Knowable Word - Bible study help

6 Characteristics of a Good Small Group Question

February 1, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

A bad question is one reason for lingering silence in a small group Bible study. So, for small group leaders, it is worth our time to think about what makes a good question.

Learning how to ask good questions is a lifelong pursuit. It pays dividends in almost every setting and every relationship in life. But there are few gatherings in which this skill makes a greater difference than in teaching or leading a small group.

What Makes a Good Question?

I have taught and led small group Bible studies for many years, so I’ve had plenty of occasions to ponder the quality of my questions. The observations below are the fruit of my experience, though I know I have much more to learn. I welcome additional contributions in the comments.

In my experience, good questions in small groups share these six qualities.

A good question is asked in a natural order.

What is true in one-on-one conversations is also true in small groups: Accelerating too quickly makes things awkward. Learning and respecting the natural progression of questions is a concrete way for leaders to love their group members.

Questions should generally move from easy to difficult and from objective to personal. It is also usually advisable to ask questions in the observe-interpret-apply progression that we suggest as a Bible study framework.

A good question is honest.

I’ve written an entire post about honest questions, so I will offer only a quick summary here.

Having studied the Bible passage in depth before the meeting, a leader should have a point of view and a direction in which they want to lead the conversation. However, the best questions are asked in humility, understanding that even the most studied Christians have much to learn from others.

Asking simplistic fill-in-the-blank or guess-what-I’m-thinking questions is often more an activity than an invitation to interaction. These questions rarely supply enough oxygen to sustain a conversation.

A good question is tethered to the text.

There are certainly times to probe our friends’ thoughts, experiences, and feelings. After all, our group members’ backgrounds and perspectives are part of what makes small groups so valuable. But within a small group Bible study, discussion should flow from the Scriptures.

If the purpose of our small group is to study the Bible, we should ask questions about the Bible. Our human tendency is to look away from Scripture, so many of our questions must gently remind our friends to look back at the text.

Application questions are the most personal and individual questions we can ask, but even these should originate in the text. Having talked through observations and interpreted the passage as a group, the author’s main point should drive all application questions.

A good question is understandable.

When we are excited about a Bible passage, it is easy to get carried away when writing questions. We must break our questions down into small, manageable steps.

Good questions should not be too long. They should not introduce fancy concepts or big words. Usually, they should not consist of multiple parts.

A good question is concise and clear. It asks people to consider something specific. If our friends can’t understand what we’re asking, we’ve no chance of a good discussion.

A good question is purposeful.

When putting notes together for a meeting, a leader should have a defined plan. They should have a considered idea about the main point for the passage, and they should put a question plan together to help their group gather the information to arrive at that destination.

This means that some interesting features of the passage may not make it into the discussion. With a limited amount of time, a leader needs to choose their questions carefully.

A good question is prayerfully considered.

As leaders, we should pray about all aspects of our Bible study meetings. This includes our questions and the conversations they spark.

A key ingredient of planning our questions is considering possible responses. If we envision the answers, we can evaluate the quality of our inquiries and anticipate the need to rephrase or follow up in a particular way. And the better we know our small group members, the better we’ll be able to predict how our questions will land on them.

Worth the Effort

A low-quality question is just one of the explanations for silence in a small group. But it may be the most common. (I will write about bad group atmospheres and reluctant group members—the other reasons I gave for unanswered questions—in the coming weeks.) Next week I’ll provide an example of small group questions that have the qualities I’ve listed above.

Planning helpful questions is slow, difficult work and it takes time to get better. But it’s worth it—for the good of our meetings and the growth of our friends.

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Catch the Differences

January 29, 2021 By Peter Krol

Earlier this week, I completed my 11th annual speed read of the Bible. This time, I used a detailed chronological reading order I’ve never used before, which enabled me to catch on to some things that have escaped my notice before. Of course, the purpose of reading large portions of Scripture is not to notice every detail. But the pathway you take through the Bible can certainly help to freshen up some things.

