Have you thought about starting a Bible study but weren’t sure where to begin? You can start small by simply gathering a few friends together. That’s what we did. I led a group through the entire Bible. Some of the steps we took may offer encouragement to others embarking on the same journey so I’ll share a summary here.
We started informally.
Through a casual conversation we decided to gather once a week and read through the Bible together. You don’t have to read through the whole Bible, but joining forces with a group is a great way to begin the journey through Scripture or a specific book of the Bible.
We found our Bibles.
Some in our group owned a Bible, others bought their first one for the occasion. Some came empty handed so we found a Bible they could borrow. Here are a few ideas for selecting a Bible:
What to look for when choosing a Bible
We read aloud.
This is one of the best parts of group Bible study. We notice things in the hearing that we don’t when reading silently or skimming the page. Listening to another voice invites us to pay attention in a new way. Slowing down enough to read a passage out loud gives us more time to notice something we might otherwise miss.
We used different Bible translations.
Some preferred the King James Version, finding familiarity in the “Thees” and “Thous.” Others favored a translation that felt easier to understand like the New Living Translation or The Message. Reading from different Bible translations expanded our perspective and understanding of Scripture. Sometimes we would read the same selection of verses in a few different translations, gaining greater comprehension of the passage via the various wording of the text.
The benefits of hearing different Bible translations
We didn’t have homework.
I knew if prior reading was required some people wouldn’t show up. It was more important that we gather, so we showed up with our Bibles and read the material together.
We prayed.
Our study time together began and ended with prayer. Prayer for insight and understanding as we read. Prayer for each person’s spiritual walk.
We exercised pronunciation permissions.
Who hasn’t started reading a passage of Scripture then stumbled over how to pronounce a name or two? We had a rule: When you’re reading, you choose the pronunciation. Don’t get bogged down by how to say a name, simply pick something and keep reading.
We chose our level of participation.
The goal of our gathering was fellowship, learning, and spiritual growth. This came in layers, but generally started with being comfortable to share thoughts with others. Participants chose between three options, sharing one of the following: Something they noticed in the passage, something they’d noticed up to this point reading the Bible, or a joke. While some participants started with what they noticed, others found an ease of fellowship by first sharing a joke, then eventually sharing their Bible reading observations.
We began conversation with what we noticed.
Some had Bibles with study notes, others liked to share insights from a commentary or other Bible resource. Before we looked to see what scholars had to say, we made our initial observations of what we saw on the page, what we thought about the passage, or how it made us think of Jesus. Often the idea or concept would stay with us more when we first made an observation then saw how it corresponded to or was confirmed by what scholars had to say.
We each contributed to the conversation.
In addition to choosing our level of participation, over time strengths and interests of group members emerged. Some shared a devotion they had read, another brought historical insights, someone else was great at remembering what we had learned the previous week. The varied interests added to the conversation.
Simply start.
If you’ve been waiting to start a Bible study, I hope you’ll see that one of the easiest ways to begin is to gather a group together and simply start.
Resources.
Here’s a brief overview of the whole Bible.
For tips on finding your way around the Bible, look here: