These 3 training sessions, given by Rebecca Manley-Pippert at 'Because of Love' EEC Linz '08 look at how we can use 'seeker Bible studies' to introduce seekers to the Bible in an effective way.

WHAT IS A SEEKER BIBLE STUDY?

 

INTRODUCTION: My Discovery of Seeker Studies

 

I. What is a Seeker Bible Study?

Where the majority of participants are seekers - people with partial or no understanding of the Christian faith or the Bible.

A. Will seekers come?

If approached the right way most seekers are fascinated to be able to read the Bible in a "safe" environment where they won't feel foolish for not knowing what the Bible says and where they can ask honest questions.

B. What are the advantages for the seekers?

S

A

F

E

P

L

A

C

E

 

C. What are the advantages for believers?

1. Much better use of your time and resources

2. You will learn authentic evangelism by listening to their questions

3. You don't need to have a professional, have the gift of evangelism or goes overseas to be a witness

4. You can cover the gospel in far more depth in an 8 week study

5. It builds your faith and blesses you with a meaningful ministry

6. When you bring your seeker friends to a gospel presentation after they have been in a Seeker Study, they are more likely to respond positively.

D. What is the objective?

• 1. The ultimate objective is for seekers to come to know the Lord. But the immediate objective is for them to make any positive response to Jesus.
• 2. This is a patient, realistic kind of friendship evangelism, backed up by personal concern for each individual's needs

II. Why is a Seeker Study Effective?

• A. Analysis of Post Modern Culture:

1.  Has the central problem changed?

2.  Has the solution changed?

3.  Have God's Resources Changed?

4.  So what is different?

• § Belong Before Believe
• § Experience Before Explanation
• § Story Before Sermon
• § Authentic Relationship Before Religious Activity

B.  It meets the needs of contemporary people:

• 1. Communicates truth in Narrative form
• 2. It honors process
• 3. It is dialogical and the text is the teacher not an authority from on high
• 4. It promotes authentic relationships and an understanding of Christian community
• 5. It is spiritually powerful

III. The Different ways to do Seeker Studies

A. Analyze and seek guidance through prayer as to the following:

•1.      Who:  Men's group? Women's group? Couple's group? Co-workers? Neighbors? Teens?

•2.      What size: One-on-one? 3-5?; 5-7? 8-10?

•3.      Where:  An empty office; someone's home; a neutral place like the back table at a restaurant; even an empty church room will do, though it's better to meet in as neutral a place as possible [however if child-care is a problem and the church can provide it or if there is no appropriate home in which to meet, then it can work].

•4.      When: Is now the time to start a study or do you need more training, more time to invest in prayer and building friendships? If it's a study for those who work then an evening meeting or even a men's early morning study could work

•5.      How long to meet: it's best if you can meet every week for 7-8 weeks. If they want to continue after the first study is done fantastic! If the study ends and it's holiday time then ask if they are interested in doing it later. Be flexible and work with their schedules.

 

B. Different Roles

(You may not need these roles if your study is small)

1.  Host/Hostess:

• Usually the host has it in his or her home. This saves the leader from feeling spread too thin.
• Be there early to greet people and make them feel very welcome & comfortable
• Provide name tags if people don't know each other or if it's a larger group
• Make sure chairs are spaced properly and there's enough light & ventilation
• Be sure to have extra Bibles on hand [same translation if possible like NIV]
• Have beverages and simple food available for before or after
• Take the phone off the hook once the study starts or have someone assigned to answer it
• Atmosphere needs to be relaxed, not church-like.

2. Bible Study Facilitator:

You will prepare and lead the 6 or 8 week study discussion every week. This will be discussed later.

3. Co-Leader: 

The co-leader's role can be very helpful though it's not absolutely essential. Besides offering the leader support and studying the text with great care, you will need to be available to lead the study if the leader can't be there and give the leader feedback on what you observed of the people during the study. While the leader is paying attention to the Biblical text, he or she may miss nuances or body language. You can also help by speaking up if there are prolonged silences or  speaking afterwards to the shy or timid person. Be sure to pray regularly for the leader and the participants. Pay attention if it looks like a person is struggling to understand the passage. Make a phone call or suggest you go to lunch that week.

4. Active Participant:

You commit to faithfully be there every week and to bring seeker friends. Pray regularly for the people you have invited. Continue to deepen your friendships with the friends you bring. Every Christian who attends should always bring a seeker friend!

