Читать книгу 20 Questions about Ministry - James Cunneen - Страница 8

There’s going to be a bonus on this one. That is, we’ll look at how to write a good small-group Bible study, as well as how to lead one.

In our Christian experience, there’re few things more satisfying and profitable than a good small-group Bible study . . . and perhaps few things more boring and frustrating than a bad one. We’ve probably all been in some of the latter category, and hopefully, some of the first.

So here are a few tips and concepts for writing and leading a good Bible study group.

First, a good Bible study must actually study the Bible, not just some book from the local book store about Christian issues, or whatever the latest fad is. There are also some good Bible study booklets with relevant questions that point us to Bible verses and passages.

Second, writing a good Bible study means selecting a passage or topic which has interest and application for the intended group. For example, a study on the biblical principles of child-rearing would be great for couples with young children, but less relevant for singles.

Third, the key to writing a good Bible study is for you—the writer—to consider the passage / topic carefully and come up with good questions. A small-group Bible study should never be a lecture or sermon by the leader. It should be an interactive discussion that results in self-discovery—by the group members— of Biblical truths that can be applied to real life.

Let’s quickly go through preparing the small group Bible study based on your own study of the passage or topic. In one sense, all Bible study is topical, even when we’re looking at a particular passage. By that I mean that as we go through a passage of Scripture—say James, chapter 1—we invariably note issues or mini-topics in the text. That’s why the Bible writer wrote it. So as we work through the passage, we are really seeing issues the author brings up, and we are then asking questions about those issues.

Okay, let’s say we’re going to lead a Bible study on James 1:1–8. I’m going to use the NASB version.

“James, a bond servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, greetings. (2) Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (4) And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (5) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (6) But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, (8) being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Please keep in mind that we’re not trying to do a definitive theological exegesis of the passage. We’re working to write a clear, accurate, applicable study to help people in our small group gain joy and victory in their daily lives.

As you get going on your Bible study preparation, it’s enjoyable and helpful if you have another person from your small group join you during this preparation time. Discussing the Bible passage together has some huge benefits: it generates excitement as you and your friend think of other relevant verses and questions and it’s great training for the other person in preparing the study and, later on, leading a small group of his/her own.

The key to leading a good Bible study is to prepare well and write good questions. Guide, but don’t monopolize, the discussion. So before we come up with a good Bible study on this passage, let me suggest 3 “do’s” and 4 “don’t’s” to keep in mind about leading a small group Bible study:

Do’s

Do a good Bible study on this passage yourself. If you do the work of really going through and thinking about a passage of Scripture, you will be excited about the Scripture, and this excitement will communicate to your small group. If you rely on, for example, a booklet from the local Christian bookstore that someone else has written, you defeat the purpose of “self-discovery” for yourself and the others in the group. True enough, there are some excellent Bible study helps available, but your excitement about the Bible study that you have personally done increases the probability they will actually study the Word for themselves. I have observed too often Bible study groups who go year after year “re-chewing” what someone else encountered in God’s word. This gets pretty old after a while.

Do come up with some good thought-provoking questions which will generate discussion, then have some “follow-up” questions to guide the discussion.

Do have a clear, applicable conclusion. Yes, we want the small group to interact and discuss the topic, but the leader can and should give a brief, concise summation at the end of the study. The conclusion could suggest a few possible applications for people to consider. We’ll see how this sounds as we go through a hypothetical Bible study.

Do Not’s

Don’t you talk too much! Nothing kills a good discussion faster and more fatally than the leader monopolizing the conversation. Sadly, this is an all-too-common problem in small groups. What should be a great opportunity to interact and hear others’ views can become just another 40 minute sermon. I used to somewhat facetiously recommend the 17% rule for leaders; that is, if the whole group meeting were recorded, the leader’s voice would not be heard more than 17% of the time.

