ICF Leaders Guide to

Preface

Writing this guide took a few months, spending mostly night hours. It was however a special
privilege for me to do this, by giving thorough thought to Bible study. This was first of all because of
my love for Gods Word, and also because I strongly appreciate small group fellowship; I am
dedicated to helping them to continue and to grow. I was often impressed in ICF by the vision and
approach of Christians from different parts of the world on how to lead a Bible study group. When
Bible study leaders leave this input should not get lost. Therefore this guide does not just include
my own views but also the vision of others involved in ICF leadership.

This guide was reviewed by Debora, Connie, Tilly, Mia, James and Domingos as Bible study
leaders and by Nowella and Koos as ICF staff members. I would like to thank you all for your
contributions; your comments and additions were very useful. Also I would like to acknowledge the
advice and references of Bram Putten, staff worker Bible of IFES in the Netherlands.

This guide is dedicated to the Bible study leaders of ICF Wageningen and to everyone who
attended the Bible study and would like to apply this experience in his or her home country.

Jaap

September 2012, Wageningen











In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(Jn1:1)

















Front page design: Jasper Roest
(Former Bible study coordinator and chair of ICF staff)

THE BIBLE contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of
sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories
are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to
be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the travelers map, the pilgrims staff, the pilots compass, the soldiers sword, and the
Christians charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed.

CHRIST is its grand subject, our good the design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and
prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and river of pleasure. It is given you in life,
will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility,
will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

Quoted from: The Gideons International, The New Testament preface, 1985.


Introduction
We can read the Bible with the awareness that God speaks to us through His Word. Reading and
meditating on Gods Word together with others helps us to grow and mature in our faith.

ICF Wageningen is an international community of Christians mainly organized by international
students who are around for a relatively short time. It therefore means leaders can only commit for
short periods of time. The purpose of this guide is to give new Bible study leaders a quick and
accurate understanding of what it means to lead a Bible study group. This guide gives you practical
and spiritual recommendations to follow. It is not that all instructions have to be executed but they
serve as a guideline, preferably for a team of leaders as opposed to one individual leader.

The Bible study group is more than a few people reading the Bible together; it is a home group
where people gather in the name of Jesus Christ, sharing their faith with one another, praying for
each other and growing together in following Christ. It is an environment where people feel safe
and dare to share their personal lives. It is commendable for every Christian to join such a group
and is particularly encouraging to foreigners who are far away from home and family to experience
God's family of brothers and sisters in the Lord, even in the Netherlands. You as a leader can play
an active role in creating an atmosphere where this level of fellowship can be built and deepened.

The instructions in this guideline are focused on the vocation of ICF which is to be open for
international students and other foreigners in Wageningen, to share Christianity with them, and to
explain the message of the Gospel to all those who are interested.

This guide begins by highlighting important things to consider before deciding to become a Bible
leader. Subsequently it guides you through hosting and administration of a Bible group and
thereafter gives advice on providing pastoral care. The final chapter deals with studying the Bible,
focussing on good interpretation.

Content of the Bible study
This chapter explains how to choose a Bible passage and how to come to good interpretation of
Bible text, focussing on major basic principles. Very good work has been published by Christian
scholars in this area who specialize in the interpretation of the Bible and Bible study for small
groups. Four books were consulted when writing the instructions on interpretation: Fee and Stuart
(2003), Graham (2003), Morris (1997) and Osborne (2006) (see references).

A major principle not described in this guideline is taking genre into account; it is too wide to
summarize here. Different Bible genres (e.g. narrative poetry, prophesy and apocalypse) determine
interpretation. Fee and Stuart, 2003 explains this very comprehensively. If you are interested in
knowing more about genre dependent meaning and Bible interpretation in general, this is a good
first book to read. A copy of the book is available at ICF for Bible study leaders.
Choosing scripture
There are several ways of designing Bible studies series. Choose a Bible book which you go
through step-by-step or by selecting complete passages. This makes it easy to stimulate an
attitude of listening to scripture and hearing what it teaches us. Although it can be interesting to
focus on a specific topic, such studies often result in arbitrary picking and interpreting of favourite
Bible texts without giving much attention to the context (see also Inductive versus deductive
reading below).

Estimate the spiritual level of the participants and try to make a choice that meets their needs. If
there are many young Christians - or even some non-Christians - in the group you may choose one
of the Gospels. They clearly demonstrate who Jesus is and their narrative character makes them
easier to comprehend and to connect to than the statements in some of the epistles, Discuss the
proposed Bible book with the group so that everyone knows why you have chosen it. Listen
carefully to the ideas of the group. When planning the duration of a series take into account the
Wageningen University academic schedule to enable student participants to complete it. In all this
pray for Gods guidance so that you may be able to hear what the Spirit says to the church' (Rev
2,3).