 

THE ROLE OF THE SEEKER STUDY FACILITATOR

A. PROPER PREPARATION

First ask God speak to you through the passage. Find a quiet place to prepare. Read the text through several times and ask God to reveal his truth to you. Then answer the Study guide questions. But feel free to add your own questions or delete those questions that you don't want to use. Don't use the questions mechanically but flexibly. Use commentaries if you wish but only after you have studied it yourself first.

B. POWER OF THE WORD (Hebrews 4:12; 2Tim.3:16-17; Psalms 119:89)

Remember God's word does not return to Him void. The Bible is your teacher and your authority as you lead the discussion. Seekers will be surprised by how relevant it is to their lives. Ask God to make Jesus come alive as you read about him.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. "

C.  POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Remember that only the Spirit of God coupled with God ‘s word  can reveal Jesus and cause Him to come alive to seekers. We also need the Spirit to give our own words meaning and life. Jesus says that "apart from me you can do nothing." So pray for the power of the Spirit to work though you and to speak to your group. We prepare diligently, but we are utterly dependent upon God to speak to the hearts of unbelievers, to open blind eyes, and to use us in our weakness and limited knowledge. It's God's power that changes lives not human perfection!

D. PRACTICAL DISCUSSION GUIDELINES

• Encourage open discussion: The group discussion is a critical aspect of the study because the participants are not passive listeners being taught by a "sage on the stage" but a "guide by the side!" It may take time for everyone to feel comfortable speaking but encourage them to look to the text for the answers and cheerfully welcome their contributions. A truth they discover makes more impact than what we present.

• Don't correct all wrong answers immediately: Try not to say an answer is wrong. It's better to say "That's interesting, what do the rest of you think?" Then ask if any verse in the text clarifies the point.

• When participants ask questions refer some of them back to the group: Let group members interact. The dialogue shouldn't always be between the facilitator and each person - rather try to generate group discussion.

 

• You need not begin the seeker group with prayer: Your friends have come to learn about Jesus and what the Bible says so they will be thinking of this more like a book club. The apostle Paul did not pray at the Areopagus!

 

• Have participants read the passage aloud if they desire, section by section. But ask if someone wants to read rather than assign a person to.

• Leaders asks the main questions but give them a chance to think!

• Be mindful of timing: A good discussion leader makes sure to begin and end on time, even if you have to summarize part of it to get through the text. So it's best to say in the first meeting: "Let's try to get through the text in the next 60 minutes so we can end on time. But after the study is over feel free to stick around and we can talk about whatever you like." I recommend keeping the actual study to about 60 minutes, leaving 30 minutes before for socializing, as well as time afterward for anyone wanting to stay.

• How to deal with different translations: If you can provide copies of the same translation for everyone then do. However, you could also say at the first meeting "If you are going to buy a new Bible for this study then I would suggest X version because that it the one I will be using and it might make things clearer for you. But if you have a different translation from mine then by all means bring it." Then explain how some translations focus more on readability, thus they put things into everyday English. Other translations try to be faithful to the original literary structure but sometimes the language itself is a little harder to understand.

• Keep the discussion on the passage as much as possible: If an extraneous subject comes up and everyone seems interested you may say "that is a really important subject you are raising. Would it be alright if we decide to discuss it later after we finish the study or next week?"

 

• Be careful about cross-referencing: While it's fine to point out the OT references to a NT verse, don't ask the seeker to look up a verse in Jeremiah. If an OT passage adds richness to the gospel story then you read it to them.

E. IN THE FIRST MEETING REVIEW THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:

• Set the ground rules cheerfully but clearly: We are here to see what the Bible says and to discover more about who Jesus is. So let's keep the discussion on the passage as much as possible.

• I'm not the authority here so let's let the Bible be our teacher.

• This is for anyone with an open mind. This study doesn't assume you already believe in Jesus or that you accept the Bible is true. Rather it's to help you may make up your own mind once you know what the Bible actually says.
• We want this to be a safe place for anyone with honest questions
• This is a discussion not a lecture so everyone is encouraged to participate!

F. IN THE FIRST MEETING REVIEW BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE:

• Why do they call what we are studying the New Testament? (OT was before Christ, NT is after Christ)

 

• What does the word gospel mean? (Good News)

 

• The New Testament begins with 4 biographies of Jesus written by 4 different men most of whom were actual eyewitnesses to the events they write about.

 

• Have them turn to the Table of Contents to see how to find books. Explain where the book is that you will be studying with the appropriate page number. Explain how it's written in chapters and verses.

 

• If you use the same translation then just say "Please turn to page..."