Don’t ask obvious or “yes/no” questions. This takes a little thinking about. There’s an old joke about the little boy in a Sunday school class whose teacher asked questions to which the answer was usually “Jesus,” as in “Who loves you the most?” Well, one day, the teacher said, “Okay, kids, what has a bushy tail, lives in a tree, chatters, and eats nuts?” The little boy said, “Well, it sounds like a squirrel, but I know it’s Jesus.” The point is, if your questions are too simple or obvious, discussion will quickly die.

Don’t pick too many topics for a 40 minute Bible study. Limit the scope of the Bible study to one key topic—or at most two, related, topics—and concentrate on that. And by the way, stick ferociously to the 40 minute time limit. It’s far better to have people leave a little hungry than stuffed. Plus, it’s so unusual to end anything on time, that the novelty alone will be pleasing.

Don’t have surprise, or mysterious, conclusions to your study.

Surprise twist endings are great for Agatha Christie mysteries, but not for Bible studies. Interest in the topic is generated by the truth itself, and the application to our lives, not by a tricky revelation at the end of the Bible study.

Doing the Bible study on James 1:1–8

Verse 1 – James . . . to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad . . . Okay, it would be an interesting study to investigate who this “James” is, why the “twelve tribes” are dispersed, and where . . . but probably not for a typical Bible study group. Save an intensive study of these issues for your own Bible study, or for a paper for a seminary class you may be taking.

Verse 2 – Now we’ve come to a applicable statement: Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials . . . What questions can you ask about this statement?

What kind of trials do people encounter?

How can people be joyful when difficult things happen?

Is this some special kind of joy? Different from happiness?

Will Christians pretend to be joyful with trials even if they’re not?

Is this phony?

Verses 3, . . . . . knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Questions:

How do trials test our faith?

What does endurance have to do with our faith, or facing trials?

What in the world does that last part mean?? That endurance’s result is that we might be perfect and complete?

Verse 5 ­– But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously, and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Questions:

Is this lack of wisdom related to the trials? That is, are we asking God for an understanding of what the trial is about? For example, “Lord, please help me understand why I always seem to get passed over for promotion at work.”

Why are we assured by James that God won’t reproach us for asking for wisdom? Why would He? Seems like He sure got angry with Job for asking why all his (Job’s) trials were happening. (Job 38:1,2)

Verses 6,7,8 – But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Questions:

What does it mean to ask without doubting?

Is “asking without doubting” the same as being sure that God will

give me wisdom about the issue I’m asking about? What if He doesn’t? Does this mean I’m weak in faith?

What’s the nature of this kind of doubting?

What does it mean to be “double-minded”?

What does it mean to be “unstable in all his ways”?

Now we have a good feel for the passage, and quite a few questions that will help the group discuss and discover applicable truth. Please realize that we can’t possibly discuss and answer all the questions we’ve thought of. We’ll pick a few key questions and focus our attention on them.

The next step is to see what other verses there are in the Bible that are relevant to this James passage.

Here are a few key questions we’ll ask in the Bible study group. Other verses on this topic (cross references) can be easily found if your Bible has a small-print cross-reference index in the middle column or side margins.

What kind of trials did the early Christians face? How about today? In the first century: the book of Acts gives many instances of the early believers going through trials, including . . .

• Intimidation – (Acts 4:18) And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:18)

• Physical beatings –. . . after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus . . . (Acts 5:40)

• Death – And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit!” (Acts 7: 59)

• Persecution of many believers –. . . . great persecution arose against the church . . . Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women he would put them in prison. (Acts 8:1,3)

The list of hardships and suffering goes on at length in Acts. The Apostle Paul’s hardships and torments are frequent and serious. These are alluded to in Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church. You can read his comments in 2 Corinthians 4:8–17; and 2 Corinthians 11:23–30.

What kind of trials do Christians face today?

• Health issues

• Family issues

• Money or job-related problems

• Others . . . ?

How can we be joyful at these times? And why? Here are some powerful verses that help us understand this seemingly difficult question:

. . . they rejoiced they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. (Acts 5:41)

All discipline (from God) for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:11)

. . . And we know that God causes all things to work together for good

to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

How does testing improve our faith?