Another advantage of focussing on one passage at a time is that even people without any biblical
knowledge will be able to participate in the discussion. You wont confuse or lose their attention by
citing facts and statements theyve never heard of or don't know where to find. Allow them to read
what you are talking about for themselves and from it to draw their own conclusions. It avoids
situations in which people with no or little knowledge lose track when the Bible study leader or
others start browsing through the whole Bible assuming everyone has the same Bible knowledge
they have.

The verse and chapter division (Osborne, 2006, pg 41)
When dividing sections of a book to study, keep in mind that the verse and chapter division that
you find in your Bible was not inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible was never versified until 1551
when a Parisian publisher, Stephanus, divided the whole Bible into verses and chapters in six
months. The problem is that Stephanus did it shallowly and quickly so that many of the divisions
were wrong. Therefore we should never depend on verse or chapter division for meaning but
rather focus on paragraphs and complete Bible passages. For this reason, use a Bible with
separated paragraph sections.
Listening-reading
A key principle for arriving at good interpretation is listening-reading, also called inductive reading.
This is a technique or an attitude of first listening (observing and interpreting) and then reacting
(applying). It is used in text sciences and there is a general agreement among Christian Bible study
scholars that it is the most appropriate way of studying the Bible (Fee, D.F. and D. Stuart. 2003, Graham, B.,
2003, Morris K and R. 1997, Osborne G.R. 2006).



Inductive versus Deductive reading (Morris and Morris, 1997, pg 47-48)
Induction involves observing the text and then interpreting it to arrive at a conclusion. Deduction
however involves forming an idea and then looking at the text to back up the idea. So an inductive
approach begins with the text, the deductive approach begins with an idea and seeks to support it
from scripture. Deduction begins with generalisations and looks to the Bible to provide proof texts.
By its very nature deduction tends to be slanted and subjective. One Bible teacher, Robert Traina
says, "Deduction produces those who dictate to the scriptures rather than those who listen to the
scriptures." If we consider scripture as God's revelation, this approach is inappropriate. Traina
concludes that inductive study produces hearers rather than speakers and the nature of the
scriptures requires hearers.

Inductive reading involves three steps in understanding and applying the Bible passage:
1) Observing; what is it about?
2) Interpreting; what does it mean?
3) Applying: what does it mean for me?

1. Observation
Observation is also called exegesis. The goal of observation is to see and understand what the
scripture is about and to be able to give a good description of it. It is important to first understand
the content and context to avoid misinterpretation of scripture.

Bible translation
To help you observe the text with a group, it is important for everyone to use the same Bible
translation. The translation that you choose should be understandable to all. This may mean
getting photocopies of the text if people own different translations, or providing enough Bibles of
the same translation.

Superficial reading (Osbone, 2006, pg 42-44)
Observing context can be achieved through superficial reading. Superficial or inspectoral reading is
a way of better understanding the broader context of the Bible passage. This can be done by skim
reading particular chapters and paragraphs of the book, or speed reading the complete Bible book.
This enables you to chronicle and understand the major ideas before getting lost in particular
details. It is good practice to together do skim reading and make summarising notes during the
Bible study. It helps to write 6 to 8 keywords per paragraph. You can use your notes on this as the
introduction to the Bible study. If you as the leader of the Bible study thinks that skim reading will
take too much time you can do this yourself when preparing the Bible study.

Asking questions about the text:
Here are examples of observation questions that you can ask:
What is the context? It is important to try and envision the text within its wider societal and
historical context. For example the social status of a woman or a blind man in most
societies today is significantly different from that of a woman or a blind man in the days of
Jesus. You can also try to visualize the consequences of the Roman occupation and
suppression of Israel in the days of Jesus.
Who are the main actors? Identify with the different characters of the story. Role playing is
an effective tool for immersing yourself into a story.
What is the main theme or subject?
Which actions take place?
What is the climax? (especially applicable to narratives)
Which words are used repetitively?
How is persuasion used? (especially applicable in the epistles)


2. Interpretation
Interpretation is also called hermeneutics. It is about asking the why questions and seeking for
meaning. The first important thing in interpreting the Bible is to pray for guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus promises in John 16:12 the Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth.

Intention of the author (Fee, D.F. and D. Stuart. 2003, pg 30 and pg 119 )
A text cannot mean what it was never meant to mean. The true meaning of the Bible text for us is
what God originally intended it to mean when it was first spoken. For this reason you cannot start
with the here and now. It is very useful to first look at the intention of the author. Analyse which
things the author describes extendedly and to which aspects he pays little or no attention. Don't
give extended meaning to the things that are marginally described because the author did not
intend this, otherwise he would have given it more attention. Focus on things which the author
pays much attention to or which are repetitively mentioned. Don't fill in something that the author
has left open, because neither did the author intend to do that.

