the    sides

I need to put a HUGE warning sign over this next section. While I believe it is important that we as leaders know how to lead a Bible Study and communicate it creatively and effectively, I just as strongly believe that if we led a Bible Study every single week in our LIFE Groups we would kill all hope for any spiritual transformation.

How can I say such a thing? Because we want to encounter Jesus. We want folks to grow to a point that they can get spiritual truth first hand, not always rely on a teacher or leader. We want to see and celebrate life change stories. More knowledge of the scriptures is NOT the bullseye.

But it is a key tool in hitting the bullseye. So with that warning in mind, let’s learn how to take what we’ve learned while marinating on God’s word and put it in a “LIFE Group Friendly” format. There will be times you will have to ‘frame’ your discussion and this will help you do that. By asking more questions and being more visual in our presentation, we will lessen the chance of “preaching” to our LIFE Group.

There are four parts to leading an inductive Bible study.

1. Hook (The Interest Catcher)
Communicating God’s Word should never be boring. Video clips, music, object lessons, stories, art work, props, skits, thought questions, and games can all be used. It needs to capture the audience and lead them to the topic or a main point of the study.

In short, it needs to have AIM. It needs to APPLY to the lesson, it needs to be INTERESTING, and it needs to be MEMORABLE.

The hook will be the first thing you lead with - but will more than likely be the last thing you work on. Jesus had some great hooks: Mark 9:33-37; Luke 12:13-21; 14:3-4;

2. Observation (Book)
What does the passage say? We want to know what the author’s original intent when he wrote the passage. This is where all the hermeneutical concerns and tools come into play. Much of what we need can be found by just reading the context around our passage and asking the right questions.

Key Questions: “The 5 W’s and an H”

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

3. Interpretation (Look)
What does this passage mean? The goal is to find the larger Biblical principles.

Key Questions:

What was the intended message for the original audience?
What did God want them to do in the situation?
Does God handle a similar issue elsewhere in the Bible?
How was it handled? How does this passage fit in the book?
Are there parallel passages?
What is the larger message that is being spoken?

4. Application (Took)
How does the meaning of this passage fit in my world? Application is putting God’s word on real-life situations. It is where the rubber meets the road. Allow space for folks to wrestle with it.

Key Questions:

How is this relevant to my culture and life today?
What does this truth mean for me?
How should I adjust my lifestyle?
What does God want me to change?
How can I get started?

Next Session: Questions & Skills