Guidelines for personal preparation and group discussion

The approach

These studies relating to the Gospel according to Mark were written to answer the questions of those who are still seeking God or who are sceptical of God's existence. The main purpose of the studies is to allow those who do not know Jesus to learn about Jesus and the salvation available through Him. Appropriate questions help participants in these studies to discover and understand the main meaning of the texts and thus be encouraged to start reading the Bible for themselves. There are also instructions to help new Christians who are not familiar with the Bible and want to read it together with friends.

All Bible quotations are taken from the New International Version

If you want to pray with a group member who has decided to give his / her life to Jesus, you can use the prayer given in the previous section.

The layout

These Bible studies are a tool and resource for leaders to help them prepare and run evangelistic Bible studies. The individual sections have the following layout:

I. Personal preparation

A. Main message

The main message of each study is summarised in one or two sentences. Each text has several important ideas; therefore, it is helpful to always remember the central idea. The group leader should help the group members to understand at least this main idea and to reflect on it.

It is recommended that the group leader memorise the structure of the text. The structure of the text can help order the ideas during the conversation and allow everyone to follow the progress through the text. In general, there is limited time for a Bible study, so it is helpful to set an appropriate time limit for each paragraph of the text (as a guideline). This ensures that the whole text is studied.

C. Observations and interpretation

The leader of the Bible study is supposed to have prepared him / herself thoroughly beforehand in order to become familiar with all the diffe­rent aspects of the text. He or she should be inspired by Jesus before talking with others about Jesus. To help the leader come to a solid understanding of each text, a context and some ideas tracing the main message are offered here. The observations help reflect and give insight into the many ways that the word of God speaks to us. They are in no way meant to be exhaustive, and it it recommended that these observations be read after the group leader has devoted time to a personal study of the text.

D. Additional comments

For those who are not familiar with reading the Bible, some expressions may be difficult to understand. These comments try to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar biblical words and customs. It is best to explain important words at the beginning of the Bible study; other words can be explained during the course of the study.

Group discussion

Introduction

A short introduction aims to help start the group discussion. The introduction can be modified according to the group's particular situation. It prepares the participants for the study and motivates them without revealing too much of the message. Please take the suggested introduction as one of many options to lead into the text. Try to find your own introduction that connects the text with the lives of those in the group. We suggest that after the introduction, one of the participants or each participant in turn reads the text out loud. Each person should be able to read along in a Bible. Having read the text, you can start with the questions, if the meaning of the words in the text is clear.

B. Questions, and C. Application

The group leader should have studied and answered the questions for himself / herself and should perhaps think of additional questions. The list of questions is split into ‘General Questions' that explore the meaning of the text, and questions of ‘Personal Application' that seek to apply the text to the lives of the participants. The list of questions does not necessarily have to be studied completely; the group leader is free to make a selection. The group leader's manner of leading the discussion should encourage others to express their own opinions. The leader should not judge "improper" answers as wrong, but should have the courage to leave them as they were given or comment on them in the following manner: "What you say is interesting. Looking at the text, how have you come to this conclusion?" Or: "What do the others think?" Both questions express a confidence that the group leader should have that God can and will reveal Himself to each individual participant through His Word. The leader is not looking for the "right" answers, but instead is praying for a personal encounter with Jesus in His Word.

We suggest that the group leader not only ask questions but participate in the discussion as well. After having sufficiently studied a paragraph of the text, the leader moves on to the next idea by asking a new question or making an appropriate statement. She / he should always try to have the participants follow the text during the discussion.

D. Closing remarks

The closing remarks are a suggestion of how to end the study and awake interest in the next study. They are also designed to form a melodic line between the studies.

The time after Bible study is also very important. Then personal questions and statements can be discussed in private. Often people wait for this opportunity. For some people such a private conversation can even lead to the beginning a relationship with Jesus.