What-does-the-text-mean questions are the heart of what is usually thought of as Bible study. What-does-the-text-mean questions are the most commonly used kind of questions in Bible study groups, and are the ones you are most familiar with.

Let’s look at a few examples. Imagine you are exploring Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Word questions:

What does the word workmanship mean in verse 10?

One key issue with all these question is this. These words actually mean something. We can’t just make up things we think they mean, or wish they mean. Bible study is not about pooled ignorance. Have you been to those classes? “Well, I think it means this.” “No. I think it means that.” “Well, I like to believe in a God who is nicer than that.” “Yeah, I like to believe in God that doesn’t get angry.”

God is who He is and us believing or not certain things about Him doesn’t change who He is. These words mean what they mean. We can’t just declare that we see it another way and suddenly make it so.

So, you might be thinking, “Why don’t I just tell them, since I know what the words mean?” Sometimes, you might want to do that. But, it is inherently more interesting to let the group share. And, if you are teaching adults who have been studying the Bible for a time, they will often have good answers. It is more interesting to ask them than to share all the answers yourself. A rule of thumb is, the teacher in a small group should not talk more than half the time.

Translation questions:

How does your translation deal with the word workmanship?

Of course, I would have some examples of translations ready that tease out the various meanings of the word. In this case, I might have some of the following translations: [emphasis added]

• For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephes. 2:10 [NLT]
• For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. Ephes. 2:10 [NAB]
• We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life. Ephesians 2:10 (NJB)

English language users are blessed with such a depth of translations. One of the best sources of information as to what a word means is simply to look it up in several translations.

Bible software makes this easy. If you can afford it, you would do well to spring for some Bible software at some point. There are two big benefits: it makes finding verses quicker, and it allows for searches that would be almost impossible without Bible software. For example, you can look for every time the words faith and love appear in the same verse. Then, when you find the verses you can put fifteen translations on the screen at once.

That would take so long as to be impractical without Bible software, but with it, it is quick and easy.

I took every Greek class available to me in seminary—some twenty eight hours of Greek. One of the things I learned in all that was to have a great appreciation for the work done by translators. We really do have some fine translations. And, having so many available to us helps us to really understand the full circle of meaning that a word contains.

Our translations are so good, in fact that I am very leery when I hear someone say this, “What this word really means is_______. Now, you won’t find this in any of the translations, but the real meaning is thus and so.” If I have fifteen English translations of the Bible and not one of them draws out the meaning this teacher is describing, I am very leery as to whether that is the real meaning.

Study Bible questions:

Does anyone have a Study Bible that has note on verse 10?

Here is the note from the Life Application Bible:

We are God’s workmanship (work of art, masterpiece). Our salvation is something only God can do. It is his powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us his works of art, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.—Life Application Bible Notes

One of the benefits of this kind of question is that it shows people that good Bible tools are accessible. It shows them that they can get answers for themselves. It encourages them to get and use a Study Bible.

Remember the old adage: give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. You want to teach people to fish. You want to teach them to study and learn the Bible for themselves. Model for them that good Bible study tools make the meaning of the Bible accessible and one of those tools is a good study Bible.

Dictionary questions:

How does a dictionary define workmanship, masterpiece and handiwork? Workmanship: the art or skill of a workman; also the quality imparted to a thing in the process of making a vase of exquisite workmanship.

• Masterpiece: a work done with extraordinary skill; especially a supreme intellectual or artistic achievement.
• Handiwork: work done by the hands. Work done personally.

There is, of course, one danger in looking at dictionary definitions—these are definitions of translated words. That is every word has a circle of meaning. It is not just one point, but a pool of meanings. The Greek word behind workmanship means a certain things approximated by any of the words above. The words above have their own circle of meaning which is going to be approximately right, but might go outside of the circle of meaning of the original word. This is why we send our preachers to seminary to study Greek and Hebrew. The good news is, there are great tools available for people who have not studied Greek and Hebrew that make the original language accessible. Bible software makes it easy.

Here is the point. Looking at English dictionary definitions can be informative and illustrative, but not authoritative. Because an English language dictionary says a certain word means a certain thing, that meaning may not be contained in the original Greek or Hebrew word.

Greek and Hebrew definitions

Unless you are teaching a group of seminary students, they likely will not have brought “Little Kittel” under their arm, but it is still possible to look at Greek and Hebrew definitions. You can look these up through Bible software or online and bring the notes to class. In most cases, this will get into more detail than is necessary or useful for your group. Little Kittel for this word, for example, contains 3500 words and would fill fifteen pages of this book at this size of type. That is probably more information than you need. And, that is Little Kittel—the abridged version. The full version is ten times that!

Again, your English translations have done a good job and will generally provide all the information you need.

Cross-references

What other verses talk about this? Do you have cross references in your Bible? What verses do they point us to?

One of the best ways to discover what a word means is to see how it is used in other contexts. A great example is Ephesians 4:12 [NASB], “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;” The word translated “equipping” is also found in Matthew 4:21, translated here, “mending.” “And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.” Matthew 4:21 [NASB] Whatever the disciples were doing to the nets is what pastors are to do for their people—prepare them for works of service. (Again, let me make a plug for getting some Bible software. I was able to find this reference in about two minutes using tools that are accessible to people without knowledge of Greek or Hebrew.)

Again, a real key is to show how the Bible can be accessible. We need to be careful as we do Bible study that we do it in such a way that demonstrates that people can find this information themselves. Have them look in their Bibles. Probably some in your group have Bibles with cross references and don’t know how they are used. The teaching is doing double duty at this point—teaching the lesson and also teaching how to learn.

Synonyms

What are some synonyms for workmanship?

The word here is the word we get our word poem from. What are some other examples of creative expression? We could say, “We are God’s poem” or “We are God’s _________.”

Opposite

Often, we can shed great light on a word by talking about what it is not. “What is the opposite of the idea of workmanship?” might be an example here.

Here are some other examples:

• We are told not to grumble. What is the opposite of grumbling?
• What is the opposite of love? (Point: it may not be hatred, but apathy.)
• What is the opposite of poor in spirit?
• What is the opposite of being filled with the Spirit?

I used this kind of question recently in a lesson that included Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV) You can predict the question: what is the opposite of thinking about these things?

Curriculum / Commentary

Did anyone read anything from the curriculum this week? What did it say about this verse?

