How To Prepare A Bible Study Lesson

You have a group of people who want to learn more about the Bible, and they want you to teach them? What an awesome responsibility! I’m sure you’ll be praying about it and asking God for help. But here’s some important information you’ll need which will help you get ready and teach more effectively.

In the Greek language, Paul used two different words to describe knowledge:

One word referred to intellectual knowledge (head knowledge).
The other referred to experiential knowledge (heart knowledge).

Good Bible teaching will help people gain head knowledge which will move 16 inches down and become heart knowledge – real life experience. Experiential knowledge is best gained when we use all parts of our mind and senses to take it in. Research shows that we remember:

10% of what we read (e.g. a book).
20% of what we hear (e.g. a speaker).
30% of what we see (e.g. a poster ad).
40% of what we hear and see (e.g. a T.V. program).
70% of what we say (when we give a talk or are talking).
90% of what we say and do (where we are actively involved in the process).

Learner-Centered Teaching

Learner-centered teaching is where the learner is actively involved. Learning has really taken place when a person’s life has changed. In other words, we need to teach with a method that lets the learner discover facts they can apply to their lives today and hopefully in the future.

Planning a Lesson

Following are some tips to help you plan your Bible study, keeping in mind the need for learner-centered teaching.

1. After you have picked the portion of the Bible you want to teach, work through the passage yourself.

This is always the first step in lesson planning and should be done early in the week. This extra work will allow you to think about it, learn it yourself, add to and revise the study during the week.

2. Identify the central truth.

Ask yourself, “What is the main fact or point I want the group to learn from this study?” For instance, your central truth may be that Jesus Christ is God and the only way to reach God.

3. Know your goals.

What do you want the students to do as a result of discovering the central truth? For example, you may hope that by the end of this lesson the students are able to tell another person three ways Jesus is unique.

Make sure your goals are ownable (the students want to do it), reachable (they are able to do it), and measurable (you can find out if they did it).

4. Make a list of your students and what you think they need to understand from the lesson.

This will help you stay person-centered rather than material-centered. Who wants a bunch of information thrown at them? Use this list for prayer during the week too.

Leading the Study

1. Begin with a short learning activity that gets their minds where their bodies are.

You want to get them thinking about the central truth. You might do this through a skit, drawing, or game. Just be creative. This usually takes about 5-10 minutes. For example, you might want them to think about how God searches for lost people. Hide a pager somewhere and set it off, seeing who can find it first.

2. Let them discover what the material has to say about the central truth.

Ask questions about the lesson content. Use open-ended discussion questions rather than ones with “yes” or “no” answers. Read appropriate Scriptures. Let them figure out how this truth relates to their lives.

3. Help them apply the central truth to their lives.

Once they’ve figured this out, they need to apply the truth to their life during the week. Help them see how the truth directly affects their lives. The success of the study depends on how you help them understand what the central truth is and how it applies to their life.

Organizing the Time

The flow of the Bible study needs to be just right. If you spend too much time eating and socializing, you won’t have enough time to dig into God’s Word. On the other hand, if you just study and don’t let the students interact with each other, they may only see the study as an intellectual exercise and not something that applies to their lives right now.

Flow of Your Study

Here’s a suggested flow for your Bible study:

1. Refreshments (20 min.) – Unhindered talking, sharing, and settling

2. Bring group together (5 min.) – Use a catch/hook statement or learning activity to get their attention and introduce the theme

3. Bible Study (30 min.) – Discover the central truth and apply it.

4. Prayer (10 min.) – Pray conversationally if the students are willing.

5. Conclusion – Make announcements for upcoming meetings and plan any other activities. Give rides home to kids who need them.

Mapping Your Campus

Missions FAQs

Choosing the Right People for Your Team

Faith Track Bible Studies

Getting to Know Your School

What they’re saying about Cru

How often have you felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with someone you know but you think, “I just don’t know how to bring it up.” One thing that helps is having some questions ready for the situations you encounter. Being prepared can actually help you be more relaxed and able to listen to the other person rather than worrying about what you are going to say next.

In the book of I Peter, the people were afraid for their lives because they were being persecuted for their faith. In I Peter 3:14-15, Peter challenges them to “not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence…”. So the Lord tells us in His Word to be prepared to share His message. Of course, the best preparation is to be prayerful for opportunities.

AFTER AN OUTREACH EVENT

There are some questions you could ask students immediately after the speaker shares a message at an outreach. Whether the speaker shares the gospel or not, you could ask these questions to gain some understanding of what the person is thinking about God and a relationship with Him.

FOUR QUESTIONS:

What did you think of the speaker/concert/message?
Did it make sense to you?
Have you ever heard how you could know God in a personal way?
Would you like to hear how you can begin a relationship with Him?

Obviously, there may be other questions you ask in between each of these questions to help bring more clarity. Memorize these questions so you have them “in your back pocket” to use easily. After you ask these questions, use a tool like “Connecting with God ” to share the gospel with the student (s).

DURING A CASUAL CONVERSATION

There will be many opportunities to share Jesus with students just simply from having a conversation with them. As you talk to them, prayerfully look for some common ground or a need in their lives where you could bring up the importance of having a relationship with God.

Just by going on campus, I met Sarah at a Coke machine. She and her friend were friendly as I chit chatted with them for a few minutes. As I walked away, I prayed for Sarah and Bethany. Over the next few weeks I would run into Sarah after school in the hallway or at athletic events. I would say “Hi” and catch up with her. After a few times of meeting her, I said “Hey, Sarah, you know I work with Cru High School. I would really like to share with you more of what Student Venture is all about. Would you be interested in meeting with me for coffee and maybe bringing Bethany or another friend with you and we could talk more?” She agreed and we met. (see Follow up article for some guidelines on how to set up an appointment with a student). As we sat in a coffee shop, I asked the girls these questions:

“If you have ever taken a psychology class or read a Seventeen magazine, you know that a person is made up of several dimensions. We have the physical, emotional and the spiritual. (I drew a triangle showing the three parts). Many times we neglect the spiritual side. By that I mean a relationship with God. Do you ever think about God? What do you believe about Him? (I let them respond). Can I share with you what the Bible says about a relationship with God and how we can begin a relationship with Him?”

The girls said yes. They still had a lot of questions as I read through the “Connecting with God” booklet with them because they had never heard the gospel before. So I asked them to meet for four more weeks where we could go over the questions they had.

WHEN STUDENTS SHARE NEEDS OF INTERESTS IN THEIR LIVES

You can begin to share with them about the Lord by asking questions like:

I deal with that a lot myself. Can I tell you how I have been able to handle that situation? I have learned to depend on God.
(When someone expresses insecurities) You are really valuable. No matter what anyone thinks of you, God thinks you are so valuable. Can I share with you what He says about you and how much He loves you from the Bible?
(When someone expresses hurts) Can I share with you where I have found hope (for life)?
Do you feel satisfied? It may feel like these things are satisfying, but I know of something that will meet the deepest needs and longings of your heart.

From there you could transition to sharing the gospel with questions like these:

Would you like to know God in a real and personal way?
Can I share with you something that has changed my life? (Share your 3 minute testimony)
What do you believe about God? Can I share with you what the Bible says about God and how to know Him?
Do you ever think about God or spiritual things?
What do you think it means to be a Christian?
Would you mind if I shared with you what I’ve learned about knowing God personally?

HELPING A PERSON EXAMINE THEIR PERSONAL BELIEFS ABOUT GOD

We can ask them the following questions that were created by the founder of the organization “Evangelism Explosion” to help someone determine where his/her stand.

If you were to die tonight how certain are you that you would go to heaven? (on a scale of 1 to 100%)?
If God asked you “Why should I let you into heaven? What would you say?”Or you could ask, “What makes you ___% sure?” and “On what basis do you think you will go to heaven?”

I have used these questions many times and people are very willing to answer them. From here I simply ask, “Can I share with you what the Bible says about how you can be 100% sure you will go to heaven?” If they agree, then I go through the gospel with them, often using “Connecting with God.”

Finally, just ask the Lord to show you which questions to use in which environment. Choose the questions you feel most confident using and even reword them to fit your style. As we pray for opportunities, step out in faith taking the initiative to care about students and to share the gospel, God will open doors and we will see students know the Lord. He promises to bear much fruit through us as we depend on Him. (John 15). Heaven will be so exciting as we see all those who trusted Christ as He worked through us.