Knowable Word - Bible study help

Community-Building Ideas for Your Bible Study

February 6, 2015 By Peter Krol

At the risk of sounding falsely humble, I must admit I don’t have this community-building thing figured out. I have co-laborers in my church and in my ministry who are far better at fostering healthy community than I. (Though I’ll also admit I’m better than many of them at knowing the previous sentence should end with “I” and not “me.”) However, none of them were available in time for publication, and you’re stuck with me. Here are a few helpful ideas I’ve picked up over the years:

Jeff Helsel (2012), Creative Commons

1. Love must reach beyond the timeframe of the Bible study meeting. If people think I care about them only during the 90 minutes allotted to our meeting, they’ll learn to limit their care for one another to the same time slot.

2. Take initiative. Ask people how they’re doing. Remember what they tell you so you can ask them again later. If someone is disengaged from the group, ask a direct question to draw that person back.

3. Ask people to participate. When people are good at something, find ways to ask them to keep doing it for the group. Give them jobs, and with them will come a greater sense of ownership in the group.

4. Have fun together. If you don’t yet have a sense of humor, buy one. People get exhausted when their conversation with you is always very serious and deep. You’ll seem more human when they can lower their defenses and simply have fun.

5. Ask them to observe. If someone is struggling, ask others (without breaking confidences, of course) how they think that person is doing. Ask those people what they think would best serve the struggler.

6. Give them real people responsibility. Ask people to play a part in each others’ lives. “Could you get lunch with Robert for a few weeks to encourage him through this difficult time?”

7. Serve together. Find tasks or service projects that need to be done in your church or community, and work on them together with your group. Nothing lowers defenses and grows relationships more than a little sweat and shared service, especially when you get outside of your normal routine together.

8. Celebrate criticism. My former pastor Tedd Tripp once told me that when someone criticizes him or the church, it means God has gifted that person in that area. (If you’re gifted at something, you’re likely to think the people around you aren’t very good in that area.) So he always thanks them and thanks God for them. Then he asks them to help fix it. Perhaps God put them here for that very purpose. This advice is good for leaders of all stripes. Don’t get defensive; choose to celebrate any and all criticism of you or your leadership.

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My Favorite Way to Read the New Testament

February 4, 2015 By Peter Krol

I’m in the thick of my 5th annual Bible romp, and I just hit the New Testament. This year, I decided to read the Old Testament in canonical order (the order they’re found in most Bibles) so I could try out my nice new ESV Reader’s Bible. (I’m loving it; here’s my full review.)

Jordan Klein (2007), Creative Commons

Now that I’m in the New Testament, I couldn’t resist going back to my favorite way to read it. Going straight from Matthew to Revelation is fine, of course. But I love considering the New Testament along four tracks:

Track #1: Matthew, Hebrews, James, Jude
Track #2: Mark, 1 Peter, 2 Peter
Track #3: Luke, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
Track #4: John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation

There’s nothing magical about these four tracks, but I find them helpful in showcasing and explaining the message of Christ in four specific ways.

Track 1 focuses explicitly on how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament and led Jews into the new covenant. Those familiar with the Old Testament tend to love this track.
Track 2 focuses on Peter’s eyewitness testimony to scattered Jewish converts to Christianity. Established religious folks often benefit from this track.
Track 3 focuses on Paul’s witness to Christ and his ministry to the Gentiles. No-nonsense folks who love to have all the facts tend to love this track.
Track 4 focuses on John’s eyewitness testimony to scattered Jews, seeking to persuade them of Jesus’ messiahship and to assure them amid great persecution. Young believers and unbelievers exploring Jesus often benefit from this track.

Since all Scripture is profitable for all men and women, I don’t want to pigeonhole these tracks too narrowly. But noticing some general trends and connections (for example, that Peter was the source for much of Mark’s material) can help us to digest the major threads and to target our ministries in ways similar to the apostles who wrote these books. Also, it helps us to remember there are multiple ways to present Jesus to the world, depending on the type of people we seek to reach.

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Community-Building is Not Optional

January 30, 2015 By Peter Krol

If you want to lead, being useful and not merely annoying, you’ll love your people. And one of the best ways to love your people is to get to know them. It’s worth it to do so.

As you engage in ministry, however, it doesn’t take long to realize the main thing working against you: There’s only one of you, and there are so many of them. The hours will run out long before you do all you could do to love and serve people, while remaining faithful to the other responsibilities God has given you. You’ll need help to get the job done.

Alex Spiers (2012), Creative Commons

This fact is nothing new. Jesus spoke at length to his disciples of his coming departure to save the world (John 13-16). He “knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world” (John 13:1), and he would no longer be physically present to carry on his ministry. Yet he would not leave them as orphans; he would send help to be with them forever (John 14:16-19). It was to their advantage that he depart and send this help (John 16:7-11).

Now there are many ways we are not like Jesus. The Father has not given all things into our hands. We have not come from God, nor can we go back to God on our own merit. We are not the heavenly hosts, with authority to prepare a place for those we love. We cannot send the Holy Spirit into the hearts of our people to guide them into all truth.

But there are plenty of ways we are like Jesus. God’s plan is not for us to do all the work of ministry ourselves, but for us to make disciples who will carry on the work alongside us. Though we don’t send the Holy Spirit, we certainly can rely on him to provide the help we need in the community of believers. Like Jesus, we will have tribulation. And like Jesus (though for us, it is through Jesus), we have hope and the promise of God that we will overcome the world.

What does this mean?

Just as Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help the community grow in love and faith, we can trust the Spirit to be at work in the community to grow people in love and faith. That means that we, as leaders, should not be the hub of ministry such that all that is true and loving passes through us to the rest of the group. We need the group members to help us love the group members. Part of leadership is facilitating a God-honoring community where love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flow freely among the members. We can foster healthy relationships, attractive group dynamics, winsome recruiting, and redemptive counseling among group members.

If we fail, the group will never outgrow our particular idiosyncrasies and insecurities as leaders. If we succeed, the world just might realize we are his disciples (John 13:35), and we’ll see mountains move.

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Bible Reading is an Art

January 28, 2015 By Peter Krol

Everything on this blog aims to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible. That means we cover a lot of details and mechanics. God’s word is knowable, and we want to help people know what to do when they sit down and open their Bibles.

At Desiring God, however, David Mathis has a timely reminder: that we remember Bible reading is as much art as it is science.

And just like we learn to ride a bike with training wheels, it can help to have someone spell out some simple method of “inductive Bible study” with the dance steps of observation, interpretation, and application. Rudimentary, memorable approaches like this abound in Christian circles serious about the Bible. They are a gift to help us get going, and come to an otherwise dauntingly large Book with some idea of what to do next.

But the point of learning the little bits of science behind it all is to be ready to dance when the music begins to play. And the best of dancing isn’t just taught in classrooms, but caught in practice.

Good Bible reading is no mere science; it is an art. The Bible itself is a special compilation of great artistries. And the best way to learn the art of reading the Bible for yourself is this: Read it for yourself.

Mathis’s article is a wonderful reminder, and it serves as a helpful complement to what you’ll find here at Knowable Word.

Check it out!

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Why You Should Consider a “Markup Bible”

January 26, 2015 By Ryan Higginbottom

Every scientist worth his safety goggles has a laboratory. Professional athletes have personal gyms. In the same way, if you’re serious about studying God’s word, you should consider using a markup Bible.

George Bannister (2008), Creative Commons License

Define Your Terms, Sir!

By a markup Bible I mean a Bible set aside for study. This is not a Bible for church or an heirloom to leave to your children. Like the gym or the lab, a markup Bible is an intense work environment. If you plan to be a lifelong student of God’s word, this Bible will contain your Spirit-guided efforts for years to come. But be warned: this book may end up unreadable.

When an expert chef pours himself into a special meal, he isn’t worried about the mayhem he creates along the way. At the end of the evening, there may be flour on the counter and batter on the cabinets. But the messes don’t matter if the dishes are delicious. A markup Bible is your chef’s kitchen, and the fare you prepare (by God’s grace) is a loving heart and obedient life which point to your Father in heaven (Matt 5:16).

