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You Can Give Bible Studies!

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I always did what was best for you. I told you the Good News about Jesus in public before the people and also taught in your homes. Acts 20:20 ERV

We are all encouraged, like Paul, to share Jesus in the homes of our friends and loved ones. This is something we all can do.

Among the members of our churches there should be more house-to-house labor in giving Bible readings and distributing literature…. As we sow beside all waters we shall realize that “he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” –Ellen White, Maranatha Page 104

In Matthew 14:15-16, the disciples ask Jesus to send a large multitude back into the villages so they can find some food. The disciples did not feel they had the skills or resources to feed a huge multitude, so they wanted Jesus to send them to the villages where there were markets with professionals who had the skills and resources to feed a big crowd. However Jesus tells the disciples that they could indeed feed the multitude. They did not have to go to the “more skilled professionals”. Do you know someone you would like to give a Bible study to, but do not feel like you have the skills or resources? I assure you Jesus can give you those skills and resources. I assure you the same Holy Spirit that is with John Bradshaw or Shawn Boonstra  when they give a Bible study will be with you too. If you feel you don’t know it all, you are off to a great start, because you will feel your need of the Holy Spirit and will be sure to ask Him to guide you. Here are 5 easy tips to help you give a soul-winning Bible study. 

  1. Don’t pretend to know it all. Many people tell me they are afraid to give Bible studies because they don’t know enough. That’s okay, No one wants to learn from a know-it-all anyway. The fact that you don’t know it all will make others more comfortable studying with you. I actually began my Bible worker career by telling my friends and co-workers that I needed to practice giving Bible studies, and asked them if I could practice giving Bible studies to them. Many agreed, some attended church with me, and one still does attend church with me whenever I return to visit his area. If you’re not a know-it-all, you will be great at giving Bible studies.
  2. Stick with the study guides or chain referencing format. Don’t adlib or try to philosophize. Many tell me they are afraid to try to give Bible studies because they don’t know what to say. That’s perfect. The study guides ask questions and then share Bible verses that answer them. The chain referencing format  works the same way. When I train people to give Bible studies, I find that one common mistake is feeling they have to adlib and add to what is already in the guide or Bible text. When they adlib, they get distracted and wander from the thought process already provided in the format. Each question and Bible answer in the Bible study guide builds upon the next in a logical sequence. Simply point out the answer in the text. Don’t adlib. That only distracts from the logical sequence. See? You can do this!
  3. Don’t quote authors outside the Bible. This is a Bible study. A while back, I took a lay member with me to a Bible study I had just started. The man I had just begun studying with knew nothing about the Bible or the church, much less Ellen White. He asked if there was life on other planets. I told him we could study about that in the future, when the lay member with me blurted out. “Oh! Ellen White talks about visiting people on other planets!” The man we were studying with knew nothing about Ellen White and wondered why the lay member even said that. I quickly changed the subject back to our topic for the Bible study. Of course, I believe in Ellen White, but I also believe a Bible study should be a Bible study.
  4. Get a decision. After every Bible study, ask for a decision on the topic. When I was a literature evangelist, after telling my customers all about the books, I never made a sale until I asked them to buy them. It is not enough to just share information. Ask your Bible student to make a decision based on what you studied. If studying about salvation, ask them to accept Jesus as their Savior. If studying about clean and unclean foods, ask them to follow the Bible counsel you both just read.
  5. After the decision, have a prayer about it, then leave! Do all your small talk before the Bible study. Get that pie recipe or discuss that ball game before the Bible study, not afterward. At the end of the Bible study, you want to pray and then politely and quickly leave, so that you leave them with that prayer marinating in their mind and heart. Don’t distract them with small talk after the prayer. After the prayer, leave!

Of course, you will want to be praying before, during, and after your Bible studies. With God’s help, you can do this! You will make mistakes, just like the rest of us. If you don’t make a mistake, you will be the first person ever to give a perfect Bible study. Then you will become a know-it-all, and no one will want to study with you. Be humble. Be human, so people will feel comfortable studying with you. God will use you with all of your mistakes and shortcomings. Remember, I have studied with over 400 people who were baptized as a result, and I made some big mistakes while studying with over 400 of them. I have never given a perfect Bible study – ever! But I don’t let that discourage me. I seriously doubt that the talking donkey in Numbers 22 was perfect, but God surely used it to get Balaam back on the right track. You and I are not perfect either, but God will use us to take the Gospel into all the world.

Now, in the Words of Jesus,

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. ” Amen.” Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

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You Can Give Bible Studies! — 7 Comments

  1. While at the Senior Center, a woman asked me if we could read the Bible together. I was thrilled. We went to a bench in the hallway and I started to read from the Bible.

    Something amazing happened! The spirit shined a message explaining what I read. The insight was not something I knew. It was completely new to me. As usual, I was excited. I explained what I saw to my friend and she was also amazed. After a few sessions she said she goes to a friend’s home once a week and could I go with her to share the Scriptures. My friend would like to join us. I agreed.
    To my surprise, every time we met, Jesus never failed to show me what to say.

    Next thing I know, my friend was asking more people to come. We ended up with full living room.