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6,7)

What kind of doubting is bad, and how do we avoid it?

And a leper came to Him, beseeching Him, and falling on his knees before Him, and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” And moved with compassion, He stretched out His hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed” (Mark 1:40,41)

Compare this to the father in Mark 9:21–24

(Jesus). . . asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” and he said, “From childhood. And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us, and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “If You can! All things are possible to him who believes” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and began saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

The difference between the man in Mark 1 and the father in Mark 9 is captured in the two phrases: “if You are willing,” and “if You can.” The first man has faith Jesus can if He will. The second man seems to question if Jesus can do the miracle. This is why, I believe, Jesus answers the poor father almost sarcastically . . . “If I can!”. . . meaning, “The issue here isn’t whether I can, but whether you believe I can.” Then the father cries out “help my unbelief.” So when we ask God for His wisdom, we may ask if He is willing to impart wisdom, but not doubt that He can.

Another aspect of doubting would be a sort of “ask-God-as-a-last-resort” attitude that, “Oh, well, I might as well ask God for help or understanding. I’ve tried everything else, so I have nothing to lose.” Let not that man think he will receive anything from the Lord!

Key: And without faith it is impossible to please God, for anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Conclusion to our brief Bible study on James 1: 1–8

James’ teaching here assumes that all of us Christians are going to experience various trials, hardships, even suffering in our lives. We can be joyful because we know God is in control and that the difficulty can actually bring us increased strength as Christians. We can even ask God to help us understand the cause and/or resolution of the situation, and accept His response without doubting His ability to do what He knows is best for us.

Leading the Bible study group

You’ve done a good Bible study on the James 1 passage. Now let’s see how you might lead this study with your small group.

The place you meet isn’t particularly important; it could be a classroom at the church, or in someone’s home. Of course, it’s always good to have snacks, drinks, and that it’s a relatively quiet location, without distractions, so people can enjoy fellowship.

Open with a brief prayer. Ask someone—not you— in the group to pray.

Then ask a fun question that everyone has to answer. For example, “If you could have a one-month, all-expenses-paid vacation anywhere on earth, where would you go?” Or, “what’s the most unusual food you’ve ever eaten, and what was the circumstance?” Or, “What was the best Christmas gift you got as a kid?”

Why do we do this? It’s an effective small-group dynamic to have each person in the group hear the sound of his or her own voice before the Bible study begins. This increases the possibility that people will contribute their thoughts during the Bible study. The more reserved people will be less shy about talking, and the more talkative people will be less likely to dominate the discussion because they’ve already listened to other voices.

If the group members don’t know each other well, it’s also good to have each person say her / his name during the fun question. Have everyone do this for several meetings. Why? It’s quite common for people to be in a group—even for weeks— and not be sure about everyone’s name. And after a certain period of time, people are embarrassed to admit they don’t know someone’s name and are afraid to ask. This can cause awkwardness in the group. I even have people say their middle names . . . there can be interesting stories related to middle names.

Have someone read the Bible passage the group is going to discuss. As a side note, find out in advance if there is anyone who hates to read aloud in a group.

Now ask your first “open-ended” general question to get the discussion going. This is a “long pause” question. That is, you ask the question, then wait . . . and wait and wait! In some small group settings, people are so used to the leader asking a question, then answering it himself in about 1/10th of a second, that it’s a bit of a shock when the leader asks a question and actually expects people in the group to respond.

So when you ask a question, pause as long as it takes for someone to say something. Ha! This really can seem awkward when you first do it, but once the ice is broken, it goes really well, and people suddenly find themselves in an honest-to-goodness discussion. Then you can guide the discussion with follow-up questions. For example:

Opening question: “In the first few verses of James 1, the writer says Christians should “consider it all joy when we encounter various trials.” What kind of trials do we encounter today?

Long pause. Finally, someone says, “Well, problems with raising kids . . .”

Then, after a much shorter pause, another person adds, “Money issues, as in not enough.”

The hesitation fades away and more people jump in:

Kathy: “ My washing machine broke down, and the store said the warrantee was worthless. “

Sean: “ I got a really unfair grade in a stupid self-defense class! It lowered my GPA“

Greg: “ I’m frustrated with my co-workers. I do most of the work but they share the credit. “

Laura: “I don’t know why God would allow my nephew’s leukemia to come back.”

The point here is that the “various trials” that Christians struggle with, and seek wisdom on, can range from catastrophic situations to the tribulations of daily life.

At this point, you can ask follow-up questions that allow the group to explore the issue more deeply.

You: “How do you all think we can be joyful in these situations?” Again, allow people to answer.

(Hint: Keep your questions simple and brief, without qualifiers. For example, don’t ask, “How do you think we can be joyful in these situations? Isn’t that difficult? Is it reasonable?” These are valid questions, but don’t bunch them all together, so that people aren’t sure what question—of the 3—you’re asking.)

Greg: “Well, the verses say that when faith is tested, it has a good result for us.”

You: “Okay. What’s the result?”

Moment of silence.

Then Laura (with a little attitude): “It mentions perseverance that results in Christians being mature. Then it says, not lacking anything. I don’t know what that means.”

You: “Anybody have an example of this?”

Kathy: “I think I do. My college roommate . . . etc.”

This kind of interaction, based upon “unpacking” a Bible passage is, I believe, the most helpful way to have people in a small group gain understanding and benefit from the group meeting.

Keep it going in the same way. You ask questions, such as . . .

“Why do you think you might not receive wisdom from God about trials you’re facing?”

“What kind of doubt do you think this passage is talking about?”

“Is it or isn’t it natural to doubt we’ll always get God’s wisdom about things?”

“If you asked for wisdom about something and didn’t feel you got God’s wisdom, wouldn’t that cause you to doubt the next time you ask for wisdom?”

At this time, you could introduce some helpful other verses (cross references) to clarify some of the questions.

“Would someone read Mark 9:21-24. And someone else read Mark 1:40,41 Do you all see any difference in these two interactions with Jesus?”

When the 40 minute time limit is almost up, you, the leader, give a brief conclusion.

“Let me share the 2 key points I got from this little study. First, it’s a normal part of life to have problems and trials. We can respond to trials one of three ways: one, be overwhelmed by them and feel defeated when we face these situations; two, practice denial and ignore them as best we can, or three, realize that with God’s strength and wisdom, we can actually grow in faith and spiritual strength because of the trials. This is, of course, what Romans 8:28 tells us, All things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes. I call this the verse that everyone knows but finds hard to believe.

“And second, that we can ask God to help us understand the reason for the difficulty, or even how it’s going to be resolved, trusting that God certainly can if He is willing to do so.”

You: “Okay. Great discussion on this interesting and challenging passage. Any one have possible applications? What can we actually do to benefit from this?”

Greg: “Well, I’ve realized that even though I ask God for understanding a lot, I usually don’t really think He’s going to answer. So, I’m going to work on asking seriously, and be like the guy that said ‘Help me in my unbelief’.”

Laura: “I’m going to try to stop being mad at God about my nephew. I still don’t think I’m going to understand about the cancer, but I hate being angry at God.”

Others share.

You: Laura, would you close our time with a word of prayer?

Laura prays.

End on time. Do not go long.

Better to have people leave a little unsatisfied and wanting more, than stuffed with too much and wondering—like Jonah in the belly of the fish— “Will I ever get out of here!?”

That’s it. You can be a great leader of small group Bible studies. It is really a joy to be part of an interactive group. God’s Word is “living and active” and will give peace, victory, and power to serve to those who apply it to their lives. Just remember these three essentials:

• Use the Bible as your text

• Ask good questions & let them self-discover. Don’t tell them . . .

• Do not—I say again—do not talk too much!