How To Succeed in A Bible Study

Introduction

This is the conclusion of a three part article.

I have written this article as a practical help for those who are looking to start a study but don’t know where to begin. The first section of my article deals with the importance of faith in this endeavour. Faith is absolutely essential! If you have not read the first article of this series, go back and read it before you continue. It will give you a solid foundation as you move forward. In the second article, I outlined five more practical steps. If you haven’t read it, you can read it here.

Here are four more principles I learned as I embarked on this faith adventure.

Own It

Ownership is key in this endeavour. Although you are not pastoring, you are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of those involved. Clearly define and stick with your doctrine. Don’t be theologically mushy. Don’t pussy-foot around issues. Be prepared to call sin sin and call people to repentance and change. As a disciple maker, you are responsible for helping the people become transformed into the image of Christ. Hold fast to what you believe and teach what you believe. If your goal is truly discipleship, this means that you are pursuing life change in your disciple. Own this responsibility. Challenge wrong doctrine. Don’t be rude or un-christlike, but make sure that the truth is defended. Remember that you are the leader of the Bible study, and it is your responsibility to define what is being taught and the direction that group is going. Take that responsibility seriously. You are dealing with the spiritual destinies of not just the people in front of you, but the people they will interact with that week.

Foster Fellowship

In many ways, friendship and discipleship are almost the same thing. Be sure that you are creating an environment of friendship and fellowship. In the context of the group, encourage spontaneous times of activity like picnics, parties, and meals. Be intentional in creating a healthy culture of friendship and iron-sharpening discipleship.

Be Blameless

Make sure that you are not pressured by the people in the group to do things that are against your conscience and biblical convictions. You will not be perfect in this but strive to have an impeccable testimony when you are with the group and when you are away from the group. Because of their lack of knowledge as new believers, some of the people in your group will participate in things that you know is wrong. Don’t allow your desire for acceptance to fill your heart with fear. Do right out of love for Christ.

Pray For Growth

This can be something that is set aside as not being important. However this is probably the most important factor out of everything mentioned here. Pray for the group to grow, both numerically and spiritually. Believe that God is able. You will be amazed at what happens when you spend time in focused, faith-filled prayer. One event stands out in particular

Close to a year into meeting as a group, I was burdened for growth. I felt as though our meetings had plateaued. We had stagnated. I realized that we really needed God to do something special to shake us up.

That evening we had a new member join us. He had walked in and seemed really engaged in the group. He opened his heart to us and shared that he had been struggling with some sin. I encouraged him that God loved him no matter what he had done and that there was hope and forgiveness in Christ. Tears began to flow down his face. He was overwhelmed by the love of God and he couldn’t help but show it. It was the divine appointment I had prayed for!

This man went on to make some great strides of growth. He joined the church I was attending. A few months later we took a missions trip to Tennessee. During that trip, we saw 11 people trust Christ. It was an incredibly encouraging week that began when God met with us in a very special way in direct response to a specific answer to prayer!

Conclusion

Currently I have transitioned to full-time deputation ministry. I am on my way to Western Canada to apply these same principles in the context of church planting. Currently the Bible study continues under the leadership of a friend of mine. It is exciting to see the group continue to move forward for Christ!

As I conclude this, I want to make something very clear. I am no expert at this kind of ministry. I had no idea what I was doing when I started and have learned much from my experience. I am convinced that experience is the best teacher. If you never try, you will never learn. If you are reading this and thinking that you could never see something like this happen, think again. God is not looking for gifted people, he is looking for humble people. He is looking for people who know their own weakness and are willing to be used by God. If you step out in faith looking for God to use you to build a Bible study you will see Him use you to do exactly that. In the words of the great pioneer William Carey: “Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God.”