What is the Advantage?

If you study the Bible using the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) method, you must get your hands dirty. You need to grapple with the text again and again. What does it say? What does it mean? How should I change?

To answer these questions, you should interact with Scripture carefully and vigorously. You might do this in a notebook, in a word processing document, or even on a smart phone. I prefer to write, draw, underline, and circle directly on the Bible text. This helps me boomerang back to God’s word instead of getting caught in my own speculations.

To make applications personal and memorable, I often end my study times by writing in a notebook. But I move through the OIA stages more easily if I begin by marking up the relevant Bible passage.

Do I Need to Spend Money?

To be honest, you probably don’t need another Bible. Most first-world homes contain more Bibles than Bible students. Instead of a new purchase, consider converting one of your old or current Bibles into a markup Bible.

You may not need a separate Bible at all. I’ve often used print-outs from Bible Gateway for my initial studying and marking. Since printer ink and paper cost money, this approach is not free, but buying another book is not necessary.

However, as I have written before, when people enjoy their tools they are more likely to use them. Having a Bible devoted to markup and study may set this activity apart as special for you. For this same reason, some people designate a chair, notebook, or bench for the purpose of prayer. (If you are considering making a purchase, stay tuned for my next post.)

How Should I Use a Markup Bible?

J.A. Medders (2014), used by permission

Getting started with a markup Bible is easy. Make observation and interpretation notes in your Bible. Highlight and underline. Draw circles, boxes, and arrows. Locate repeated words and connectors. Use a color code, so that all repetitions of the same word share a color. Diagram the structure of the passage and tease out the main point. There is no single correct approach to follow, and each person will develop their own system of symbols and marks. (Note: a markup Bible doesn’t negate the usefulness of these OIA worksheets. I suggest using them to summarize and organize your thoughts after first marking up the passage.)

A markup Bible eliminates the need to preserve the book you are studying. You don’t have to treat it gingerly. Focus on the words of God instead.

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It’s Worth It to Know Your People

January 23, 2015 By Peter Krol

I used to meet with a guy to study the Bible. He was a quick learner and teachable, and he became a good friend. In general, our Bible study was not extraordinary, but quite good nevertheless. I remember, however, the day the Bible study went from being merely quite good to being great.

The girl of this young man’s dreams had just broken up with him. He had the guts to meet with me anyway; in his place, I would have chosen to stay home in bed. Instead of having our regular discussion, I took him out and bought him the tallest mocha he could handle. Then we walked it off along a busy road and spoke of life, love, hurt feelings, and how God’s word spoke to us in those painful moments. Our time in the word paid back many dividends that day and launched us into weeks of richer study than we had yet enjoyed together.

According to the Lord’s perspective, no Bible study will succeed unless the leader loves the participants (1 Cor 12:27-13:13). In this case, I did something anyone would do, which was simply to listen, encourage, and enter this fellow’s life. Most of the time, however, I’m too stingy to pay the cost of loving others. Love feels like an interruption. It requires more forethought or creativity than I’m willing to invest. And it takes me away from other, more “productive” tasks on my to-do list.

Jerm (2008), Creative Commons

One of the best ways to love the people in your group is to get to know them. In a pristine world, we might be motivated to do this simply by knowing it’s what God wants us to do. But God has no problem motivating us to obey with the promise of reward, so neither will I.

When I struggle with the call to invest in relationships with people (Mark 1:17, 1 Thess 2:8, 2:17-3:13), I try to remember why it’s worth it. In particular, why is it worth it to build relationships with people outside of the Bible study meeting?

It makes your application more relevant. When you know what’s going on in people’s lives, you’ll be more equipped to help them make specific application.
It shows them Christ. When people know their leader cares for them personally, it’s easier for them to believe Jesus cares for them.
It sharpens your insight. You’ll know their highs and lows, and you’ll be able to steer the Bible study discussion toward those very things they have on their minds.
It bolsters your credibility. When they know you care about them, they’ll trust you. When you speak hard truths from God’s word, that trust helps the truth sink in more deeply.

