How to Start A Bible Study

Introduction

Disclaimer: This is a story of weakness. I freely acknowledge from the outset that I did not find some sort of secret nor am I am some sort of expert on the subject. If there is anything of value below it is because God empowered me to embark on this two year adventure.

During seminary I started a good sized men’s bible study. The study consisted of strangers in the community. These were men looking for a way to connect with God and gain encouragement from a small group.

At the peak, the group had nineteen attendees meeting in a large restaurant in the middle of town. This turned out to be too large of a group for me to disciple effectively. As time went on, the group leveled off to an average of 10 guys a week. It was tremendously exciting to see it grow!  

I have been reflecting on what I learned in these last two years and felt that it would be helpful to share my experiences. Starting the Bible study was an amazing experience with lots of important lessons along the way. It taught me many important things about God, myself, and others. It taught me lessons that I will use in my future church planting ministry. 

I want this article to be a help for those desiring to start a study but don’t know how to start. Here is the first of ten principles that I learned as I embarked on this adventure.

Have Faith

Have Intentional Faith 

At college the entire student body was divided into different ministry emphases. On Friday morning we would meet to discuss practical aspects of our ministry focus. One of the questions I heard when we came to the discussion was “Where do I start?” This is a good question. My answer to that is decide that you are going to do it. Make a commitment. Life is busy and filled with a lot of distractions. If you don’t slice time out of your busy schedule, you will never find the time to create the study. Decide what you really want. Decide what you really love and make that happen. Commit to seeing a Bible study started and don’t let any obstacle stop you in that endeavour! 

Have Expectant Faith

After I decided to start a Bible study, I was constantly looking for opportunities. I expected God was going to open the door. When I went door to door sharing my faith, I would ask people if they were interested in beginning a study. When I had a conversation with a new person at church, I would ask them if they wanted to go out for coffee and do a Bible study sometime. I would end nearly every gospel conversation with a new person asking if they would be interested in a Bible study. Discipleship was really the central focus in my life. 

Have Proactive Faith 

Because I fostered an attitude of expectancy, I was ready to go the extra mile when God opened the door. Sometimes this meant that I placed myself in uncomfortable situations. This was specifically seen in one particular instance in the Milwaukee airport. 

As I was flying home during Christmas break in 2019, I prayed (as I often do) that the Lord would guide me to a specific divine appointment in the airport. I got through security and sat down to wait in the terminal. After a few minutes, I heard a bit of a conversation behind me. Two men were discussing Christian music. Immediately the Holy Spirit pricked my heart. I knew this was the opportunity that I had been praying for. However, now that it was being presented to me, I didn’t want to do anything about it! I prayed for the Lord to give me grace and stepped out in faith.

I sat down between the two men and asked them this question: “If a bomb was to explode on the plane we are about to board, where would you go: heaven or hell?” The man to my right jumped out of his seat and asked me if I was some sort of terrorist or something! I assured him I was not. He walked away.

The other man, a mechanic named Ben, gave a clear testimony of salvation. As we talked, I came to realize that God had answered my prayer! He had given me the connection that I had been asking for. As a child Ben, attended VBS at the church I was currently attending. Christ saved him at a young age, but he got caught up in alcoholism. Thankfully he had been recently delivered from the addiction. I found out later His parents had been praying that he would run into someone who would be a good influence to replace his drinking buddies.

Ben was blown away when I had shared how I had entered the airport praying for God to guide me to a specific person. When I asked if he would be interested in beginning a Bible study, he agreed. We exchanged numbers and I told him that I would get reconnected when I got back from winter break in Canada. 

This was an awesome, God-empowered connection. I would not have seen this if I had not chosen to be proactive in my faith. The story was far from over. God had given me the contact information, but I still needed to make the connection after I came back from break. As I would discover, this would be a far bigger challenge than I expected!

This is the first part of a three part series. Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment!