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There is a return-to-the-Bible movement occurring in the Christian community. Biblical illiteracy has been the plague of our culture and in many places has also come to characterize the church. The Bible is being rediscovered as a source of spiritual nurture, moral direction, and social order. The study of the Bible is also being rediscovered as a source of evangelism. Unsaved people want to know what the Bible has to say, and as they find out what it says, they are led to Christ, the eternal Word of God. "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17 NIV).

This leader’s guide is prepared for use as an evangelistic methodology by those who are in search of a means of reaching unsaved people in a nonthreatening way. This is not a new methodology, but the rediscovery of one that was effective a generation ago. I was first motivated to use home Bible studies as a part of my evangelism ministry after sitting in on a workshop offered by Ira Shanafelt twenty-five years ago. I found this approach to be an effective means of reaching people during my years in pastoral ministry.

What is an evangelistic home Bible study?

This may seem obvious, but it needs to be said. This is not a study of a self-help book or a book about the Bible . . . not a support group . . . not a discussion group. It is a study of the Bible as God’s Word to contemporary humanity. The leader’s guide is not intended to provide a lot of commentary on the passages being studied, but rather to provide a means of engaging the interest of the participants in determining what God wants to say through the Word itself.

Bible study is always a constructive thing to do, regardless of the setting, if it consists of "rightly dividing the word of truth." But this is a Bible study intentionally conducted in a home. From the secular viewpoint, it is away from the unfamiliar and threatening (church), and toward the familiar and the comfortable (home). It is taking the gospel to the people, rather than waiting until the people come to the gospel.

The fact that the intent is evangelistic defines the makeup of the group. This is not a discussion or growth group for Christians. The intent is to bring non-believers together in a non-threatening setting where they can be introduced to Christ, accept Him as Savior, and discover God’s answers for some of life’s questions.

The intent is not another opportunity to promote the church. There are legitimate times for promoting the interests of the local church and attempting to persuade persons to come to your church. This might be one of the outcomes of an evangelistic home Bible study, but it is not the intent. Your local church should not even be mentioned as a part of the study time. The intent is to bring increase to the Kingdom, not necessarily to build your Sunday morning attendance.

The intent is not to provide a means for socializing. Christians should be good neighbors. It is good to build friendships and bring neighbors together to enhance a sense of community. But again, the intent is evangelism, not socializing. Socializing will be one of the secondary outcomes, but you must keep the primary motivation out front, or you can soon settle for something less than the original intent.

The intent is not to allow people to share their ignorance. Few things are as demotivating as sitting in a discussion group while people talk about things of which they know nothing. The purpose of this group is not to get a consensus of opinion about life issues, but to learn what God has to say about salvation. Most people (with the exception of those who really like to hear themselves talk) grow weary of groups in which people simply share their opinions and display their ignorance. There is a lot of biblical illiteracy among Christians, let alone among nonbelievers. This ignorance of God’s Word does not need another place in which to be exposed. The studies should lead toward truth, not personal opinion. The primary motivation must always be to use the Word of God to expose the individual’s need for salvation and to allow the Holy Spirit to convince these individuals that the provision for salvation has been made in Christ.

It is not necessary, and may actually be counterproductive, to identify your local church and your denomination. If persons attending your group become interested in going to your church, they will ask where it is; you don’t have to tell them. Most secular people do not understand the nature of denominations or the reason for them. The mentioning of your church or denomination may raise barriers rather than attract attendees.

You can become a Christian without going to church. It is hard to be a Christian without wanting to go to church. It is in the nature of Christians to want to be with other Christians for worship and edification. The intent of the Bible study is to push Christ, not church.

—It is best to establish up front that the Bible study time will last one hour. Not only do people want to know what to expect, but going longer than one hour can become counter productive.

—The study has the objective of leading people to Christ. There are non-believers who have questions but may be reluctant to ask them lest they appear to be foolish. This fear is fed if there are persons who already seem to have all the answers. It must be established before the group meets that Christians will not be allowed to dominate the discussion. The hosts need to be told to spend their time praying for the group while it is meeting rather than responding to all of the questions asked.

—No children should be permitted in the room or where they might become a distraction.

There will always be those who want to raise some nonrelated theological issue to which there may not be a simple satisfactory answer. A good rule is "Don’t chase rabbits when you are in tiger country." Tell these individuals you will be glad to try to answer their question at another time, but it won’t serve the whole group for you to go in that direction right now.

This is an effort to evangelize. The process of awakening a person to the need for Christ, producing conviction of sin and of the truth, and leading toward God and forgiveness is the work of the Holy Spirit; it is not your work. You are a channel, but unless the Holy Spirit is flowing through the channel, the effort will not bear fruit. You need to prepare yourself through prayer. You need to have a group of people praying for you and for those attending your study while you are presenting it.

There are essentially two persons needed—a host and a leader. It usually works best if the functions of hosting and leading the group are not combined in one person. The responsibility of the host is to open up his/her home, invite unsaved neighbors and friends, and provide coffee and/or some other form of refreshment. The responsibility of the leader is to lead the Bible study. The leader may be the pastor or another person trained for giving leadership to the group study.

The leader of a Bible study must work to develop a balance between doing all of the talking and allowing those unfamiliar with biblical truth to do all of the talking. There is a definite art to drawing people into discussion without generating a "what do you think?" climate which suggests that anyone’s opinion is of itself valid. Finding the balance begins with establishing a teaching methodology. A methodology that leans to one extreme would be that of a lecturer who takes the position, "I know it, and I will tell you." An opposite extreme would be that of a facilitator who would take the position, "You know it, and I will help you express it." The Bible study leader that is most effective is one who builds confidence in the group that he/she has enough knowledge and experience to speak on the issue and who takes the position, "I know it, and I will lead you in discovering it." This approach allows for self-discovery with direction. It allows participants to share their experience and find that the Scriptures speak to people like them. It allows the leader to ask questions that will draw participants into the context of the truth being presented.

Most secular people do not understand the structure of the Bible. Begin the study by explaining the origin, nature, and structure of the Scriptures. Show participants the Old and New Testaments. Explain the differences between the books of the Bible and their authors. Demonstrate how to find things by book, chapter, and verse.

If people bring their own Bibles to the sessions, there will most likely be a variety of versions or paraphrases represented. The leader’s and student’s guides are based on the New International Version, and the text is provided for the users. However, students should be encouraged to bring their own Bibles and contribute from their versions. Each student will need to understand why his/her Bible reads differently than the version brought by another student.

Don’t assume people know how to turn immediately to the book that will be studied. Don’t let them become embarrassed because they are not sure where the book is. Show them how to use the index in their Bibles to find the passage. Be sure everyone has found the passage before you begin.

There are always those in a group who are afraid to answer questions for fear they will appear foolish, but who will become involved in reading. These persons can feel they are contributing to the discovery process if they provide a new insight from a version different than that already read. However, don’t embarrass persons who are not good readers.

People usually enjoy studies in which they feel they can participate by contributing something. The leader can involve people best by asking the right kinds of questions. The most simple kind of question to which most people could respond is a content question: "Where was the prodigal son when he came to his senses and realized he was in worse shape than his father’s servants?" Another question most people could respond to is a personal experience question: "Have you ever felt like the older brother—that you have been good all along, and the bad person is being treated too well?" An effective leader will engage persons with a more difficult process question: "From what you have learned about the nature of being lost, were both brothers in the parable lost? Why?" For the most part, the leader will be providing answers to meaning/interpretation questions, but in some situations this may be the leap of discovery participants are capable of making—"From this parable, what is the meaning of sin? Of being lost? Of forgiveness? Of the nature of God?"

Uncovering spiritual need and presenting the gospel do not have to be artificial or contrived. The leader should sense areas of personal experience, hurts, interests, and searchings that become natural hooks on which to hang the message of hope, forgiveness, and peace.

This is not the time to follow your own theological interest or get deeply involved in explaining issues that do not relate to the need, experience, or understanding of the participants. Attempting to defend your eschatological position on dispensations, the Tribulation, and the millennium to individuals who are searching for meaning to life will not bring them closer to resolving their guilt and despair.

Big words that are technical in nature and that have to be explained in great detail do not lend themselves to understanding and persuasion. The purpose of the study is not to impress others with your knowledge, but to help them increase theirs. Keeping the language and application practical best facilitates learning and satisfies spiritual hunger.

Any study of Scripture is not complete until the truth learned is applied to the individual’s life. While learning biblical content is important, you should be teaching for life change, not just knowledge accumulation. You should move the students to answer the questions, "What does this mean in everyday life? In your life?"

The purpose is to lead persons to Christ. There must be moments when the truth is applied and decisions must be made. This is done carefully, prayerfully, and perhaps over the period of a couple of lessons, but it must be done. It would be criminal to create a desire and then never provide opportunity for action to be taken.

Not only is this the moment when persons may make decisions regarding a relationship with the Lord, but it is also a very meaningful time as they hear you pray for them and their needs. Don’t use a spiritual tone that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable to them. Speak to the Lord simply and naturally.

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