For example, read the following selections of Scripture, one right after the other, and see if anything jumps out at you, as it did for me.

And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Mark 10:32-34

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”
Matthew 20:17-19

And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.” But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Luke 18:31-34

Can you spot the differences? Image by Dmitry Abramov from Pixabay

There are, of course, many differences in the accounts, from Mark’s narration of the disciples’ amazement and fear, to Matthew’s passive voice “he will be raised,” to Luke’s hiding of the saying such that they didn’t grasp it. Each of these differences provides a clue into the narrator’s unique intentions.

But what struck me the most this time around was the differences in how Jesus is “delivered over.” If you didn’t catch the difference, go back and read the passages again, paying special attention to whom Jesus is delivered over to, and in how many stages.

What does Luke’s distinct account suggest about his intentions in describing this passion prediction? How does this fit with Luke’s larger treatment of the Jews in both Luke and Acts?

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Proactive and Reactive Bible Intake

January 27, 2021 By Peter Krol

At his blog, Chap Bettis makes a helpful distinction between proactive and reactive Bible intake. Proactive intake is our planned, and perhaps scheduled, time in God’s word, both in private and at church. But reactive intake is the unplanned moments when some issue or need holds our attention and requires answers from God’s word.

He writes:

By reactive Bible intake, I mean letting the circumstances of life drive us back to the Scriptures. It means opening up our Bible reactively when we are in pain or in doubt or have confusion about life.
The psalmist experienced this when he wrote. “It was good for me to be afflicted that I might learn your decrees,” (Psalm 119:71). In other words, pain, questions, and confusion drove him to open up the Scriptures. And he was glad for it.
If we really believe the Scriptures are sufficient then trials will drive us back to look for things we have not seen or understood deeply. The pain rips open the soil of our heart to allow the word to drop down deeper. Now our heart is tender, ready to take in the word.

I find such reactive intake to be the one I’m most likely to neglect. I often feel too busy for it, and I end up wasting the pain. How about you?

Check it out!

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Delightful Upgrade to Reading Plans in Logos 9

January 22, 2021 By Peter Krol

As I’ve made known numerous times, I am an avid daily user of Logos Bible Software. And the latest version made a significant upgrade to a feature I use more than almost anything else: reading plans. When I wrote my review of Logos 9, I wasn’t yet aware of the extent of the upgrade to reading plans. But now that I’ve been using it extensively for my new year’s speed-read of the Bible, I’d like to tell you about it.

Some of the upgraded reading plan features show up in the desktop app. But the most noticeable improvements are in the Logos mobile app. (In case you didn’t know, you can use Logos on both your desktop and mobile devices, and everything syncs perfectly between them.)

For this year’s Bible speed-read, I’m following a detailed chronological plan. I call it “detailed,” because it pays no heed to chapter divisions. It might give me a 3-verse chunk, followed by a 7-verse chunk, followed by a 16-chapter chunk, and so on. I’m currently in the gospels, and it’s really fun to read every parallel scene back to back to back. It really highlights how different each gospel’s account is, even of the same event!

My Logos reading plan handles this sort of plan (and any sort of plan, really) very, very well. I read most often on an iPad, and here is a sample screen shot.

That’s it. A very simple interface, with only the portion of text I want at the moment. Those buttons at the bottom allow me to move to the next text assignment (or previous one) with a tap. The new text will then replace the current text on the screen.

You’ll notice that I’ve gotten rid of all footnotes, verse and chapter numbers, and section headings. I adjust that setting one time, and it applies to all passages I read from that Bible (in this case, the ESV) until I choose to add them back in. Give me the text; just the text.

Finally, do you see the speaker icon in the top right? A few Bibles, such as the ESV, have an integrated audio version available in Logos. When I tap that icon, the audio Bible (Hear the Word ESV Bible read by David Cochran Heath) begins playing. The audio begins precisely with whatever text is at the top of the current screen, even if it’s not the beginning of a chapter (audio track). At the end of the selection, the audio automatically stops, even if it’s not the end of the chapter (audio track). If I tap the “next” button at the bottom before the audio stops (sometimes I have to just beat the last word), the audio will continue with the next passage in the plan.

And if all that weren’t enough, I most love what the audio Bible does in between the beginning and end of a passage. When the audio begins each verse, a pulsating golden circle appears around the first word of that verse in the text and flashes for a second. That way, if my eyes drift from alignment with the audio, I can realign them at the start of the next verse (and every subsequent verse). When a portion of Scripture is longer than a single screen, the text automatically shifts (almost like a page flip) when the audio advances past the visible page.

This combination of features makes it easier than ever for me to read/listen to my Bible on my iPad while, for example, using my treadmill each morning. It requires very little manual tapping and scrolling, and gives me a sustained audio feed with associated visual stimuli to follow along with.

I just wanted to rave about one more reason to consider looking into Logos 9.

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How to Go Deep Without Getting Lost

January 20, 2021 By Peter Krol

Ryan Martin makes an important point about Bible study. Though we love to “go deep,” doing so often causes us to get lost and miss the point. He explains three dangers of Bible study that gets too focused on provocative details or word studies without retaining the author’s train of thought:

Words are flexible and contextual. A word doesn’t always mean the same thing every time it’s used.
Details can distract from the flow of a text. Following our biggest questions may obscure the author’s biggest intentions.
An individual text doesn’t need to carry the whole weight of Christian theology. It’s okay if a particular passage causes you to focus on a single attribute of God or a particular aspect of the gospel; don’t ‘overharmonize’ the diversity of Scripture.

These are important considerations for those who seek to know God through his word.

Check it out!

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Why a Small Group Question Doesn’t Get an Answer

January 18, 2021 By Ryan Higginbottom

Let’s start with an enormous understatement: This school year has been difficult. Both teachers and students have had to deal with incredible challenges.

Since August I have been teaching my classes in a hybrid style—some students are in the classroom and some are joining the class remotely. My main struggle has been participation. Especially for remote students, it is much easier to stay quiet and let others do most of the interacting. Consequently, I’ve been thinking a lot about silence.

Silence in the classroom and silence in Bible studies are not that different. They can both be deflating for the teacher/leader, and they usually come from one of three sources.

Why to Minimize Silence

The main strength of a small group Bible study is the interaction that takes place. But if there’s no dialogue, the meeting falls short of its potential.

Small group silence usually happens when the leader asks a question that gets no response. After a second or two, the leader rephrases the question or gives an answer himself.

Not All Silence Is Bad

We should note that not all silence is bad. Thinking takes time! So, if a leader asks a thought-provoking question, some silence is natural—especially if the group has not considered the question before.

One of the essential skills for all teachers and small group leaders is the ability to sit in silence. Most people hate silence and will do anything to fill it. But that won’t do in a setting that thrives on conversation. A leader who can’t allow silence short-circuits the thinking and learning that can happen in the group.

What’s the difference between good silence and bad silence? That largely depends on the group, but here’s a rule of thumb. When I was first training as a teacher, a mentor advised me to count silently to fifteen after I asked a question.

For those just learning this skill, fifteen seconds is an eternity. But, comfort comes with repetition. And by allowing this silence, the leader emphasizes that they genuinely want to hear from others.

3 Reasons for Silence

If silence in a group routinely stretches beyond fifteen seconds, something might need to change. There are at least three reasons why a small group leader’s question might be met with silence.

A Bad Question

A group might be silent because the question is bad. It is much easier to ask a bad question than a good one! The older I get, the more convinced I am that asking helpful questions is essential to excellent teaching and fruitful leadership. And asking good questions is hard work.

What makes a bad question in a small group Bible study? Here are three possibilities.