Pitfall
Always keep to the text; a significant danger during interpretation is adding to the text information
you imagine to be there. If you do that your understanding of the Bible becomes more a product of
your imagination as opposed to a deeper understanding of Gods Word (Morris and Moris 1997, pg54).

Focus on the main point of the passage
It is important to remember that we do not need an application for every detail in a passage.
Rather, we should concentrate on responding to the main point of the passage. For example, the
parable of the prodigal son (Luk. 15) is not meant to create rules about dividing an estate when you
are still alive. The core of the parable is the return of the prodigal son and most of the verses in the
story are dedicated to this while only a few introduce the story and provide background information.
Besides that, the parable should be seen in the context of Jesus explaining His mission by
responding to the comments of the Pharisees and teachers of the law on His actions (Luk.15:1-2).

Harmony in scripture (Morris and Morris, 1997, pg 57)
The Bible is Gods deliberate revelation of Himself. God does not contradict Himself. Consequently,
each passage should be interpreted with a view on the whole Bible so that it makes sense in the
context of the whole. Do not interpret one text in such a way that it contradicts others in the Bible.

Bible commentaries
Sometimes it is very difficult to interpret a specific scripture. In that case it may be useful to consult
a Bible commentary because the Bible has been in existence for many centuries and has been
studied extensively by many Christian scholars before us. Some commendable commentaries are:
John Calvin's commentary (see online: www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/commentaries.titlepage.html) and
Matthew Henry's commentary (see online: www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc.i.html).

3. Application
Application is about answering the questions: What does it mean for me? How do we respond to
the meaning of the text?

Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is
like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Application questions are important for
participants to reflect on their own lives. They also provide a challenge to act on Gods word. When
appropriate, it is good to ask participants to share in smaller groups what they learn and how God
wants them to apply it in their lives, followed by prayer for one another. It also helps if the Bible
study leader can first share what God has shown him/her and the application for his/her own life as
he/she was meditating on the Word during preparation.

The main point

It is important to keep in mind that we do not need an application for every detail in a passage. Just
as with interpretation, we should concentrate on responding to the main point(s) of the passage.

Application questions (Morris and Morris, 1997, Pg 62-63)
Some questions you could ask to respond to the meaning of the passage:
Is there a command for me to obey?
Is there a reason for thanksgiving, worship or praise?
What does this passage teach me about God?
How does this passage fit in what I already know?
Is there a promise to claim?
Is there an example to follow?
Is there a sin to confess?
What does this passage teach me about myself?
What does this passage teach me about others?

All Questions answered?
At the end of a study you could ask questions to check if the passage has satisfactorily covered the
observation, interpretation and application process. If anyone feels something has not been
adequately dealt with, revisit it and deal with it in more detail.

There may be questions from the participants that are difficult to answer during the Bible study. You
should not ignore these questions, but rather give them attention when the Bible study is finished.
Leading a Bible study
By rotating the preparation of the Bible studies among the participants, you stimulate them to really
dig into scriptures and develop their leading and teaching skills. Rather than preaching, encourage
them to ask questions that lead towards a deeper understanding of the text. Encourage the leading
person to involve everyone, for instance by even asking silent persons for their opinions. This
enables the group to discover together the rich truth of the Word of God. Ask the leading person to
pray before the Bible study begins. In preparing for Bible study, they need to first meditate on
Gods word and also to apply it in their own lives. Action speaks louder than words; your
experience will provide an example of how Gods Word can truly impact ones life. But above all,
submit everything to God and trust that He will lead and guide you as you do your part.
Examples of Bible Studies
Below are three examples of Bible studies where the inductive reading method is applied. It
includes many possible study questions but this does not mean that you should always make this
number of questions. You can also prepare fewer questions and take more time to meditate on the
answers.



Example 1: Bible-study from the Gospels
John 9: 1-3
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, but this happened so that the works of
God might be displayed in him.

This is just a small caption of scripture, easily over-read in the context of the whole healing story,
however it has a deep and profound message for us. I have arranged the questions following the
steps mentioned before.

Observation

Who are the characters in this passage? (hint: Jesus, the disciples and the blind man)
What are the characters in the story doing? (hint: look at verbs)
Discuss the impact of living with blindness in the days of Jesus. (hint: poverty and rejection)
What is the main topic of discussion? (hint: the root cause of suffering)
What assumptions do you see in the disciples' question and how is this different from the
response that Jesus gives? (hint: seeing blindness as a result of sin or blindness or as
having a purpose towards God's glory)

Interpretation

The same man born blind and completely different views: discuss how Gods purpose and
our conclusions can contradict.
What is good about the disciples bringing their questions to Jesus?
How do you see Jesus' attitude in answering the question? (hint: did He get upset, or did
He reject their questions?)
Discuss Gods perspective and the perspective of the disciples on suffering.
What is the meaning of suffering in this case?
How is God glorified in this passage (read also verse 6 and 7)? (hint: when the blind man is
healed).

