The studies available from the Biblebits.net website are designed to be used in a variety of different contexts. These include individual and group studies, both in person or virtual. Regardless of the setting, it is important to know that you do not need to be a Bible scholar or have prior training or knowledge in order to benefit from the studies, or to be a group leader. Remember, the group leader is not a teacher but a facilitator who helps the group maintain an orderly process in order to benefit from studying God’s Word together. The true teacher of God’s Word is always the Holy Spirit.
Tips for a Successful Group Study
These Bible studies work well with a single group or in larger settings where there are a number of groups that breakout after worship and fellowship. Groups who also become prayer partners, taking time to pray for one another during their time together, will be blessed with good fellowship and support.
It is helpful to have an established set of group rules. These include being open to share, being a good listener, following the directions of the group leader, and if prayer requests or other personal information are shared, agreeing to confidentiality is a must. These guidelines should be discussed at the first meeting, with an opportunity for the group to contribute other rules.
Remember, as a group leader you are the facilitator. Your preparation is important, having read the scripture carefully, answered the questions, and prayed fervently prior to meeting together. You are responsible to keep the group focused and moving through the study. Be sure that one person is not allowed to dominate the group. Remember that this includes you! Ask questions that help others to discover answers and truths for themselves. You are not to be “the answer person” but the guide. Also remember to keep an eye on the clock, as you want to respect everyone’s time commitment.
Be encouraging to include everyone in the level of participation that you sense they are comfortable with. Some may want to read only the Scriptures or only the questions. Others may not want to read aloud at all. Some will be comfortable sharing their answers, while others may prefer to listen.
Make sure the environment is safe for people to comfortably ask questions, remembering, and reminding them, that there are no stupid questions. An open and honest flow will benefit the group.
At the same time you want to encourage participation, there will be wrong answers given and you will need to mitigate these. Some will come from a lack of understanding the question. A response like, “That’s interesting. Did anyone else get something different?” might be appropriate. Some wrong responses could come from prior teaching and understanding that is not Biblical. Everything and every opinion must be demonstrated from Scripture. Unsubstantiated opinions (i.e., no scripture reference) should not be allowed.
Recommended Process for Group Study:
1. Open in prayer.
2. Read the scripture for the section.
3. Have someone read the question and give their answer.
4. Rotate for who will read and share for each question.
5. After someone answers the question, ask if others have something to add.
6. Close in prayer.
When you come to a section where help in understanding is needed, a good commentary can be useful. It is best to consult more than one commentary. This will reveal that there are different views on many portions of Scripture. Rely on the Holy Spirit to guide, and resist making the study “a commentary study”, rather than a Bible study.
The depth of learning gained by each study will depend on the spiritual maturity and previous level of Bible knowledge that each student has. Many answers to the questions will vary depending on this factor.
Recommendations for Individual study:
Pray before you start each lesson.
Review what you learned from last session.
Use of a good study Bible can be helpful.
Take notes on your thoughts and what is revealed to you.
Pray through what you studied and learned.
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2 Responses
Hi Rochelle,
This is a great guide and encouraging to me, as I am praying about starting a Bible Study at the Assisted Living facility that my Mom now lives at.
I think I may start with the selection of Psalms. I am just in the beginning steps of doing this but your studies give me lots of great choices and we have really enjoyed doing them at our church.
This website is great and easy to use. Thank you, Carol
Carol, May God bless you all as you begin the new study!