The question is too personal. If a small group leader shifts too quickly from textual to personal questions, this whiplash may cause people to close up.
The question is too obvious. Leaders should avoid asking fill-in-the-blank questions. Group members may feel insulted by questions with trivial answers.
The question is too difficult. While a leader has been studying the passage for hours, some group members have just read it for the first time. Asking people to perform high-level analysis without the proper lead-up is sometimes asking too much.

A Bad Atmosphere

So much of what happens in a small group depends on the climate of the group. Start/stop times, topics for small talk, even who prays and for how long—these are among the many aspects of a small group that develop over time and are a part of its atmosphere.

How much a group values discussion is a foundational part of a small group’s culture. And the small group leader has a huge influence.

Simply put, if the Bible study leader doesn’t value or desire input from group members, discussion is much less likely to occur, regardless of how many questions are asked.

A small group’s atmosphere may also be affected by dominant group members, conflicts between people, or other issues that do not arise from the leader. These may make the climate unfriendly to participation.

Reluctant Group Members

The first two reasons for silence were problems to be fixed. The third reason falls in a different category.

Some people are, by nature, less willing to answer questions in a group setting. They may be afraid of giving a wrong answer, they may take longer to think through answers, or they may just not enjoy talking in a group setting.

A person’s physical or mental health can also play a role in their participation. A group member who is ill, tired, grieving, or depressed may be more withdrawn during group meetings. These are natural and understandable reasons for not answering questions.

Encouraging Conversations

Any small group leader who wants their group to bear fruit is frustrated when they ask a question and hear no response. The good news is that there are ways to improve as a leader to minimize these stretches of silence.

In my next post we’ll start to explore how a leader can ask questions that stimulate thought and illuminate the Scripture. We will also learn some tips to create a culture of friendly interaction within the small group. Finally, we will discuss ways to understand, value, and encourage group members who don’t often participate.

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Acts 4 and 5: Similar Narratives with Distinct Emphases

January 15, 2021 By Peter Krol

“If your observation is poor, your interpretation won’t be any better.” Acts 4 and Acts 5 provide a good case study to illustrate this mantra of mine.

These two chapters of Acts (or, to be specific, Acts 4:5-31 and Acts 5:17-42) appear quite similar on the surface. In both episodes:

Jesus’ apostles draw crowds for doing miraculous signs and wonders (Acts 3:11-12, 5:14-16).
The high priest and his associates imprison Jesus’ apostles for preaching and healing (Acts 4:1-3, 5:17-18).
There is a hearing with testimony from the “offenders” (Acts 4:5-7, 5:27-28).
The apostles are compelled to bear witness to the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus (Acts 4:10-12, 5:30-32).
The priests warn the apostles to speak no longer in this name (Acts 4:18, 5:40).
The apostles contrast obedience to the priests with obedience to God (Acts 4:19-20, 5:29).
The apostles end up more motivated and more courageous to continue their proclamation (Acts 4:31, 5:41-42).

Because of these similarities, teachers and small group leaders may feel stuck when studying Acts. Should we skip over the second episode? Should we repeat the same lesson and applications? How do we prevent the study from feeling like deja vu for participants? What more can we cover the second time ’round that we didn’t address the first time?

When a biblical narrator repeats similar ideas in this way, especially in such quick succession, he may have numerous reasons for doing so. One reason could be simply to establish a matter on the testimony of two witnesses (Deut 19:15). But in almost every case, the narrator also gives clues that he has a different point to make with each episode. We can use the same skills we employ to avoid unhelpful harmonization to grasp Luke’s points in these two chapters of Acts. Let’s hear each episode and observe them doggedly.

Plot Structure to the Rescue in Acts 4

Since we’re dealing with narratives, one of the most useful tools is that of plot structure. Let’s go back over each of the two scenes with the concepts of conflict, climax, and resolution in mind. To keep things somewhat focused, I’ll be looking only at the arrest/hearing scenes and not the healing scenes that provoked them.

