Set up
- Designate a person in your group as the facilitator
- The facilitator will be the guide for the group this evening, reading out prompts in the rest of this plan.
- Facilitators will read all contents in the quoted blocks (see below with line to the right) to steer the study. Let’s give it a try:
Welcome to adult zone, tonight we will be doing an inductive bible study together. Let’s start by introducing ourselves and share why you picked your answer in the large group Ice Breaker.
- Designate a person in your group as the facilitation assistant
- There will be tasks throughout the plan listed for the facilitation assistant.
Study
- Facilitation assistant
- please hand out a copy of the passage to each person and make sure they have a writing utensil.
- You will act as the time keeper for the study, timing of each section will be noted in the header
An inductive bible study is split into 3 parts: Observation, Interpretation, Application.
- in the Observation section, we will read the passage and observe what we see. Gather the facts of what is happening or being said. Ask ourselves some basic questions like Who? What? Where? When? How? We also analysis the passage through literary lenses.
- Interpretation section focuses on the meaning of the text. Try to discover what the author is trying to communicate. What was the author’s intended meaning to the original audience? Use the context to make sure you fully understand what is going on and what is being said.
- Application – Using the information we distilled in the first 2 sections, we then apply this information to actively respond in our relationship with God, ourselves and each other.
Let’s pray to invite God reveal himself to us through the passage
Facilitator please pray to begin the study
Let’s begin by reading of the passage together
Facilitator please pick a reader for the passage (Acts 2)
Observation [15 mins]
In the observation section, our goal is to get as much information out of the passage as possible and organize them by category. We will independently read the passage slowly and dissect it by asking:
- Who are the characters?
- What is happening?
- How are the characters interacting with each other?
- Where is this happening?
- When is this happening?
- What literary devices are present?
- Compare and contrasting ideas
- repeated ideas
- Similes
- Study the text as a whole
- How would you summarize/paraphrase the events in the passage ?
Some pitfalls to avoid:
- Avoid asking why (that’s for the next section)
- Avoid pulling information from outside the passage
after 10 minutes has passed, gather together and share all observations
Note for Facilitator: During the collection of observations, it may be helpful to go through the questions one at a time.
Facilitation Assistant, please collect all the information in a new piece of paper.
Interpretation [20 mins]
As we enter the interpretation and application sections, we will focus in on the last part of the passage, Verses 41-47.
For Interpretation, let’s focus on these questions:
- What does this reveal about God’s nature?
- What does this reveal about our nature?
Let’s review our observations and see how God and us fit into this story.
Facilitator: To guide the group to those question, here are some helpful guiding questions you can ask:
- Why was this written?
- What is the main purpose of this passage?
- Why was this significant in the biblical redemptive story?
- Does this passage remind you of another story in the bible?
Facilitation Assistant, please collect all answers
Application [25 mins]
Now that we have reviewed the observations and interpretation of the passage, we will move onto the application section.
In this section, we want to focus on taking the information from the first 2 section and discern God’s will for your life through it. Here are some guiding questions:
- Why does this passage matter to me?
- What does this passage mean to me?
- How has this passage informed God’s nature to me?
- How has this passage revealed God’s will for me?
- What is my active response to this passage?
Let’s go around and share.