Application

Ask the participants to name the character they identify with most or least and ask why. If
there is enough time make sure that all characters are discussed.
What lessons have you learnt from this passage for your life? Think about the different
characters.


Example 2: Bible study from Minor Prophets

Haggai 1
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came
through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son
of Jozadak,
[a]
the high priest:
2
This is what the LORD Almighty says: These people say, The time has not yet come to rebuild
the LORDs house.
3
Then the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
4
Is it a time for you yourselves to
be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?

5
Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.
6
You have planted
much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You
put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
7
This is what the LORD Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways.
8
Go up into the
mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be
honored, says the LORD.
9
You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you
brought home, I blew away. Why? declares the LORD Almighty. Because of my house, which
remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.
10
Therefore, because of you the
heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
11
I called for a drought on the fields and
the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces,
on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.
12
Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole
remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet
Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD.
13
Then Haggai, the LORDs messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: I am with
you, declares the LORD.
14
So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,
governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the
whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty,
their God,
15
on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.

Train yourself in asking questions that encourages participants to thoroughly explore and
understand the passage. Examples of question you can ask reading this scripture. You will notice
that as you ask the observation and interpretation questions the application flow easily.

In the study below some questions are combinations of the three categories of questions. The
abbreviations in the brackets will help you identify the category of the question.

Observation question (O)
Interpretation question (I)
Application question (A)

In which moment in history does the story take place? (O) [Background question]
Who are the actors in the story and what are their positions? (O)
Look for repetitive words? (O)
Look at the repetitive command and discuss it (O)
Discuss the way God is urging the people to think about the priorities they have set in their
lives (I)
What activities were keeping the people busy and what was the outcome? (O)
What was the reason that their labour was not satisfying? (O)
What is the Source of wealth? (O I)
What question is God asking regarding priority? (O)
How did the people react on the message of Haggai? (O)
What can we learn from their reaction? (O I)
How does God work in the people? (O)
Discuss how God responded on the reaction of the people? (O I)
Building the house of God, what can this mean for you? (I A)
Read verse 2 and 3 and think about the place God has in your life. (I A)
Verse 5 and 6; 'Give careful thought to your ways,' how does this apply in your own life (A)

The prophecy was given to the Israelites as a people so this allows interpretation and application at
the level of society:
Reflect on the big monetary problems of western societies at this moment in view of verse 6
and verse 9 (A) - Think about the solution. (I A)
Think about reasons why consumer behaviour cannot give real satisfaction. (A)


Example 3: Bible study from the Epistles
Bible study about leadership
1 Thessalonians 2
2 You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.
2
We had previously
suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we
dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition.
3
For the appeal we make does not
spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.
4
On the contrary, we speak as
those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but
God, who tests our hearts.
5
You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover
up greed God is our witness.
6
We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or
anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority.
7
Instead, we
were like young children
[a]
among you.
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children,
8
so we cared for you. Because we loved you so
much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
9
Surely
you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to
be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
10
You are witnesses, and so
is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed.
11
For you know
that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,
12
encouraging, comforting
and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

Observation question (O)
Interpretation question (I)
Application question (A)

What does Paul say the Thessalonians know about him? (O)
Why was it courageous of Paul to start preaching the Gospel in Thessalonica? (O)
Under what circumstances did Paul preach the Gospel to the Thessalonians? (O)
Why was Paul confident (see 4 and 5) in preaching the Gospel? (O I)
How was Paul like a young child, a mother and a father to the Thessalonians? (O)
How did Paul use authority? (O I) [Hint verse 6 and 7]
How did Paul take care of his living costs during the ministry? (O) Why? (O I)
What do we learn about God in this passage? (O I)
What does Paul discourage a good minister from doing? (O I)
How did Paul disciple the Thessalonians? (O I)
How does Paul provoke the Thessalonians to reflect on the time he had with them? (O I)
Why? (I)
What should be the goal of your life (verse 12)? (I A) How can you encourage others to
have this goal? (A)
What should be our attitude in ministry? (I A)
How should we relate with the people we serve? (I A)
What should be the basis for your confidence in ministry? (I A)




References

Bible quotes are taken from the NIV (New International Version) Bible translation

Fee, D.F. and D. Stuart. 2003. How to read the Bible for All Its Worth. Zondervan.

Graham, B. 2003. Transforming Bible Study. Intervasity Press.

Morris, K. and R. Morris. 1997. Leading Better Bible Studies. Anglican Press Australia.

Osborne, G.R. 2006. The hermeneutical spiral. Intervasity Press.

White, J. and K. Bleu. 1985. Healing the wounded, the costly love of church discipline. Intervasity
Press.