In chapter 4, Acts 4:5-6 describe the setting. The conflict (tangible narrative tension) enters in Acts 4:7, when the priests ask, “By what power or by what name did you do this [heal the man lame since birth and proclaim resurrection from the dead]?” The chief conflict here is the conflict between names, which represent both delegated authority and factual power. What is the name that gives you either the ability (power) or the right (authority) to do these things?

Luke masterfully foreshadows this conflict of authoritative names even as he establishes the setting: “…with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family” (Acts 4:6). Do you see what he did there? Do you see how sneaky he was in getting you to consider all those powerful and authoritative names?

The tension only increases as Peter tackles the question head-on:

“by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…” (Acts 4:10)
“there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

The wannabe Names, however, can’t have any of this. Luke narrates twice their resolve to prohibit proclamation in this unapproved name of Jesus (Acts 4:17, 18). They then release Peter, John, and the formerly lame man, but the narrative hasn’t climaxed yet. The question remains unresolved: Which name will prove to be the true power here?

It is only after the disciples return to their friends (Acts 4:23), pray together to the Sovereign Lord who made heaven, earth, and sea (Acts 4:24), and ask him to embolden them even while continuing his signs and wonders through the name of his holy servant Jesus (Acts 4:29-30)—only then does the conflict finally resolve. At this profession of complete trust in the name of Jesus, the place where they had gathered was shaken, and the Holy Spirit fills hem afresh with a new measure of boldness (Acts 4:31). The shaking and the Spirit are narrative evidences that they’ve been clinging to the right name. That the power of this name to preach the resurrection cannot be stopped by a few pretenders to the Jewish priesthood. What were their names again?

Luke’s emphasis in this first scene, evident through the nature of the narrative conflict and climax, is on the vindication and authority of the name of Jesus over that of the Jewish priests.

Plot Structure in Acts 5

The conflict, climax, and resolution of Acts 5 take us in quite a different direction.

Acts 5:17-18 provide the setting, where a jealous High Priest & Co. (unnamed!) locks up the apostles. And not only Peter and John this time, but, presumably, all of them. Yes, there is implicit conflict in both the jealousy and the arrest itself. But the actual narrative conflict arises in Acts 5:19-20, when an angel shows up to bust his boys out of the slammer. The priests want them in prison; the angel (and, in light of what follows, we can add: God) wants them in the temple. The conflict: Where do you want these guys to be?

The tension increases (hilariously) the next day as the priests send for their prisoners for interrogation, and they can’t find them (Acts 5:21b-25)! Nobody remembers seeing them leave, and the cells remain locked. They were so careful to place these troublemakers just so, but then they went and lost their prisoners!

They hear of the apostles’ presence in the temple (incidentally, isn’t it the priests’ job to be there?), and resolve to bring them back in. But they must do so with much sensitivity and caution, lest they get themselves killed by the crowd (Acts 5:26). Luke strongly suggests that the apostles could have resisted this re-arrest, had they chosen to stay put in the temple, and the temple officers could have done nothing to physically apprehend them. The priests are clearly losing their ability to contain these unruly preachers.

I’ll simplify my analysis by suggesting that the conflict is finally reversed (i.e. reaches its climax) in Acts 5:39, where Gamaliel’s advice is simply to trust God to decide which movements he wants to grow or demolish. The priests take his advice (Acts 5:39b), but not really (Acts 5:40). They still want to have some control over deciding when and where this Christian movement can operate. And their intimidation has the opposite effect to what they intend (Acts 5:41-42).

Conclusion

All you need to do is set aside your familiarity and take a closer look. Observe, observe, observe. Take note, especially in narrative, of the details of conflict, rising action, climax, and resolution. As you do, the distinct emphases of similar episodes will surface themselves.