 

G. HOW TO USE THE SEEKER BIBLE STUDY GUIDE:

• Give the Seeker Guide to everyone in the study: Assure them that there is no homework required to be able to come. If they want to read the passage for the following week or answer the questions ahead of time that's great. But make it clear that they should come whether they've read the passage ahead of time or not. At first many won't prepare, but eventually they become interested and start using the guide.

 

• Start with the Discussion Question: this is intended as an ice-breaker to make people feel comfortable and to stimulate their curiosity in the Bible text.

• Historical Context: this gives people unfamiliar with the Bible some cultural or historical background in order to better understand the passage. Sometimes it merely explains what has just happened in previous chapters. You may summarize it or let everyone read along as you read it aloud.

 

• Discovering Jesus: The Questions: now you read the Biblical text and ask questions that pertain to each section. The questions follow the inductive method. This is an approach that helps them discover, understand and correlate the facts in the text and discover for themselves what the Scripture is saying. One distinctive of a Seeker Study is that the questions do not assume faith on the part of the participant. But the questions engage the reader to look carefully at the text in order to understand its meaning - not just on the cognitive level but also on the emotional/intuitive level.

• Live What You Learn: these are the application questions. You will notice that as each week progresses the questions become a bit more focused and direct. Try to leave enough time to get through these questions, even if you have to skip some previous questions. I wrote the John Seeker Studies for a first time group. If they want to continue the Seeker Study, then I would suggest the Luke series starting with Spirituality According to Jesus, followed by People Who Met Jesus.

John 2:13-25

Profits or Prophets in the Church?

Discussion Starter

What are common complaints people have against organized religious institutions such as the church?

We are about to read a story of how Jesus responded to the hypocrisy and greed of some of the religious leaders of his day. If you believe that "Gentle Jesus meek and mild" is an accurate historical portrayal of Jesus, then you may be in for a surprise.

Historical Context

This is Jesus' first official public appearance in Jerusalem: the religious, political, educational and cultural capital of the Jews. In our age of extreme political correctness, it is astonishing to see Jesus break every possible rule of perceived correctness. The occasion was the great annual celebration of the Passover, when all good Jews made the pilgrimage to the Holy City to observe commemoration of God's mighty, historical rescue of His people from Egyptian slavery. The pilgrims came for two primary reasons-(1) to worship God (by making animal sacrifices) and (2) to pray.

Discovering Jesus

Read John 2:13-25.

1. Imagine the thousands of pilgrims crowding the streets and courtyards of the great temple. What can you hear? see? smell?

What is the mood of the people?

2. What provoked Jesus' anger?

3. What suggests that this wasn't an impulsive act of simply losing his temper (v. 15)?

4. There were other people who undoubtedly saw the scandal of what was happening in the temple precincts. Why was Jesus the only one who was so outraged?

What is significant about how Jesus speaks of God in verse 16?

5. Verse 17 refers to Psalm 69:9. How did this Old Testament verse help clarify for the disciples why Jesus responded so passionately?

Picture the scene: A hitherto unknown man walks into the magnificent temple precincts. In the intimidating presence of the priests of the temple he not only turns tables upside down but directly challenges them saying "How dare you turn my Father's house into a market?"

6. Why do you think these proud religious leaders did not stop this peasant carpenter from the backwoods of Nazareth who was challenging their authority?

7. How did Jesus respond to the temple authorities' demands for credentials (vv. 18-20)?

8. What connection does Jesus' answer have with their request (v. 19)?

9. In what tone of voice do you suppose verse 20 was spoken?

10. The disciples didn't immediately grasp what Jesus was talking about when he said, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." But after Jesus' death this incident came to the minds of the disciples and it encouraged them. Why?

11. If people were believing in Jesus because of the miraculous signs, why didn't Jesus "entrust himself to them" (vv. 23-25)?

12. Contrast the Pharisees attitude and Jesus' attitude toward God, common people and religious hyprocisy.

 

Live What You Learn

13.What would you say to a person who is fed up with religious hypocrisy regarding what you have learned about Jesus thus far?

BUILDING OUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

I. Dealing with Tricky People

A. The Talkative:

This person answers every question without letting others speak. You could say "What do the rest of you think? Any there any other comments or ideas?" If it's repetitive behavior then you many need to enlist their help outside the study and ask them to help you to draw out the quieter ones.

B. The Silence:

Don't worry about silence while people are looking at the text for answers. Resist the temptation to answer your own questions! Give them time. However, if someone is persistently quiet you could say "Carol, what do you think?" or "Jack, what do you observe about Jesus in verse 2?"

C. Tangents:

The Bible Study leader asks a question about the birth of Jesus and someone asks: "What do you think about the Pope's view on birth control?" or "How could a loving God allow suffering?" You might respond with "That's an excellent question, but could we save it until after the study?" Then be sure to discuss it with the person after the study.

