Spoken English

Leading a Small Group

You spilled the beans!

This means to let out a secret.

Also, “You let the cat out of the bag”

It's raining cats and dogs

Simply means that it is raining very heavily.

A hot potato

An issue (usually current) which people are talking about and which is disputed

There’s no use crying over spilt milk

When you complain about a loss from the past.

To be sad about something that happened and cannot now be changed

I heard it on the grapevine

To hear rumour about something or someone.

To pull the wool over their eyes

To deceive someone - often by pretending to do/be one thing when doing something else

E.g. A wolf in sheep’s clothing

The use of Questions in Leading a Small Group Bible Study

Good Bible study questions…

• Are open-ended• Promote discussion• Have various possible

answers• Answers are not (totally)

obvious• Get people to look at the text

What do youthink they

should be like?

Good Bible study questions…

• Are open-ended• Promote discussion• Have various possible

answers• Answers are not (totally)

obvious• Get people to look at the text

• Use the right language • for people in the group• as used in the text

• What emotions are shown - can you identify with them?

• Use short/concise Q’s• What relationships,

surprises or unexpected things?

Mark 3:1-6Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. 2 And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” 4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.

Mark 3:1-6

5 And he looked round at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

The most simple way…

Might be to usequestions starting withWho…What…Where…When…Why…How…

The most simple way…

A personal favouriteTo imagine I am one of the characters and ask questions from their perspective,- A regular attender in the synagogue- the person with the withered hand- a Pharisee- the leader of the synagogue

A personal favourite

A personal favourite

What does this reveal about God?How does this change my life?How can I pray this passage?

The original ideas for this next section of study come from the following article:http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/questioning.html Copyright © 2002-2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Permission is granted to non-profit educational institutions to print and distribute this document for internal use provided that the Bok Center's authorship and copyright are acknowledged.

Questions we might ask…

Open Ended QuestionsA simple attempt to startpeople talking:What's happening?What do you think aboutit?

Questions we might ask…

This also gives you achance to listen andunderstand where thegroup is at.Listen for things to returnto, to emphasise, questionor discuss further.

Questions we might ask…

What did you like / dislike?Did it stir up any emotions inyou?Are there any things youdon’t understand?What made you think deeply?

Simple Questions that ask for InformationWhere? When? Who? What? Facts (and opinions).

What was a synagogue?Who were the Pharisees?Who were the Herodians?Where was this happening?When was this happening?Who got healed?

Diagnostic QuestionsWhy did they do that?What else is going on, (possibly) behind the scenes?Why did Jesus heal him (in the synagogue)?Why did Jesus heal on the Sabbath?Why did Jesus seem to make sure that everyone noticed?

Why were the Pharisees so angry about this healing?Why did they react by wanting to kill Jesus (it seems extreme!)?(Do I need greater understanding of the background here?)

Challenge QuestionsWhy do you say that?How would you explain…?Where is the evidence for what you say?How would you persuade someone who disagreed with you on this point?Does this passage present any challenge to your faith and action?

Following on from the answers to “Why did Jesus…”Why do you say that?How does healing happen today? (medicine, prayer, pastors…?)Has anyone here seen someone healed - through their ministry or another's?What convinces you that healing still takes place today?

Development QuestionsExploring the issues.What else can you add, have we missed anything important?Can you take us farther with that idea or find new ways to think?Keep going…Therefore…?

In the Gospels we read a lot about Jesus healing people, why was it so important to him and yet seemingly not so in the church today (we don't spend a lot of time doing it)?Are there other aspects of the ministry that Jesus performed that I (or the church) ignore today?

Combination QuestionsHow would you relateyour points to thosementioned by Student Aor to something else yousaid?How would youunderstand X in light ofY?

What insights can we gain here on how we should deal with people who oppose us?Some Christians believe we should stand back from politics and elected office, others say we should engage. Can we learn anything here about interacting with society when it rejects what we do and believe?

Priority QuestionsWhich issues do youconsider most important?Where do you start?How would you rank these?

What is most important in the church today - to heal like Jesus did, make friends like Jesus did, or to speak like Jesus did?What could you do this week to be more like Jesus?

Action QuestionsWhat would you do in Person X's shoes?How would you have acted?If you were Jesus would you have thought about not going to synagogues any more?Would you have chosen to only do healings away from the synagogue and Temple?

Prediction QuestionsWhat do you think would happen if we followed Student Z's action plan?Give us a forecast of your expectations. How will he/she react to your thinking? Harold Camping -

predicted the return of Christ on May 21, 2011

Prediction QuestionsAre there ways “we” might still be thinking and acting like Pharisees today?If healings like this took place in churches each Sunday how do you think non-Christians would think about the church?

Harold Camping - predicted the return of Christ on May 21, 2011

General and Summarising QuestionsWhat principles might be drawn out from this situation?What general conclusions or comments would you make?Can you summarize the major points of our discussion?