Then you can teach or lead discussions on Acts 4 and Acts 5 without covering exactly the same ground. First (Acts 4), you talk about the only name that has the authority to forgive and the power to heal. Then (Acts 5), you explore the fact that opposition to this name will want to contain it but never succeed.

But if your observation is poor, your interpretation won’t be any better.

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Tips for Reading the Bible with Another Person

January 13, 2021 By Peter Krol

Drew Hunter offers 7 great tips for reading the Bible with another person:

Keep it simple
Pick a section of the Bible
Make a short-term commitment
Read with coffee or a meal
Read with other Christians
Read with non-Christians
Keep God and his grace in view
Respond with openness and prayer

I especially would highlight the first point. You don’t have to spend hours preparing an extensive Bible study in order to meet with someone to read Scripture together. As Hunter remarks:

Here’s what it can look like: Briefly pray to thank God for his word, and ask for help with understanding and responding to his word. Then read a section of Scripture out loud together. Afterward, briefly respond by sharing thoughts you had while reading the passage. End your time together by praying again.

David Helm offers further help with this sort of discipleship in his book One-to-One Bible Reading. But Hunter’s article is a great introduction to the topic.

Check it out!

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The Best Idea for Studying Proverbs

January 8, 2021 By Peter Krol

When I was in college, I attended a conference where the speaker taught the book of Proverbs. He explained the basics of Hebrew poetry. He had us comparing verses, considering metaphors, and thinking hard. He stimulated us and challenged us to pursue the Lord of wisdom, for life, from this book.

I was so inspired by the teaching on this book that I spent the following summer memorizing the first nine chapters. I have sought to rehearse those chapters once per week ever since (almost 25 years!), in hopes of keeping the wisdom of God before my eyes and the fear of the Lord within my heart.

And in addition to motivating me to memorize Proverbs, the speaker offered one of the best, most practical pieces of advice I’ve ever heard for studying this book. He encouraged us to get a cheap spiral-bound notebook and read the entire book of Proverbs once per month (only a chapter a day). Each time through the book, pick one topic, write the topic at the top of the page, and write down all of verses from Proverbs that address that topic. Each month gets a separate page for a separate topic.

That’s it. It doesn’t require a huge investment of time or brain power. It requires only an intent to notice things. And the result is that you get your own usable, topical index of Proverbs for future reference.

I followed this advice for about 4 years, developing my own index of almost 50 topics addressed in the book of Proverbs. And I have returned to that notebook countless times since. It is a common occurrence for me to speak with a friend or child about something or other, when I remember some proverbs that speak to the matter. Only, who can ever remember all the references for the scattershot text of Proverbs? Sure, maybe I can remember “Proverbs 22:6” or “18:24” or “somewhere in chapter 30.” But, with the exception of the first 9 chapters, I will never be able to locate a particular proverb from memory, even if I could quote the words.

So I keep my notebook handy. Being homemade, it had much deeper effect on me than a concordance or search engine ever will. Perhaps at some point I will digitize it for ease of use. But don’t ask me to share it with you; I won’t. You’ll be better off if you create your own.

Thank you, Dr. Putnam. “You can dress Miss Piggy up, but you can’t take her out” (Prov 11:22).

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How to Become Passionate About Bible Reading

January 6, 2021 By Peter Krol

John Piper answers a question from a teenager wondering how to develop not only a duty but a passion for reading the Bible. His answer may be of help to you as well.

He begins:

Let me start this way: John Piper does not read through the Bible every year because there is a biblical law requiring me to do it; rather, because there’s something like — I don’t know what to call it — a natural or spiritual law in my soul that sets off alarm bells if I don’t. What I mean is this: my mental, psychological, spiritual condition has taught me over the years that without daily communion, daily fellowship with the living Christ, my God, my Savior, my treasure, my friend, in and through his word, the totality of Scripture — without that — my sight of him becomes blurred.

As you proceed in your Bible reading plan for the new year, you may want to consider the rest of his answer.

Check it out!

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