Obviously, you will want to know that the curriculm did say something interesting about this verse. This kind of question encourages people to read outside of class—a great practice for people to get into. If they did not read, you might ask them to open up the book and find it for themselves.

Balancing truth

We will explore this in some detail later, but truth is often a magical mid-point between two extremes. I had one pastor, Dr. Frank Zamora, that used to say it this way, “It is not thesis, or antithesis, but syntheses.” In this case we might ask a question that goes like this:

Is it healthy and good that I would get up every morning and look myself in the eye and say, “I am God’s masterpiece. I am God’s workmanship. I am the expressive work of God’s creative hand. I am really special. I am really something.” Can I take this too far?

In my opinion, you can, and that is the balancing truth. We are to be confident, but not confident in a way that makes us think too highly of ourselves. Rather we want a confidence that gives us the freedom to forget out about ourselves.

If I am wearing some high-water pants, I may lose confidence and be self-absorbed as a result. The goal is not for me to get clothing that makes me think, “Look at me!” but to get clothing that makes me comfortable enough so that I can forget about it. So it is with confidence. We want enough to give us the freedom to think of God and others, but not so much that we focus on what an incredible masterpiece of God we are.

Sermons

Have you heard any sermons on this passage? Have you read any books that talked about this? Have you done any Bible Studies in the past on this?

What did you learn? The older and more mature the group, the more they will be able to help you with this.

Illustrations

Have you heard any illustrations that explain this passage?

A picture is worth a thousand words and a great metaphor, illustration of story can make the text come alive.

I have used one story about the sanctity of life that, for me, puts to rest the argument. It goes like this: Imagine you are hunting and you see something moving behind the trees. You are pretty sure it is a deer–99% sure. But, if there is a 1% chance that it is a person. Would you pull the trigger? Even if we could be 99% that human life did not start before birth, that is not good enough. If there is only a chance—a small chance—that it is a human life, then everyone agrees that human life must be protected.

Paraphrase

How would you say this in your own words?

One of the great things about teaching from the King James is that you get to do a lot of this. If you teach from a newer translation, of course, the text does not need as much explaining.

Explain it

How would you explain this to an eight year old?

There is a great misunderstanding that deep Bible study is confusing. We sometimes think that the more complicated it is, the more spiritual it is. We speak of esoteric when the word deep would do. We confuse deep with muddy.

I have never been accused of being deep in any teaching I have ever done anywhere. People often say my teaching is practical, but never deep. I count that as a compliment. I have often heard teaching by others that some described as deep, but I thought was just confusing. I don’t know that the communicator intended that, but whether or not he did, the result is the same. Strive to be clear. Be satisfied with being simple.

What is the context?

What light do the verses before and after shed on this verse? Many difficult passages of the Bible can be understood much more clearly if we just read them in their context. “Go and do likewise” doesn’t mean much without a context.

Theology

How does 2 Timothy 2:12 relate to the doctrine of the eternal security of the saints—the doctrine that teaches once saved, always saved? Here is the verse:

If we endure,

we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

he will also disown us; 2 Tim. 2:12 [NIV]

I tend to let the Bible speak for itself on these kinds of passages. I might ask the question, “According to 2 Timothy 2:12, what happens if we disown Christ?” If the answer disagrees with our theology, so be it.

I might also teach the opposite side of the Calvinistic equation. If we are looking at John 15, I might ask, “Did the disciples make a choice to follow Christ, or were they chosen?” or, “What about us, did we chose to follow Christ or were we chosen?” Here is the verse:

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16 (NIV)

This may seem contradictory, but my theory is, study the Bible, let the Bible say what the Bible says and let the chips fall where they may.

Locations on a map

Do you have a map in the back of your Bible? Locate Ephesus on a map.

I love maps. I love looking at maps and studying maps. I find it interesting to think about where Paul was and where Ephesus was and what the geography was and how long it took to get there. You might want to match up a map of Israel with a map of your area to compare distances. I wouldn’t spend too much time on this, but it is useful to explore locations on a map.

Benefits of What-does-the-text-mean? Questions

The Bible is, at times, difficult to understand. But, not so difficult that we cannot come to an understanding of it, often with just the use of a few well-worded questions. Sometimes, we just read the Bible too fast, or are too familiar with a passage to really see its meaning.

The Bible is limitless in its depth. It is easy enough for a child to understand, but we can spend the rest of our lives plunging its depths.

Calvin Miller has a great story about this in the book Depths of God:

Like all visitors to the Reef, I was a first overwhelmed by the odd sensation of standing up—only ankle deep—seventy or ninety miles out in the middle of the ocean. It was for me the odd sensation that Peter must have felt when he walked on the Sea of Galilee.

But once my “ankle-deep-wonder” had passed, I remembered why I had made the trip. I was with my wife and son. My son had come to scuba dive while my wife and I snorkeled. Snorkeling is a pastime more than a sport. For while my son plunged deeply beneath clear waters to bury himself in the wonder of the mysterious ocean depths, my wife and I, wearing masks, only floated on the surface facedown.

In some ways what we were all seeing looked the same. But my wife and I literally sunburned our backs in our surface study of the reef, while our son plumbed its wonders.

Miller goes on to explain that both he and his son can tell you about that day and both can say they have been to the Great Barrier Reef. But his knowledge is only surface while his son’s understanding has great depth.

What-does-the-text-mean questions help us to plumb the wonder of God’s word.

Limitations of What-does-the-text-mean? Questions

What-does-the-text-mean question have an important part in Bible study. Without meaning, there is no application and no life change. The Bible is, at times, difficult to understand and its depths are unlimited. Still, it is possible that we spend too much time here.

The point of Bible study is not to make smarter sinners. It is to make saints. The Bible warns that knowledge puffs up. If we are not careful, the very thing that is supposed to make us more mature can harm us. We need to study the Bible. We need to understand its meaning, but we need to move on to application.

In my opinion, most groups spend too much time in What-does-the-text-mean questions. We squeeze its meaning to death without ever asking, “What are we going to do about it”?

Sometimes, in fact, What-does-the-text-mean questions are altogether unnecessary and just get in the way. I was just working on a lesson on Philippians 2:4 “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (NIV) We might spend a question or two drawing out the fact that the text says, “not only to your own interest”—implying that we are to take responsibility for our own lives and, in that sense, looking after our own interest. But, we need to move on pretty quickly from this to applying this passage. This passage is not hard to understand the meaning. We will spend the rest of our lives learning to apply the meaning.

If I didn’t know my Sunday School teacher as well as I do, I couldn’t get away with this, but I tried to drive this point home to him recently. We were having a lively discussion of the text, and it was all very interesting, but time was getting away from us. We had about five minutes left. I raised my hand and posed this question: “In about five minutes we are all going to be walking out that door. What are you wanting us to do about what we learned today?”

My teacher has often reminded me of this comment. As the lesson is winding down he will say, “This is all very interesting, but I know what Josh is thinking. What are we going to do about what we talked about today? What is going to change because of what we talked about today?”

Whether they verbalize it or not, your people are asking the same thing: “Teacher, what do you want us to do about what we talked about today?”

What-does-the-text-mean is an important question. Important, because it lays the foundation to what we will talk about next. Talk about what the text means. But, don’t stop there. What everyone wants to know and needs to know is, what do you want me to do about what I heard today?

Josh Hunt, How to Use Questions to Stimulate Life-Changing Discussions, Good Questions Have Small Groups Talking (Las Cruces, NM: Josh Hunt, 2010), 37–49.

Start on time.

That may sound trivial, or persnickety, or overly formal for a group. Whatever. Start on time.

“But, if we were to do that, half our group isn’t there and they would miss it.” Start on time. One of the reasons people show up late to church events is the leadership is in the habit of starting late. We reward the people who are late by accommodating their lateness. We punish the people who are on time by not starting on time.

I would not have thought this was any big deal if it were not for my wife. She does training with me. She trains children and preschool workers, while I train adult workers. She has a talk called K.I.D.T.E.A.C.H. The “A” in this acrostic “Arrive early.” When she first told me that I thought it was a little trivial. But, based on the feedback she has gotten from church leaders across the country, I have come to see the importance of bringing this up. She has told me story after story after story of people who have come up to her after conferences and thanked her for bringing the time issue up. “It is a real problem around here. Teachers don’t show up on time.”

All of the things we talked about in the last chapter can only happen if we are there on time—early in fact. Often visitors are nervous about being able to find their way so they show up early. It is pretty bad if they show up before the people who are in charge. Show up early. Start on time.

Life exposure question

I always start a group the same way—with what I call a life exposure question. The life exposure question does not have to do with the Bible; it has to do with life. It opens the window of each person’s life and lets us peer in. Here are some examples from some recent lessons I have written for The Lesson Vault:

• Let’s each share our name and one favorite fruit. No one gets to repeat a fruit. (The question relates to that day’s study and this verse: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16 (NIV)
• Let’s each share our name and how many Christians you work with, or how the people you work with feel about Christians. (The lesson that day had to do with being persecuted. This verse sets the stage for that discussion.)
• Share your name and one time you have been robbed. (The lesson included John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 (NIV)

As you can see, I try to relate the life exposure question to the lesson of the day. This allows the life exposure to do double duty. The life exposure question can fulfill two purposes at the same time—it exposes a bit of the group’s life to each other, and it helps to teach the lesson itself. (Another example of double duty is using biblical illustrations to make a point. By using a biblical illustration from another place in the Bible, you illustrate your point, while at the same time reminding the group of a biblical story.)

Sometimes, I can’t think of a question that relates to the lesson, so we can’t come up with a question that can do double duty. In this case, I resort to a totally trivial question:

• Share your name and your favorite restaurant.
• Share your name and your favorite fast-food restaurant.
• Share your name and your favorite burger.

Notice, we always start with “share your name and.” If the group is doing any kind of outreach, there will be people there who do not know each other. Or, more likely, they kinda know each other, but they can’t remember that name. If you feel strongly that you don’t need to do this, I have a thought for you to consider: maybe you need to do more outreach. If everyone there knows the name of everyone there, it is time to go out and get some new people. The best way to do that is through parties. Have a party once a month and invite every member and every prospect. That is a great idea, but not the subject of this book.

Benefits of life-exposure questions

They get everyone talking

I often encourage groups to engage in a question and answer style of teaching, rather than a lecture style. Sometimes, people object. Their objections go something like this. “But our group doesn’t talk. They don’t like talking. They like hearing me talk. They are a listening kind of group and I am a lecturing kind of teacher. We are a match made in heaven. I talk. They listen.”

Or, sometimes people will say, “I tried to get my group talking; they just didn’t want to open up. It was awkward.”

Here is what I have found. If you can get everyone’s mouth open in the first part of the hour, it goes a long way toward creating a discussion during the rest of the hour. Sometimes, you get their mouths open and you can’t get them shut, but that is a topic for another day. Life-exposure questions get groups talking.

They create connections

I have seen it happen a million times. We ask a question like, “Share your name and where you were born.” Someone says, “I am Bob and I was born in Baltimore.” Some shy person from across the room will say, “No way! I was born in Baltimore. Aren’t the crabs the best there?” “Absolutely, best crabs on the eastern shore. What is your favorite crab place?” About this time you might have to encourage the group to continue this crab conversation after class.

Over time, these little connections turn a group of strangers into a group of friends. It doesn’t happen in a day. It doesn’t happen in a week, but, week after week, layer upon layer, this kind of experience creates a groupness. It creates a bond, a sense that we know each other and love each other and know one another’s stories. We feel connected.

They allow everyone to participate

When we get into the Bible study itself, some will be hesitant to participate. Perhaps they don’t know very much, or they are just especially sensitive about being wrong. For a hundred reasons, it is difficult to get 100% participation during the Bible study time itself, although we push in that direction. But, during this time, everyone can participate. Everyone may not know the meaning of the word perdition, but everyone knows where they were born.

Making Life-exposure questions work

Pace

You want these to go quickly. Spend five minutes—max—on this question. If your group is so big you can’t get to everyone in five minutes, you might consider creating another group, but, again, that is a topic of another book. This question needs to go fast.

Modeling

We get fast by modeling fast. I’d start this way, “Let’s all go around the room, sharing our name and favorite restaurant. I am Josh and my favorite restaurant is any Mexican food restaurant. Next.” By modeling fast, you give everyone the hint that you don’t want the complete Zagat’s guide restaurants in your town. The life-exposure question is important, but it is important that it be done quickly.

