Building Upon the Sermon Questions or Other Group Lessons (Overview)

Transcription

1 Building Upon the Sermon Questions or Other Group Lessons (Overview) The following is a truth we need to understand as group leaders. Every study is developed with a general group in mind, not yours specifically. As leaders we need to know when to reword questions, ask more questions, spend more time on a topic, and/or add other insights. Every group lesson is a foundation that can be built upon. 1. Preparation: Take some time to pray for your group, review the lesson, watch the sermon online (if you missed it or need a refresher), look over the sermon notes, and study the Scripture. 2. Recap and Discuss the Sermon: It doesn t have to be very long (3-5 min), but a quick recap will start laying the foundation for your discussion. Also, ask questions about what people took away from the sermon. Developing Questions: 1. Write Open-Ended Questions: If you can answer the question in one word, then it s not a discussion. The easiest way to create an open- ended question is by adding the small question, Why? 2. Developing Icebreakers Questions: Before recapping the sermon and diving into a lesson, a great way to start is with an icebreaker question. A light- hearted icebreaker question can go a long way in creating connection. 3. Developing Questions From a Biblical Text. Based upon your preparation and study, you can add some questions to help understand and apply God s Word State a point from the passage followed by a question. By pulling out a point from the start, you can begin moving people in a certain direction. From that point, you can jump right into a question discussing the idea. Write questions that help group members discover the main points of a passage. It is helpful if these questions can be answered directly from the text. After discovering a main point, then it is good to follow up with a life application question. 4. Developing Life Application Questions. A set of questions shouldn t just settle for an exchange of opinions, they should move people forward. In other words, What do I do with what I learned through the lesson? Action Questions. Choose one or two of the main action points from the sermon, passage of scripture, or lesson. From there, craft a question that will challenge people to apply them, What will you do this week about this {action point}? Past, Present, and Future Action Questions: It is helpful to move people forward by creating the opportunity to compare and contrast action steps by looking at the past, present, and future. These questions help people see where they have grown and how to continue growing. 5. Developing Follow-Up Questions From the Previous Week. Don t let the discussion end at one meeting. You can roll it over and discuss it more at the next meeting with follow up questions.

2 Building Upon the Sermon Questions or Other Group Lessons By the Home Life Group Ministry The following is a truth we need to understand as group leaders. Every study is developed with a general group in mind, not yours specifically. This means you don t have to follow every part of a lesson word- for- word. Every group is different, and as leaders we need to know when to reword questions, ask more questions, spend more time on a topic, and/or add other insights. Every group lesson, sermon questions, or other studies, are foundations that can be built upon. Some lessons don t need any additions or subtractions of content, while other lessons need a few tweaks to better engage and grow your group. Knowing when to expand on a lesson is a valuable art in creating a more personal and challenging group time. Below are several tips on how to build upon the sermon series questions or other group lessons. There may be more, but this is a good start to enhancing a study to better fit the dynamic of your group. You may not use every tip when building upon a study, but the very first one on preparation is essential whether you are building upon a lesson or not. Preparation is the foundation to develop good discussion and a meaningful group meeting. 1. Preparation: How can you build upon a lesson without knowing the questions, Scripture, and direction? The answer is, you can t. When it comes to building upon the foundation of a lesson, you have to spend some time in preparation. Before each group lesson: Take some time to pray for your group, review the lesson, watch the sermon online (if you missed it or need a refresher), look over the sermon notes, and study the Scripture (check out the Bible study tools on This time of preparation mixed with an understanding of your group and some Holy Spirit guidance, can lead you to build upon and further develop the lesson for your group. Also, it will give you a better understanding of the material to lead the group discussion. Tips for Preparing Questions: Ask yourself, How will my group respond to these questions? Do I need to add questions, subtract questions, or rewrite a question? Ask yourself, Is there something missing from the questions? Sometimes a set of questions just needs a light- hearted lead in question, or a further application question. Ask yourself, What did I learn from my study and preparation? Sometimes what challenged you through the study could challenge others. How could you incorporate what you learned through your study into a question? If there isn t a question to be developed from what you learned, could you use this information to answer questions and move discussion forward?