Of course, we should love people because God wants us to. And he made the world to work in such a way that everyone benefits from honoring him. When you struggle to believe love is worth the inconvenience, remind yourself of how much more you have to lose than a bit of time or forethought.

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What Did It Mean to Them?

January 21, 2015 By Peter Krol

Last week, Tim Challies reflected on the “One Indispensable Rule” that must guide our interpretation and application of Scripture.

Proper understanding and interpretation is dependent on one indispensable rule: Before you ask, “What does it mean to us now?”, ask “What did it mean to them then?” In other words, before you attempt to apply the Bible to your life and circumstances, anchor it in the lives and circumstances of its original recipients. Application must be related to meaning.

Challies gives an example of a common error. In our efforts to get practical, we read verses apart from their context and arrive at applications the original audience never would have known. Sometimes our applications might still be good, but false teachers can use the same methodology to promote evil ends. It’s worth it to learn to read the Scriptures well!

Challies’s short article is well worth reading. Check it out!

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One Vital Behavior Determines the Success of Your Teaching Ministry

January 16, 2015 By Peter Krol

Have you attended a Bible study with a leader who had no people skills? Have you been to Bible conferences where the speakers refused to hobnob with the proletariat? Have you taken a Bible class where everything you heard was true and precise, but you wondered if the professor had ever interacted with a live descendant of Adam?

What you do outside your Bible study meeting is just as important as what you did during it. You can reinforce the lessons you taught, or you can undermine them with your own hands. You can guide softened hearts into beneficial spiritual disciplines, or you can subsidize the calluses that deaden people to the very truth you proclaim.

It all depends on whether you live to serve the teaching, or whether the teaching exists to help you serve others. This goes for small groups, youth groups, Sunday school classes, and sermons. It goes for conference talks and classroom lectures. It even goes for 1-on-1 mentorship. Your teaching ministry matters, but it will be counterproductive if you don’t care about the people you teach.

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (Heb 13:7)

One Vital Behavior

I’ve spent many weeks focused on the mechanics of leading a Bible study. I’m a firm believer in a strong ministry of the word, and I affirm that bad (shoddy, false, ignorant) Bible studies are costly and dishonoring to God. But I also deny that the ministry of the word is limited to the truthful and precise words that pour from a leader’s mouth. The ministry of the word is incomplete apart from the love and mercy that pour from the leader’s heart.

Therefore, to all who want to learn how to lead a Bible study, I commend one vital behavior above all others: Love your people. Get to know them. Learn their names and their histories. Find out what in life encourages them and what discourages them. Ask about their disappointments, dreams, and values. Make sure you understand them before you disagree with them. Find out why they come to the Bible study. Ask them regularly how they think it’s going and how you can improve. Ask them what God is teaching them through it.

You’ll never be able to do all these things during the meeting itself. Love requires investment; a price must be paid. You’ll have to spend time with them (both in groups and 1-on-1). You’ll have to learn what they do for fun so you can learn to have fun doing it with them. You’ll have to express your love in ways they feel loved, which won’t necessarily be the same ways you like to express love. I write “you’ll have to…you’ll have to…you’ll have to…” not because your righteousness depends upon it, but because love has the inscrutable power of compulsion.

The Cost of Failure

Simon Webster (2011), Creative Commons

The success of your Bible study—or of any teaching ministry—depends upon this one vital behavior. Is that a naïvely bombastic claim? I think not.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Cor 13:1-2)

I’ve performed in orchestras when the gong and cymbals crashed at just the right time. Few earthly experiences are as moving as such powerful musical climaxes.

I’ve also performed in orchestras when the percussionist dropped the cymbals on the floor during the concert. Few earthly experiences are more embarrassing, more useless, or more counterproductive.

It is good for us to earnestly desire teaching gifts and to diligently develop teaching skills. But let us never forget: There is a still more excellent way (1 Cor 12:27-31).

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Did Jesus Offend the Canaanite Woman?

January 14, 2015 By Peter Krol

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.

Check it out!

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A Brief Note about Prayer in Bible Studies

January 9, 2015 By Peter Krol

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.

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