Safe

I would prepare this question ahead of time, rather than dreaming it up on the fly. The reason is safety. Make sure this question is safe and won’t embarrass anyone. You want to make sure that this question can’t go wrong. Please learn from my mistakes on this.

I was teaching a single’s group once and came up with this question off the top of my head: “Let’s all share our name and how old you were when you first kissed someone of the opposite sex. Not your sister or your mother, but an honest to goodness romantic kiss.” My line of thought with that question was that singles don’t do a lot of kissing, so maybe they would enjoy talking about it. And, we did have some fun. One gal was four and we kidded her playfully. One guy was nineteen and we ribbed him a bit. Then we got to one gal, and, (how do I say this gracefully?) not the prettiest gal in the room. In the south they would say it this way, “Bless her heart, she was not much of a looker.” In the South you can say anything about anyone, no matter how blunt or rude as long as you proceed it with, “Bless her heart.”

Anyway, this gal, bless her heart, not the prettiest in the room confessed, “I am twenty-nine and I have never been kissed.” Ouch.

I hurt her. I crushed her. If she is in a group twenty years from now and the question was, “Who can tell us about a moment when you were really embarrassed,” that moment in my group would come to mind. Learn from my mistakes. Think through these questions ahead of time.

Let me ask you to work on this a bit by filling out the following chart:

Question	What is wrong with it
State your name and where you graduated from high school.
State your name and what is your favorite book.

How did you do? Here is my answer. The first question is bad because there may be someone in the room that didn’t graduate from High School, but they don’t particularly want to talk about it. You can get at roughly the same information by asking the group, “State your name and where did you live during your teenagers years.” They may not have graduated, but they did live somewhere.

The second question is a bad one because, sad to say, most people don’t read. Most people have not read a book in years, and many have never read a book. This is a point of embarrassment to many people because, although they don’t read, they feel like they should.

I remember getting my hair cut one time and had just stopped by a book store and picked up a new book. I was fired up about it and was reading while I was getting my hair cut. I was reading until the lady cutting my hair began to confess her guilt. “I feel so badly. I should read more. I hardly ever read. I know I should.” I am not sure why people feel they should read but don’t read. All I know is that is fairly common for people to feel badly about the fact that they don’t read.

Why not prayer?

You might notice that I didn’t suggest we start the group time with prayer. This may seem odd to some. Here is what experience has taught me. If you start with prayer requests, it can take a long time, especially as the group gets to know one another well. If you are not careful you can spend half the hour talking about prayer requests. This kind of thing can ruin your group. (Notice, I did not say too much prayer can ruin your group; I said too much talking about prayer requests can ruin your group.) We want to spend some time discussing prayer requests, but not half the time. Thoughtful people will get restless and anxious for us to get to the lesson.

The solution to this dilemma is as simple as it is effective. Do prayer requests last. Leave five or ten minutes at the end for prayer requests and prayer. People are not nearly as apt to talk and talk and talk about prayer requests at the end of the hour as they are at the beginning of the hour. My practice, then, is to do prayer requests and prayer last.

The first five minutes set the tone for the rest of group time. The first five minutes after people walk in should be filled with greetings, introductions and small-talk. The first five minutes of the group time itself should be around a life exposure question—each person peeling back the layer of their lives just a bit. With this beginning, we are ready to get into the Bible study.

Josh Hunt, How to Use Questions to Stimulate Life-Changing Discussions, Good Questions Have Small Groups Talking (Las Cruces, NM: Josh Hunt, 2010), 19–25.

The beginning sets the tone for the whole. Like Scott Peck’s classic beginning line of The Road Less Traveled, “Life is Difficult.” We wanted to believe it was easy, or you could make it easy, or easier in three easy steps.

Or, Rick Warren’s beginning line of The Purpose Driven Life, “It is not about you.” That gets to the heart of the matter, doesn’t it?

Or how about this beginning line: The beginning sets the tone for the whole.

Well, I don’t suspect this book will become a classic on par with The Road Less Traveled or The Purpose Driven Life. I just want to make the point that the beginning sets the tone for the whole.

The first five minutes of your group time sets the tone for the whole. People tend to make up their mind about how they are going to feel about class in the first five minutes and then spend the rest of the hour trying to defend why that idea is right.

“The first five minutes” can be taken two ways and we will deal with each one separately:

• The first five minutes when people walk into group, and
• The first five minutes when the actual group time begins

Both of these times are extremely important. The first we will deal with in this chapter, the second will have a chapter of its own.

The first five minutes when people walk into the group

When was the last time you walked into a group as a stranger? Do you remember how it feels? Do you remember how it feels to not know where to sit, what to do, where to go, who is in charge, what is going on?

If it has been a long time, or maybe you cannot remember, I recommend you visit another church. If you want to be really brave, visit a church that is not part of your denomination, a church that is very different from yours. Walk in and get in touch with what it feels like to be a stranger.

You might think this issue is not important enough to warrant going to all this fuss about. Jesus counted the issue of strangers and how they are treated as very important. It is one of the things that separate the sheep from the goats. Circle the word “stranger” every time it occurs in this passage:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34–46 [NIV]

Imagine Jesus visited your group. How would you treat Him? Jesus taught us to treat every visitor that way, because how we treat them is how we are treating Him.

The writer of Hebrews taught us that by being careful of the way we treat strangers, we are, at times, entertaining angels:

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 [NIV]

How we greet one another is elevated in the Bible to the position of a command. Four times in the New Testament we are commanded to greet one another properly:

• Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings. Romans 16:16 [NIV]
• All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 1 Cor. 16:20 [NIV]
• Greet one another with a holy kiss. 2 Cor. 13:12 [NIV]
• Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ. 1 Peter 5:14 [NIV]

It is easy to miss the import of these commands because we get hung up on the cultural style of what is appropriate. Our mind gets distracted by the visual imagery of kissing each other at the door and the political correctness of that in a world like ours and what would happen if, and … we miss the whole point. The point is that God counted it so important that we greet each other appropriately that he elevated it to the level of a command and repeated it four times.

I have had more than a few people irritated at me over the years. I remember talking to a friend once about someone else who was irritated at me. (Probably a better idea to talk with the person who was irritated.) Anyway, I asked my friend what their beef was. “Well,” my friend hesitated. “They said you didn’t say ‘Hi!’ to them when you walked down the hall. You didn’t greet them. You just ignored them. They knew you would never do this to one of your friends, but to them, you didn’t say a word. It made them feel small. It made them feel like they were not important to you.”

“I am spacey,” I protested. But, as much as I have tried to defend my spacey-ness and this is a trivial matter and as much as I have tried to convince myself that they are just too sensitive, I have to admit that the Bible is on their side. The Bible commands that we take seriously how we greet one another. Back in the day, that meant a warm kiss. Maybe it means something else in our day. Whatever else it means, it means that the greeting in the first minute when people show up is very important.

The way we treat strangers is important to God and it is important to people. How we treat strangers—visitors to our group—may have more to do with whether or not they come back and the growth of the group than anything else. It may be more important than the quality of the teaching or how hard you work at your outreach program.

Here are three things you can do to insure that your visitors are treated as you would treat Jesus if he visited your class.

Make someone in charge

Everyone’s responsibility is no one’s responsibility. In order to insure that every visitor is treated well, make it someone’s job. Have someone stationed by the door prepared to greet everyone who walks in and especially to welcome strangers. Wal-Mart does it. You should too. It could be the teacher, but it is probably preferable that it be someone else. Get the friendliest, happiest, most welcoming person in the room to be in charge of greeting people.

Refreshments

People don’t know what to do when they first come in, and they are uncomfortable doing nothing. Give them something to do—eat. Give them something to eat. Eating relaxes people and puts them at ease. It gives them something to do and relieves the awkwardness.

Providing refreshments each week is easy enough to do. First, someone needs to be in charge. Not in charge of making refreshments every week, but in charge of seeing that it is taken care of. About every two months, they can pass around a sign up list with dates for people to volunteer. If it is a large class, you may need several to volunteer each week. A friendly e-mail reminder to the people who have signed up each week would go along way toward insuring that it is done.

Introductions and chit-chat

After a visitor is greeted at the door and shown the refreshments, the next step is introductions. It is not necessary to introduce them to everyone in the group; just a few people. Sit them next to someone and say, “Bob and Cheryl, this is Tom and Betty. Make them feel welcome, will you?” It is important at this point that Bob and Cheryl make them feel welcome.

How do they do that? Ask lots of questions—questions about Tom and Betty. Questions that are of interest, but not too personal. Good questions are the key to good group life. Questions like:

• Is this your first time be with us?
• How did you hear about our church (or group)?
• What kind of work are you in?
• How long have you lived here?
• Do you have family in the area?
• Do you have kids?

If the Bob and Cheryl in your group are not naturally good at this, you might coach them to have a list of questions in their mind. It will serve them well, not only in this situation, but in a million situations where they met new people. Better yet, if the Bob and Cheryls of your group are not naturally good at this, you might sit Tom and Betty next to someone else. Let’s put our best foot forward. First impressions matter.

This chit-chat ought to continue right up until when the group itself starts, or, when Bob and Cheryl sense that Tom or Betty have had enough chit-chat. There is a fine line between friendliness and nosiness.

From time to time—maybe about once a quarter, you might do a group evaluation of this process. Make sure you have a greeter and refreshments, and then ask. Openly, publically ask members how they felt the first week they were greeted. Hopefully, they will report that they felt great and the group was welcoming and inviting. A report like that will go a long way toward encouraging the group to keep up the good work.

You might think that all this is automatic and trivial and happens all the time and does not warrant writing about. If you had visited as many classes as I have, you wouldn’t feel that way. Visitors are often routinely ignored.

Treat your visitors well. The first five minutes set the tone for the rest of the class.

Josh Hunt, How to Use Questions to Stimulate Life-Changing Discussions, Good Questions Have Small Groups Talking (Las Cruces, NM: Josh Hunt, 2010), 11–17.

There are basically three ways to teach adults:

• Lecture
• Fun and games
• Question and answer

Lecture is a good method, especially in certain special circumstances.

• If you need to communicate a good deal of information quickly. Lecture can be a very efficient way of communicating.
• If there is only one person in the room that knows the truth. Group life should not be about the pooling of ignorance. I have seen groups fish for the right answer for days when there is just one person who knows. Say it.
• In short bursts. Every lesson ought to have some lecture. In my online lessons I will often put footnotes to the teachers and say, “Preach a little on that.” Every lesson ought to have a bit of the prophetic voice of someone saying, “Thus saith the Lord!”
• If the material is somewhat complex one voice will often make it clearer than a group of voices discussing.
• If you only have an expert in the room for a limited amount of time. I remember hearing Dr. Curtis Vaughan speak one time in El Paso, TX. Dr. Vaughan taught me Greek in seminary and I have enormous respect for his knowledge. I remember people asking a question about a word that was completely out of context and off the top of his head he would say, “On page 1232 of Kittel, volume 4, it says …” Anyway, at this meeting in El Paso, he gave his presentation, then opened it up for discussion. Discussion? Dr. Curtis Vaughan is in the room. I don’t want to hear us dummies speak. I want to hear Dr. Vaughan. Let him lecture till the cows come home!

There is a place for lecture, but lecture has its limitations, especially in a group setting. I can think of two primary limitations of the lecture method.

Lecture is an extremely difficult method

If you take up piano, you will learn that some songs are more difficult to play than others. If you ever play cards you know that some hands are more difficult to play than others. If you take up golf you soon realize that some courses and some holes are much more difficult than others. The lecture is an extremely difficult method to perfect. If you disagree with the thesis of this book, that Good Questions are the best way to teach adults, allow me to gently warn you. If you choose to lecture, you are dealing yourself a very difficult hand to play. It is extremely difficult to present a forty-five minute, interesting and life-changing lecture each week. Extremely difficult. Let me invite you to humbly consider the fact that you might be boring people. Do you have anyone in your life who would tell you? Most people will be polite. There is a chance—a good chance—that if you adopt the lecture method each week that your group is bored and won’t tell you.

I know what you are thinking. “Not me. Other people might be boring, but not me.” We all fall victim to a tendency to evaluate ourselves more highly than is warranted. Even pastors who preach on humility fall victim to this tendency. Ninety-percent of preachers describe themselves as above average. One hundred percent of teenagers think they are above average. There is a good chance you see yourself as above average. Be careful. Romans 12 warns us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. It is very difficult to teach an interesting, life-changing lesson every week if you use primarily lecture. You might be boring.

Lecture doesn’t do a lot to create community

Even if you do get it right and your lectures are interesting, stimulating, funny and life-changing, there is still a problem.

Lecture does not stimulate relationship-building.

It does not create community. It does not allow us to get to know one another.

Church is not just about getting to know God and learning to live the Christian life individually and privately. It is not just about a vertical relationship with God. It is also about a horizontal relationship with one another. Lectures don’t help us do that much. Conversations do.

The truth is, we need both lecture and conversations. But we get lecture in the worship service. We get lecture in the sermon. Group time is about relationship building. It is about community. Discussion based teaching helps us do that.

David Francis, head of Sunday School for Lifeway Christian Resources, told me that according to their research, in most churches Sunday School is not a small group time at all. It is a mid-sized group time. It is a stand-and-deliver-a-lecture time. It is sit-in-straight-rows-and-listen-to-a-talk. It is mini-sermon time.

If this is true, it follows that many believers have never really experienced group life. They have experienced sit-in-straight-rows-and-listen-to-a-lecture, but they have not experienced group life. They have not experienced one another life. The skillful use of good questions helps us create group life.

Relationships are about conversations. Good questions create conversations. Good questions make class interesting. Good questions stimulate life-change. Good questions create community.

Fun and games have limited usefulness with adults

By fun and games I mean everything from watching a video to acting out a drama to cutting pictures out of magazines to listening to songs to taking a field trip. It is everything we do that is creative and unusual.

Some of this is great. Variety is the spice of life. It makes group life fun … to a point. But, I think you can do too much of this with adults. Too much and adults get to feeling like, “Where is the beef?” I am not sure that kids would ever feel this way, but adults will.

Admittedly, this is rarely a problem. It is rarely a problem that groups are too creative, too lively, or too much fun. But, my point is that these creative elements make a good garnish for the lesson, but a poor entrée.

I remember attending a retreat once where the leaders had us listening to secular songs and comparing the theology of these songs to what we understood to be biblical theology. They had even printed out the words to make it easier for us. It was fun for a while. It was interesting and helpful for the first song or two, but we did this for an hour or more. After while, I got to feeling, like, “Does anyone around here have a Bible? Any chance we could open the Bible and read a bit and talk about what it means to us and how we could apply it to our lives?”

I think most adults are this way. We are O. K. with doing some creative activities. Some. Some creative activities. We will go along for a time. But, after a time, we want someone to open the Bible and get into it.

Good questions strike a happy balance between lecture and fun and games

Good questions have groups talking. Good questions are interesting. Good questions challenge the way we think. Good questions challenge the way we live. Good questions guide us off the broad way into the narrow way. Good questions challenge our assumptions. Good questions help us get to know one another. They test our knowledge. They create community. Good questions are the best bread-and-butter way to teach adults.

There is a place for lecture. When an expert is in the room we do well to lecture. In short bursts lecture can be effective. But not too much.

There is a place for creative activities. There is a place for the unusual. But, enough is enough.

Good questions are the core, the centerpiece, the meat and potatoes of good teaching in a small group or Sunday School class.

Josh Hunt, How to Use Questions to Stimulate Life-Changing Discussions, Good Questions Have Small Groups Talking (Las Cruces, NM: Josh Hunt, 2010), 5–9.

Teacher Tips by Jerry Bowling

Discussion-based teaching methods can be a vital tool in the Bible teacher’s repertoire​—but only if the teacher knows the why and how of their use. When unskilled, undirected discussion takes place in the Bible classroom, the result is often merely a common pooling of ignorance and/or a “what it means to me” approach to Scripture that bypasses the original intent of the author. But that need not happen!

The Why

Bible-class leaders who are skillful at using discussion methods cultivate openness and vulnerability in ways that lecture methods simply cannot. As the teacher figuratively steps down from a lecture-based position of authority, the vulnerability he or she reveals in discussion-based classes encourages openness and vulnerability on the part of learners as well.

Lecture-based methods focus almost exclusively on the transmission of facts. Discussion-based methods take this a step further by exploring how those scriptural facts and truth can and do interact with “real life.” Discussion methods help learners process their experiences as they explore successes and failures in connecting their inner lives with the Bible. In short, discussion-based teaching supports internalization of spiritual values as those values drive behavior.

The How

Discussion-based teaching requires that teachers be prepared to focus Bible lessons on the context of life today, particularly the “gray areas.” For example, the scriptural prohibitions against stealing and lying are clear enough (Exodus 20:15; Leviticus 19:11; Ephesians 4:25, 28; etc.). But what counts as “stealing” in the everyday gray areas of life? For example, if I make a one-minute personal phone call while at work, have I stolen from my employer? Or if I exaggerate or slightly misrepresent facts in a conversation to spare the feeling of a friend, have I sinned? As gray-area issues are wrestled with, learners realize they are not alone in such struggles.

One way the teacher encourages such discussion is by creating space where students can feel safe talking about their inner values that drive their outward behavior. No one is pressured to do so, of course. But the teacher who does so personally sets the example for learners to do so as well.

Confronting fear about changing methods is perhaps the hardest step for a teacher to take in making a successful transition into using discussion methods. Teachers need to address any resistance or reluctance they may have about their willingness to do so. Bible teachers do well to remember that learning entails change and that the prospect of such change is particularly intimidating for some to undertake.

Praying for God’s wisdom (James 1:5) is the best place to begin stretching beyond the comfortable and familiar. And God may be calling you to do just that!

The limited space here does not allow fullest discussion of how-tos. Many additional ideas in this regard are easily found on the internet.

Reflecting on Your Role as Teacher

Adopting a discussion method will require you to reflect on your role as teacher. A critical competency for teaching via discussion is that you will be assisting learners to take responsibility and become self-directing in maturing spiritually as you model that yourself. You will model not only expertise in Bible content, but also an interpersonal “fellow struggler” rapport with your learners.

Jerry Bowling, “Teaching by Discussion,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams, vol. 27 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2020–2021), 120.

EMPOWER CO-LEARNING

Teacher Tips by Jerry Bowling

Facilitating discussions in Bible study can anticipate, invite, and empower meaningful co-learning. Discussion as a learning tool can draw all students in a class into participation such that they feel they share a vital role in the lesson. As they discuss a Bible passage together, learners help others who are present grasp God’s truth and integrate it into life. That’s co-learning.

Preparing for Discussion

Teachers can empower co-learning when they prepare for it. Advance preparation for co-learning discussion comes in various forms: previewing resources such as blogs, Bible dictionaries, or videos; inviting students to bring their own questions; anticipating counterarguments; reflecting on the sets of questions in this teacher guide; etc. Successful discussion begins with good preparation!

To foster meaningful discussion in upcoming class sessions, teachers can communicate details about lessons through e-mail, social media, or web links. All this advance preparation will serve to engage the prior knowledge that students bring to the classroom, inspire deeper faith integration, and foster further reflection. The result will be enhanced discipleship.

Importance of Ground Rules

Ground rules are a simple set of agreed upon assumptions that clarify and guide the use of discussion. Having explicit ground rules is a fundamental prerequisite for Bible class discussions. Teachers can, of course, elect to introduce their own ground rules. But an even greater sense of ownership is created when teacher and students work together in developing them. Either way, it is imperative for class members to understand these guidelines before discussion begins.

An indispensable component of ground rules is that you, the teacher, model their use as you facilitate the lesson presentation and accompanying discussion. This creates student confidence and increases the likelihood that learners will honor the ground rules themselves in holistic collaboration.

A sample set of ground rules might include some of the following:

• Open-minded and nonjudgmental dialogue.
• Confidential and respectful discussion.
• No interruptions, demeaning comments, or other disruptive behavior.
• Active attention when a classmate is talking.
• Using “I language” (rather than “you language”) to challenge ideas.

Results of a Co-Learning Culture

Having ground rules to frame Bible class discussions serves to create an inclusive learning environment as it welcomes diverse viewpoints. Establishing trust is the key for doing so. When that trust is established, the result will be a classroom setting that is open to insights—insights that empower growth in faith and service. Discussions in a co-learning classroom environment create the dynamic of shifting learning expectations toward students’ participation. Discussions can underscore previously overlooked values that come to light in the hearing of others’ views.

The ultimate perspective the students must hear is, of course, that of the author’s original intent in writing the Scripture text. This is where you, the teacher, walk a tightrope. Invalid perspectives do exist (compare Galatians 2:11–21). But when you, the teacher, challenge wrong ideas within the framework of the ground rules, the co-learning culture is maintained as a learner comes to the conclusion on his or her own that the voiced perspective is in need of serious rethinking.

Jerry Bowling, “Empower Co-Learning,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams, vol. 27 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2020), 8.

Teacher Tips by Jerry Bowling

Questions lie at the heart of discussion-based teaching. Questions serve a vital role for sustaining learning beyond the classroom. But how a teacher constructs and poses questions requires skill and practice that can make a difference between a sustained, engaging conversation and a session that goes nowhere.

Some Types of Questions

Beginning teachers can benefit from using a mix of questions and preparing them in advance. The starting point here is in recognizing certain categories or types of questions:

• Relational questions call for comparisons. Example: “How does this concept relate to what we studied about Paul’s Jewish heritage that we discussed last week?”
• Clarifying questions probe deeper for evidence. Example: “What do you find in this text that supports your viewpoint?”
• Big-idea questions search for what’s most important. Example: “What insight is most valuable from today’s lesson?”
• Experiential questions seek personal relevance. Example: “What are some ways to apply Jeremiah’s admonition to return to the Lord?”

Some Discussion Methods

No matter what mix of question types you use, you should use them in such a way that all voices in your class are heard and valued. The teacher who simply stands up front and poses questions runs the risk of having one or two assertive students dominate the discussion. Here are some techniques to encourage broad participation:

• Double Wheel. Prepare in advance several open-ended questions such as in one or more of the four types above. During class, group students into two concentric circles of equal numbers. Have those in the inside circle face outward and those in the outside circle face inward. Then give each learner one or more slips of paper on which you have reproduced questions, one question per slip. Have each learner pose his or her question(s) to the other learner of the facing pair for response. (Alternative: Instead of open-ended questions, use incomplete statements such as “I think Peter’s greatest challenge was …”) After one minute of discussion, signal students in the outside circle to move one person to the right and use a different question. Repeat the process as appropriate for the size of your class.
• Conversation Circles. Arrange student seating in circles of four or five. Pose (or write on the board) a question for discussion within the circles. Any student can begin the responses within the respective circles. Announce that (1) the response is limited to one-minute’s duration and (2) no interruptions are allowed. When you call time after the minute, the person on the first respondent’s right responds to the same question, same rules. Repeat until all four or five in the circles have responded. Debrief as a whole class.

Some Best Practices

As you can see from the types and methods above, it’s important to construct your questions in advance—don’t just use whatever comes to mind in the middle of teaching! A good starting point is the five questions that come with each lesson in this commentary; these are almost always of the “experiential” (application) type.

As you either construct your own and/or modify the ones that come with each lesson, follow these best practices:

• Make each question ask about one thing only
• Order questions in a logical sequence.
• Make questions answerable (not too broad).
• Focus questions on transformation more than mere information.

Jerry Bowling, “Discussion Tools That Work,” in The NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2020–2021, ed. Ronald L. Nickelson, Jane Ann Kenney, and Margaret K. Williams, vol. 27 (Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2021), 232.

The theme that dominates this entire discussion of transformation is the importance of training. Paul spoke of training ourselves to be godly (1 Tim. 4:7); the writer to the Hebrews told us that constant use or practice leads to someone who is trained (Heb. 5:14). Paul pointed out to Timothy that Scriptures provide the primary means for the training in righteousness needed so that every person will be thoroughly equipped to do every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Training to be godly is very different from trying to be godly. Trying to be godly doesn’t work, training does.

I could challenge my church members to run seven miles. We could gather in front of the church and run together so we could encourage one another. I could give an inspirational message that would fire them up so they would be brimming over with desire to run the seven miles. But almost no one could run seven miles. There would be very courageous efforts as many would extend themselves beyond what they should to reach the goal. But the first aid station and recovery tent would be filled with the injured and the sick. A few people would make it, but it wouldn’t be a matter of age or necessarily body strength. Those who would finish would be those who had already been running as a way of life.

Trying to be godly without training can be just as injurious to the spirit as trying to run seven miles without proper training can be to the body. I think Christians should stop trying to be godly and start practicing the disciplines that form pathways to the heart of God and transform us into his likeness.