3 Make sure you write open- ended questions. If you can answer the question in one word, then it s not a discussion. The easiest way to create an open- ended question is by adding the small question, Why? If it is an opinion question (i.e. do you agree or disagree), you can always add, Why or why not? Open- ended questions lead people to explain and discuss their answers. 2. Recap and Discuss the Sermon: This may sound too simple to be a tip, but it is helpful do a quick recap of the main points or challenges from the sermon. This is where your preparation comes in handy. It doesn t have to be very long (3-5 min), but a quick recap will start laying the foundation for your discussion. Also, it is good to ask questions about what people took away from the sermon. A sample question could be, What insight, principle, or observation from this weekend s message did you find to be most helpful, eye opening, or troubling? Explain. In other words, what challenged you or what stood out to you? Finally, with a quick recap and using a sermon- based study, it is always a good idea to give a copy of the sermon notes to group members. These notes will help fuel discussion. Developing Questions: 1. Developing Icebreakers Questions: A light- hearted question can go a long way in creating connection in the life of a group. Often, people show up with a variety of issues or distractions going on from their day. Sometimes, this makes it difficult to get a meaningful discussion started. This is where a good icebreaker question (i.e. favorite movie) or random trivia can come in handy to get discussion started, and sometimes provide a good laugh. So, before recapping the sermon and diving into a lesson, a great way to start is with an icebreaker question. To get some ideas for icebreakers, simply Google icebreaker questions for ideas. Also, you could purchase a copy of The Complete Book of Questions by Gary Poole. 2. Developing Questions From a Biblical Text. When adding Scripture to the lesson or expounding on some existing Scripture, you always start in the same place. Read the biblical text as a group. Based upon your preparation and study, you can add some questions by following two paths: State a point from the passage followed by a question. This is especially helpful when tackling a tough a passage. It will help group members avoid misinterpretations. Again, this is where your preparation comes in handy. By pulling out a point from the get go, you can begin moving people in a certain direction. Since the point has been made, you can jump right into a question discussing the idea.

4 Examples: Read Luke 12: Jesus tells a story of a rich man with an abundance of crops who builds bigger barns for himself and takes life easy, but doesn t know he is going to die that very night. Why is it so important to seek out God when planning for the future? Describe a time when you sought God for your future plans. What was the result? Read Ephesians 2:1-10. This passage emphasizes that through faith we are made alive in Christ who frees us from the death and destruction of our sin (v. 4-5, 8). How has Jesus brought you life and freedom from sin patterns of the past? How is He bringing life and freedom to you in the present? Write questions the help group members discover the main points of a passage. You don t always have to tell them everything; group members can discover it for themselves. When it comes to these questions, it is helpful that they can be answered directly from the text. One of the biggest fears of group members is appearing foolish for not knowing enough about the Bible. If a question requires some knowledge outside the text, then add Scripture references for group members to look up. After discovering a main point, then it may be good to follow up with a life application question (see next tip). Examples: Read James 1: If our own evil desires lead us to sin (v ), what does that say about the condition of the human heart (Mark 7:21-23)? How is the condition of the heart surrendered to Christ different from those who haven t surrendered (Romans 6:1-14)? In v , what aspects of the character of God does James list? Now that James has gotten things started, take a few moments and list as many characteristics of God as you can. Which ones have influenced your life the most? How does understanding who God is help us when facing temptation? Why? 3. Developing Life Application Questions. Don t limit questions to just prompting intellectual conversation. A set of questions shouldn t just settle for an exchange of opinions, they should move people toward life- application. Questions should seek to provoke personal sharing. It s better to hear more responses like I always wanted to, I am living this out by, This is how God is working in me rather than The problem with society today is. Not every question needs an application question, but there should be at least one or two in a lesson. These questions simply ask, What do I do with what I learned through the lesson, or How can I apply God s word to my life?

