will still see you as the leader. And when people see you as the leader, they’ll continue treating you as the leader. And when they treat you as the leader, you’ll fall back into that role like a recovering alcoholic in a liquor store.

You must resist this urge. If someone directs a question at you, deflect it over to the apprentice. As people make eye contact with you, turn your gaze toward the apprentice. Don’t make too many suggestions, even if the apprentice clearly misses what to do next.

Don’t be awkward, of course. You should take part in the discussion just as much as anyone else. Just as much, that is, and no more.

3. Empower, but don’t enable

Make sure the apprentice knows who is holding the baton. Clarify your role: That you will take part in the discussion, but you won’t set the direction. The apprentice has real authority to conduct this orchestra. The apprentice may make different choices than you have made with this group. The apprentice will receive credit for the orchestra’s performance. And the apprentice will be held responsible for anything out of tune.

And if the apprentice offends everyone in the room with an unforeseen lack of discernment, don’t make excuses in the name of delegation. Deal with issues as they arise.

4. Plan and evaluate, but don’t execute

Continue meeting with the apprentice to discuss each meeting. Evaluate the last one, and plan for the next one. Clarify the goals for each meeting, and possibly for each group member. Study the next Bible passage together to develop a main point and some possible applications.

But then let the apprentice pull it off. Be a coach, not a lifeguard. You might call the plays, but you’re not allowed on the field. You can’t jump in for the rescue when things go wrong.

In short, if you keep your grip while passing the baton, you’ll never finish the race.

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Loving Leviticus

March 2, 2016 By Peter Krol

Aaron Armstrong has a short piece about how he’s “Learning to Love Leviticus.” He’s found a new appreciation for all the ceremonial details in light of the claim of Hebrews that Jesus is better.

Jesus is different—as the spotless sacrifice and the sinless priest, “He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself” (Hebrews 7:27). That’s the real secret of loving Leviticus—recognizing that it is a book full of hope for those redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection.

Check it out!

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When to Suspend an Apprentice’s Training

February 26, 2016 By Peter Krol

Though Canaan would later hold about 2 million Israelites, Abraham released Lot, his heir and protege, on the younger man’s excuse that “the land could not support both of them” (Gen 13:5-6).¹

The prophet Elisha sent his servant Gehazi out of his presence (2 Kings 5:27). Paul chose rather to split from his partner Barnabas than continue training John Mark (Acts 15:37-40). And though Jesus trained many disciples, there were also many he could not or would not train (Luke 9:57-62, Mark 5:18-20, 10:21-22, John 6:66).

I confess it’s not a pleasant topic, but it’s one we must grapple with. Not all apprentices will complete their training and lead their own Bible studies. Some will pull themselves out of the training, and others will need to be pulled out. How do leaders make such decisions?

John Douglas (2008), Creative Commons

Clear Guidance from Jesus

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke to his disciples—within earshot of the crowds (Matt 5:1-2)—about what sort of people make up the citizenry of the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:3, 10, 20, etc.). After explaining how such citizens can perfectly fulfill the law (Matt 5:17-48), find reward from their Father in heaven (Matt 6:1-18), and treasure this kingdom above all else (Matt 6:19-34), Jesus ends on a sober note.

Not content merely to define the kingdom’s citizens, he wants those citizens to be able to identify those who look like kingdom citizens but truly are not (Matt 7:1-6). Brothers and dogs are not the same species, and they require different tactics. In fact, Jesus urges his disciples to ask for discernment to see the difference between the two (Matt 7:7-12).

Then, assuming they do in fact want this discernment, Jesus concludes his sermon with a series of contrasts meant to sharpen the distinction (Matt 7:13-27). These contrasts will help us decide when to suspend an apprentice’s training.

Please note: I am not suggesting that every apprentice who drops out—or must be kicked out—of Bible study training is necessarily a dog, an outsider to Christ’s kingdom. For example, John Mark eventually turned around and became useful to Paul for ministry (2 Tim 4:11). And some who rejected Jesus later believed (John 7:5, 1 Cor 9:5, James 1:1, Jude 1:1).

I am merely suggesting that if someone currently shows the signs that one outside the kingdom would show, you may want to reconsider whether further leadership training is a good investment. You may honor the Lord by giving this person time to grow, and by finding someone else heading in the same direction you are.

What to Expect

Jesus’ first contrast has mostly to do with expectations (Matt 7:13-14):

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

As you train new leaders, remember that few find the way to life. Many—even among those who confess Jesus as Lord (Matt 7:21)—keep themselves on the wide, easy way, the one with destruction, not life, at its end.

So set your expectations appropriately. Many people you meet will not be interested in Jesus. Many people interested in Jesus will not be interested in Bible study. Many people interested in Bible study will not make good leadership candidates. And not many leadership candidates will become good leaders.

It’s a sad fact of life on a fallen planet. But knowing this fact, you’ll be more effective as a trainer. When you find the right people, you will go farther faster than if you keep dragging the wrong people along with you.

Test #1: Bearing Fruit

Jesus’ second contrast tells us what to look for (Matt 7:15-23):

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits…Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…

When training your apprentices, look for fruit. And in particular, the fruit you’re looking for is not merely a confession of Christ (Matt 7:21). False prophets will look just like sheep: attending, serving, listening, learning, engaging with the community. The fruit is also not ministry success. Some false prophets will claim to speak in God’s name. Some will cast out demons and truly help people. Others will do many mighty works in Jesus’ name (Matt 7:22).

But the only fruit that matters is the fruit of doing the Father’s will (Matt 7:21). And Jesus already made clear: The Father’s will has to do with character: spiritual poverty, mourning, meekness, thirsting for righteousness, mercy, purity, peacemaking, endurance (Matt 5:3-12).

Test #2: Hearing and Doing

Jesus’ final contrast has to do with openness to instruction (Matt 7:24-27):

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand…

As you train your apprentices, you will instruct them. And I hope you instruct them with Jesus’ words from Scripture. As you do, pay attention to how the apprentices respond.

If they regularly argue with you or fight the instruction, watch out. If they blame people in the group for their mistakes, watch out. If they make excuses for everything you bring up, watch out. If they withdraw, get touchy, or are difficult to approach—watch out. If they point out everything you’ve done wrong, listen and learn. And then watch out.

But if they take the instruction to heart and do it—you’ve found something rare and precious.

Two gates, two fruit trees, and two builders. These three contrasts will help you know whether to suspend an apprentice’s training or continue moving forward.

————

¹ Some may object that I’m quoting the narrator and not Lot. Yet I would argue from the flow of the story that, on this point, the narrator tells the tale from Lot’s perspective and not as an objective observer.

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David Murray’s Collection of Bible Study Resources

February 24, 2016 By Peter Krol

Professor David Murray has collected a long list of resources to help people study the Bible better. He includes scholarly resources for studying Hebrew and Greek, but he also lists many resources useful to the average Christian learning to study the text.

I haven’t read everything here, but I did appreciate the articles about word study mistakes and women weeping over diagrammed sentences.

Check it out!

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