Discipleship | Knowable Word

Does Your Bible Teaching Hijack Your Bible Learning?

September 12, 2014 By Peter Krol

Personal study time is costly, especially when there’s a flock to shepherd.

The Scenario

Afghanistan Matters (2009), Creative Commons

You might be a teacher, with lessons to prepare. You might be a mentor, with students who need direction. You might be a parent, with children who need constant nurture. You might simply be a friend, with confused or inquisitive companions who have questions about Christianity.

Whatever the case, your personal Bible study time perpetually drifts toward “teaching prep(aration)” time.

You can’t read a passage without envisioning how you would teach it. Your mind focuses on what might help your students. Your parental concern drives your application. Your study consists of finding answers to your friend’s latest questions.

What’s Good

Part of your struggle is really healthy. You should seek the good of others. Application of Scripture can go in two directions: personal growth and influential leadership. Many people focus on the former and exclude the latter. You have the opposite tendency.

God may have given you – and your teaching ability – as a gift to your church (Eph 4:11-14). Talk to your elders to see if they confirm the gift and have opportunities for you to exercise it more in the church.

Whatever you do, keep growing as a teacher, mentor, parent, and friend. Just because you’re good and gifted at something doesn’t mean you can’t get better at it. Hone that skill. Shape that passion. Refine it to the glory of God.

And don’t ever feel guilty by your inclination to help others. It does not make your Bible study any less personal or acceptable to God.

What’s Not So Good

However, part of your struggle might be pretty unhealthy. You may need to revisit your definition of how to teach or lead others.

Sometimes leaders feel the need to schedule separate time just for personal growth. They think, “I’m going to have time to study the Bible so I can learn from it – not just so I can teach it.”

But the failure here is not actually a failure to learn from the Bible. It’s a failure to understand how to teach the Bible.

You can’t teach the Bible effectively without first learning from it. And your teaching ought to embody your learning. The teaching and the learning are not and cannot be exclusive to each other (as though you can do one without the other).

Look at some of Paul’s ministry methods:

He committed himself to sharing not only the gospel of God, but his own life, with his people (1 Thess 2:8).
His own example was his most influential persuasion (1 Cor 10:31-11:1).
His teaching affected him personally long before he expected it to affect others (Gal 1:11-2:10).
He taught only what he had learned. His own life – not just his ideas – provided the model to shape his students (Phil 4:9).
He didn’t hesitate to use both his strengths and weaknesses as illustrations of God’s grace (2 Cor 11:16-12:10).
He wouldn’t ask someone to do something unless he had been there and done it first. And he didn’t mind drawing attention to it if it would motivate the student (2 Tim 2:1-2, 4:1-8).

What do these things mean for our teaching?

First, don’t feel guilty if your “teaching prep” time invades your “personal study” time. Your teaching prep should include personal study and application, so why not combine the tasks?

Second, when you teach other people (whether formally or informally), share how the principles have affected your life. People need more than ideas; they need role models. When God wanted to teach us, he became one of us and lived out his teaching among us. We ought to follow his example.

Unless people see how you’ve learned what you teach, your teaching won’t have any bite. Your principles will sound like platitudes. Your education will feel empty. Your recommendations will ring hollow. Your learnedness will lose its luster.

I’ve seen it happen over and over. I’m counseling someone on an issue, and it doesn’t “click” for them until I share how I’ve struggled with the same issue. My children respond best when they understand that I need to grow in Christ as much as they do. My small group’s application discussion hits 5th gear after I’ve shared my own failures and my hope in the grace of Christ.

I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s the most difficult part of my “teaching prep,” as it requires me to hope in Christ and not my performance.

But I’ve got to share my life with those I lead. My effectiveness depends upon it.

A Model for Teaching Bible Study

September 6, 2013 By Peter Krol

Many who own Bibles don’t know how to use them. They’re good at absorbing and repeating material from sermons, commentaries, and blogs, but the average Christian alone with a Bible is as helpless as the average guitarist stuck with real sheet music.

The Reformation and its offspring put Bibles in the hands of ordinary people, but these hands are often clumsy in their craft. So explanatory materials multiply according to their kinds, and swarms of leaders want to help but often don’t know how.

These leaders may have effective ministries. People come to Christ. People grow in Christ. People lead others to Christ and engage their communities. The church or small group thrives. But the ministry often centers on the leader. People come to the leader with questions; they get answers and go on their way.

Maybe you’re one of these leaders, but you want a better legacy for the Lord—one where you can make disciple-making disciples—but you don’t quite know how to reproduce yourself. You do what you do instinctively, and you’re not sure how to package it up for wholesale distribution.

Here’s my attempt to offer such a package. It’s not so much a program as a way of thinking. I offer it not as the only right way to do it, but merely as a pattern I’ve found helpful.

Phil Sexton (2008), Creative Commons

Part 1: Teach OIA

Some parts of the Bible are hard to understand, and those who are untaught or unstable will distort them (2 Peter 3:16). Unstable people distort the Bible intentionally. Untaught people distort it unintentionally. But both groups fail to study the Bible properly and end up distorting it. The first category needs a stable foundation, and the second needs only to be taught.

So we teach the basics. We teach the main point of the Bible. And we teach observation, interpretation, and application (OIA). It’s the best method we can give people. See this post for a summary of the method (you can learn it or teach it in 5 minutes). And see this post for an explanation of all the parts.

I find it helpful to have a forum for discussing the OIA process itself. I might give a brief overview at the beginning of a Bible study. Or, I might discuss it with a group one step at a time over 10 weeks or so, while we also study through a book (see Part 2). The key is to take time to be explicit about the best way to approach the Bible.

Part 2: Demonstrate OIA

Abstract principles aren’t enough; people need to see them in action with real Bible texts.

Most leaders already follow this part of the model. Teaching the Bible fits well within their job description, because they know people need sound Bible teaching (2 Tim 4:1-5, 2 Pet 3:1-7).

And people must have examples to imitate. Without them, they’re more lost than the audience at a revival service. Jesus saw himself as a pattern for his disciples to follow (Matt 16:24-25). Paul had the same expectation (1 Thess 1:6, 2 Thess 3:9, 1 Cor 11:1). So also those who teach the word should be examples to the flock (2 Tim 2:2, 1 Pet 5:3).

The point that’s easy to miss is that our teaching should be imitable. That is, others should be able to imitate it. If we’re not imitable, our ministry will always center on us as leaders. It slows down when we slow down. It dies when we die.

When you teach the Bible, do you “show your work”? Are you clear about both the truth of the text and the manner through which you discovered that truth from the text? Could a listener go back to the same passage and arrive at the same conclusions?

Herein lies the beauty of a discussion format, whether in a small group or classroom setting. I set some ground rules: that we all must be honest about what the text says, even if we disagree with it (the last point is important if I want non-Christians to feel welcome to the discussion). I reserve the right to keep the discussion on point and to keep people’s noses in the text. I can then measure how imitable my prepared conclusions were by how close the group’s conclusions come to them.

Part 3: Practice OIA

Spirit-Fire (2010), Creative Commons

Don’t stop at Part 2 of the model. It’s not enough for people to see you demonstrate good Bible study principles in your teaching. They must also practice the principles on their own, like in-season athletes conditioning their bodies for competition. They have to internalize the principles. They have to pickle in them for weeks and months.

Thus, though a weekend seminar on Bible study might give a nice push in the right direction, it won’t be sufficient on its own to train people.

When all your Bible teaching drips with OIA, people will catch on. Then you can set expectations for the learning environment and ask people to practice the skills themselves. You could give homework to those who attend your classes or studies, and then you can have them report on how it’s going.

In some studies (with people who have already learned the principles), I require participants to do their own OIA preparation. At the meeting, I won’t even read the text. I’ll begin with, “so what struck you in your study this week?” It’s a little like off-roading, but with more adrenaline, I think.

As people practice the skills, they experience the benefits. Their time in Scripture grows more exciting than ever and fuels greater fervor for the Lord. Before too long, they’re ready to teach others. As they do, your ministry flourishes well beyond your capacity.

So teach the principles of OIA. Demonstrate them in your teaching. And make sure you train people to practice the principles on their own. As you do, may the Lord grant you an army of skilled warriors who know how to wield their swords against the gates of hell.

One-to-One Bible Reading

August 28, 2013 By Peter Krol

When we talk about “Bible study,” we usually refer to one of these two things: small group discussion or personal time with God. People study the Bible alone, or they study it in gaggles. But David Helm, in his short but wonderful book One-to-One Bible Reading, offers another option–that of studying the Bible with someone one-on-one.

It only makes sense. One-on-one meetings are more common, more personal, more interactive, and more individually tailored than any other type of meeting. One-on-one meetings can produce intimate friendship and vigorous dialogue. Most people are used to them and take part in them regularly with friends, neighbors, and coworkers. But many people don’t think of reading the Bible in such settings.

As the book states, “The Bible really is a book you can read and understand–including in a one-to-one context. You don’t need someone else to tell you what the Bible is saying. You can simply sit down with a friend and read it together, and hear God speak.”

In the US, we’re used to saying “one-on-one” rather than “one-to-one,” but don’t let that difference turn you off to this book. I highly recommend it.

Helm references a survey conducted by Ed Stetzer where people were asked whether they would be willing to study the Bible if a friend asked them to. For respondents age 30 and above, 42% said yes. Among 20-somethings, 61% said yes. Among these younger generations, people show greater interest in reading and discussing the Scriptures with people they know. This fact provides a great opportunity.

Is there someone you’ve been reaching, whom you’d love to introduce to Christ? Have you tried inviting them to church, but they haven’t been interested? Perhaps you could ask this person to meet over coffee for a few weeks to read and discuss the book of Romans.

Do you know a new believer in your congregation who hasn’t made many friends yet? Would she benefit from a low-pressure situation where she can discuss the Bible and learn to understand it better?

Maybe you serve in a particular role in your church. Can you think of someone you could train to help out or take over? If so, could you pass on the biblical principles that drive you in your decisions? Can you train the person not only to do the job but also to think biblically about it?

Helm shows how one-on-one Bible study works with both Christians and non-Christians, of any maturity. And he goes on to explain how to do it. He walks through meeting dynamics and sample discussion questions. He does it all in 75 pages and a few appendices.

It won’t take long to read, but this book will increase your confidence that you can teach God’s word to others. Check it out!

Disclaimer: The link above is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff from Amazon, you’ll support our site at no extra cost to yourself.

What Materials Do You Use?

May 31, 2013 By Peter Krol

I serve with an organization that focuses on discipleship. When people hear our vision for training college students to mature in faith and impart it to others who can teach others (2 Tim 2:1-2), one question inevitably hijacks the conversation.

So what materials do you use?

Mars Hill Church Olympia (2012), Creative Commons

I struggle to answer this question because it often comes with a wagon-load of assumptions.

To many people, “discipleship” means having a program of instruction.
A program of instruction requires manuals and/or participant workbooks.
Therefore, those who succeed at “discipleship” must have some excellent “materials” that others could benefit from.

I disappoint terribly when I respond, “Our main materials are the books of the Bible.”

I really don’t intend any disrespect by it, so I usually begin by listing a few books we’ve found to be helpful. But I always drive that train right back to the station of Scripture. Sometimes blank looks are my reward.

The Benefits of Good Materials

Study guides, Bible study workbooks, leaders manuals, and classroom curricula all have a role in Christian education. Their role is like the role of a tee in Little League baseball.

A tee is the first guidepost for a child learning to play the sport. It assures the child that he can hit the ball without fearing it will hit him. It defines where to stand, where to swing the bat, and when to run. It’s a good friend and capable mentor.

As the athlete develops, the tee endures as a tool. Even the pros use tees to help them perfect the mechanics of batting.

The tee is not part of the big game, however. The tee trains and refines, but it also launches players into the real thing.

In the same way, we need good materials to show us the way. Young Christians can practice the basic mechanics of Bible study with a good guide. Leaders can gain confidence when they have a structure already provided. Mature believers can fine-tune their understanding of Scripture and stay connected with their generation by checking the insights of others.

But the materials are not the meat.

The Dangers of Good Materials

We unintentionally communicate that the Bible is not enough to grow a Christian (or to introduce someone to Christ).
We rely on the “experts” and don’t learn to think for ourselves.
We go to study guides too quickly, and short-circuit our understanding of a passage.
We assume we can’t learn how to study the Bible ourselves.
At worst, we enable a culture of study guide addiction in the church and enforce a priestly layer of materials mediation between people and God.

A Vision for Good Materials

I know it might sound hypocritical, as I’m writing materials on the dangers of materials. There’s something in there that could sound self-contradictory.

But my goal is to provide materials that train people not to need more materials – at least as the substance of their walk with God. The best materials will remain supplemental.

Imagine if your small group wanted to do a study of marriage and their first idea was to study the Song of Solomon together.

Imagine if you asked people for advice about a parenting struggle and they pulled out their Bibles to answer the issue.

Imagine if your congregation’s debate over the church budget was driven by people quoting verses about godly money management.

Imagine if all the core members of your church invited their neighbors to discussion groups in their homes about one of the Gospels.

Discussing a book or following a program isn’t wrong. It’s quite useful if it hits the target.

But doing it all the time is like going to the shooting range with a Nerf gun.