5 But what about opinion oriented questions? Writing questions that discuss opinion can be helpful, but you want to limit the use of these questions. The danger with these types of questions is that answers can often be based more on personal experience than on God s Word. Also, they can sometimes take a negative turn based on the opinion. When writing an opinion- based question, it may be good to keep it light hearted, and/or place it at the beginning of the lesson. These questions can be a great lead in to discussion. Finally, it may be helpful to write a Bible based or action question to move people towards developing a biblically based opinion. Sometimes, that is exactly what a lesson does: It deepens your biblical worldview. Examples: How do you respond to the question, "What is the point or purpose of life"? Why? Think about some popular movies, TV shows, songs, websites, etc. Based on what you are seeing and reading, what are some current rules in our culture regarding sex, love, and dating? Which of them do you agree with? Disagree? Do you agree with this statement, In our culture women are viewed, presented, talked about, and sung about like they are a commodity? If so, what evidence do you see? How would society be different for both men and women if men respected women with their eyes, words, and actions? Biblically Inaccurate Answers: Sometimes, you ll get answers that you (and probably others in the group) know aren t biblically accurate. Be careful how you respond. You don t want to misrepresent God s truth, but you don t want to misrepresent God s love, either. Acknowledge everyone s answers, so they realize that every response is important. Say something like, Thank you or That s an interesting observation. If necessary, address the comment right then and there, otherwise look for an opportunity to discuss it with that person after your meeting time. Action Questions. Choose one or two of the main action points or challenges from the sermon, passage of scripture, or lesson. From there, craft a question that will challenge people to apply them. General Examples: Of the {action point (s)} from the sermon or this passage, which is easiest for you to live out? Which is hardest? Share about a time you have experienced this

6 What will you do this week about this {action point}? What obstacle will you have to face in order to do this {action point}? Practical Examples: Currently, what is an area or situation in your life where you need to demonstrate more of God s wisdom? Why? Read James 1: James mentions three ways we can be doers of the Word: Controlling our tongues, looking out for the socially powerless, and keeping our minds from being polluted. Which one of these challenges you the most? Why? Similarly, what have you found helpful to be doers of the Word in these three areas? What is one area you are feeling led to serve others? What is one area you want to be less influenced by the world? Past, Present, and Future Action Questions: When it comes to discussion, it is helpful to move people forward by creating the opportunity to compare and contrast action steps by looking at the past, present, and future. In other words, group members discuss, How have I experienced this challenge in the past/present, followed by, How can I move forward into the future with this action step? Often these types of action questions help people see where they have grown and how to continue growing. Examples: Read James 4: James writes, Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn t do it, sins (v.17). Has there been a time in your life when you have missed out on an opportunity to do something good for God? What prevented you from making the most of that opportunity? Why? Where do you have an opportunity to do something good for God s glory this week? Grace is a free gift we don't deserve, and our response to it should be one of action. When did you first experience God s grace, and where are you in need of it now? How does God s grace move you to worship, grow, and serve? 4. Developing Follow-Up Questions From the Previous Week. Don t let the discussion end at one meeting. You can roll it over and discuss it more at the next meeting with follow up questions. Include questions like, How did it go last week with your {actions step}, or, What did you learn this week by putting your {action step} into practice? This opens the door for members to share exciting reports of faith in action. A meeting gets more inspiring when we hear stories

7 about members taking risks for Christ and seeing Him work in their lives. It also creates an expectation that they will indeed follow through on their decisions. Putting It All Together: Now, you may be overwhelmed by all of these tips. To help give you some peace, you don t have use all the tips with every lesson. Some lessons will not have to be tweaked at all. In these cases, all you have to do is prepare for the study. In other cases, you may feel lead to add, subtract, or change questions based on the study, your group, and God s prompting. When this happens, these tips can come in very handy. What you will find is, many of these tips intertwine. You may write questions that use several tips in the same question. You may write questions in ways that aren t even mentioned here. Regardless, as a leader you want to build into and develop your group. Knowing when to enhance and build upon a study will go a long way into creating a group environment of intentionally nurturing growth. In the end, that s what it is all about. We want to develop groups that are making and building into disciples. How have you been spending your time preparing for each group study time? What is your next step to take in developing a lesson for your group? There is nothing like ending with some life application questions!