D. Wrong answer:

If the answer is off the wall you can re-phrase the question, ask another question, or say "that's interesting, what do others of you think?" Avoid saying "That's the wrong answer."

II. Dealing with Tricky questions:

• The issue may be: "Why does a good God allow so much suffering and evil" Or, "How can anyone believe that Christ is the only way?" Etc.

 

• Try to agree where you can by finding any mutual common ground. For example, you might say "I agree with you that this is really an important question and one that many have struggled with. And though it's beyond the scope of our study to answer this adequately let me say this"... (See next bullet)

 

• In a winsome way state the Biblical position and that this is what you believe, though you recognize that others may not.

 

• If you are asked a question and you don't know the answer - say so! "That's a great question and I really don't know the answer. Does anyone want to investigate this and we can take it up after next week's study?"

 

• If the question is valid but not relevant to the text, ask if that person could stay afterwards and you could discuss it then.

III. How to invite seekers to a study:

• Pray in faith! "Nothing is impossible with God" Jesus says. Ask God to guide you to the people He wants you to ask. But be open to inviting everyone. As you cast the net wide you may be very surprised who is interested in coming. Also ask your church to pray for this Seeker Study. Give them names to pray for.

• Be enthusiastic! Assume a positive attitude, not a "you wouldn't want to come to this Bible study would you?" Never assume that a person couldn't possibly be interested because he or she seems far from the Kingdom.

 

• Take time to build friendships with those you want to invite.

 

• Remind those you have invited and who said "yes" with a follow-up phone call the day before the study going over the place and time. Offer to pick them up if it's convenient.

 

• Decide on time and place for the first meeting before you invite someone. Once you gather you can decide the specifics there. Ask them to come for this one meeting just to see if it is their cup of tea. Tell them they won't feel pressured to sign up for life!

 

• Write down what you want to say in your invitation. Practice with someone else first if you need to. You don't have to be having a serious spiritual conversation in order to invite someone. Just be enthusiastic and positive.

 

• Above all reassure them that they won't feel uncomfortable if they haven't read the Bible. The point of the study is for people who've always been curious what the Bible says to come and find out!

Examples for inviting people:

For a person you know casually but don't know where he or she is spiritually:

 "Hey, you won't believe what some of our neighbors are going to do! Because many of us are interested in spiritual topics and some of us don't know the Bible very well, we are going to meet at Nancy's for 6-8 weeks to study the Bible. You don't have to know what you believe, or have read the Bible. This study is for anyone with an open mind, who has honest questions and who wants to see what the Bible says so we can make up our own minds. I think it'll be fun. Think of it as a Book Club. We have our first meeting on Tuesday at 1:00 (or Tuesday evening at 7:00). Can you join us? I'd love for you to come!"

For someone with whom you have had a spiritual discussion:

 "I so enjoy talking to you the other day about spiritual things. I'm about to start something I think you'd be interested in. I am having a Seeker Bible Study for people who aren't sure exactly what they believe but are willing to discuss spiritual issues with each other. We will be reading one of the biographies on Jesus in the Gospel of John. All different types of people are coming -some who have never been to church, others with Catholic or Protestant backgrounds and some who are just plain skeptics. It should be fun! We'll meet for just 6 or 8 weeks for just an hour or so. Why don't you come once and see if it's your cup of tea. I know you would add a lot to our discussions! The first meeting is at..."

For people who were exposed to the Christian faith as a child with a church background, who probably think they are a Christian yet they don't seem to have a personal faith and who may be going through a difficult time. You might say:

"You know as I hear you talking about your pain, I wonder if you'd find help in a group I am starting. It's a Bible study for seekers. We are only meeting for 6 - 8 weeks, we look at the gospels and try to understand who Jesus really is. There's no pressure to believe. But it's for people who are trying to find real answers to life's problems. Life is tough and we need all the help we can get. I know you went to Sunday school as a child just like me. But now we're adults and we need to understand how faith can help us make sense out of our lives right now. Why don't you come just for one time?! "

For someone who is bright, informed, doesn't seem particularly needy and yet hasn't read the Bible you might say:

"We are going to do something I think you'd be interested in. You are bright and well-read and I was wondering if you've ever read the Bible as an adult? This isn't a pressure thing - it's just for people who've always wanted to know more about the Bible and who Jesus is, but never got around to doing it. We'll meet for a few weeks at Joe's place and we'd love for you to join us. I think you would find it intellectually stimulating. "

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