    We learned a lot together as our true Teacher, the Holy Spirit guided us every time. He gave me such confidence that I knew i never had to prepare because He always conducted it.
    Our Father is so vast and wonderful, we can never learn enough as long as we live.

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  2. Excellent counsel William! At one time I was afraid and reluctant to give Bible studies for those very reasons. I found that when I stepped out in faith in spite of my fears that my fears would disappear. God blessed our efforts as my wife and I studied with others. She was my prayer support and helped to ease the discomfort of studying with women.

    I often remark that the best years of my life were the five years that we served as Bibleworker for our church. It was spiritually refreshing. It also helped us to deepen our faith and knowledge of the Bible. It was so rewarding to watch the Lord use us to lead others to him.

    I didn’t much care for the door to door work because I saw cold calling as highly unproductive, but even there the Lord blessed our efforts and we met some wonderful people.

    It was a great adventure! Everyone should give it a try. It will give you a faith lift as you lift others up in their faith.

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  3. Hi William, Just wondering what Bible study guides you recommend? I was also wondering what ones might be best for kids. There are a couple brothers in my church who want to be baptized and their mother sort of I think half seriously wondered if they could study with me. I have a good relationship with them. I might be open to giving this a try if I knew the best resources. They are 10 and 12.

    Also, I appreciate what you say about sticking to the guides and the questions, but I have often felt that the very catchechsmic (is that a word) nature of Bible study guides makes them feel somewhat manipulative. Almost like we are forcing a person towards a certain way of thinking. This is especially the case when we jump from text to text. I don’t mean that the conclusions are wrong – I believe in them – but I can see why others might be critical of this method. Is there a way around this? This is probably the biggest reason I have avoided giving Bible studies.

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    • Hi Christina, thank you for that question. Lately, my churches have been successfully using the It is Written adult and children’s study guides https://www.itiswritten.com/biblestudy/ as well as the Amazing Facts Study Guides. https://www.afbookstore.com/collections/study-guides And to see our Bible teachings in light of the cross we have used the In Light of the Cross study guides for adults as well as children. https://inlightofthecross.com/in-light-of-the-cross-bible-study-guides-with-new-living-translation/

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    • Hi Christina.

      A simple question and answer (catechismic) format is a superb way to study. It is really what you would call a topical bible study and it is the most common format found in the New Testament.

      Paul’s letters are largely topical, as he has generally a few particular points he is addressing.

      When people asked Jesus questions they were topical. Jesus sermon on the mount was also topical, who were those who would receive eternal life.

      What you will find is a focus on core beliefs in the Bible studies suggested to you. This is a correct and good starting point for any new believers or for believers who though they are Christians digress from the plain teachings of scripture. For them correcting core beliefs is fundamental to properly understanding what the Bible is really teaching.

      If you incorrectly believe in an immortal soul which immediately goes to heaven or hell on death, trying to understand the resurrection is extremely difficult. A good topical study will correct this. This will mean you do have to refer to many different places in the Bible where the state of the dead is discussed, necessarily meaning you might jump from the story of Lazarus to the story of Jairus’ daughter to Revelation discussing the first and second death as well as Ecclesiastes 9:5 and 12:7, not particularly taking in the context of the stories or chapters themselves but rather finding those parts relevant to your topic only and then moving on.

      If you consider this carefully you will see that by studying topics rather than whole stories you must of necessity chain texts together in this way.

      But you will then be teaching topics from the Bible just like Jesus, Peter, James, John and Paul did and so you are in excellent company and following the very best examples.

      For the 10 & 12 year olds you will find that either Uncle Arthurs Bible Stories or his Bedtime stories will serve you very well. The bedtime stories are topical, often just one simple central thought tied to some practical example. The Bible Stories follow in line with the Bible book sequence and are still strongly topical, but again in a story format very suitable for young children and not focusing on core beliefs but they do make a solid foundation for later study. There are also a few normal topical Bible studies suited for younger audiences if you prefer those.

      I hope this is of some use to you 🙂

      Kind regards,

      Ian.

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  4. Thank-you Pastor Earnhardt.
    My wife and I are going through the
    Light Bearers Bible studies for our daily together devotions. We want to be familiar with the provided studies. Yes we also have private devotion. We have planned to go through your Bible studies next. My wife will use the printed version you have so graciously offered for free, detailed at the top of your 1st lesson and I will use the online version, as one click sends me to the text. I am so very pleased that you have come up with the title that, Anyone Can Give Bible Studies, keeping the web sight inlightofthecross.com is so good for the Bible studies. I love the picture in the introduction on your website, it is so apropos.
    God bless you pastor.
    John

    Reply ↓

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At a camp meeting 40 years later, I happened to see Dr. I. demonstrating some kind of health product, if I remember correctly. (In my mind, I see only the image of him, much older, but still looking much like he did when I was a student, with a friend by my side.) I lingered a little but did not introduce myself. I briefly wondered whether he recognized me. I’m fairly sure that I was as recognizable to him as he was to me.

Had he changed? Or did he still feel superior in his “humility”? Should I talk to him? I didn’t know how to approach him, and was busy with friends. I still don’t know whether I should have said something. (Maybe I’m just a coward.)

If God wants him to see my story, his and my identity are clear enough in this post, that God can direct him to it.