learning to serve

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learning to serve

• How to Lead a Bible Study
• 30 September 2008
• Jon Dawson

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Discuss in Pairs

• Think of a bible study you were in that really
  affected your life.
• What were the circumstances of that Bible study?
  
• What made it so effective?

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1.1 Leading a bible study

• Key Concept
• Know the Passage, Know the People, Know God

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1.2 Leading a bible study

• Ezras Example
• This is the one to whom I will look he who is
  humble and contrite in Spirit and trembles at my
  Word
• Isaiah 663
• He came up from Babylon to Jerusalem for the
  good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set
  his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do
  it and to teach his statutes and rules in
  Israel.
• Ezra 79-10

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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Pray for yourself and your group.
• Read through the passage several times in
  different Bible versions
• Study the text yourself before reading what
  others have to say
• Write a brief summary of the main points
• Let the passage impact your life and worship

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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• The Structure of Bible Study

Application (So What?)
Interpretation (Why? How?)
Observation (Who? Where? When? What?)
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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Observation The foundation of a good Bible study
• Like entering a new culture lots to see, lots to
  learn be observant be inquisitive
• 3 Tasks
• Get the story straight
• Find the connections
• Put yourself in the story

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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Task 1 Get the Story Straight
• What you need to know to retell it.

When?
Who?
Where?
What?
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• Where When?
• Following Peters confession (8 27-31)
• On the journey to Jerusalem (1032)
• - Jesus 3 predictions of his death (8 31, 9
  31, 1033)
• - Jesus blesses little children for to such
  belongs the Kingdom of God

Who? Rich young ruler (cf. Mt. 1922, Lk.
1818) Jesus Peter Disciples
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Who? Rich young ruler (cf. Mt. 1922, Lk.
1818) Jesus Peter Disciples

• Where When?
• Following Peters confession (8 27-31)
• On the journey to Jerusalem (1032)
• - Jesus 3 predictions of his death (8 31, 9
  31, 1033)
• - Jesus blesses little children for to such
  belongs the Kingdom of God

Young eager
earnest
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man
ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone. You know the
commandments 'Do not murder, Do not commit
adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false
witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and
mother.'" And he said to him, "Teacher, all these
I have kept from my youth." And Jesus, looking at
him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one
thing go, sell all that you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and
come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he
went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to
his disciples, "How difficult it will be for
those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of
God!" And the disciples were amazed at his words.
But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how
difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich person to enter the
kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly
astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be
saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man
it is impossible, but not with God. For all
things are possible with God." Peter began to say
to him, "See, we have left everything and
followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or lands,
for my sake and for the gospel, who will not
receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses
and brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to
come eternal life. But many who are first will be
last, and the last first."
breathless
Eyes penetrating compassionate sad?
Gently, with love
Jesus watches man leave then turns to his
disciples
Eyes getting wider and wider
Interrupted, Jesus cuts in
For the 3rd time
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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Task 2 Look for connections
• Seeing Ideas
• Seeing Structure
• How could you split the passage up?
• What title would you give each section?

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Who? Rich young ruler (cf. Mt. 1922, Lk.
1818) Jesus Peter Disciples

• Where When?
• Following Peters confession (8 27-31)
• On the journey to Jerusalem (1032)
• - Jesus 3 predictions of his death (8 31, 9
  31, 1033)
• - Jesus blesses little children for to such
  belongs the Kingdom of God

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man
ran up and knelt before him and asked him, "Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone. You know the
commandments 'Do not murder, Do not commit
adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false
witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and
mother.'" And he said to him, "Teacher, all these
I have kept from my youth." And Jesus, looking at
him, loved him, and said to him, "You lack one
thing go, sell all that you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and
come, follow me." Disheartened by the saying, he
went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to
his disciples, "How difficult it will be for
those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of
God!" And the disciples were amazed at his words.
But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how
difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It
is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich person to enter the
kingdom of God." And they were exceedingly
astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be
saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man
it is impossible, but not with God. For all
things are possible with God." Peter began to say
to him, "See, we have left everything and
followed you." Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you,
there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or lands,
for my sake and for the gospel, who will not
receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses
and brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to
come eternal life. But many who are first will be
last, and the last first."
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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Task 3 Put yourself in the story
• Try to identify with a character
• What would you have seen, heard or felt?
• Think
• How would I have reacted in that situation?
• Have I had a similar experience?
• How am I similar or different?
• What questions does this cause you to ask?

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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Interpretation Why? How?
• List all the questions that arise from your
  observations
• e.g. Why does Jesus correct the man for calling
  Him good? Why does Jesus set such a high standard
  for this man? Why do the disciples react with
  such amazement? etc
• Look hard at the passage for insights into your
  questions...
• Ask what is the main point of this passage? Why
  is it here? Try to write down a short summary
  sentence/paragraph.

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3 Studying the Bible in order to teach it 

• Application So What?
• What is God saying to you today from this
  passage?
• What does it teach you about God?
• Bring your life and experiences alongside the
  passage again How does this story connect with
  yours?
• How must your thinking/ feeling/ doing change?

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3 Preparing the Bible study 
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3 Steps in preparing the bible study 

• Writing Good Questions
• Observation
• Interpretation
• Application

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4 Doing the bible study

• Before you meet
• When you meet

5 Other Points
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Over to you