Small Group Bible Study
Whenever
believers gather together to talk about Jesus, He is present among the
gathering as promised in Matthew 18:20. It is easy to lead this small talks
about Jesus, but to focus the discussion on Jesus over forty-five minutes to an
hour is a different study. And scholars call this focus discussion on Jesus,
“Bible Study”. We will first examine the “How of Bible Study,” and then the
“Style of Bible Study.”
1. The “How of Bible Study”
Bible study should be focus on God – “Revelation.” Babylonian Talmud: Pirke Avot or Ethics of the
Fathers – 3:2; “. . . two who sit and exchange words of Torah, the Divine
Presence rests amongst them . . .”[1] responding to Matthew 18:20. There are
many method available to assist Bible Study Leader to prepare and lead their
Bible Study. The followings are a few examples:
Relation and Communication and Action method.
First, is
to focus on God – “Relation.” With God’s revelation, the Bible Study should
strengthen the Relationship between God and Man.
Next, the Bible study should
focus on People – “Communication.” Allowing time for self-reflection and
communicate personal thoughts in the group will draw the group closer.
Finally, focus on
Work – “Action.” God's Word will come alive when it is put into action. It is good to consider doing what have been learned individually
or as a group.
Other methods to do Bible study such as: “Hook; Book:
Look; and Took” or the “Introduction; Observation; Interpretation; and
Application” approach, and others. All these methods have similar focus, with
different names.
The key of every Bible Study is always the presence of
God in the discussion.
2. The “Style of Bible Study”
Method alone do not guarantee success of the Bible study.
Much depends also on the style of the person facilitating the discussion. There
are many different styles, this paper will focus on just two, the Inductive; and
the Instructive styles.
Inductive style: this approach appears to be the most
popular among various groups. It calls for the individual to Search the Bible
text; Seek an understanding; and Share how to apply the revelation. The
greatest benefit of this style is the ownership of the understanding and the
application, which can be perform by the individual.
Instructive style: this approach is useful when the group
has many young believers. It is liken to the Teacher/Student style of
discussion. The leader acts more like a teacher, while the members receive the
information like a student. Sometimes, when there is some guests in the group,
the leader may switch the discussion toward this style.
3. The “Mark of Good Leading”
“Good leaders are facilitators – they strike the match
which ignites the group.”[2]
A good leader always encourage the members to participate with the discussion,
with affirmative assurance to their contributions. To be a good facilitator,
one has to watch out for the followings. The Be-attitude or Hallmark of a Good
Facilitator:
“1) Be thoroughly prepared;
2) Be available; 3) Be-lieve;
4) Be Understanding;
5) Be relevant;
6) Be encouraging;
7) Be resistant to gossip;
8) Be learning;
9) Be flexible;
10) Be dedicated.”
Leading Bible Study is a challenge, but Jesus has promise
in Matthew 18:20, that if the focus of discussion is on Him (Jesus), then He
will be present among the gathering.
Amen.
[1]“Mishnah,
Pirke Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 3:2,” n.d., accessed April 11, 2016,
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2019/jewish/Chapter-Three.htm.
[2]James
F. Nyquist and Jack Kuhatschek, “Leading Bible Discussion: Completely
Revised & Expanded”. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 48.