The distinction between trying and training is revolutionary. So many resist effort and discipline because it seems like an external effort to gain an internal change. But when I am training, change occurs not because I am straining to make something happen but because I am doing what God prescribed. Training via disciplined practice is how genuine freedom is attained. It is how Jesus’ yoke is easy and light.

Bill Hull, Choose the Life: Exploring a Faith That Embraces Discipleship (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2004), 77–78.

When will we realize that evangelism is not done by something, but by someone? It is an expression of God’s love, and God is a person. His nature, being personal, is only expressed through personality, first revealed fully in Christ, and now expressed through his Spirit in the lives of those yielded to him. Committees may help to organize and direct it, and to that end they certainly are needed, but the work itself is done by people reaching other people for Christ.

That is why we must say with E. M. Bounds that “men are God’s method.”9 Until we have such people imbued with his Spirit and committed to his plan, none of our methods will work.

This is the new evangelism we need. It is not better methods, but better men and women who know their Redeemer from personal experience—men and women who see his vision and feel his passion for the world—men and women who are willing to be nothing so that he might be everything—men and women who want only for Christ to produce his life in and through them according to his own good pleasure. This finally is the way the Master planned for his objective to be realized on the earth, and where it is carried through by his strategy, the gates of hell cannot prevail against the evangelization of the world.

Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2006), 97.

I think group work is more fun than Six Flags. The happiest people I know are leaders of groups that are doubling every two years or less. If you didn’t have any high, holy, glorious, noble ambition in your life but just to have fun, I would invite you to give your life to doubling your group every two years or less. It is fun stuff.

Christian Swartz has done one of the most exhaustive studies ever conducted on the worldwide Church. He originally surveyed people on every continent in more than 1,000 churches, amassing 4.2 million bits of data. One of his findings: growing churches laugh more than non-growing churches. They are having more fun. Yes, we do have serious, heady, heavy reasons for giving our one and only lives to doubling. But I want to say right up front that this is a wonderful way to live.

There is a cost involved, a great cost. Our Master asked that we give up everything to be His followers (Luke 14:33). But the cost is richly rewarded. We are never asked to give up more than we get back. We give our rags to put on His royalty. It is worth it.

There will be some disappointment along the way. You will be hurt, rejected, and disappointed. People will not always respond to your love. They will reject you. I teach a very personal ministry, and when people reject you, it hurts. We are rejected as Christ was rejected. We share in his sufferings.2

Meet my friend Chris Thixton. Chris loves life. You can see it in his vibrant, expressive face. Chris is having fun doubling his class. He lives in Ozark, Missouri. I have been to his church twice. He has doubled his group numerous times. His method is not “Giving Friday Nights to Jesus” as I discuss in You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less. Instead he uses pizza on Sunday.

He roams the auditorium before the 11:00 service. Finding newcomers, he stops and introduces himself, engaging them in a friendly conversation. Soon, he pitches the bait: you guys like pizza? He directs the question at the kids, then turns to the parents to explain: “A bunch of us are going to get pizza after a while. If you want, I’d love for ya’ll to come with us. I’d love to buy your pizza.” He grew his class from 4 to 40 in 9 months using this method. (By the way, would you spend $25 a week to double your class? I told you it might cost you.)

I cannot emphasize enough that Chris is exceptionally happy. He is one of the happiest church members I know. He is happy, in part, because he is engaged in the pursuit of a great cause. He has embraced the magnificent obsession. Just as in the parable of the talents, Chris is seeking to be the servant who takes what he has been given and doubles it.

Happiness is not so much about prosperity, ease, and creature comforts as it is about losing ourselves in a great cause. We are happiest, not when we are in greatest comfort; rather, we are happiest when we are lost in a great cause. The happiest people I know are lost in a magnificent obsession.

Do you want to be happy? I invite you to lose yourself in the magnificent obsession of using your gifts to help your group double every two years or less.

John Piper points out something interesting about happiness. The world teaches us that in order to be happy we need to have high self-esteem. We need to feel good about ourselves. We need to feel big. This is not the whole story.

Imagine a group of people leaning over the railing at the Grand Canyon, drinking in the view. They are lost in amazement and wonder. You stand beside them and casually remark, “Doesn’t the Canyon make you feel good about yourself? Doesn’t it make you feel big?”

“What are you, nuts?” They would think, probably not owing you the courtesy of responding out loud. They would walk off and mutter under their breath, “Some people just don’t get it.”

People do not enjoy the Grand Canyon because it makes us feel big. It doesn’t do anything to enhance our self-esteem. It doesn’t help us feel big. If anything, it makes us feel small. We are happy then. We are happiest when we feel small standing before something great.

Ever look at the stars? I do. I sometimes lay outside in the back yard on my trampoline and bask in the wonder of the bigness of space above a New Mexico desert. Scientists tell me that the light I see left those stars millions of years ago. The star itself could have gone out by now and we would still be seeing what looks like a star for millions of years. I feel small—and I love it.

You may say, “I can’t do much.” Neither can I. Each of us makes a small splash, but the rippling effect is huge. Because I have been working on this magnificent obsession for some time, I am profoundly aware of this. I have often said that I feel like one who is attempting to empty the Pacific Ocean with tea cups. Everyone I teach to double is one who did not know before. But there is so much to do.

Nobody knows for sure how many lost people inhabit planet earth, but to be sure, it is in the billions. There are likely more than a billion people who have never even heard of Jesus. A few billion more don’t know any more about Jesus than you or I know about Confucius or Mohammed. They haven’t really been given a fighting chance to believe. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14).

Billions.

The task is daunting. Tea cups trying to empty the Pacific. After we have doubled the number of God-worshiping people in the next 20 years, there will still be billions more to reach.

I feel small. But it feels good to feel small. It feels good to feel small, lost in a big, big cause. Lost in the big, big, cause of a big, big God.

What do you want to give your one and only life to? Do you want to give your life to collecting sea shells, playing softball, and trawling in your boat? Do you want to bury your talents and maintain the status quo? Or do you want to lose yourself in a big, big cause?

Join me. Give your life to the magnificent obsession of doubling. Lose yourself in the cause. It will make you happy.

But it is not just about making us happy. There is a much more serious, somber reason to double.

Josh Hunt, 1 Magnificent Obsession (Las Cruces, NM: Josh Hunt, 2012).